I love Bowness

I heard that there were a few events around town this weekend. Greek Fest. Carifest. Probably a handful of others. I still managed to occupy myself here in Bowness. My house is here and my preference is to have our activities here, too, whenever I can manage it.

Here's some things we've been up/places we've been to in the last few days that you may want to check out too.

Edworthy Park: I'm starting with the only place not technically in Bowness, but really close by. We counted 4 kid's playgrounds, many pathways to walk on, and Angels cafe of course. The river also splits the park and I can never get enough water in this town.

Bowness Park: (and Bowmont) (and Baker park across the river with the sun bowl). I will talk about the park many times-sorry. Love, love, love the park, although on days like yesterday-a sunny Sunday-leave your car at home. We were fortunate to bike with Scarlett in the chariot carrier and gawk at the parade of traffic circling for parking. I think the kids water park is open now and the paddle boats and canoes are available for rent. And the Bow River is full of people on tubes and in boats.

Bowness Library: It just feels like a small town library, complete with a story time offering. Scarlett can run almost anywhere in the building and I can still see her. Plus they post local events, such as at...

Belvedere Parkway Elementary School: First, great playground. Second, they hosted a "free" community event last Friday complete with a Children's Entertainer/Singer. We brought a donation of school supplies as our admission. I love events like this-the little ones were all sitting restlessly on the floor, then a couple of rows of adults & kids sitting on the long school benches, then real chairs or standing space for the other adults at the back. Almost everybody was singing along and doing the actions that went with the songs. We even got to take home a free loot bag at the end. Nothing says community like events like this. And I've completely forgotten our entertainer, but here's her picture:

Scarlett enjoyed both the concert and the folding chairs.

Plus there is a family concert coming up on Father's Day at Baker Park. Gotta love Bowness. Thanks to our community association for a great job.

And yes, I did my return to the business world and participated in my first trade show (in 3 years) on the weekend. Not in Bowness though-we were up near Springbank Hill. Scarlett had a quick visit while I was there, but wasn't well enough distracted by the face painting, bouncy castle, or other kids present. Or huge, new, playground across the street.

I know other communities have many things to offer, but I still love Bowness!

Adventures From The Long Weekend

No we didn't go camping, and we barely left the city limits. But yes, we still had adventures aside from our everyday routine. As part of my 30 day commitment, I intend to have more adventures with Scarlett-check out some new places, satisfy the extrovert in her, and find some kid friendly places. Myself being a home-body, this is proving to be a challenge, and I love my house and garden more than new places. Here's what we've been up to over the weekend, but definitely NOT high on the originality scale.

Bowness Park- We always love it there. Three kids playgrounds including a water park, the lagoon with ducks and geese, many pathways to take the stroller or to let the little ones run, and lots of bathrooms. And of course, dogs and other kids and parents. I almost never have to park there but I always see parking spots when we're walking. And did I mention it is year-round? Skating in the winter and the paddle boats and canoes look ready to go for the spring. And yes, coffee and ice cream and snacks are available too.

Calaway Park- Is it safe to say that every family in Calgary who wasn't out of town this weekend was at Calaway Park at some point? If you don't like amusement parks, don't go, but we can usually have fun for a morning or afternoon. So far we've only been on a few rides with Scarlett, but I find that the excitement of the place is something our daughter thrives on. She eats better, laughs a lot, and loves watching the big kid rides and hearing the screams. And then we have an almost guaranteed nap to follow. We take our big stroller but I imagine it may be difficult in the restaurants and washrooms if I was the only adult. I recommend packing your own lunch and snacks because the food choices are limited, or just be content that you will be eating burgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers, fries, or pizza! And we always forget that we live in Calgary. The weather may be balmy at our house and the park may have a wind chill. Pack every type of clothing, plus hats and sunscreen.

And reader, beware... As much as I love the idea of growing my own food, supporting local producers, eating safe and organic, the truth is, we still shop monthly at...

Costco- And why did this make the list for friendly kid places? Again, for us, the busyness of the place keeps our kid occupied. There is a lot to look at. On our last visit, we also had samples galore, of some okay food. Scarlett ate more than her usual lunch-with 2 samples of organic lentil soup (I had to bring some home), and crackers, and cereal mix. There are some food options to purchase that are tolerable in my books and I just figured out that based on a monthly shopping trip, the savings on our lettuce alone pays for my membership. ($3.50 for a 3/4 lb container of organic spring mix). Of course, my lettuce is now sprouting in the garden and I prefer that any day. But for time and financial economy I will overlook some of the terrible things about a place like Costco.

I feel this list is pretty Calgarian. It isn't necessarily a reflection of the lifestyle that I wish I was living, but some days, it is easier to just embrace our city. It is about consumption and having our entertainment provided to us, and then a little bit of enjoyment of our natural surroundings...