Part Deux

On day two, we got up nice and early (4am) and began our drive. I'm telling you... that 4 am start is the bomb!! My kids always go back to sleep for at least 3 hours, and we get that first leg under our belts before they even wake up. AND it's an opportunity to watch the sunrise over Utah with my honey.. which was LOVELY!! :-)

Our early start landed us in Great Falls right at lunch time. Because of Facebook, we are in contact with some friends from Medical School who are currently living in Montana. We called them up, upon our approach and met them at Mickey D's for lunch.

Though it was a brief encounter.. it was so nice to see them again, and get reconnected really quick. It was fun to hear stories of Geoffs job and the growing wee ones. And to meet their youngest boy Grayson for the first time. The kids clicked just great and enjoyed one and others company.
We arrived in Calgary that night. Some asked us.. why the rush??? why do you need to be in Calgary by July 9th. Well, we had to be there for the Calgary Stampede Parade!! I just LOVE the parade, it just feels to me like it tells the story of Calgary and the "world" I was raised in. Showing the diversity in the people and the cultures. I took a ton of photos... but let's face it parade photos are boring. :-)
So here is Katie... well, the back of Katie, as she waves to paraders.
I LOVE pipe bands!!! I have very fond memories of bag pipes. When I was a little girl, we used to camp in British Columbia in the summertime, we had a group of people who would go together every year. There was a gentle man who used to go up on the hill every night and practice his bagpipes. I LOVED IT! To this day, the sound of a bagpipe is so calming and wonderful. I can feel those wonderful Peach Orchard nights. This also tells of the strong English/ Scottish heritage in Calgary.
Some Mounted Police Officers (AKA MOUNTIES) Are there really police men on horses? YES! There are. Do we have policemen in cars.. of course, but from time to time, you do see a mounted police officer. In fact, I have a 2nd Cousin who is a Mountie. For some reason when I see Mounties, my heart fills with pride for my country.

The Calgary Flames USUALLY make a showing. For some reason this year... only two flames player showed face. VERY disappointed in my team. They better kick some serious rear this season to make up for it. Seeing the Flames in the parade makes me proud of my city.
Curtis Glencross... He is now a STUD! :-) Who cares how well he plays hockey... cuz, he can ride a horse in a parade too! :-) I shall cheer for Glencross, just cuz he showed up.
There are a LOT of Indians in Alberta. And YES! I called them Indians, because they LIKE to be called Indians... or Natives. To my knowledge they are proud of this fact. They dress up in full head dresses for the parade, they wear their "nation" name on their wagons and they even host an "indian village" on the fair grounds, where they dance and give Tee Pee tours. Always very cool.

Here is the whole gang of kids Tori, Katie, Liza then Alex. Behind in the brown cowboy hat is Grandpa, and red hat is Brent.

It was great fun to see the little horses, and the Stampede Royalty. The Chinese Dragon Dancers, and the "Shriners" in their little cars. The floats that I look forward to are mostly the local ones and the one from Penticton BC. The mini chuckwagons to get us all excited for the races....and don't forget the street cleaners that are dressed up like bulls and horses.

STAMPEDE BREAKFAST

What on earth is that? you may ask. Well... In this wonderful city from whence I hale when the town turns totally country for 10 days out of the year, various establishments through out the city host massive pancake breakfasts. They are FREE!!! And usually open to anyone who chooses to attend. The Mall's each take a turn hosting, the YMCA, various Banks and grocers. It's an incredible thing to watch too. Now how on earth do you suppose that they plan for and feed people when they have no invitations, and no idea how many people will show up? I took pictures this year.... for blogging purposes, so that you could see, just how it's done. There is a published city wide list of where public pancake breakfasts are to be held. Multiple ones each day for the 10 day period. Massive amounts of people show up and are given a plate upon arrival. These people are put into lines like this...

Click on the picture to see it larger.... (i've written in how it goes)

This picture was taken from the second floor of the mall. The Breakfast is taking place in the mall parking lot. Far off in the distance there, you may see the bands and performers whos country music fill the air with the spirit of Stampede! Look closely you'll find Brent waving his plate at me, so that he could find himself in the picture later.
Now this is huge.... It took us 20 minutes to get through this line.... SERIOUSLY only 20 minutes, so this mass of people will all be off eating somewhere else while the next mass is lined up behind them. I can't even imagine how many people they feed. They usually start at 7 am and run to 11. So I guess it's safe to say this many people times 12. (if I have my math right!)

Here are the kids with their plates. They are hungry, but happy.

For some reason, Liza didn't pose with her empty plate. Too cool I suppose. :-)
So you may be thinking at this point, they must have these pancakes pre made and they're just flipping them out of a pan and onto plates. NOPE. They're making them fresh, at the head of every line! Just squirting and flipping and serving ALL morning long! And each one of them, happy to be there in their cowboy getup :-)

And then, you just cop a squat where ever you can, on a curb, under a tree, by the music. where ever you please, and eat your yummy pancake and sausage. MMMmmm... Nothing like a Stampede Pancake Breakfast!

The whole City gets into the spirit of the Stampede, and I think that's why I love it so much. It's so much more then a "state fair". It's a time when the whole city is united, and doing the same thing. The Airport is decorated, and adorned with a banjo playing band to welcome in guests, just for these 10 days. The stores, grocery, drugstore, clothing stores and even restaurants are decorated. The Dentists and Dr's offices sport a western attire, it is seriously like a holiday in this City. It's so fabulous!

For example, I grabbed a quick shot of this Merry go Round in the mall. Normally a regular every day Merry go Round... Stampedized with a Chuck Wagon attached to the bench, so that it would fit into the theme for the week. SO WONDERFUL!!

My Dear Friends and devoted readers. I've lived in a lot of cities..... I've liked some and loved others, but I will ALWAYS be a CALGARIAN!!! ALWAYS!! It's in my blood, and I like it. It was good to be home.