Skiing

 We've been skiing the last 6 Saturdays, and have learned quite a bit. We learned that when Nakiska is packed with people and we leave when it closes, it can take longer to get home than if we had gone to Lake Louise. We learned that when it is -25 outside, there are no lines for any lifts and no traffic getting home.  Those who did not ski before December learned how to get down a Blue slope in reasonably good shape.

 Now that the 6 weeks of lessons we signed the kids up for are over, we have plans to try each of the other three major slopes in the area (thanks Costco for the discount lift tickets to exactly these three mountains!)  We also won't go quite so often. We'll have Saturdays we sleep in, and Saturdays we go  hiking - as well as Saturdays to ski. Now that the Superbowl is going on right this very minute, football crowds out no more Sundays - we'll have whole weekends we can decide what to do on a whim!

How we spent the break

We solved puzzles - well, Terry and Alex worked on them.

We played games. There are always new games among the Hanukkah and Christmas gifts and this year was no different.  Throw, throw burrito is even more fun than it looked and as we were gifted the large/outdoor version, are very excited to take this camping with us in the summer.

We (the kids) built gingerbread worlds - after making the gingerbread from scratch. It's a great recipe and remained delicious even after it started to go stale.

We skied, thanks to dad/Papa, who gifted the kids lessons for Hanukkah. Lynne and Terry skied for the first time in over 17 years!

We cooked, baked, read, watched movies. Kids went sledding. We had intentions to go ice skating but didn't make it out of the house that day. One of us listened to several entire podcast series.

The kids went five days without leaving the property (almost not going outside at all, but they did refill the bird feeder and take our trash).

We started the new year with a hike and a promise to get out way more often. Of course, the grumpy teenager ranted that a hike was the epitome of starting the year off on the wrong foot. It will be a delight to throw all this back at her when she is an adult - hahahahaha!

Wintery Banff

November and December being on different calendar pages, it didn't occur to me I was booking two weekends in a row when I looked at the kids' day off from school on December 4 (they have a Friday off every month, and half day Fridays the rest of the month). So the week after we went to Jasper, we went to Banff.

Last year for the holidays, my father bought us a gift certificate for afternoon tea at the Fairmont hotel - we could choose Banff or Lake Louise. We hadn't made it before everything shut down in March and we finally took this opportunity to go. So it was a nice lazy morning, the a drive straight to the hotel. Everything was very beautiful and fancy, the treats were delicious and the kids were finally introduced to scones with clotted cream and jam (a housemade strawberry and rose variety). The kids were delighted by the tea timers - three connected hourglasses, one set to run out after 3 minutes, one at 4 minutes and one at 5, so we could determine how steeped we wanted the tea. The hotel was being extraordinarily careful about spacing - the room has a series of picture windows overlooking the mountains with a table set at the center of each. There was one dining unit at each table by the window, and that was it. 

Sated and warmed, we head to our hotel for an early check in. As most of our stays since the pandemic, we opted for a condo style, with kitchenette and entrance from outside. One treat was the woodburning fireplace, which we employed each evening. We had a starter pile (and matches!) stacked beside the grate, woodsheds throughout the grounds, and kindling available at the front desk whenever we needed more. The kids had their own queen sized beds in the loft, and they delighted in dangling things off the balcony into the living room area. They were oddly uninterested in the outdoor hot tubs or even the heated/hot pool. The hotel was situated by Tunnel Mountain and had trails that ran right from the grounds. It was also near a campsite we were considering for the summer.

After a quick change into hiking gear, we took a short walk/hike to a trail we'd been meaning to check out. We were losing the light so didn't go as far we wanted, but the good news is that trails have not yet been closed generally so we can easily go back.

Jasper: Take Two

It is (1) our second successful trip to Jasper and (2) our second attempt to visit Jasper in the winter. So for both of these reasons we should give thanks.

We skipped out on Thanksgiving and instead took advantage of the outdoors still being available to us despite some (necessary) tightening of COVID measures in Alberta.

Conditions on the Columbia Icefields - the main road between Lake Louise and Jasper - can be changeable and it is strongly advised not to be on the road after dark. Thus we kept our stops to short bio breaks and a couple of leg stretches. We did take a slightly longer break at Athabasca Falls, to see them partly frozen, but by that point you're practically in town anyway.

