Tourists in our Own Town

Yeehaw. In the spirit of Stampede, we thought we would go down to the grounds. Here we are lined up to see the Superdogs- since when do you need tickets? The show was fun, but our toddler only lasted for half of it. Why don't they just have a small corral for kids and puppies to play while the show goes on?



Here's the view from our lineup:


I still don't own cowboy boots or a hat after living here for going on nine years.

Scarlett had her most fun at Superdogs and at the Agriculture exhibits-petting sheep and horses. We watched a cow milking demo-the mechanized version had little to offer compared to my memory of watching my dad milk our old cow by hand. Our trip to the kids rides area was short lived and uneventful.

My favorite part was the peace and quiet of the Western Oasis. Paintings, Photography, Decorated Cakes, Quilts, and gentle water fountains of course. We also had some regular old stampede food, but skipped the deep fried oreos, pizza on a stick, and corn dogs. That was our stampede experience. No chucks or rodeo for us this year.

And to complete our touristy week, we also went to the Calgary Zoo. Much preferred. Scarlett is getting to a fun age for the zoo. She tried to pretend she was swinging with the monkeys and may have had a little conversation with a few of them. And it is so much nicer to set her free and let her walk or run beside us, without worrying that she will be trampled.

A shocking aside... we were at a birthday party last night and I met a woman who had a 16 month old and she had yet to take her to the zoo. And not due to finances or animal activists reason, just had not gone. Poor baby girl. I thought every Calgarian with a child made it there at least once a year. I don't find the picture books do it justice and we don't have any safaris planned in the near future, so I like to go to the zoo.

Despite our complaining about Calgary some days, it is pretty nice to have so many world class attractions and events in our own backyard. Speaking of our backyard, it may be calling to me!