♬ This piece of heaven that I've found
Rocky Mountains and black fertile ground
Everything I need beneath that big blue sky
It Doesn't matter where I go
This place will always be my home ♬
It is, with no small amount of elation, that I write today's post. You see, my sweet dears, for the first time in many years, Tony and I will soon be embarking an exciting multi-day trip. As you may have likely deducted from the title, as well as from the lyrics above that come from Paul Brandt's song, Alberta Bound (not to be confused with Gordon Lightfoot's 1972 classic of the same name), we're headed over the Rocky Mountain covered boarders for the gorgeous province of Alberta.
Calgary, Alberta, to be exact. This is a city that I know and love dearly, having resided there myself for a little over two years in my late teens. A thousand lifetimes worth of experience happened to me in that short span, in the shadow of the Saddle Dome, Calgary Tower, and those stunning Rocky Mountains themselves, towering majestically off in the distance.
{A circa late 1940s/early 1950s view of downtown Calgary, AB looking southwest from Crescent Heights east of Centre Street. Though the view I knew when I lived there was a bit different, whether decades ago, ten years past, or today, the skyline is instantly recognizable to anyone who has spent time in Cow Town, as the city is sometimes lovingly referred to, before. Image source.}
I left far less by choice, than by circumstances beyond my control, and for a good many years afterwards, I missed Calgary with the sort of yearning and embedded love that, hitherto, I had only ever felt for a small number of people – I didn’t know it was humanly possible to miss a place so very much. Life moved on and so did I, but I never forgot this rugged, bustling, amazing city, and vowed to return one day (and hopefully many more times after that).
Now, almost ten years since I last called Calgary home, Tony and I will be packing up the car and headed that way for a few days in mid-September, for some extremely needed R&R, as well as plenty of fun and oodles of vintage, antique and thrift store visiting!
I know the bones of Calgary inside and out, from Stephan Ave to Kensington Village, Olympic Park to Chinook Mall, but I'm sure a fair number of things have changed in the last decade, and I'm really looking forward to experiencing what the city looks like and has to offer today.
On that note, though I have been doing plenty of online research into the topic recently and come up with several names already, if you happen to have any recommendations when it comes to vintage, antique, thrift, secondhand or consignment stores that you love because of their mid-century offerings, I would be delighted to hear them anytime.
Traveling, even for a relatively short road trip, presents a substantial number of challenges to me due to my health (a topic I discussed in greater detail here), but sometimes - with a ton of advance planning - facing our challenges in life can bring us immeasurable rewards, and I truly hope that such rings true for this exciting holiday.
We'll be staying at a wonderful hotel with a kitchen (a must because eating out safely is almost impossible for me due to medical reasons) near the airport the whole time, taking our car (which does not have a big trunk at all, so strategic planning and a maximum of one moderate sized suitcase each will be a must), driving straight from Penticton to Calgary, and working on a bit of an itinerary, though few things will be set in stone - it's so much more fun to just go where the (chinook) winds blow you sometimes. Tony has never been to Calgary before, though he probably feel like he has based on how much I've told him about it over the years, so this will an extra fun first for him.
I'll be chatting more about the trip as our departure date draws nearer - and you'll definitely hear tons about it once we get back. I'm so exciting already that some nights it's hard to fall asleep, but I must because, I need all the strength and energy I can get for when the big day arrives, less than a month from now, and we head out on the open road, Alberta bound at long last!
