Yes, we rounded everyone up except for poor Rand, who had to work, for the Annual Stampede Parade. Rowan's 5th parade and Poppy's 2nd. They have been every year since they were born - I have been to almost every one except for two of them that I recall - not sure how old I was when I started going but I was young enough to remember Dad barking, "If you're going to the parade then you'll dress western!" at 5:30 am or some crazy time of day. And so the tradition continues! So my kids aren't usually up before 8 am but I coaxed them both out of bed by 7:30 and we dressed as western as we could (or rather, I made the kids dress western - I wouldn't be caught dead in a western shirt and hat - I can't pull it off!). Mom stayed the night before and came as well. As is tradition, we parked in Inglewood and walked through the Fort Calgary field where we could see everyone getting ready for the parade. Poppy was not as excited about all the action as Rowan had been near her age - she was more interested in the people. We found a great spot on 7th avenue right near our neighbours and in the shade - thank God as it ended up being around 30 degrees by the time we left. The parade itself is always fun but the people watching has always been one of my favorite parts, just like Poppy. I find it so cool how small children choose people to be friendly toward. This couple sat near us for a few moments and Poppy kept walking up to them, looking them right in the eye, and 'talking' to them. They were clearly a homeless couple with dark tanned skin, a cart or bag of cans and bottles, having a smoke on the curb and Ya-hooing at the parade participants. And I assume they were just generally nice folks because Poppy's intuition hasn't been tainted by anyone else's judgement of who is nice and who is not - she just knows. Another fellow came and sat near us who looked just like my brother, Jeff, when he is dressed for work. Again Poppy thought he was pretty cool as she kept wandering down and chatting with him.
Rowan took more pictures than I have space allowed for on this blog - I think he snapped more than all the tourists together! By the time we left he was hot and tired.
We decided at the last minute to go to the Stampede on Saturday since it was cool. However we did run into some rain and had to hide out in the Big Four for a while. We attempted to see the Super Dogs but you need tickets now so that was out. Rand and Rowan went on lots of rides together and Poppy and I rode the carousel about 6 times. Poppy and I also went through the barns (Rand has really bad allergies to horses) where she squeaked at the horses, sheep, donkeys, and a few cows. Rowan won a stuffed dog which he has named Baby Rowan.
Both kids fell asleep on the way To the Stampede (it was a big day) - here is a shot of Rowan with $20 tightly held in his hand before we even got there! That kid likes money! We'll probably head back down to see more of the Stampede this week - Ya-hoo!
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