Spruce Meadows Here We Come. Wednesday 8th Sept

Brenda came a picked me up at 8 am right on time butI had to run back into the apartment as I almost forgot my tickets.We went and picked up Barb next and Rosemary last on our way out. We didn't even need to bring a trailer for extra clothes or anything. The weather was overcast and calling for rain but we were hoping for better weather.

It has been a while for some of us since we have been down Calgary way. Brenda had just been there and back the day before.There were many exciting things to occupy us on the way down.

We saw signs of lakes and beaches, places we had either gone to as children or taken our children to as parents.

We saw things on the road. one truck was full of rusty mufflers. The drive was not so bad. not too busy and it didn't rain that much between Edmonton and Red Deer.

At Red Deer we had a pit stop in the windmill cafe for Donuts. they were so good. A nice break there, filled up the tank and after some musical chairs we were on the go again.

there was a bit more rain between Red Deer and

Calgary.

Rosemary did her unbeading in the car and Dennie warned her about bumps.

Rosemary also named all the rivers. They were of course all either the north saskatchewan the south saskatchewan or the south south saskatchewan.

We followed Jo's directions and turned west on 22x which took us past Spruce meadows which when we saw it was very exciting even though we had decided to find Jo's first and then go to the show.

We proceeded through Turner Valley and Black Diamond which are actually only about 1 Km apart form each other. The rain had slowed down considerably although it was still very overcast.

It is very pretty country. Farm fields and cattle fields, and gently rolling hills.

We saw the big rock the 'Okotoks Erratica', the largest erratica in the world! and

Erratica is a rock that has been carried and dropped by

a glacier in the prairies and this one was certainly just dropped in the middle of the prairie.

Jo's directions said that there would be a smaller rock on the corner of her road and she was just about a 1.2 mile from the corner.

and there we were, we made it with no problem what so ever. Jo was as happy to see us as we were to see her.

After off loading the shredded wheat and choosing our bedrooms and settling in Jo showed us her horses

Ruby, Iris and Sierra and the Burro Eeyore. So cute!

Then we headed back to Spruce Meadows to see the horses.

Dennie went with Jo and she pointed out things like the Observatory and the wild Mustangs that were rescued from Sufffield.

the River is the sheep River just like Rosemary said.

as we pulled closer to spruce meadows the excitement built.

It was like going to Disney Land.

That same sense of anticipation and happiness at being there. Spruce Meadows is a beautiful place with statues and fountains and pretty shops.

We asked a young lady on a Gypsy Cob where the International Ring was and she very graciously told us exactly where it was.

Right on the other side of this large market.

We were brave and went through the International bazar without hardly stopping at all and were in no time at all sitting down and watching the horses.

Jo didn't have tickets but the lady said as there was really no one there due to the rain Jo could join us, no problem.

The jumping was GREAT! The rain held off and the weather was just grey and cool.

The International ring is low on the east side of a slope and so is pretty much out of the wind and further protected by all the seating around it.

I was looking around and seeing all of the things that I had seen on TV for years.

So many times I am sure we were all holding our breath willing the horses over the jumps that seemed to fall with only a breath of wind on them. Great Britain won.

We found a place that sold fish and chips. the fish was good the chips not so much.

the pomp and circumstance of the presentation ceremony was lovely.

We all went browsing although a few of us did pick up a couple of things. From the Great Britain shop. Dennie got earrings made in Ireland and some cheese. yummy.

Rosemary got candy for her friends and family.

they wandered over through the international bazar and then over to the Equi market. they will all be there for the time that we are all down here which is good as at 6.00 they closed the places down and kicked us all out.

In a very nice way of course. we all found each other again and decided to get a few groceries first before going to eat.

The sun started to come out.

We went into Okotoks to pick up some groceries for our stay.

We passed lamas and windmills and cows and hawks. lots of hawks just sitting on the lights waiting.

Also Calgary. Calgary comes all the way out to Spruce meadows now.

at the grocery store discussed where to have dinner.

By the time we came out of the Sobeys the sun was out and the sky was blue. Lets hope it stays like that for awhile.

Jo told us about this great little reastarant 'Rylie's Cattle Barn'.

