Being a true-born Calgarian, Stampede is sort of a season for me. Kind of like Christmas. You prepare for it, you survive it, you move on, knowing it's coming next year. Hard to get whipped into the frenzy - I don't even go to the Parade (shocked gasps from the audience, I know). It gets in my way of going downtown. Tourists slow me down.And yet, this year, 
I found myself more drawn in than usual. I entered some knitting in the "exhibition" portion of the Calgary Exhibition & Stampede (and got a 3rd-place rosette for my entrelac hat!). I volunteered to show people how to spin sheep fleece to yarn in the Barns with the Rare Breeds association, and in the Cabin near the Exhibition section, with my guild, the Sheep Creek Weavers. Riel was in town, doing her fighter-pilot thing with a static display of an F-18 jet (well, part of it, anyway) along with the other parts of our military. 
(She was in the parade, too! I even caught that bit on streaming real-time online coverage from the air-conditioned spacious comfort of my office but don't tell anyone). And Aurora had managed to fanagle a delay for her annual Montreal trek to be in town long enough to partake of the festivities.
I found myself more drawn in than usual. I entered some knitting in the "exhibition" portion of the Calgary Exhibition & Stampede (and got a 3rd-place rosette for my entrelac hat!). I volunteered to show people how to spin sheep fleece to yarn in the Barns with the Rare Breeds association, and in the Cabin near the Exhibition section, with my guild, the Sheep Creek Weavers. Riel was in town, doing her fighter-pilot thing with a static display of an F-18 jet (well, part of it, anyway) along with the other parts of our military. 
(She was in the parade, too! I even caught that bit on streaming real-time online coverage from the air-conditioned spacious comfort of my office but don't tell anyone). And Aurora had managed to fanagle a delay for her annual Montreal trek to be in town long enough to partake of the festivities.Me, I went for the mini-donuts (gotta watch those suckers go down the river of oil). But then Riel got me in to the Chuckwagon races - for the first time ever, I got close enough to them to get mud on my hat...something you can't understand until you've felt the wind from a horse & rider barrelling by and the thunk! of a chunk of mud
smacking your head. And because she's who she is, I got to go to the Chuck barns and see horses and muckety-mucks and drink Calgary Stampede-emblazoned Budweiser beer. Cool.But I did get to take the kid, too. I brought her with me late on the last Saturday, and we did a kid's ride, and she finally got her greatest wish: to see the ShamWOW! presentation up close & personal, and own a set of her very own. Plus we ate things on 
a stick (a Tornado Potato). And she did a kid's ride that looked pretty cool - some kind of controlled reverse bungee jump. And then 
we watched the Grandstand Show...I have to admit, it was some good entertainment. Lucky kid, the next day, her Uncle Mik, AND Auntie Riel took her on the mean rides and behind-the-scenes experiences few Calgarians - and tourists - get at the Greatest Show on Earth. Great initiation.
a stick (a Tornado Potato). And she did a kid's ride that looked pretty cool - some kind of controlled reverse bungee jump. And then 
we watched the Grandstand Show...I have to admit, it was some good entertainment. Lucky kid, the next day, her Uncle Mik, AND Auntie Riel took her on the mean rides and behind-the-scenes experiences few Calgarians - and tourists - get at the Greatest Show on Earth. Great initiation.But, me, my feet got really tired. Perhaps it's because wasn't wearing cowboy boots. Good thing two bits'll get you a short but sweet massage.
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