Suzanne Stengl's Blog, page 2

Three Hills Show N Shine

On Friday, June 3, and Saturday, June 4, we attended the Show N Shine in Three Hills, Alberta.

This event is hosted annually for auto enthusiasts. (And spouses of auto enthusiasts.) Apparently, it is the largest of its kind in Western Canada.

On the Friday night of this event, a parade (cruise) of classic cars and trucks—as well as motorcycles and hot rods—proceeds down Three Hill’s Main Street, and then to the little town of Trochu, and back again to Three Hills.

Saturday is the “Show N Shine” event.

Parked along Main Street and along First Avenue SE, the vehicles are polished, photographed and admired. This 1960 Chev Impala has mirrors in the hood to reflect the perfectly clean engine.

I don’t know anything about old cars, except that many of them look like pieces of art that you drive.

This Firebird in the next photo is similar to the one Isabelle drives in ON THE WAY TO A WEDDING.

Did I say they were shiny?

This is not a classic car. It’s a tiny home. The company that builds these had this one at the event and let us look inside. This four-season home is well-insulated and incredibly spacious, with beautiful workmanship.

VedaHawk Tiny Homes

In town, there is a fair-like atmosphere with retailers selling memorabilia, and local charities selling a variety of fast foods like burgers and hot dogs and ice cream.

example of fast food back in the day, and 1970 Chevelle

There are also drag races at the local airport on Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday night, we had dinner at the Harvest House Restaurant. Good thing we made reservations!

This year, like all years, the weather cooperated, giving us a mix of sun and cloud, and a pleasant temperature for wandering among the classic cars. We were told that the weekend has never been rained out. I think we were lucky this year, because it was raining on Sunday morning when we left to go back to the city, so the show just missed the rain.

spring blossoms on Main Street, Three Hills

Have you ever attended a “Show N Shine”?

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Slow Mail

There was a time—a long, long time ago—when I used to get home from Wherever, and rush over to the computer. THE computer, because there was only one. THE computer was shared with my hubby and two sons.

I would turn it on, listen for the beeping and humming and whistling of the modem, and watch the little bar move slowly across the screen . . . until it finally (hopefully) said, “YOU’VE GOT MAIL!”

Those were the days of loving this technology.

Now, I avoid email. I have three accounts—one for personal, one for business and another as backup. I suppose I could delete that one, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Not just yet.

I do enjoy the personal account—when there is email from my sisters and cousins. But mostly, that account gets ads: some things I’m interested in, some things I’m semi-interested in, and some things I don’t even remember signing up for.

If I go back even further in time, to when I lived on a little farm in southwestern Ontario, I remember the Mailbox. No, not the InBox, but the actual metal mailbox sitting atop a wooden post at the end of the lane. The long, often muddy, sometimes snowed-in lane. On rare occasions, I GOT MAIL!

Those were exciting times. While I lived on the farm, I had three pen pals. (Not to be confused with PayPal.) A pen pal is someone you met in the classified ads of the London Free Press. If their little blurb interested you (it would be called an “elevator pitch” nowadays) then you could write to the magazine and they would forward your letter. After that, if you were still interested, you exchanged slow mail addresses with your pen pal.

I say “slow mail” but in those days, there was no other kind. I had a pen pal in France, another in Greece, and one in Regina, Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan is a province of Canada, a “prairie” province, also known as “the one in the middle” on occasion.  (Check your atlas.) (Or, more likely, GoogleMaps.)

At the farm, there was also mail in the form of birthday cards. And, at Christmas, there was a multitude of Christmas cards. They were strung on ribbons in the kitchen. I can still remember my mother, sitting at the kitchen table, writing notes in the cards she would send, and addressing each envelope in her beautiful handwriting.

One of the things about COVID is that we seem to be doing more Slow Mail. I got more physical Christmas Cards this year than I have in ages. Thank you very much! It seemed every day, there was another card in the mailbox. The actual mailbox at the front of our house.

In many parts of the city, we have Super Mailboxes. But we still have a mailbox attached to our house. Eventually, I suppose our neighbourhood will get Super Mailboxes too, since most of the stuff that arrives is not urgent—things like flyers, catalogues and “buy this” type of guidance.

You could pick up those items weekly. Or less often.

Or maybe not. In times of COVID isolation, maybe people will start using Canada Post more often. Who knows?

Do you get much Slow Mail? Do you remember a time when that was the only kind of mail? Do you have a Super Mailbox, or do you have a mailbox at your house? Do you think it’s amazing that for about one dollar—much less than the cost of a latte—you can send a hard copy letter or card from Victoria, British Columbia all the way across Canada to St. John’s, Newfoundland?