Burgers for Brenda and Barb, salad for Jo and Dennie and a steak soup for Rosemary. The food was very good and the company was better.

after a wee trip before we went home and relaxed.

We watched 'Kinky Boots' The coyotes were out in full force which of cousre got the neigbourhood dogs going.

A baby owl who had not learned to who yet competed with the coyotes for attention.

The night was still clear and we were all hoping for good weather tomorrow.

Jo and Dennie brought in Eyorre and Iris for the night. to the barn not the house.

Sleep came easy.

Fort Edmonton Park

Barb, Dan, Jim and Jim and I went to the Park and had a great day.

Tuesday 9 March - Going home

Woke up at 6 am. Jo was already up and having breakfast when I came down at 630. I brought the sheets and towels to wash before we left. She left at about 830 and then we, Mary, Ron and I, had breakfast and went for a walk. spent the rest of the morning singing along with itunes and blogging. Overall a most enjoyable morning.
It seems like the time has gone so fast. So many new and exciting things to see and do. I saw a Great Blue heron in the morning right before our walk. It flew right over the front patio but it was to fast for me to take a photo.

Massage Monday - 8 March

Another cloudy day and no newspaper. Ron had cancelled the paper as we are going home tomorrow. Ron had to take the car in to get the tire fixed so we had a late breakfast. it was a lovely relaxed morning just chatting, singing and laughing. Jo decided to go fro another walk up the hieroglyphic trail and so Mary and Ron dropped her off at the trail head. I stayed behind and pettered around the house. which means I was on my computer. The sun never came out from behind the clouds but it did not rain, at least not down in the valley. It may have on the mountain where Jo had gone hiking. we picked her up and went for a massage that was wonderful, relaxing and pampering. Then home for dinner and a movie. Marley and Me. Maureen called and chatted.

Just Singing in the Rain - Sunday 6 March

We decided that we would go on one more short hike, Ron would go and hit a few golf balls at the driving range with Mary keeping him company and then we all would go to the swap meet. Mary and Ron dropped us off at the walking stick way path. The sky had become overcast and we were hoping that it would not rain until we were done. We had thought an hour and a half was a sufficient length of time for a good wander. There is a wash behind the houses, a wide and sandy wash with rocks scattered throughout. We walked up the wash following some coyote tracks.
There were puddles collected in the lower sections from the last rainfall.In no time we were in the wilderness with no sign or sound of human habitation except maybe an airplane far overhead. As we worked our way up the arroyo there were cow tracks going back and forth across the wash and the occasional gift of pies. Giant cactus were up on the flats above the wash and we thought they must be two hundred years old.
There were rocks of many sizes and colours in the wash. Over the walk I collected 4 small stones, one for each direction. I try to keep my rock collecting down as I tend to gather far too many for traveling with. They add a lot of weight to one's suitcase and they really are not all that practical.
By the halfway point of the hike it had started to rain a steady gentle drizzle. The sky was now socked in and getting darker. as we worked our way bak I took some photos of an undercut bank with burrows dug in by some ground squirrel type creature whose identity I could only have determined through its droppings. I am that curious a person that I would research it to find out when I got back home, warm and dry.
The closer we got to the end of the hike the harder it rained and we ended up taking cover in an entry way to a house under a small overhang. I was dressed warmer than Jo who had decided to wear cut offs. We waited for Mary and Ron who are always very prompt. when the rain let up a little we walked up to the gate and on the way saw a centipede crossing the road. It was about 2 1/2 inches long and big enough that I am sure an eagle flying high in the sky would have seen it on a clear day. Mary and Ron finally pulled in and told us that they had an adventure of their own.
They had taken the van into the shop to have the oil changed and lubrication things done. while there the fellows checked the air in the tires and noticed that one valve had broken off. A search for the spare tire followed requiring much investigative work as the tire is attached to the underside of the van and can only be released from the inside of the vehicle. needless to say we all decided to go home and stay there. safe, warm and dry.
we had lunch and then Mary and I did a crossword puzzle while Ron watched some golf on TV and Jo went up and got warm in bed watching a movie. It rained off and on all day never clearing up enough to see blue sky. for dinner we had baked potatoes, broccoli and pork with apple sauce. I had cheese on my broccoli, no little faces for me. I don't eat anything with a face.
It turned into movie night. we watched The young Black Stallion and then the National Treasure 2. it was only 9:45 when we all hit the sack dreaming of desert sands and golden cities no doubt.

