Festivities!

Well, not a lot in my world has been blog-worthy lately. But that's Alberta for you in shoulder season!

To break up some of the monotony, we spent the American Thanksgiving in Phoenix, which was a perfectly timed getaway - we avoided the nastiest Red Deer weather so far this winter! It was gorgeous there, and we didn't see a cloud in about five days.

Yes, that's the Ford Man himself, standing beside a CHEV.

He actually drove it too!

Thanksgiving Day fun! My Sista had nearly
two dozen people at her house for dinner!

The day after the two turkeys, one roast, and all of the other yummy fixins (22 peeps gathered at my Sister's), it seemed like it would be a good idea to hike up to Tom's Thumb. And it turned out to be an incredibly fine way to spend a +28C day! I haven't been there in about ten years, so it was super interesting to see the changes in the area.

Moonscape in the middle of the desert!

Saturday night, we headed out to Glendale and watched the Flames stomp the Coyotes. It was a decent game, and the post-game festivities were so much fun as well!

Aaaaargh!

The extra-long weekend was fabulous and it was hard to come home. But, at least we returned to abnormally warm December temps! Now, it's only 14 more sleeps until Christmas..... yikes..... Can you believe it? Oh and speaking of Christmas.... I've worked for the same company for 14 years, and this past weekend I went to my very first company Christmas party. I think the photobooth picture says it all:


This was later in the evening, obviously....

Hopefully the next few weeks will include at least one trip to the mountains... I'm itching to hit the slopes! In the meantime, shopping and celebrating will be in order. Enjoy the holiday season everybody!

Cheers!

Shoulder Season

Oy. It's that time of year. That time of year when there's not a whole lot to do outside. Hence the lapse in blog posts - I don't have anything exciting to report!

We made a quick trip out to Shuswap Lake last month and a quick trip down to Medicine Hat this month, and we've been to Canmore a few times. Other than that, I've been spending a lot of time at work. The new job is great, but it is super busy. Hopefully with the onset of the Christmas season, things will quiet down a bit!

 

Long weekend traffic!

 

 

Lovin' the fresh mountain air!

 

The one good thing about this time of year is that ski season is just around the corner! We picked up our passes and are now anxiously awaiting a healthy accumulation of snow.... Next weekend might just be the inaugural weekend!

 

Hope everyone is staying warm and finding fun things to do during the shoulder season!

 

Cheers.

 

Winter in October

I'm really hoping it wasn't.... but this past Friday may have been the final hike of the season.

Petyo Lake - a bit different look than last weekend!

What a great view of Bow Lake!

Somebody had everything in her pack except
the kitchen sink! And her lunch!

Just a little bit of snow!

Awwww! A snowbear!

Sheila and I made a quick trip up the Icefields Parkway to Bow Summit. Not surprisingly, with the trailhead at almost 2100 metres, we encountered a plethora of the white stuff. The day was on-and-off clouds and sun, and I don't know if the thermometer actually made it into double digits... but the views were spectacular and we had a great afternoon outside.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there might be at least one more opportunity to wear my hiking boots, before ski boots become the footwear of choice. Maybe this weekend?

Happy Thanksgiving to everybody!

Cheers.

Chasing the Sun

Yesterday, the trend of 'fabulous fall' continued. It was socked-in rain in Canmore when we woke up, so we decided to load our packs and butts into the 4-Runner and head west. Bow Lake was where we finally outran the clouds, and the day turned out to be spectacular!

 

I had an incredibly awesome week off, and now I'm prepping myself for my new job - which starts in less than 24 hours. Aaaaack! I'm nervous and excited and wonder what the heck I've gotten myself into, all at the same time. However, change is good, and I welcome the challenge. Plus I'll get to spend three days every week in my favorite place, enjoying my favorite things! Yeah!

Cheers!

Cougar-ville.....?

The first week of fall has been a fantastic mix of outdoor activities for me. I've visited a couple of beautiful mountain lakes, I spent a fun afternoon touring around Banff, and I played 18 holes of golf. Well, I showed up with my clubs at a most gorgeous course.... not sure I'd actually describe it as 'playing golf'.... LOL!



Rawson Lake reflection.

This chunky chipmunk liked my boot apparently!

Sarrail Falls

Boom Lake

This is where the 'cougar' part comes in.... We followed these
tracks for at least a kilometre.... They looked pretty fresh!

Double rainbow - nice!

Canmore Golf and Curling Club

What a backdrop!

Hopefully this trend will continue throughout the weekend! The weather is forecasted to be fairly decent, and the company I'll be keeping is going to be fabulous... so I have no doubt that more good times are in store!

Cheers!