trixel

Born and raised in a prairie town
Just a kid full of dreams
We didnt have much but an old radio
Music came from places wed never been

Growing up in a prairie town
Learning to drive in the snow
Not much to do so you start a band
And soon youve gone as far as you can go

(chorus)
Winter nights are long, summer days are gone
Portage and Main fifty below
Springtime melts the snow, rivers overflow
Portage and Main fifty below
Portage and Main fifty below

All the bands in a prairie town
Try to outdo the next in line
Learning records out of Liverpool
Dreams of England on their Minds

On the other side of Winnipeg
Neil and The Squires played the Zone
But then he went to play
For awhile in Thunder Bay
He never looked back and hes never coming home

Just a band from a prairie town
Sometimes wed drive from coast to coast
One call from LA and wed pack and fly away
But in our hearts were always prairie folk

Looking back at a prairie town
People ask me why I went away
To fly with the best, sometimes you have to leave the nest
But the prairies made me what I am today

--Prairie Town by Randy Bachman

Little known (and little cared about) fact: Winnipeg is home to the windiest corner in North America, Portage and Main. I guess that's what you get when you funnel wind from the plains through a few skyscrapers. Speaking of skyscrapers, the wind isn't the only thing that would remind you of Chicago if you stood at that famous intersection. If you looked up and looked about, you'd see Chicago at the turn of last century. We have well preserved Chicago School architecture from late 19th and 20th centuries. Our architecture has driven the boom in film productions here.

But enough about buildings. Today is less of Hollywood, and more of North. Last week -- at least I think it was last week -- I was walking about in a tank top. It was 27 degrees here (translation for you strange imperial types: approximately 82 degrees). This week? This week we have flurries predicted. I dug out my scarf.