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Outdoor Christmas Arrangement

I’ve always wanted to make an outdoor Christmas arrangement of evergreens and I finally did.

This is a first effort and a “learn-as-you-go” sort of thing for me. I did try to research what to do—and I found many approaches. At any rate, I didn’t have much of a plan and I just went with it.

I guess you can use many types of foundation for your arrangement. Some sites suggested soil; some suggested floral foam taped on top of the soil; some suggested rice husks because they are good at absorbing water. I didn’t have time to find rice husks. Or floral foam. So, I went with one of the flower pots from last summer that had held chrysanthemums. There didn’t seem to be quite enough soil, so I dumped another flower pot on top. I’m in Canada, so the soil was frozen. Of course.I heated some water and dumped that on the frozen soil. That helped, but this was a lot of frozen soil, so I brought the pot in the house overnight. I probably should have had it in the house for several nights to really let it thaw, and next time I’ll do that.

Anyway, the next day, it seemed thawed (it wasn’t, not quite) but I was excited to do this project. I had my pine cones and berries, which I’d found at Michael’s and some other places. I’m always buying stuff like this and never finding the time to actually make anything.

It’s late in the season, so I had trouble locating evergreens. I finally found some spruce at Lowe’s. And then some cedar and pine at the Safeway. We have pruning shears in the garage, so I gave each evergreen piece a fresh cut.

One of the websites suggested putting the spruce at the outer perimeter of the arrangement. Another site said to use it as a centrepiece. I only had one piece of spruce, so it became the centrepiece. Then I tucked the cedar and pine in around that, starting with the larger pieces and filling out things with the smaller pieces.

The embellishments came last. (I don’t know if pine cones and holly are called “embellishments” but that’s what they’re called in scrapbooking projects, and I do understand scrapbooking—if not, floral arrangements.

After that, I soaked the pot with water, and I hoped the evergreen pieces would not loosen and tip over. It looked quite festive when I finished.

And now it’s snowing. I wonder if this will withstand a Canadian winter?

Next morning’s update

[image error]

The snow has added its own embellishments and the arrangement seems to be sturdy enough.

Have you ever made an outdoor Christmas arrangement?
How about an indoor one?
Or, like Emily and Noelle in A WEDDING AND A WHITE CHRISTMAS, do you love playing with scissors and glue?

Whatever your craft preferences, I hope you have a Merry Christmas!

Tea kettle from Bigstockphoto.com #434638226
Note: it really is spelled “centrepiece” in Canadian. 😊

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A New Cover For Christie!

In 2012, I published my first book — The Ghost and Christie McFee. At the time, I was calling it a Contemporary Romance. It does have a sweet romance subplot. However, it turns out to be more of a Cozy Mystery, and more specifically, a Cozy Ghost Mystery. So I decided to give it a new cover.

Since this was my first book, I wasn’t sure about how covers matched up with genres. And so, this cover has gone through several iterations.

available on Amazon in eBook and Larger Print

I think this new one defines the story best.
Do you like it? Do you like cozy mysteries? Do you like ghost stories?

 

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A Walk Around Town

After a long summer of wildfires and too many days that were 30+ Celsius, it’s soothing to take a walk around town in the cooler days of autumn.

We parked by the river in Kensington and then walked the loop to Sunnyside and back.

“Wild is the music of the autumnal winds amongst the faded woods.”
– William Wordsworth.

The Peace Bridge

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.”
— Emily Bronte

“As for marigolds, poppies, hollyhocks, and valorous sunflowers, we shall never have a garden without them, both for their own sake, and for the sake of old-fashioned folks, who used to love them.”
– Henry Ward Beecher

the beautiful Bow River

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” — Albert Camus

We finished our walk with lattes at the the Espresso Café.

I think Anon says it best:

“If you don’t like fall, you can leaf me alone.”

Maple leaves from canstockphoto2523415

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Return to Boom Lake

Earlier this month, Rolf and I hiked to Boom Lake. We’ve done this trip several times over the years. I wrote about one trip here. Since the last time we did the trail, this new boardwalk has been added.

Clear blue skies today!

Lots of wildflowers along the trail. This is Bunchberry Dogwood.

To the west, Mount Quadra . . .

. . . and to east, the “boom” – where an old moraine touches the surface of the water in a crescent to catch driftwood floating past, as if it were a lumber boom.

Here I am at the lake.

The sparkling waters of Boom Lake!