We got to the hotel slightly before check-in time and were able to get directly into our room. We had looked at a few Jasper restaurants and honed in on some top contenders. We were hungry pretty early on, so had no problem getting into The Raven Bistro. Everything was excellent and we both recommend it and plan to go back. The major highlights were the Spanish spiced wings and the Mission Hill Vineyards Chardonnay out of Kelowna. My bison short ribs were equally delicious as an open faced sandwich for a later lunch.

The hotel had a "to go" style breakfast with yogurts, granola bars, etc. And egg and cheese on English muffin. I'll be honest, those were inedible. On the other hand, the kids fought over the chocolate muffins, so it was a win some, lose some situation.

Sad to learn the lakes were not frozen enough for any ice skating, we still decided to head toward Pyramid Lake for some hiking. Terry and I are in different teams for the Consulate's Step Challenge (teams of 5 "walking" to the North Pole by end of the year) and we decided to incentivize the kids to do more hiking, less whining, by bribing them with sweets for the number of steps they take. We created monsters, but we also took in our fastest family hike times ever due to the aforementioned reduction in complaining and (for Zoltan anyway) a decline in "I'm so tired I need a rest! My feet hurt! I can't go any further!"  

We returned to the hotel ready to lunch on leftovers, but there was no power at the hotel at all. We decided to eat lunch out but there was no power anywhere in the town of Jasper.  So we returned to the room and gave thanks for the bread, peanut butter, jam, fruit and other snacks we had brought. Minimally fortified, we decided that sitting around a dark and gloomy hotel room (gray day, no lights) was not a great way to spend the vacation. We decided on a hike that started from the Fairmont Jasper Park. As we drove through the gates of the Fairmont, we were stopped by the staff who did temperature checks and asked COVID questions. They said if we just wanted to hike/stay outside we didn't need to do anything but if we thought we might stop in for a bite to eat we'd need the checks. The Fairmont had POWER!?!? Stowed that thought away for in case the problem wasn't fixed before dinner, because other than the Fairmont we didn't know of any electricity between Jasper and the next town, Hinton, an hour away.  The hike was short, and not too strenuous, and a much more pleasant way to spend an hour or two. Upon our return to the parking lot, I poked into the hotel and learned there's a bar, not a cafe, and probably no hot cocoa. So I called our hotel Jasper to learn that yes power is back on!  So we headed "home."

A busy weekend

It turns out to have been a good thing that we had already told the kids we'd head out for our Canmore bike ride later in the morning, as we didn't get to bed until after 1am. We didn't sleep as late as we wanted, but we did sleep as late as our bodies and our little Stomp-a-lots let us.  

We got to Canmore around lunchtime, with the goal to check out one of the restaurants we hadn't yet tried. Our original plan was to take the patio seating, but, well, it was pretty cold. Mountains tend to be colder than prairies.

After our fortification, and a stop at the Canmore Visitors Center for maps, we were on our way! We took a route along the river, and headed toward where there was supposed to be an abandoned mine.  We didn't really find the mine, but did find the abandoned coal car to the side of the bike path. What fall colors exist here (shades of yellow and green) were out in full force. We kept stopping to admire the trees, the deep blue skies, and the river.

Next morning I was up early for a hike with a friend. Terry's Sundays are booked with football and Alex hates hiking so I decided to stop moping and get out there. We headed toward an area where there are three major hiking routes within a couple of kilometers of each other - we heard these particular hikes get very crowded so we wanted choices. 

Why these hikes, you may ask, if they get so crowded? Larches. Before you Google that, a larch is a deciduous tree that changes color and drops its needles. They are comparatively rare, and even around here - a haven for them apparently - there are only specific pockets of space where one can find them on a hiking path.

Anyway, it was a bit of a comedy of errors relating to the overcorwdedness, long line for bathrooms, difficulty finding parking, and then we hadn't communicated well where we'd meet back up so I was by the bathrooms looking for her, while she found where I had parked the car and waited for me there. All this to say, we actually started hiking more than half an hour later than planned. And then we realized the trail we planned to take (Pocaterra Cirque) was (1) like a traffic jam full of humanity and (2) super slippery from all those feet packing down the snow into ice. Yep, Snow/ice all over the trail. On September 27.

