Calgary Stampede

Perhaps a boring photo? I just loved the metallic finish to these colourful Bumper Cars/Dodge'ems. My daughter (visiting Calgary from Vancouver for a week) and I didn't actually go on any of the rides at the Stampede Grounds yesterday morning, but all my kids used to enjoy the Bumper Cars many years ago. So did I!

Spent a few hours down at the Stampede grounds with my youngest daughter yesterday. Ha, I did about 8,000 steps on the hike on the Small Whalebackand on Sunday and then yesterday I did around 10,000 steps walking the Stampede Grounds. Couldn't believe my pedometer when I got home this afternoon after spending about four hours breathing in the smell from the food vendors, getting neck cramps from watching people get flung on a bungee-type ride or the high swings, watching Mom pig feed her 11 little piglets, seeing the most beautiful horses from Clydesdales to Miniatures. It is quite an experience to "do" the Grounds - thanks, Rachel, for a fun time! Ha, hope your photos turned out better than mine!

Spent a couple of hours this morning wandering round the Stampede Grounds with my daughter from Vancouver. The Calgary Stampede is known around the world - such a crazy time and very popular with tourists as well as local people. There is a huge Midway with many "rides" and game booths. These cute little ducks kept moving along a narrow waterway at one booth - no idea what the purpose of the game was, but they looked cute coming round the corner in the sunshine. I was thinking of my 7-year-old grandson when I saw these, knowing that he will have to miss the Stampede this year. He has a second-degree burn all over the top half of his body (not the lower half, as far as I know yet). He and his parents have very fair skin and always take great caution when out in the sun. Now that school is out, my grandson is in daycare and unfortunately the worker(s) there used ordinary sunscreen (#8, I believe) instead of the very powerful sunscreen that had been given to them to use by my son and daughter-in-law!!!! Apparently, my grandson has blisters the size of golfballs, so I can only imagine what pain he is in. He's not allowed to go out of the house for the next three weeks, poor kid!

Spent a couple of hours at the Stampede Grounds this morning with my daughter from Vancouver, soaking up the annual smell of grease and farm animals. The Calgary Stampede is known around the world and this huge Midway (amusement park) is just a part of all the events that happen during 10 days of Stampede. No one would ever get me on this ferris wheel!

I liked the colours and design of the opening of this teepee (tipi, tepee). Seen on one of the brightly coloured teepees in the Indian Village down at the Stampede Grounds, when I went with my youngest daughter on July 12th. The annual Calgary Stampede came to an end yesterday, so the city can now return to normal, lol. What a crazy 10 days, though my visit to the Grounds with my daughter was the only thing I went to. For visitors to the city, this 10-day event is amazing!

Just a quick shot taken inside one of the permanent buildings down at the Stampede Grounds during the Calgary Stampede, on July 12th. My youngest daughter and I were in search of some lunch and I couldn't resist trying to catch a few of the brightly coloured "cowboy hats" on display. A constant stream of people going past, but I just managed to grab this one.

Part of a Carousel that is down at the Stampede Grounds for 10 days, part of the Midway (amusement park) for the duration of the 10-day Calgary Stampede. Yahoo! There is just something magical about an old-style Carousel.

Just a quick snapshot of a cheerful, friendly member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police "on duty" in the Indian Village at the Calgary Stampede Grounds. He was busy chatting with visitors from far and near and of course posing wirth many of them for endless photos (the only reason I am posting a photo of a person, which normally I would never do).

Taken on 11 July 2013, when I went down to the Stampede Grounds with my youngest daughter. "A stylized steel tipi towers over the main entrance to the Calgary Stampede grounds. This sculpture was erected to mark the Calgary Stampede's 100th anniversary in 2012. The five panels have symbols of the First Nations that are major participants in the Stampede: Siksika, Kainai, Tsuu T'ina, Piikani, and Stoney Nakoda. The First Nations of Treaty 7 have always been an important part of the Calgary Stampede. Beginning in 1912, founder Guy Weadick invited the Siksika, Kainai, Tsuu T'ina, Piikani and Stoney Nakoda Nations to lead the Parade and camp at the inaugural Stampede. Since that time, the Calgary Stampede has celebrated the First Nations of Treaty 7 as they showcase and share their traditional culture - a vital part of our western heritage. This main entrance was designed in celebration of this long-standing relationship. Each panel of the tipi is a historical icon used to represent each nation - Siksika, Kainai, Tsuu T'ina, Piikani, and Stoney Nakoda." Artist is Marion Spencer. www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMF0EE_Stampede_Main_Entrance...