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Wilcox Pass

Connie, Dougie No Comments

One of the best things about living in Calgary is how close we are to the mountains. So, when we’re trying to find a hike for the weekend – there are lots of beautiful places to go. Wilcox Pass has to be one of the most picturesque though. We had read about this hike for a while and had wanted to try it. So, after a busy August, we packed up our crew and headed up there.

We took the Bow Valley Parkway again because it increases our chance of seeing some wildlife on the way. We weren’t on the road 5 minutes before we saw several elk.

This guy was right beside the road (no idea what is on his head)
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We were glad to see that there weren’t too many cars in the parking lot when we got to the trail. One of the main complaints we had heard about this trail was that it can be very crowded. We got the gang out of the car and started up. The first part of the walk was nondescript just going through the woods but after about 30 minutes, we could start to see the glacier.

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Unfortunately, one of the downsides of hiking near a glacier is that it is COLD. We didn’t expect it to be as cold as it was because it was pretty warm in Calgary but the wind coming off the icefield and glacier. We had dressed as warmly as we thought was necessary but we could have done better. Dougie decided he wanted to go in the backpack for a lot of the walk which meant he wasn’t as active as we had planned and so he was a lot colder than any of us wanted.

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Regardless, we did make it to the pass. It was a fantastic hike and we will definitely try it again in the middle of the summer when it’s more likely to be a bit warmer.

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Sharabura Clan in Calgary, Summer Edition

Connie, Dougie No Comments

Auntie Suz had a bit of vacation time before starting a new job, and decided to see Calgary in a non-frozen month.  She flew to Vancouver, picked up Grandma and Grandpa, and went on a great drive through the Rockies.   After a long drive, the three of them finally rolled into Calgary.  Who knew, it was actually warm and nice for their stay!

Grandpa and the kiddies, surfing the Web

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Dougie and Auntie Suz hangin’ out

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Grandma demonstrating the wonders of digital cameras (both Dougie and Auntie Suz look enthralled!)

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Sharabura girls rock!

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Higher, Grandpa, higher!
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Future winners of the Daddy Daughter Dance competition

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“This is how you do it, Auntie Suz!”

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Family Trip to the Cottage

Connie, Dougie No Comments

One of the main reasons my parents came to visit when they did was to celebrate my sister’s Laurie’s birthday. So, after a while with us, we all headed to Laurie and Glen’s cottage to spend the weekend and hand over my parents. :)

This was our first time up at the cottage and after seeing it, it was clear why they love it there! The location was just beautiful located on a lake in the middle of the mountains. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t perfect for most of our visit but that didn’t dampen our fun. Fortunately, the day we left the weather improved and we were able to go out on the boat for a while.

So off we went down to the water

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First up was some water skiing. You can see some of the views as well.

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Can you believe that’s little Daley?

After water skiing, we came back in to switch things up some we could do some tubing. While the rest of the folks did work, we snapped a few pictures.

Scott, getting ready to go tubing
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Molly was in charge of making sure Dougie didn’t go for a swim.

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Not too hard considering he didn’t want to be more than a foot away from her at any given time. She helped Connie get a bit more comfortable with this boat thing too.

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Connie hanging out on the bow

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Almost all of the girls hanging out in the boat

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On our second round out, my mother took care of Connie.

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Scott and Molly went tubing

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And Dougie hung out with Auntie Lou

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As you can see, the dark clouds started to roll in again and we got in just as it was starting to rain. What a fantastic fun trip though!

Lake Louise

Connie, Dougie No Comments

And we’re off to the mountains again. Mom and Dad have never been to Lake Louise and that seemed like a shame. So, we took a day trip out there so they could see how spectacular it was in person. We started with a stop at Lake Louise.

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It was a beautiful day and a great day to visit.

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From Lake Louise, we headed over to Moraine Lake. I’ve learned that is the correct order to see these two areas. Mom and Dad agreed.

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We didn’t have a lot of time at Moraine Lake but Mom got a few good pictures while Dad wandered around checking the prices of renting a canoe. The kids and I waited.

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We were back in the car and headed back in time for the kids to catch a little nap. It was a long trip but we were all glad that we took a bit of time to go out there for the day.

Hoodoos with Grandma and Grandpa

Connie, Dougie No Comments

We continue to tour Grandma and Grandpa around Alberta. Today, we took them to see the hoodoos.

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Connie was a lot more into the experience this time.

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My parents really enjoyed the experience. It is definitely different than anything in Mississauga!

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From the hoodoos, we went into Drumheller. The last time we came out as a family, we wanted to go to the museum there but we ran out of time. Fortunately, this time, we made the time. We expected that Dougie would love it. They have lots of dinosaurs and we thought he would be thrilled. We were wrong. Very very wrong.

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You can see the fear. This trip started the mantra of “but it’s not going to eat Dougie.”

Overall, it was a fun day trip but it will be a while before we go back to the museum.

Troll Falls Hike

Connie, Dougie No Comments

My parents came out for a visit. We were very excited to show them the Alberta that we are starting to love so we took them out to Kananaskis for a small hike. Troll Falls is a lovely short hike without too much elevation gain so we figured it would be good for everyone. The scenery is quite nice too so it made for a nice day.

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You don’t stay on this path for long before you head off into the woods and on a bit rougher path. That mountain ahead is a ski hill called Nakiska.

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Dougie walked quite a bit of this himself. We’ve learned that if we give him a stick to hold, he’s happy to walk on his own for quite a while. It didn’t take too long for us to make it to the falls. There was another family there having a picnic so we got them to take our picture.

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Mom and I hiked a bit up the falls so I could show her why it was called Troll Falls.

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Look, a troll!

We headed back to the car and went into Canmore for lunch. Then, since we were so close, we decided to take my parents up to see some nice mountain views. This location also happens to be the site of our Mountain nemesis, Ha Ling Peak (more on that another time). There is a spectacular lake at the bottom of the mountain where we stopped for a few pictures.

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Daddy and Dougie stopped to skip a few stones.

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It was a great day in one of our favourite parts of Alberta.

All Smiles

Connie No Comments

Sometimes, you just capture the right picture.

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If You’re Happy and You Know It…

Connie No Comments

Connie has learned to pull up on the tables.

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It’s great for her, but Dougie isn’t able to hide things from her up there any more. He’s tried to pull her down a few times but we don’t let that happen – so he needed a different plan.

After Connie pulls up on the table, he gets Connie’s attention….
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and he starts clapping. Connie soon follows suit.
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The more excited she gets, the more she claps, and then this happens.
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This method isn’t likely to be effective for long, but it’s a pretty brilliant plan!

Helping Out

Connie, Dougie No Comments

Dougie is such a big boy! He loves to help with various Connie things. Most recently, he’s decided he’d like to help feed her…. long time readers will know what an excellent eater Dougie is – so clearly, he was the perfect choice. ;)

First, we get some food on the spoon
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Open wide, Connie. Like this…
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Uh, I don’t think so
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As you can tell, this is not the neatest method of getting food into Connie. She will frequently take a bite, though Dougie tends to overfill the spoon, and most of it gets all over her face. Dougie really likes to help though!

Puffs

Connie No Comments

Dougie was a big fan of Puffs, and so is Connie.

Before I continue, please pardon the mess on her shirt.

One handful is not enough, must get more…
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What?
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I think I can fit a few more in
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