After about 10 minutes we turned around and decided we'd hike a different trail. We made a beeline for the least trafficked of the three (Arethusa Cirque). There were a number of fits and starts there too, many photos taken at the earliest stages of the hike and many references to Alltrails because to be honest, the trail was often not obvious. I was so grateful to have downloaded the route in advance!

Frank Slide, Lundbreck Falls, and Beauvais Lake

We had an adventurous weekend planned, and it ended up being almost idyllic.

First up: packing the car. We realized packing for just an overnight camping is a whole lot like packing for 2-3 nights, perhaps even more. Tents, sleeping bags, a cooler for food, etc etc are all necessary no matter how long you're gone. We did avoid using the roof rack, largely because the roof was already in use with our new (to us) canoe!

First stop: Frank Slide. Back in 1903 Turtle Mountain basically broke off a huge chunk and in 90 seconds it slid down, burying everything and everyone in its path. Luckily it was on the outskirts of town, so fewer than 100 people were killed vice closer to a thousand if it had been through the center. There is still debate today on the role the mining operation going on under Turtle Mountain played in creating the elements that led to the Slide. Hm, sounds familiar.

These days there is a very informative interpretive center with lots of information about the town, the geology, and the event. There is also a vast expanse of rocks to climb. It is as close to the Felsenmeer I think we will ever get without going back to Germany.

From the Slide we ventured to Lundbreck Falls. What started as wading around no farther than the knees became full-on dunkings by the kids. The whole waterway around, under, and by the falls is relatively shallow, with varying heights that include some rocks sticking entirely out of the water and with a current that can be some work but not dangerous. In sum, a great time was had by all, although it would have been better if the kids were in their bathing suits. Alex actually got within a couple of feet of being right under the falls.

Knowing that setting up camp takes time and that Terry wanted to try some fishing in the afternoon, we aimed to get to our site as close to checkin time as possible. Thus, my drenched and dripping children, and I, walked the 7 minutes to the campground while Terry drove the car.  When we saw our site we were delighted. Our spot was just steps away from the Crowsnest River, and the back end of the site opened onto a riverbank path. We watched a hawk across the river. In the getting settled stage, we had ample opportunity to try out our new, stronger tent stakes that supposedly work well even with gravel pads. And they did, superbly. 

The campground isn't even in a particularly "dark sky" area, but as the sun now sets at a reasonably hour we watched stars appearing, and then flooding, the sky. We could see the Milky Way with our naked eyes. Terry tried a second round of night photography by the water and then from a field in the campground.

As we fell asleep, I thought to myself "This was practically perfect. We need to come here for a longer stretch next year." 

Then the first nighttime train came whistling and roaring through at 11-something-ish. I thought "we are never coming back here." The next train was what felt like 3am, but I didn't open my eyes so who really knows. At the 5:30am train I got up to use the bathroom and also to curse my life. Probably fell asleep a bit before 8am, to get about half an hour of sleep.

Sleep deprived tempers were not on best behavior that morning. We changed plans and instead of a lazy morning we headed out to take our inaugural canoe paddle.  We had been deciding between two places, and ended up settling on Beauvais Lake - which has horsepower restrictions and I don't think any motorized vehicles was there while we were.  The kids were very disappointed when we told them they could not jump from the boat and swim around, but we promised to find a spot where we could dock the canoe and get out. We found a peninsula (weren't actually sure at the time, could have been an island) and Alex hopped up and ran into the woods. Because, of course, hiking is the worst torture on earth but exploring is fun! I did not share with the children the fact that the very fresh looking pile of dung on the path looked exactly what bear scat is supposed to look like, but I did make sure to chatter nonstop as we followed the route. Happily we never saw the source of the scat.

While paddling around, in addition to the ubiquitous Canadian geese, we also saw and heard a loon with a couple babies, sea gulls, and enormous bright blue dragonflies. The kids swam until they got cold or tired. Terry and I enjoyed the paddling. Had the trains not run through the night, we would have called it a most perfect weekend.