This is a favourite September hike. We had perfect weather and finished off the day with dinner in Banff. Can’t ask for more!

 

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The Many Springs Trail

On Wednesday, Rolf and I drove to Bow Valley Provincial Park and hiked the Many Springs Trail. Well, it wasn’t exactly a hike. It’s more of a walk. The Many Springs Trail is flat and well-groomed and quite short. Only 1.6 km. (That’s about a mile.) It’s also famous for its wildflowers.

Here’s the map of the trail, which is a loop.

At the junction, there’s a sign pointing you to the right. You follow along and reach the boardwalk. The actual loop is only about 1.3 km.

Most of the Bow Valley is dry, grassy meadows with stands of aspen and evergreen. But the Many Springs Trail is a lush wetland fed by, you guessed it, many springs.

At this time of year, lots of people come looking for the Yellow Lady Slipper Orchid.

Yellow Lady Slipper Orchid

The first time you see one, you get all excited and take about million pictures. And then you realize it is everywhere along the trail.

The Wood Lily is here too.

Wood Lily

And, of course, there’s the Prickly Rose.

Prickly Rose aka the floral emblem of Alberta

Prickly Rose aka the floral emblem of Alberta

Where the trail opens up, there are some peaceful views of the mountains.

Creeping Juniper with berries

Limber Honeysuckle

boardwalk

Meadow Zizia

Red-osier Dogwood

Mount Yamnuska

Purple Clematis

And everywhere there is Silverberry. 

Silverberry

It was a morning walk with lots of time for pictures. We drove on the 1A instead of the busier TransCanada, which meant that we went through Cochrane. So, on the way back, we stopped in Cochrane at McKay’s Ice Cream.

Always a good way to end a trip!

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Pfizer and spring and skiing

About three weeks ago, I got my first Pfizer vaccine. It was almost anticlimactic. The drugstore had phoned us to set up our appointments. No waiting on the phone, no online forms. We just showed up—and no crowds. Hopefully, the booster shot will be as easy.

After a long locked-down winter, spring has finally hit the prairies. As is usual for Calgary, the daytime temperature fluctuates. We are anywhere from 0 Celsius to 17. Except for the in-town ski hill, Canada Olympic Park (COP), the snow in the city has melted.

But in the mountains, we are at that wonderful time of year when the skiing is perfect. It’s winter snow, but with springtime air temperatures. We were at Sunshine Village yesterday with the best conditions ever.

This is what the sky looked like. Not a cloud in sight.

Of course, still COVID, so must mask. I wore my black one today. At this point, I have several colours to choose from. Even when I get my booster shot, it will be masking as usual.

This sign was by the Standish lift. (Standish lift because it goes up Mt. Standish.)

The Wawash reference is to the Wawa Bowl.

And this is the pause that refreshes.

It was above freezing so you get warm quickly, and thirsty. Besides the water, I also had some Earl Grey tea . . . and a great view of the mountain from the Chimney Corner Lounge.

We picked the right day, going yesterday. Today, it’s socked in at the hill. But, in the city, it’s already up to 14 degrees and the sun is shining.

The robins have returned and when I saw some early this morning, they looked bigger than usual. But, they’re not. When it’s cold, they puff up their feathers to stay warm. (It’s called rousing.)

Although we could still get another snowstorm, things are looking good. The trees are budding and the tulips are poking up.

Wherever you are, I hope you are enjoying the signs of spring.

Pfizer from Depositphotos_426520962

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It’s gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day!

I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather for the last week or so. No fever, so not COVID, but some kind of bug that has made me tired and achy. At any rate, I’ve been cooped up indoors. This morning, I finally felt good enough to go for a long walk. After days of extreme cold in Calgary, we are now above freezing, and the sun is shining. I decided to go for a walk along the river.

Here’s the view of the mostly frozen Bow River from a lookout on the pathway through Bowmont Park.

And now I am down by the river.

In the Dale Hodges Park, I like to visit my friends, the ducks.

I’ve always wondered why there are a few ducks that don’t fly south for the winter. I guess they find enough to eat on these little open patches of water.

Here I am on the snow-covered boardwalk.

This is the Dale Hodges Park. It’s a natural environment park along the north bank of the Bow River. Surprisingly, the area used to be a gravel pit. And now it’s been reclaimed.

The project was a joint effort between Parks, Water Resources and Public Art. Stormwater from several upstream residential communities flows slowly through the water structures and is filtered before entering the Bow River.

The park is connected to Bowmont Park and is a wildlife habitat. It has a system of boardwalks, cycling and walking trails, marsh and meadows, and views of the Bow River.