7th March Sunday - javelina?

Morning came early. 4 am! what can I say? I organized photos on the computer and bogged and facebooked till it got light out. When it was light enough I went across the street to the new house and wandered through it. There was a woman wandering through coming from the other direction and we both laughed at our curiosity. It is going to be an interesting house when it is done. While looking around in the house I heard a cardinal outside and got a nice photo. maybe I will use it as a christmas card. went back to the house and brought in the large sunday edition of the newspaper. Jo anne was awake and we decided to go for a walk up past the fence.
It was sunny but still had that early morning cool air. We walked up a road and saw small bobcat tracks. the road became smaller and more rugged until it was a wide path. Jo anne said she had talked with some fellows once who told her there was a cave up in the hills. I would like to see that. we saw birds and flowers, cow-pies and bones. Jo had read in the paper that morning that saguaro cactus are slow growers and that in there first 10 years they are only 4 or 5 inches tall. they can live to be 200 years old. we appreciated the saguaro a lot more than we had before.
We heard a donkey in the distance. I could have kept going right into the mountain but we decided to turn around and have breakfast with Mary and Ron.
On our way back we noticed some tracks that were not there when we had gone up the path. I had no idea what they were. Jo thought they might be from javelina, a small animal that is not a pig but looks like one. I agreed. It must have been following us up the trail for some time and we didn't even notice it. In the desert as soon as the trail turns a corner you can't see it. You could be 20 feet from a trail and not see it.
We made it back with plenty of time for breakfast. when Mary and Ron came out they were not surprised that we had already done so much but they did say that they were getting tired so early in the morning just listening to all that activity.

Saturday 6 March - A Coyote and the long stroll

Another gorgeous morning. While going out to get the paper I saw a Great Tailed Grackle sitting in the tree across the empty lot across the street. A very interesting call and loud too.
Joanne came down about an hour after me and we chatted. She went for a walk and I blogged. We all had porridge for breakfast and just as we were finishing I saw a coyote crossing the street coming toward the house. I ran to get my camera and headed for the back patio. I surprised a covey of quail and waited.
Then there they were a big male and a smaller female. I tried to get some photos but only got one good shot. they were beautiful. that set the mood for the day.
We talked about different possibilities for the actions of the day. We could go on a hike. We were going to church at 430. We could go to the market. we ended up hanging around the house and just going for a short walk. we did get a house finch singing its little heart out. we had a lovely day. two large roadrunners came through the yard and entertained us for awhile. Joanne took a little nap and then we were off to church. After church we went to the waffle house. I had eggs, hash-browns and toast.
Jo and I thought It would be nice to take a walk down the golf path in the twilight when we got home . We startled about ten doves who were roosting in the tree right outside the gate and they scared us half to death when they all took flight almost right in our faces. It was a great way to get the heart going for a walk. We originally thought that we would just go for a short walk but we took a left turn when we should have taken a right turn and ended up walking pretty much all the way down to the gatehouse, about two miles. It was actually lovely in the dark as we could see the paved path in the ambient lighting and we had a great talk. The stars were really bright when they peeked out from behind the few clouds that were out. At a few points we stopped and tried to figure out where the house was. we were not concerned as we knew we could not get lost. we were on a golf course path. what was the worst thing that could happen? ending up at the club house not dressed properly? We heard crickets and we thought maybe frogs. We were hoping to see the owl that the landscapers or Jim had told us about but we did not. We did hear small rustlings in the shrubs along the path as we passed and tried not to disturb whatever was making those sounds. I thought probably birds. We did not want to have them scare us again. I could have brought my camera but figured that pictures of black would not be that interesting. Before we got home we had been rained on a little and there had been lightning and thunder off in the distance. our short evening stroll turned into a 4 mile walk.
When we got home we figured out the dvd player and watched a movie Martha. It was very good. got to sleep about 1130.