Summer Vacation Part 2: Lake Louise

The day was absolutely not over yet! Due to our several stops, we managed to get to the hotel just a bit over check-in time, which meant we could go straight to our room. The hotel is old and kind of dumpy, but the room was BIG and the hotel was basically right on Lake Louise (we did feel a bit smug as we drove right into the hotel parking lot while others on the same road were turned back due to the full public parking lot).  The Fairmont hotel next door has a couple of somewhat more casual dining options, so we put on nicer clothes and wandered over in the blazing (80 degree) sun. Things feel a lot hotter here, I am going to blame altitude.

I bear a massive grudge right now against the Fairmont, because when I called to see about reservations the automated line said they only took walk-ins for those who weren't hotel guests. But at every possible entrance to the Fairmont grounds, there was a sign saying only hotel guests were permitted. By the time we got back to our hotel we were very hot, very hungry, and very grumpy. At check-in we had been told the hotel restaurant was booked but we could try walking in. The server who waited on us was very surprised when we told her that. There was no problem with the seating. The dinner was surprisingly delicious.

Feeling much better, we decided to see if Moraine Lake was less hectic in the evening. It was around 8pm or so, still an hour before sunset, when we headed out.  It was an awful attractive nuisance, all those fun-to-climb looking rocks and all the signs saying please don't climb on the rocks because of the fragile plant ecosystems living on and among them. We hung out for a bit, hoping for sunset colors that never materialized. By the time we got back to the hotel it was way past the kids' bedtime, but Terry was feeling fired up and after the kids got to bed he went outside for his first taste of nighttime photography. 

We had planned some hiking for the next morning but hadn't decided what. I really wanted to try the Lake Agnes or Plains of Six Glaciers tea house hikes, but after our Emerald Lake experience we realized we did not want to venture towards touristy places in high season. We instead chose a short hike that roughly paralleled the lake to a beautiful viewpoint. It was a nice little walk in the woods. But it was the return trip that really sparked the joy. Rather than return down the trail we took up, we made it a loop by taking a different path down to the lakeshore. On the way down we hit a rockpile the kids could climb on - which was the highlight. Although Alex wants to be very clear that she did not enjoy any minute of the hike. 

After a return to the hotel and packing up, it was time to head home.

Summer Vacation Part 2: The road to Lake Louise

 

We had lots of plans for the road between Revelstoke and Lake Louise. First stop, the Giant Cedars Boardwalk. It is technically an easy Revelstoke adventure, but it is also half an hour away and on the road we needed to take anyway. I'm glad we went, and the age of the massive cedars was impressive, but on the whole i think it could have been cut if we were short on time.

Then to the Northern Lights Wolf Sanctuary. They take in wolves that were previously in performances, or zoos that closed, and generally have not been in the wild and wouldn't survive in the wild. We took the "tour", which is really a staff member talking about wolves generally and these wolves in particular. All the wolves were napping, although a few were at least doing so within our eyesight.  We had seen from recent reviews that a wolf puppy had arrived and we could see vague, tiny patches of brown way in the back. The talk was OK and I didn't mind giving the place our admission fees, but the real magic happened afterwards. It was feeding time. So we stuck around.

They fed the wolves in the back cage first, so the ones in the front cage were totally going bonkers - they could hear and smell what was going on. The two adult wolves had been moved to an adjoining enclosure to the one where the puppy, now up and active, was running back and forth alongside the adults across the fence.  The puppy was very new to eating proper food, and the sanctuary wanted to give her a bit of time with the lunch before letting the adults back in. It was comedic when the owner threw the rib cage int the pen.  The puppy was clearly frightened of it, darting towards then backwards. She finally grabbed a tiny bite and ran off with it. This occurred a number of additional times, until she finally understood the thing was dead and would not hurt her. After she had a bit of a snack, the adults were let in. 

When we had our fill of wolves, we had lunch at one of the facility's picnic tables and continued our eastern journey. An hour later was our last stop before the final destination- Emerald Lake in Yoho.  We had heard the rave reviews of the stunningly beautiful lake. And yes, its colors were so dramatic Alex insisted the water was dyed. But it was so incredibly packed with other human beings. Let's just say that social distancing was not possible. We started walking around the lake and after about 5 minutes turned around. It was just too crowded. 

We had an inkling that we might not be interested in summertime hiking in the most popular spots and this confirmed it for us. We did capture a few breathtaking photos of the lake, and then got back in the car for the last leg.

