Apologies to Calgary

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I have never liked Calgary.  And I may still not (in the long run).  But last week I saw a side to it that I have never seen before and it was beautiful.  Very appealing.

Aside: whenever I am insulting an urban environment, I tend to towards dissing Toronto first.  It’s just so awful that vitriol virtually gushes from my mouth.  Too easily.  I hate Toronto and, to be fair, most of Ontario.  It’s NOT the people (altho....), it’s the humidity, the extreme temps, the traffic/commute, the Ford family and, not least on my list of worst critiques, it is the dog that wags the tail of the rest of Canada.  And I hate that.

I tend to dislike things almost in direct proportion to the amount of power they wield.  I even get annoyed at being directed by BC Ferry workers…….you can imagine how hard it is for me to cope with an airport security idiot.  Or Toronto police.  And, because Bay Street has so much power and influence in this country, I tend to hate them, too.

Part of it, of course, is just GOMs.  Grouchiness.  Grouchy is now how people who love me describe me to others……amongst other things….and you can imagine what the others then say… 

There is no question I am now a bona fide nut-bar: wanna see Dave apoplectic?  Put him on a plane that goes to Toronto.  KABLOOOOOOIE!!!!  That is all it takes.  And, to be fair, Calgary has set me off more than once, too.  Calgary airport is tied with countless others as to the second worst airport I have ever experienced.

“Why Calgary?”  Because part of the Calgary airport (YYC) has been ‘ceded’ to the Americans and the Marines patrolling “US soil’ at YYC (and in CANADA) do not hesitate to tell you that they can take you and never give you back.

But, sorry….. that was a bit of a tangent.  This blog is supposed to be ‘nice’.

My daughter and her husband just moved into their newly built new home about 30 minutes or so outside of Calgary.  They are in the country, the rolling foothills of the Rocky Mountains.  Rivers-run-through-it kinda country.  Moose have a walk-through preserve just outside their back yard.  A bear came and tossed their compost last night.  We saw deer everywhere.  It was bucolic.  And GET THIS! ….the bug count was very reasonable.  And the temperature, the air, the changing weather patterns…all good.  All VERY GOOD.

I have to ‘walk-back’ a few of the terrible things I have said about Calgary.  Apologies.

We traveled there to give them a house-warming gift-of-sorts.  She wanted a deck.  He hadn’t ever built such a thing….. and she wanted 700 square feet.  Up high, too.   So Sal and I were going there for five days to build them a 700 sf deck that resulted in an almost 10 foot-high extension of the main floor.  It’s pretty big.

I am 71.  Sal has a cracked rib.  Husband isn’t familiar with tools.  But daughter is a smart cookie and she had pretty much arranged everything and planned the logistics.  General Contracting 101.  She did good.  He did good. We did good.  And we got it 7/8 built. The decking still has to go on and so do the railings and even a set of stairs.  But the hardest part is done.

Sal’s rib?  Let me put it this way….. she worked like an illegal fruit-picker and kept just as quiet.  Without Sal we wouldn’t have gotten it done but, with everyone doing what they did, each was essential to getting it as far as we did….7/8.  Amateur team, Pro results.

25 thoughts on “Apologies to Calgary”

  3. Toronto this year has been cool, hasn’t hit 30 yet, not even over 25, but yeah, Toronto is not that great, far from great. Calgary, well, I guess it’s okay now, but I wouldn’t want to be there in the winter. Anyways, great job you’ve done for the kids, hats off.

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  4. That is a lot of work in just a few days. Hope the weather was good. The deck looks great. Nice to get caught up. Hope all is well with Sally and you.

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  5. Thanks, Sid. I DID have to drive them hard. And my chaise didn’t have an umbrella. No mint juleps. It was tough slogging, yelling at women and children, but I did it.. Got ‘er done. But, really…? Just how much patience should a man have….eh?

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      • I remember camping in Bragg Creek in 1980 when there was virtually nothing there.
        There was about 14 of us at a clearing in the woods on a logging road.
        There was a camp fire ban on and we were camping down by the creek and a Lands and Forest guy came buy and said. “If you want, you can have a small fire its ok. A small fire.but pour water on it before you go to sleep”.
        No problem.
        The next morning we awoke to a helicopter landing at our camp site.
        Seems our fire wasnt entirely out.
        A small wisp of smoke was rising from the previous nights fire and a spotter had noticed it.
        The crew of 6 fire fighters climbed out of the chopper.
        We all woke up and crawled out of our tents because of the noise.
        All hell broke loose.
        Seems one of my friends was dating a gal who( unbeknownst to him) was married to a convict.
        Problem was, the convict was working his sentence off by ….fighting fires….
        What are the chances of meeting your cheating wife in the wilderness of Bragg Creek on a Sunday morning?
        Apparently better than most would expect.
        We were all still hungover and gaping , slack jawed at the unfolding drama.
        Tears, cursing, outrage,obscenities…..
        Well, the guard and the other prisoners held the cuckolded husband back as the helicopter spooled up and took them outta there pronto.
        We packed up and left.

        A nice area back then.
        Great for hiking, 4 wheeling and camping.

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  9. Hellooooooooo?
    Anybody OUT there?

    Or are you having too much of a good time entertaining at Casa Desierto to bother with us addicted blogsters?

    Sincerely,,
    Your annoying commenter,
    NCV

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  10. No such thing as an annoying commenter. I’m gonna write. A dancer has to dance, a lemming has to leap and an opinionated old bastard has to write. You want ravens, squirrels and/or whales? Sals daring do’s? Politics? Community affairs?

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  12. Ok.
    I dont need to hear about Trump, Trudeau or Pipelines.
    Soooo.
    Whats the local community up there doing for Canada Day?
    Or for the rest of the summer.?
    You had mentioned the new volunteer group that is building and planning.
    Have they sawed, hammered and painted their hearts out?

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  13. trying again to make a comment – Me, Judy on Trev’s computer.
    Well, I am glad you decided to like Calgary and I am glad you decided to write again.
    Happy Canada Day!

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  14. This is me. Let’s face it you were not in Calgary you were in the foothills of the Rockies, admittedly only a short drive from downtown. Glade Sal is back at it and am looking forward to seeing you guys this year. A must read Jonathan Manthorpe …Claws of the Panda I can barely calm down after reading that book.

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    • Maybe…so many of our PMs were Quebecois but, if one ‘follows the money’, one doesn’t have to stray far from the Beltway and Bay Street. The ‘money’ is in TO.

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      • There’s been two shakers above 6.2 and two in the 4’s in the last 24 hrs.
        One off Kitimat (6.2) in the ocean at 10km depth
        Another in California east of LA( 6.4) at a 10km depth.
        Another off the coast of Oregon ( 4.2 ) at 10 km depth
        Another near Skagway (4.3) at 10 km depth

        Weird that they are all at 10km depth and in the last 24 hrs.

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