Images of BC trip: Calgary to Fairmont to Kelowna and home again

Castle Mountain, west of Banff.
We've scrambled it (in the summer, that is).
Anticipating Fairmont and seeing Brent's parents

The "Bavarian" village of Kimberley,
where we went Christmas shopping and just looking around

Lunch in Kimberley.


Being blissfully lazy in the suite. I am curled up on the floor by the fireplace,
something I had been looking forward to doing since we first decided to go to Fairmont

Mom and Dad took us to see the old Fairmont hot springs bathhouse.
One tub per room, water runs in one side of the building and out the other.
Hot water coming out of the ground.
Note the green plant. The water is HOT!


Looking at houses, getting ideas for PJB Design.
Rich Albertans retiring to Fairmont build lovely houses.
Waiting for avalanche control work on the Trans-Canada between Golden and Revelstoke.
We only survived the 3/4 hour wait by eating Dad Bouwsema's yummy flatbread. ;)
Beautiful and snowy in Revelstoke National Park.

At last, Revelstoke, where we met my parents.
And then, homeward again two days later, after several lovely swims in the hotel pool,
a funeral, good visits with cousins and aunt and uncles and two Starbucks trips. ;)

Out the hotel window the morning we were to leave:
almost six inches of new snow and still falling.
Breakfast with Jorgen and Theo in the hotel before we leave.


Tense driving with thickly falling snow all the way from Kelowna to Golden.

In case you were wondering, we made it home safely. :)

Farvel Bedstemor

My Bedstemor, pictured here with our family, died on Monday. She was three months away from her 97th birthday. She was born in Denmark and moved to Canada in the fifties with her husband, with four small children and a baby on the way. She was a faithful Christian and humourous, kind and interesting lady. She will be greatly missed but she is in heaven now, free from her broken and bent human body.

Vi elsker dig, Bedstemor!

River-- Sarah McLaughlan

A lovely musical interlude: We knew the month between semesters was going to be busy but it has become now busier yet. We got a call from my mum on Monday letting us know that my Bedstemor, her mother, died Monday morning in Westbank, British Columbia. So, rather than driving back to Calgary on Friday from our visit to Brent's parents in Fairmont, we're driving to Kelowna Thursday afternoon for the funeral Friday morning. It will be good to say goodbye to her and to connect with the Sveistrup family and our Danish roots.

Two Bit Suit

Last year at about this time we found ourselves in the little town of Nanton to visit with friends of ours and to see John Wort Hannam for the first time ever. After this small coffee house concert we gained a great appreciation for his music. So when the opportunity to see John again in such an intimate venue we couldn't pass it up. Thanks to Tyler and Rachel for inviting us to go! He certainly did not disappoint putting on a great show, very personal.

John debuted a new song never sung for an audience before. He had to sit down because he did not think he could sing it standing.

Handel's Messiah, audience participation style

Our friends Rachel and Trevor saw what looks to have been a truly amazing version of Handel's Messiah in Korean, see their blog about it here.

We too, went to a performance, with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the Calgary Philharmonic Choir.

Rach and Trev's version had a choir of no less than 500....
our choir was comprised of, among many others, us! It was the singalong version, where the audience pays twenty dollars each for the opportunity to be a part of the chorus. It is an AMAZING experience. I highly recommend it to anyone interested (and who can read music).

Brent's mum and I sang in the Alto section and Brent's Dad and Brent sang Bass.

And last but not least, our conductor was no less than Handel himself. ;)
And, finally, Stephen Avenue, downtown Calgary, when we left.

Giant Cookies

We regularly check out this cooking blog because there are often interesting and tasty and easy-to-make recipes there (ie vegetarian chile and the butternut squash soup we made a while back).

Last week we found a GIANT ginger cookie recipe there. Ginger cookies are my ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE (but only if they're chewy). :)

They turned out perfect. Here's the recipe.

Amazing Commercial

This is a pretty amazing commercial for something we both believe in.

Feist

We've become more and more appreciative of Feist lately. I should note that this is largely due to the influence of Bec and Eric, who were fans before she became pop. :) Anyway, yesterday Feist was nominated for several Grammys, including one for the best short music video for the video that follows. Apparently the idea for the choreography came from when Feist, at 12, was one of the dancers for the 1988 Olympics, which, you may recall, were in Calgary. So without further ado, the lyrics for Feist's 1234 (which, really, aren't very deep, I must admit), and then the video. One Two Three Four Tell me that you love me more Sleepless long nights That is what my youth was for Old teenage hopes are alive at your door Left you with nothing but they want some more Oh, you're changing your heart Oh, You know who you are Sweetheart bitterheart now I can tell you apart Cosy and cold, put the horse before the cart Those teenage hopes who have tears in their eyes Too scared to own up to one little lie Oh, you're changing your heart Oh, you know who you are One, two, three, four, five, six, nine, or ten Money can't buy you back the love that you had then One, two, three, four, five, six, nine, or ten Money can't buy you back the love that you had then Oh, you're changing your heart Oh, you know who you are Oh, you're changing your heart Oh, you know who you are Oh, who you are For the teenage boys They're breaking your heart For the teenage boys They're breaking your heart