Summer Vacation Part 2: Revelstoke

We discovered when we arrived in Revelstoke two hours before check-in time - a set-in-stone time that would not be amended - that most of what we wanted to do in Revelstoke centered around the outdoors, but we also didn't want to get back in the car to get to any of the hiking trails. So we ended up doing this roundabout wander through residential and industrial parts of town. It was a unique tour.

When we did get into our room, it was time for a quick meal cobbled together from what we'd brought and a change of clothes, because we were heading out to our sunset kayak adventure. We found Natural Escapes somehow online, and it has a perfect 5 stars. We were the only group on this trip out. When the owner Terry heard we were essentially novice kayakers, he led us through a quick lesson and gave us a few options of where we could kayak that wouldn't be too daunting. We had left all electronics and things that could go overboard in the car, so the only photos we got came from him (note, Natural Escapes uploads all the photos from the kayak trips to their site for each group and they can be downloaded for free. A very nice touch). One highlight of the trip was when we looked far into the distance and saw something we thought was an eagle. We paddled as quickly and quietly as we could and saw that yes, it was a bald eagle!  Looking as regal as they do, it watched us a bit then flew away. Magical.

Next day was our (Terry and me, not the kids) much anticipated day at the Meadows in the Sky park. Totally by accident, our trip coincided with the height of wildflower season and we were excited for the beauty and possible photo opportunities. Things started off OK and we even got some family photos. Then they rocketed downhill, right around the time Terry and I ate lunch but the kids said they weren't hungry. (but the grumpiness didn't have anything to do with being hungry and we know nothing. Tween.) We decided to try dinner at Mt. Begbie Brewing Co., even though we weren't thrilled to get back in the car. But, the beautiful view from the well-spaced outdoor seating, the tasty but limited food menu, and the wide selection of cold frosty beverages turned things around for everyone. Terry and I each got a flight of beers, although mine was truly just for tasting as I drove home. Things turned around so well that we stopped at the Sugar Shack for ice cream all around when we got back to town.

Summer vacation part 2: B.C. - Kelowna

That's British Columbia. See, the week before our vacation Terry was supposed to TDY to Vancouver. This of course means we were all supposed to be in Vancouver for a week. Then we planned to spend a week meandering around B.C. on our way home. Vancouver is allegedly 11 or so driving hours away.

Before it was even officially canned (only a few weeks ago, because of course) we decided to revamp. So on Monday we hauled ourselves to Kelowna, the beach-y area in Okanagan that was also about as far as we were comfortable driving in one day. Funny story, we stopped at this random rest area for lunch and it turns out to be right where the very last spike of the Canadian railroad was laid and there's a whole  monument. It was cool. We would not have made a special stop for it, but stumbling on things like this are what make epic road trips so epic.

We got to Kelowna right in time to check in, then went to check out the town. At the City Park we let the kids play in the water up to their knees, as we hadn't brought bathing suits or towels. And we were heading straight to dinner afterward. After dinner we tried Moo Lix, the ice creamery recommended by the waitress at the restaurant where we had dinner. My lavender honey ice cream was unique and really tasty, but the homemade waffle cone was too thick and bland.

First stop next day was the kangaroo farm. Folks at work had recommended that and we thought it looked cool but were totally unprepared for how much we would actually enjoy it. In one pen were animals that did not like to be touched, and another pen had the animals that could be pet.  We also got to watch the antics of the parrots, parakeets and cockatoos and learned that if Zoltan were reincarnated as an animal he'd choose to be a macaw. There was a capybara and her baby that we were not allowed to pet, with a farm employee hanging around to make sure nobody got too close. She was holding a joey who looked to  be too big for the pouch anymore, but apparently wasn't, so we all got to get close to other cuteness. She said she was giving the mom a break.

We promised the kids we could spend the afternoon at the beach. There is a playground right by the shoreline at Boyce-Gyro Beach and a zipline that drops you into the water. We were shocked that the kids never tried the zipline, but they said the line was always too long so I guess they do take after their parents a bit. There were also rentals of various watercraft, and Terry and the kids each got on a solo kayak. The kids loved that part, which was good as we had booked a kayak trip on our next stop.

