Alberta in a Nutshell

Our first stop after BC was in Pincher Creek, which happens to be one of my favourite spots. The view changes every time you look up. This was the night the freaky weather hit BC, causing everyone to worry about us. In fact, had we been a day behind schedule, we would have been hit with those storms. Instead, we got to watch the clouds and lightning engulf the mountains from our vantage point in the east. The wind was so strong in Pincher Creek that night we actually saw the windows of the restaurant warping and bending inwards and then springing back.

Our next stop was in Nanton, a tiny town just south of Calgary. Nanton turned out to be another pleasant surprise, with lovely little cafes, tea houses, and antique shops.

We wandered up to the local tavern, which doesn't appear to have been redecorated in the last 100 years. The walls were decorated with antique guns and animal skins, including a buffalo hide, and all manner of ancient farming equipment, including an old leather yolk for oxen. I wanted to take more pictures, but felt a little sheepish in front of the locals ("Oh, hi! Your little tavern is just so QUAINT! Can you BELIEVE how QUAINT everything is? Pose there by the deer head, will you? Now act QUAINT!")

I did sneak in a picture of one of the pieces of lobby furniture, which was made from old whiskey(?) barrels and upholstered with patched buffalo hide. There was also a matching chair and footstool to this piece, but I did, indeed, catch a glare from the locals when I snapped this shot.

And then we were off to Calgary! The ride into Calgary was something of an unmitigated disaster with a flat tire (mine) and a fainting spell (Kieran's)* and our stress was compounded by the fact that we had friends waiting for us. But we finally got there and we enjoyed a couple of nights of sleeping in a real bed and eating great food and getting tipsy and giggling until the wee hours of the morning. Thanks to my Karla Bean and Jonny P. for their amazing hospitality and, as always, for their friendship!

Unfortunately, I didn't take a single picture in Calgary. I guess I've been there so many times, it just didn't occur to me. You would think I would at least think to get a picture of the four of us together at some point. But no.

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*Yes. Kieran fainted. On the C-Train. FAINTED ON THE C-TRAIN. I didn't realize because he was still standing. With his eyes open. So I got OFF the C-Train. And then had to force the doors back open to figure out what was wrong with Kieran that he was just looking at me blankly and not getting off with me. And then I had to pull the emergency stop button and get the driver to stop the train and the only person who would help me was a teenage boy while all the adults just stared and one person even got all snotty and mean to me. But anyway, the fainting. It was reeeaaaaaalllly stuffy on the train and Kieran was hungry. Kieran came to and me and the kid ushered him off and he ate a banana and had some water and then he was fine and we got back on the next train.