Calgary...canoeing at Glenmore Reservoir

My sister Suzy, my girls and I were able to drive to Calgary, Alberta, Canada to visit our sister Rebecca and her family.   It's a long drive.  But the girls did really well.  We listened to music, listened to books on CD, they watched a movie, they looked for license plates (they found about 35 of the states during the course of our drive and colored them on a map), we played games, we ate snacks.  All in all, the drive went well and no one threw up which is a definite plus!

 On our first morning, we went to a park near my sister's house.  It is a very fun park with some equipment that is different than our local parks here.  The kids all had a great time playing.

Ella enjoyed putting rocks in her shirt, and in her shorts' pockets to make herself look bigger as she pretended.  The rocks left her quite dusty.

That afternoon we were able to go to Glenmore Reservoir and go canoeing. The wind was blowing and the water was a bit choppy, but it was fun. It ended up being one of our favorite parts of the trip. Although if I were to take up canoeing on a regular basis, it was very clear to me that my arm muscles would need a lot of strengthening first.

Michelle thought they were going to tip over...but they didn't.  It was beautiful.

While waiting for turns in the canoe, the kids played on the dock.

There is a paddle boat that you can take rides on.  We didn't do that, but it looked fun.

Although it was windy and a bit chilly, it was so beautiful and great fun!  One of the things that I love about Calgary is that the outdoors seem to be right in amid the city.  My sister lives just minutes from Nose Hill where there are trails and deer and other wildlife roam.  Squirrels were often seen on her back fence.  In fact, one morning as I washed dishes, I watched two squirrels chase each other along the fence...it really looked like they were playing tag.  One squirrel would chase the other.  Then the first would stop, turn around and begin to chase the other one.  Kept me quite entertained.  There are lakes and reservoirs within just a 15-30 minute drive...right around the city.  The mountains are close.  I know that mountains are very close here too, and that I could be/should be better about getting into the outdoors with my children.  But i really enjoyed the outdoors there.  So beautiful!