In Alberta, we all know the best produce comes from B.C. and especially Okanagan county. So the next morning we got up and went to the farmers market for local fruit. They also had linden honey, which we had eaten tons of in Russia but always creamed, and this was liquid, and I was fascinated. It is indeed very delicious. Then it was time for the kids to play at the hotel pool. Pool time could have been longer, but we got the call that we were able to get a reservation at the Red Fox Club, restaurant to the Indigenous World Winery. Lunch was sublime, the view was lovely (outdoor seating always prime in the COVID era) and we left feeling very stuffed and happy. We (well, I, because Terry was driving and doesn't really care much for wine anyway) ended up trying only one winery - Rollingdale. It is super small, and the gentleman who handled the tasting was super knowledgeable and had a good sense of humor. I don't know what they do to their wined but it was the most unique experience I have ever had, and I bought wines made from grapes I've never liked before. I absolutely want to go back again.

Our hotel was across the street from a German deli/butcher that got great reviews. Knowing that we'd need to have some meals on the go and not wanting them all to come from A&W, we had brought some sandwich fixings, Terry's homemade sourdough bread, and a cooler on our trip. We decided this was a great opportunity to restock. And it was.

Next day was pretty much get up, pack up, and head to the next stop.

Fresh air and exercise

Terry likes to play around with woodworking projects. As previously mentioned, wooden pallets are routinely available for picking. The three-tiered planter featured in the last post is one such pallet creation.

Before one can start working with pallet wood, one must first disassemble the pallets to free the wooden planks from all its other wooden plank neighbors.  Crowbars and hammers play a role here.  All the nails must also be removed.  It is a bit tedious when you are talking about removing five planks from each of a dozen pallets.

We have an accumulation of pallets. The weather is beautiful. The kids have a day off from school today (that sounds weird to say, I know, but it means that had they actually been in school they would not have gone today, and the child who does get daily assignments didn't have any for today). Put that all together and we get - Workforce Friday!

Bowness Park Lagoon

Looking for open ice places to go skating, I stumbled upon the Bowness Park Lagoon. Having no idea at all what to expect, we packed up our skates and headed out.

There is a section of open ice across a wider part of the river. Two firepits lined one bank of the river and a hoarde of very young kids congregated in that general area. At one cleared end was a pickup hockey game, at the other end was the entrance to the "skate along the canal" portion. I thought it would be like the town in Quebec I've read about, with kilometers of trail and hot cocoa stands along the banks. It was not that - it only took a few minutes to get to the end of the cleared portion of the trail, but it was still very fun. My highlight was the woman on skates pushing her stroller along the canal. I later saw a couple of other parents with their strollers on the ice.

Baby it's cold outside

A fun thing to do when the weather gets down below -30C is to make your own snow. Just get some boiling water, pour it into a cup and throw it into the air!

Troll Falls

Our first attempt at hiking the Rockies in the snow didn't go all that well - the temperature was significantly colder than predicted, Terry and I weren't properly attired, and I also realized a coat is too long for proper hiking and I do need a warm jacket.

So, fast forwarding a few weeks: we had the free day, the clear sky, and the apple cider to spice, heat and throw in thermoses.

Troll Falls is a recommended easy half-day trip from Calgary (between the 2 hour round trip and the quick jaunt to the falls). It is also highly recommended as a winter hike.

We almost didn't get there with all the stops the kids made to play in the snow. Seriously, the first kilometer took about 45 minutes. When the sign said it was only 0.3km to go, we got hardhearted and said no stopping until we get there!

It is early enough in the season that we could see water still running down the falls on the inside of the ice. From the front was all ice, and from the back it was all ice, but in the middle water ran. Our cameras were unable to capture this.

Climbing up the side of the falls is a recommended treat and Alex did not need to be told twice. The only regret is that we didn't have ice cleats, and the icy area just behind the falls was way too slick to venture towards without them.

Snowy Days

We got a decent snowfall overnight and the kids played outside most of the day. Using the snow they shoveled from the walkway as well as almost all the snow from the yard, they have constructed their own little living room in the back yard. Two chairs, two "beds", a table, some shelving. Also, my favorite, is that they constructed a giant Mancala board out of snow and they are using gravel from the side of the house as the stones.

