This past week we spent in Calgary visiting Kristen, Tim, Liam and Evan. On our way to Calgary we stopped for a great Fernie experience (Kristen and Tim’s second home) filled with riding lots of powder, hot tubbin and strolling through the town. Fernie has a great character. The train passes through every 30 minutes and blows it’s horn which echoes through the mountains. The addition of avalanche bombs going off in the early morning makes us feel we really are in a unique place. Norrie revisited a local letterpress printer named Clawhammer Press which we found a couple of years ago when we were last in Fernie.
We were lucky to be in Calgary for Kristen’s 40th birthday and celebrated vicariously on the east coast for Karen’s 40th birthday. Saturday night we hit the town – starting with a great dinner at a local hotspot and then on to the Saddle Dome for box seats (thanks Tim!) at the Flames vs. Penguins hockey game. As we chatted with people in the box we quickly learned that we all shared a home of Nova Scotia. It was hard not to cheer for our hometown boy Crosby but we were surrounded by a ‘C of Red’.
Sunday needed a bit of R&R in the morning and a bit of homeschooling in the afternoon – which we have been doing well at fitting in!!! We visited the Telus Spark Science Centre. What an amazing interactive place for all ages. The 3-story, beautifully architecturally designed building was filled with so much learning that we only scratched the surface of what was available.
The next couple of days we were riding at Lake Loiuse and Sunshine Village. Both are in Banff National Park and in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. Kari got a chance to show Kai and Vea where she worked 15 years ago at the Banff Springs Hotel. Lots of fun stories. We also had the pleasure of Tim joining us for the day at Sunshine Village! His expertise and Sherpa hill knowledge were greatly appreciated!!
It was so nice to have a piece of home visiting in Calgary. Liam and Evan were such a joy to be around and we really enjoyed seeing Kristen and Tim’s new home and neighbourhood. It was great to see all four kids interacting and playing together. We felt so welcome here and look forward to returning.
Now we’ve left Calgary to start back towards Kelowna. On a whim and a fantastic last minute deal, we booked in for 2 nights slope side at Kicking Horse Resort in Golden. It’s great to just step outside to the lifts and catch first runs of the day. It’s sunny and warm for the next couple of days – so it feels like spring here!!!
We fly out on Sunday morning from Kelowna to Vancouver. Looking forward to showing Kai and Vea around the city where we lived for 4 years – and to our last week of snowboarding in Whistler with the Allen family who are meeting us there from Halifax. Counting the days!
Here’s some East to Alberta photos.
Bye 4 now!
So glad to hear of your fun time in fernie and Calgary – I’m sure Kris, Tim, Liam and Evan were thrilled to spend time with you. We were happy to know you were able to help Kris celebrate her 40th while we celebrated Karen’s 40th at the Stubborn Goat with your mom and 20 or more others. Have fun in Vancouver and your final week of snowboarding with your friends.
Marion and Tim
Hi Marion and Tim! Great to hear from you!Kris and I were so impressed at how techy you have gotten!It was so nice to be there for Kristen’s birthday and we definitely talked a lot about Karen’s festivities on the East Coast at the same time. Fernie might have to be our regular destination-hope they won’t get tired of us!
Hey guys!! I see you guys are in the rockies!! i wish i were you guys!! have fun!
rachel
hi vea,
I got your post card. I miss you so much and can not wait to see you. I am looking forward to see where you are going next. I have not had any gummy frogs since I ate them with you and will not eat one until you come back so we can have them together!!!!hahahaha
isabelle
Hi Isabelle i miss you so much we should face time soon and we should have some more playdates and more frogs. we are going to Vancouver then Costa Rica it is going to be fun! i can not wait to see you ether. Miss you.
Vea
I love the Rockies! Lake Louise is where Mitchell and I had the best ever burger at a gas station. I still look back at cant wait to visit there again. And yes, Kari, I was talking about the Rockies in the summer, but I could do the snow capped peaks and ski a bit too. xoxo
Hi Marcia!I guess we won’t be stopping for a burger. We have only eaten out twice since we left-you would be impressed with our creative, healthy, cheap, eating solutions!!! Would you be on the peaks or the bunny hill??? :):)
Hello All! Good to hear you have been enjoying so many different ski hills. The Rocky Mountains are truly AWESOME eh? We had friends who lived in Banff about 10 years ago, I worked for them in Nelson when they ran a private English school in their home, mostly for Japanese students, but they also had people from Quebec attend. When they moved the school to Banff I used to go there about every 6 weeks and do some bookkeeping for them. I loved the wonderful mountain scenery there. Now the school is closed, the couple divorced and we don’t seem to get up there very often.
Bobby is hoping to be able to fly into Castlegar tomorrow, she is presently in Calgary at another sister’s home. We’ve been having very low ceiling the last few days, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed.
Getting excited about our Hawaii trip now, only 8 more sleeps until we drive to Spokane.
Have fun at Whistler! Really enjoy your blogs!……………Linda
Hi Linda!Looks like spring weather for Whistler Mountain! We’ll take anything we can get up there! I am sure the excitement is building for Hawaii! Are your bags packed with full summer gear? Have a fantastic trip and enjoy all those ‘now’ moments!
Kari, I would start at the bunny hill, of course, but I do have an adventurous sprit and would get to the ‘peak’ eventually.
So glad to hear you had a great time in Alberta! We’re looking forward to heading there for March Break – reading your post has made us all the more excited! Have fun in Whistler.
Hi Katherine! You will have a blast in Canmore-fantastic town! Thought about you guys often when we were there. We will have to plan another trip together in the same month next time =)