Sunday Hang Out by the River

Last weekend was the long weekend with Labor (also known as Labour in Canada) Day.  Saturday was the big tubing trip and Sunday we were planning on going on a hike.  Then, we were going to just hang out at the house.  Then, since the kids were at grandmas, Bob asked to have the house alone with Mikey.  So, we hopped in Tito and took to the road, not really sure where we were going to go.  We headed towards Kananaskis, but didn't quite make it all the way there.  I guess a bridge is out along the way, so we pulled off to the side and hung out by the river for the afternoon.  Played a little cribbage and Shereen did some yoga.  I got in the water a few times and just enjoyed being outside.  Came home and made some cheeseburgers and watched 'Seven.'  Thus, ending the long weekend of adventure.  Here are a few photos:  

(The water came up pretty high so I decided to roll up my shorts)

(This is my Miley Cyrus look with my shorts rolled up and pockets out)

(The water was quite chilly and I'd say it only took about 2 or 3 minutes for your legs to go numb, but it felt great!)

(Shereen was a bit timid as she got in)

(A new hairstyle)

(Time for some cribbage)

(We took a blanket along, but if I had to do it again, I'd take some beach chairs.  This is cribbage from a different angle.)

(Our view as we sat by the river)

(Yoga time)

(She got pretty serious when it came time for yoga)

(She knew I was snapping away pictures but didn't want to smile too much, but I got her to a little bit)

(Not quite sure if this was a push up or some yoga position)

(A few pictures from when we got back - see if you can find the bird...)

(Sunflower)

Tubing Down the Elbow

After the Stampede, tubing down the Elbow River is the second most Calgarianesque thing I have done since arriving in Canada.  Bob said he used to go all the time as a kid.  Floating down the river is always a peaceful experience and we began our tubing experience at Glenmore Reservoir.   Put the tubes in and I could tell right away we were in for some trouble.  Not 5 minutes after starting, we had to get out and pull our tubes along – the water was a bit low. It would be a recurring theme throughout the day...

The mysterious lady in the previous post, Shereen had an extra tube and we went with some of her friends.  They stopped at Canadian tire and picked up a legit raft, with paddles and all.  I think it was somewhere around 3 in the afternoon until we got on the river and with the trip taking around 4 hours, we finished rather later than usual.  Shereen had to get out and walk the last little bit so I enjoyed the quiet time.  It was a lot of fun and something I am definitely looking forward to doing again at some point.  Alas, here are a few of the photos from my tubing adventure.  

(And so it begins...  we stopped to get a pump; however, the pump did not work and even if it did, the fittings were not the right ones.  So, we spent a little time blowing up the rafts.)

(And we're ready)

(We started at the Glenmore Reservoir)

 (Finally about to get in the water, life jackets and all)

 (Shereen making her way to her tube or raft or whatever you want to call it)

 (Setting off)

(I'm ready to go...)

 (And we're floating)

 (Nice view of the river)

 (Besides us, there were 3 other guys that set off at the same time.  However, after about an hour they were long gone.)

 (I took my camera on the water and wasn't really concerned, except for when a bit of water came into the tub.  There were no major rapids to worry about...)

 (Shereen holding on so I didn't get away)

(Having fun floating down the river)

 (For some reason, she always seems to have a smile on her face)

(At this shallow part she offered to pull me along - How could I say no?)

 (You can tell she was starting to get a bit chilly, rocking the long sleeve shirt.  Around this time she decided she was cold and had enough, so she walked along the bank.)

 (Natalie and Kyle, our floating companions for the day, with their legit raft)

 (Yep, that's me, just hanging out)

 (So, this was my position as I floated for a few reasons.  For starters, there was a hole in the bottom so it wasn't inflated.  Therefore, whenever the river got low, I had to support myself with my head and extremities, so my butt wouldn't touch.  It was a great workout and actually worked out pretty well.)

 (Kyle and Natalie with their paddles)

(Artsy shot by Shereen)

(So, I determined I needed some type of control as I was floating so I picked up a stick along the way to help guide me...)

 (As you can see, it was a beautiful float)

 (A bit of the flood damages from the Great Calgary Flood of 2013)

 (This bridge was completely destroyed.  All that remained were the foundations.)

(An aerial shot)

(If you look closely, you can see me waving.  Also, you can tell I'm floating with 2 tubes.  By the time I finished, I admit, I was cold.)

(We finished the evening at Wild Rose, indulging in a few drinks and an appetizer)

Bike Ride and Homemade Pizza

A few Wednesdays ago, I made my way to this mysterious young lady's place for a date.  On the agenda was a bike ride and some delicious homemade pizza.  She's told me several times that she's not much of a cook, but does enjoy baking.  Which works out well, because I really enjoy cooking.  We met at her place and grabbed the bikes, making our way towards downtown Calgary.  Along the way we stopped at Prince's Island Park, Calgary's Peace Bridge, a few photo ops, a waiting pool, as well as some sculptures and graffiti.  

After the bike ride, we made our way back to her place for some delicious pizza.  It was phenomenal, to say the least.  2 of them were made with red sauce and one was a pesto pizza, which was rich, but delicious.  Anyway, here are a few of the photos from our 'date.'  On a quick side note, I caught some grief for using brackets ( ) for my captions, but I think it looks sharp...

(The adventure begins)

(This was a mistake photo, but I really liked the way it turned out, kind of artsy)

(And the jump shots begin)

(She really liked this one because of the way her arm looked.  Click on the picture and you'll be able to see it a little better.)

(Her waiting as I was snapping pictures.  You can also see the part of the Peace Bridge in the background.)

(Better shot of the Peace Bridge - it is kind of a cool bridge)

(Waiting Pool - it was her first time taking pictures so she wasn't sure if the camera was working or not...  it was.)



(Jump shot - check out the water trails...)

(Wind or weather vane)

(She was so proud that the bike was able to stand by itself!)

(Start of the graffiti)

(A different little section of graffiti)

(I really don't know if this is considered graffiti or wall art)

(Sweet sculpture of a 'paper airplane' and hand)

(A nice view of the Calgary skyline)

 

(Fresh ingredients for the pizza)

(Pizza tossing - not sure I've ever seen a woman toss a pizza so that was kind of sexy...)

(The first pizza was ready to go in the over)

(And this is the deliciousness that came out!  Pow!)

(This was the pesto pizza with prosciutto, red peppers, feta if I remember correctly, arugula, and some other goodies.  It was quite tasty and I gorged myself on pizza.  There was even enough for leftovers - sweet!)