The next day was our fist trip to Banff. We foolishly trusted the weather report and did not dress warmly enough for the hike we had planned, so instead we took a much shorter route. The kids have been complaining that they don't like hiking ... apparently, when "hiking" becomes "walk for a bit and play in the snow a lot" they are huge fans!

A blog post I can no longer find recommended the Park Distillery for eats and boy was that a good call! Between the beef and the buffalo burgers, the ah-may-zing Hikers Salad, and the really delicious house tea (I was too cold for a cocktail, although they looked tasty) it was a perfect, hearty way to refuel after all the playing (I mean hiking).

Taste of Calgary

We haven't ever attended a Taste of ... event, although many cities we have lived in or passed through held them. Calgary just happened to hold the annual event at a location about 5 minutes from our temporary housing, so it was a no brainer dinner plan. Even the rain didn't damped our spirits, or that of the crowds of people also enjoying the event.

The highlight is of course that we could try dishes from so many Calgary restaurants - we figured it would be a great way to rule in or out places without having to have whole dinners at each place. When I went through the program back at home I surprised myself with how many dishes I checked off from so many different vendors. The other surprise was how tasty everything was. We've eaten out a bit and not every meal has been delicious, but we ended up ruling "in" every place we tried. One place we did not try: the Wafflepops food truck, because the line went down the entire street.

We started at Pure Modern Asian, where I got "fire chicken" in a seasame seed donut. I don't even like the taste of Sriracha and I adored this meal. Terry brought the kids to Holysmoke BBQ where they delighted in their pulled pork on a cornbread bun. Terry was excited to see perogies at Heritage Bakery and Deli, and got the combo with the cabbage roll and sausage. Alex's beef stick from Viet 2 Go was so good, I think she somehow didn't notice that it has spices and seasonings on it (she's usually a plain meat, maybe salt and pepper girl). We tried Bannock for the first time, getting one cheese and one mixed berry at Kokom's Bannock Kitchen. Good Fillin' Empanada was right next door and I had been hankering for one so I got the chicken ... should have gotten more. Even the kids liked it, although not the little drizzle of sauce on it (see plain eating preferences, above) Zoltan whined for the Wickens Burger from Burger 320, both because it took us so long to circle back for it and because it was so popular we had to wait a long time for it. Terry and I doubt its claim as the best burger in Canada but Zoltan was sold.

The tiny apple tarts at Pie Stories were good enough to go back for, although I think my crust is better. The Saskatoon Thumbprint cookie from Yakima Social Kitchen + Bar was OK, but those who prefer fruity desserts were more impressed that I was so I still call it a winner. We were disappointed that the maple donuts were sold out at Fantasy Donuts & Pretzels but we consoled ourselves with the cinnamon sugar.

The kicker is that so many of the stands we didn't visit looked so good, we could easily construct an entirely new list of foods tasted. If the weather gets better this weekend, we may go back for more.

The Day We Pretended to be Mounties

August 5 is Alberta's Heritage Day, where the locals celebrate their province's heritage. Fort Calgary is a major part of that heritage and they just happened to be hosting a day of events. We met up with another Consulate family and headed over there.

A number of Canadian forts were apparently constructed to crack down on illegal whisky trade (which apparently was caused by those neighbors to the south). I hadn't realized that was even a thing the British government cared about. Learn something new every day. There were RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) uniforms to try on, including several different styles of hats, and try them ALL on we did. There was also a horse statue we were not allowed to climb on but could pose near.

In the craft display the kids had the opportunity to learn finger knitting and make bookmarks. There was a series of "old town" type displays, with a replica main street and the kinds of establishments that may have existed along them a hundred plus years ago.

Wanting to spend some of the beautiful day outside, we headed to the giant checkers board where the kids played while parents chatted. Bored with checkers, the kids eventually borrowed some of the corn hole beanbags, made up their own way of tracking which piece was which, and played chess.

Some of our early adventures

Our fabulous sponsors invited us to accompany them to Shakespeare on the Bow, which is Calgary's version of Shakespeare in the Park. The performers do one play each year, and this year was Midsummer Night's Dream, which is a perfect pick for us because Alex's class did some Shakespeare a couple of years ago and this was one of the plays. It was a beautiful evening, we were congratulating ourselves on throwing the picnic blanket in the car for our road trip so we had it to use, and the performance was amazingly good - especially for being free/donation requested. We are so excited for next year's season!

