We were SO excited to host Jim and Andrea, and to visit with Karen and Blair and Budi this past weekend. We planned a packed schedule, trying to show off all that Calgary and area had to offer: Golf on Friday and Monday, Hiking on Saturday, Rafting on the Bow River on Sunday, and of course a night at Cowboys and one at Ranchmans to top things off. Everyone seemed to have a blast, although we didn't factor much time into the schedule for rest or sleep!
It was so great to have guests at our new home--we had been busy getting things ready for the big "reveal": finishing the backyard, buying our last few odds and ends for the house, hanging pictures, etc. We've been told the guest room lives up to the Gorbailios' standards, so it should be ready for our other visitors in the fall.
It was also so nice just to spend time with our friends, knowing that despite the distance, nothing really changes too much, and we are easily able to pick up where we left off, sharing in each others lives and always creating new memories and crazy stories to tell. It's great to have our unlimited long distance plan now too, making us feel closer to home, being able to call friends and family whenever we want to (and vice versa I guess!).
We are still waiting for photos from last weekend (our digital camera has been pretty tempermental lately, so we relied on others rather than bring our duct-taped camera on hikes and out on the town. We will look forward to posting them asap once we get them.
Here are some photos from the long weekend (courtesy of Shandra and Dave Harman--thanks guys!): a few crazy nights at the Brennan/Brewin/Sharman household (and Rob's one crazy night at "Cowboys"!); a great hike in the Kanaskis; and a fun day rafting on the Bow River...
hike to a little waterfall on the nearby hiking trail. It was a little colder last night than we were expecting, and unfortunately all of our firewood was damp from the recent thunderstorms, but Dave managed to get a decent fire going after a few hours of drying the wood out, and we played cribbage by the fire until it got dark. No views of the meteor shower last night, despite clear skies: I think we were too far into the mountains/trees: not enough sky!! (Continued below...)
Today we started our bike ride at Chateau Lake Louise, and biked in to Ross Lake: a slightly smaller, much calmer/less busy lake about 7.5km from the Chateau. It was a great ride: not too much uphill, and not too technical, so I was able to manage without making Dave wait too long for me to catch up! It continues to amaze me that we live so close to the mountains: it took just over 2 hrs to drive back to Calgary from Lake Louise. What an amazing opportunity to "live, work and play" in such an incredible place!
Starting to look a little more like a backyard (not a parking lot!)...
(Office)
(Guest room)
(Living Room)
(Dining Room/LR)
(Downstairs--"Rumpus room" (as it was advertised!)
Well, we arrived back in Calgary to full-blown Stampede craziness! Had a nice (but brief!) visit with Leslie and Heather (OT girls) on Monday who had been in town for Stampede with Claire and Kelly (sorry girls--the photo didn't work out--I will have to resend it!). Dave and I finally headed down to "Ranchmans" for lunch today, and were greeted by some fun country music and Alberta Beef sandwiches. We're hoping to catch some of the actual Stampede later this week: some Chuckwagon Races or Rodeos hopefully. Will keep you up to date!
