Friday: Her flight got changed from arriving at lunch time to arriving at 11:40pm….This put a little hitch in the plan, because we had originally discussed going to Camrose to visit my cousin and the kids. So we went straight home from the airport and spent the next few days around High River. In fact, I met her at the airport with balloons (that all popped before she even saw them because of the air pressure inside the terminal) [which as a side note, if you don’t want people to look in the direction of a sound that comes across as gun shots or a bomb...don't take balloons to the airport....] In the car I had a strawberry cheesecake waiting, with two spoons and a trunk full of more balloons!
Saturday: By the time we woke up and got ready, it was after lunch, so we stopped into my work- the palace- and she took pics and videos of EVERYTHING…then went to the farmers market in Calgary, before going for a feed of sushi at my fave sushi bar, Kinjo!
Sunday: We drove to the world heritage site of Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump where there is an interpretive center. Met up with her cousin Suzanne and Suzanne's daughter and grand-daughter. Long drive but lots of big sky to look at. When we got back, I did up a big BBQ and then got to walk off all the calories when we walked into High River where they had Canada Day fireworks.
Monday: Thought we’d try for the mountains, but unfortunately the weather didn’t look great, so we drove to the city and to the grave site of her brother- very emotional, followed by the Canada Olympic Park of the ’88 Olympics, and then to Calgary tower before going home. There was a very obnoxious Indian family there. The children were running around screaming the whole time. Bumping into people without regard or apology and leaving their garbage on the floor. Seriously. It was an instant dose of birth control and completely appalling that parents would let their demonic children behave that way.
Tuesday: I worked that morning and then her and I drove into the city and met up with my cousin and we went to some big indoor gardens thing in a mall. It was very humid inside and was covered large windows. It felt as though we were in a green house....while high end fashionista's shopped below us.
Wednesday: I took her to my cousins in the morning on my way to the city for work and then worked all day before driving up to the city and having dinner with my cousin, her husband and my mom.
Thursday: was my first day in the field. She came with me. Really wanted to see what I do. She found it very interesting, albeit smelly....I had to keep reminding her that that was the smell of moola...no pun intended...ok, some pun intended... Then we went to the Chinook honey factory to see the people I house sit for occasionally. Taste tested some mead and bought some honey, preserves and their new STAMPEDE MEAD (Thursday was their release day in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede).
Friday: worked again in the morning, went home for lunch, and then picked her up a couple of hours later and we went in to the stampede and watched some heavy horse stuff and team cattle penning with Charlotte.
Saturday: took the morning light, and then had two back to back ball games that afternoon. She helped us out big time, because we were short a player and would have had to of forfeited the games if she didn’t help. So she served as the back catcher. This was the first time she played ball since her youth, and needless to say, she was a little sore the next few days.
Sunday: went to spruce meadows for the day. This was a first for me as well. There were TONS of people there, as it was the North America championship. A lot of big name competitors were there. Also a large military presence as they were paying homage to the Queens Diamond Jubilee. After that we drove into the city a little further and dinner with a family friend. It was late before we finally returned home.
Monday: Was in the field this day as well. She came with me again, and in the evening we went to the movies with a bunch of girls from work. We saw "Magic Mike"......well, I would just like to say for the record, that I clearly did not have a solid appreciation for what that movie was about..because had I of known, I WOULD NOT have taken my mother to it!!!! Lord, I laughed....a lot, and out loud, a lot. But the laugh was one of nervousness and embarrassment. I tried to occasionally steal a look at her, to gauge her reaction, but maybe a little unsuccessfully. I didn't really bring it up with her much after the movie. I think I was still embarrassed!
Tuesday: Worked in the morning and took the afternoon off. We went up to the BIIIG mall north of the city because she wanted to go to the Coach purse outlet at the mall. She bought two purses! a Guess and a Coach purse…We had a ball game that night too and only because we were short players, I decided we'd go. This time she kept score for us because we had a player or two more than Saturday's back to back games.
Wednesday: Mountains all day. Had a flight booked- but had to cancel because we wouldn’t have made it back in time. Left at 8 am and didn’t get home until 1030! We went for another feed of sushi once back in the city. We visited Banff and Lake Louise, rode to the top of Sulphur mountain in the Gondola, got a good sunburn, walked along Banff Ave. and visited in shops here and there along the way. Even found us a Christmas store!! Only we would manage to find a Christmas store on a day that was +30 degrees out!! She bought me a really cute nativity scene I saw and liked.
Thursday: I worked this day- she again came in the field with me. I went to a funeral that night for a good cowboy that lost his life after struggling to regain his health following a massive heart attack. Originally had the flight booked for this day, but rescheduled to Wednesday because of the funeral.
Friday: Took the morning off work and went in to stampede. I worked at the stampede from 3-8 so mom just walked around. We took in “Tails”, the rodeo and chucks, as well as the grand stand show which was basically a cirque de soleil performance with unreal fireworks!! Paul Brandt was a main performer and was phenomenal!
Saturday: I worked- had 5 deads in 4 stops. Took her to the set of “Heartland” the TV show on CBC, and then to Ian Tyson’s café in Longview and the Longview jerky shop (world’s best jerky- or so they say). Went for dinner with my aunt and cousin that night. Last time either of us saw them in person was 1992. That was a lot of fun and it was great to see them after so long.
Sunday: Mom took the morning to pack before we headed to the city and had breakfast at Cora’s before taking her to the airport. After dropping her off, I made my way back to the stampede grounds so that I could take in a few of the displays that I had wanted to see, but didn’t have time to on Friday. In fact, I even got a free ticket from work to go and watch the Rodeo finals!! Although it RAINED, and I got SOAKED, it was a stellar end to the 10 days of rodeo. I headed out into the field after that, and unfortunately missed my Chic's Take Flight meeting- but the rodeo was definitely worth going to, albeit the later start to my work day.
And that is the quick and dirty of my mom's trip to the wild wild west!!
Stay tuned for the full recap of Chic's Take Flight!! http://www.chicstakeflight.ca/
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