The only downside came when Zoltan, playing with the other kids after the performance, fell off the stage and injured his foot. He said he couldn't walk on it so I piggybacked him home - thankfully the performance was only a couple of blocks from our temporary housing. We stayed home the next day and on the day after that, when he still refused to put any weight on his foot, we went to the emergency room.

So far I have exactly one complaint about Canada. Who the heck makes emergency room parking paid?? And you have to pay in advance, so you have to guess how long you'll be there. The nice triage nurse guessed we'd only be there an hour and I should not have trusted that, given that I went back twice to add additional hours to the meter. Otherwise, the whole process went very smoothly, x-rays were taken and reviewed, no breaks were confirmed, and crutches were provided when he still refused to put weight on his foot.

Another Calgary delight our fabulous sponsors let us know about is the Southland Leisure Centre, which (most relevantly) has water slides and a wave pool, as well as ice skating, a gym, and other resources we didn't check out because we were there for the pool.

A final adventure of our first two weeks is the spectacular Calgary Public Library. We got our library cards last week, the kids signed up for the reading challenge, then decided it was their job to finish it with all due haste. I told them if they came back one week later with 40 hours of book reading accomplished the library might not believe them.  The library has a whole indoor play space for the really little kids, a giant chess set, it's huge, roomy, airy, with super available, helpful and friendly librarians. The book checkout stations are throughout the library, not only in one corner at the entrance. There's a cafe inside and a huge variety of seating for reading your finds, from cushions on the floor to a standard reading room with long tables and signs to remember to be quiet.

Between Zoltan's "still injured" foot and house hunting and the weather we still haven't made it to the mountains for hiking. I'm hopeful we get there before too long.

This week will be the last one before the kids start camp and I go to work. Most of our time has been spent either trekking from house to house in hopes of finding our home, or kids reading/playing games while I scour the rental web sites for new houses to see, or going to the grocery store because when you are starting from scratch there are a million things you need to buy.

Wizards and a boardwalk

From Illinois we drove forever through Wisconsin - it took most of the day. States are really starting to get bigger. The highlight of the day was our stop in the Wisconsin Dells, where we went on a Wizard Quest. Alex had been moaning and complaining before we went in - she wanted to do her own quest alone. We said no, we will stay together as a family. She sulked. Until we got the Kindle with our quest and started moving. There were slides, tunnels, secret doors, stairs to climb and run down, and a ball maze the kids got to dive down into twice (there is a secret tunnel at the bottom of the thing, so they really disappear).

We didn't quite finish within the hour that would have gotten us a big prize, but we had a ton of fun and have some wonderful working-together time. The Dells is like a boardwalk, with lots of tchotchkes, fried food, fudge and such. We asked the employees at Wizard Quest what they recommended for lunch and they mentioned a few places. In the end we got ourselves a true Midwestern tater-tot casserole and were perfectly delighted!

One more border crossing before bed, and we were in Minnesota.

Felsenmeer

Felsenmeer means in German "Sea of Rocks."  Oh, yes. About an hour south of Frankfurt is an amazing boulder field, apparently formed by a volcanic experience a very long time ago. You can wander up a path alongside the boulder field, or venture through the field itself. Someone on Trip Advisor mentioned that if you go fast you can get up the field in half an hour. I can't even imagine the person who could do that. It took us closer to 1.5 hours with several important rest stops along the way. My physical fitness is not what it once was.

 You can see how big the boulders are compared to the people on them. This bridge is about halfway up.

Alex reads anywhere

At the top there was a restaurant where we provisioned, then at a little kiosk on the way back down we fortified (with cake). Tip: bienenstrich is a honey cake with a layer of cream in the middle and now I need to eat a whole lot of it in the little time we have left before leaving Germany.

I had figured on a couple of hours of climbing, but we ended up being out most of the day. We bouldered up, but ended up wandering through the woods on the path down. A few times I was convinced we had gotten horribly lost but somehow we did make it to the parking lot. As it turns out we were very lucky in getting there so early (didn't feel early but it was before lunch) because it was a complete zoo by the time we left around 3:30pm.