But now it’s mostly covered with snow.

Later in the day, even on a cold winter day, there will be a lot of people down here. But, early in the morning, there’s just me, and the ducks.

The silence is amazing and uplifting. After an hour and a half of walking, I am feeling much better and ready to get back to the world.

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Skiing at Sunshine Village with COVID-19 restrictions

Last Wednesday we went skiing at Sunshine Village for the first time this season. And, for me, for the first time in three years. Almost one year ago, I got my new hip.

For a whole year before my surgery, I could hardly walk, let alone ski.

My surgeon told me it was okay to ski since I already know how. (Probably not a good idea to take up skiing after a hip replacement, but who knows?)

So, new hip. And also, COVID-19 restrictions.

You have to wear a mask in the lineups. Although, on a Wednesday in January, there aren’t a lot of people there. Still, there are times you might be within six feet of someone else. So, masks. The gondolas can carry six people, but you only ride up with your own group, which was just me and Rolf.

Sunshine Village with COVID-19 restrictions: This is what Sunshine has to say:

Face coverings or face masks are mandatory to ride, or wait for, any of the lifts. The face covering can be a non-medical mask, a face warmer or a buff, and resort staff will be monitoring visitors for compliance.

Wearing a mask was not a big hardship. I mean, consider all the other stuff we have to wear – helmets, goggles, layers and layers of clothing. Rolf only wore his mask in the lineups. I found it easier to just keep it on. And bonus, it blocked the wind from hitting my nose.

view from the top of Standish

We had good temperatures, about minus 8 throughout the day. This is a “Canadian nice” for January. It was a bit windy on the lifts but that’s usual. The snow was good with good coverage.

And the sun was shining. In the morning, there was only one tiny little cloud in the sky. By late afternoon, more clouds showed up.

lots of sunshine at Sunshine Village

Rolf stayed with me on my first run to make sure I was okay. Of course, I remembered how to ski. It’s like remembering how to ride a bicycle. But it felt different on my operative side. I guess some of those muscles are still weak. I don’t notice the weakness with walking, but making turns, I do notice it. Plus, it just felt weird. A strange sensation. By the end of the day, that strangeness went away and I was just tired, as you usually are after a good day of skiing.

On the website – skibanff.com – we learned that there were designated shelters set up for skiers and boarders to warm up in and to eat lunch while remaining seated. There are hosts on duty to manage capacity and to disinfect tables.

There’s no table service anywhere on the hill, but lots of Grab and Go food and beverages that you can purchase and take into one of the shelters. The usual eateries, like Trappers and the Day Lodge, have food for sale. There is also a Tenn Roof Co. Taco Truck.

We had heard that the Chimney Corner Lounge was only open to hotel guests, and we were disappointed because we always eat there. But, turns out, the Chimney Corner was open on Wednesday—with hardly anyone in there.

empty Chimney Corner Lounge

The greeter is behind plexiglass. You give your name and phone number in case they need it for COVID-19 tracing. Through a slot in the plexiglass, she passes you a tall bottle of water and glasses and napkin-wrapped cutlery.

Then you pick a table. Probably two-thirds of the tables have been removed. A QR code is laminated onto the table. You use your phone to check out the menu.

Then go back to the front, order, and they give you a pager. When your food is ready, you go to a pickup window.

pick up food here

So, it’s all done without wait staff.

We both got the Beef Burger—Alberta Chuck, Bourbon BBQ Sauce, Smoked Cheddar, Crisp Lettuce, Tomato and Garlic Aioli. And we each got a cup of the spicy Tomato Bisque plus a big order of fries. I love ski food.

In the morning, I was on Angel and Standish. After lunch, I skied another hour and a half with more time on Standish, then another run on Angel and then I went to the easy hill—Strawberry. Meanwhile, Rolf went up the Divide and did moguls.

By late afternoon, more clouds showed up.

At this time of year, the sun falls behind the mountains early, so the light is better up high. Right now, the lifts only run until four o’clock. Later in the season, they will go till four-thirty.

I was done by three o’clock. Rolf skied almost another hour more, almost until the lifts turned off.

In the meantime, I went to the Java Lift Coffee Bar for my usual half-sweet vanilla latte – and a butter tart. Yum! Then I sat outside and enjoyed the fresh air, and the sunshine, and the peace.

I hope you are coping with the restrictions of COVID-19 and I hope you are getting lots of Outdoor Time!

winter decoration in the Chimney Corner Lounge

QR image on phone from Depositphotos #14697937
All other images from Suzanne’s trusty phone

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