Holidays

The alarm went off at 5:30.

Dan hit the snooze.

The alarm went off at 5:39.

I told Dan to hit the snooze.

Guilt hit me and I exited my warm bed at 5:41.

I made a pot of that miraculous strong black brew that seems to keep adults going.

I got 4 kids out of bed.  They pretty much opened their eyes and bounded out of bed and up the stairs.  They each grabbed their pile of clothes that were neatly folded and placed on the kitchen table and got dressed quickly.

By 5:55 I finished my first cup of coffee, handed Dan his, and had 4 kids in the van.  We were driving just before 6 am.

At 9:25 we got Seth's top pitch angry countdown.  That's right--and it sounds exactly like I described.  Seth hollered in a high pitched, angry voice:

1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9..10..11..12..13..14..18..90...and...ZERO!!!

Thank you son.  That was very entertaining.  Then at 9:27 we got Seth's top pitch angry countdown again.  And another at 9:34. 

We showed our kids lots of land marks on the way--like the black cow in the field, Aunt Leer's house (get it...Aunt Leer...antler...) who lived on the top of Antler Hill, Woodbend Road and all sorts of insignificant things.  we talked a lot about Uncle AJ choking on a piece of broccoli and mommy being scared because there was a spider in her boot when she was 5.  If you are utterly confused, that's OK.  It was pure, plain foolishness and we were all having a ball.

At around 10ish we were seeing signs for Head Smash Buffalo Jump.  We decided to go take a look and that's when we met Garry.  Garry was a sweet little guy.  He was short, had brown hair and obviously LOVED being outside.  He had a huge family and more friends than you can count.  We know this to be true because we saw them.  They were all hanging around outside and it sure looked like a family gathering of sorts.  Well, we stayed in our van and were driving along when this little guy, Garry, tore away from the safety of his family and went tearing across the road--right in front of our van.  KA-THUNK! KA-THUNK!  2 wheels hit Garry.  Half a second of silence in the van while everyone comprehended what had just happened.  One of the kids looked back to see the aftermath and reported, "WOW dad...there's blood all over the road!"  Cheering erupted as the van continued to barrel along, hardly slowing after the unfortunate event.  Garry the gopher was dead.  Head Smash Buffalo Jump now has a new meaning...and it has nothing to do with buffalo.

OK, moving right along now.  Once we found out we had to PAY to get in (oh yes...I am cheap) we decided to turn around and get back to the main highway.  Generally when you pay to get in somewhere it takes time to look at everything.  We didn't have a lot of spare time.  As we neared Lethbridge Lindsay was ooo ing at the cliffs and bluffs.  She saw some red rocks lining one of the bluffs and matter-of-factly informed everyone that the rocks were covered in buffalo blood.  AHEM...cough, cough...  Why must my children be so morbid.  Gopher guts, buffalo blood...

At noon we were at the Birds of Prey Center located in Coaldale Alberta.  As soon as we entered the building Eric and Lindsay were both invited to hold and endangered burrowing owl.  Eric especially was STOKED!  Since there were no other school groups there that day we received our own special tour.  The center takes birds who have been hurt, rehabilitates or fixes them, then sets then free in the wild again.  Some birds stay there because there is just no way for them to survive the wild.

One of these birds was Spirit.  This was a huge, beautiful golden eagle who was shot several times by a hunter.  She was completely blind.  Eric loved Spirit.  She was perched in a big open dome area with many other birds of prey.  each bird had a perch and a leash that was attached to their ankle.  We could visit these birds up close with no wire mesh or cage between us. 

Paul got to see a vulture up close and I must say...that is an ugly bird.  We were told that the reason his head is void of feathers is because as a scavenger, he will stick his head right into a dead animal's carcass and that way he won't get any feathers in his food.  Yummy.  Paul maintains that the vulture is still his favorite bird.

After our little tour, we watched a flying demonstration with a Harris hawk.  Then we were introduced to a great horned owl named Gordon.  He was the guy we got to hold.  Eric, Lindsay, Paul and I all held him.  He was heavy, but definitely beautiful.  that is probably what was the coolest thing about the center--they let you get close to the birds--mind you...the guides had a pretty rapt audience.  Eric impressed them several times with his knowledge about birds.  The caretakers even encouraged him to pursue a job that involved working with birds, telling him there were many opportunities to do so. 

I was so impressed with the staff.  They took time to answer all our questions.  They took time to show us their place and they let us hold the birds.  You could see they loved those birds and they wanted to pass that along to others.  They really fanned that flame inside Eric and encouraged him to continue to expand his knowledge of birds.  They assured my son that if he really wanted to work with birds in the future, there was plenty of work for him in that field.  Eric left that place on cloud nine.

We bought as little bag of food for the ducks who felt so obliged to follow us wherever we went.  There were at least 50 of them and when they saw we had food they BOOKED it over to us just as fast as they could waddle and swim. 

Well, by 2:30 we decided to head to the hotel.  The hotel was in Strathmore which meant we had at least 2 hours of driving ahead of us yet.  All 4 kids fell asleep and a few hours later we were in our hotel which boasted a pool and a water slide.  WIN!!!  the kids, energy renewed after their nap, went beserko for a good hour in the pool before we herded them out to go for supper.

After supper it was back to the hotel and I read to the kids, we prayed and we ALL went to sleep by 9.  We were all zonked.  Besides, with all of us sleeping in 1 room (2 kids on the floor, 2 kids on a queen bed and us in the other queen bed) it would be foolish to expect kids to sleep while the lights were still on and the adults chatting.  As a result, everyone had a good night sleep.

By 6:30 we were all up.  We showered and enjoyed a very good continental breakfast--bacon, eggs, sausage, cinnamon buns, yogurt, hash browns, toast...you name it.  Then off to the zoo.

I know lots of people have been to the Calgary Zoo, so really, there isn't much to tell.  i loved how the zoo was divided into continental sections--South America, North America, Africa, etc.  I still have to say that North America was my favorite section.  i was also very impressed with the displays put up around the zoo.  South America was VERY well done, with a building full of lush vegetation.  The air felt humid and hot.  i realized that by doing so, the Zoo was giving people a real feel for the climate of different areas around the world.  We were paying for more than just seeing animals...we were paying to really experience the world at large.

Anyways, we left the zoo at 1.  It was getting hot by then and the kids were getting tired.  We skipped the penguin exhibit seeing as there was an 45 minute wait.  I can't justify waiting that long just to see 1 animal.  I'm sure they're cool, but 45 minutes in the warm sun with 4 tired kids waiting in line isn't a wise choice for any parent.  I'm glad we left when we did.  We were home just after 4 and got to see Courtney (she had a sleep over at her grandparents' house).  We chilled at home and all went o bed early.

That was our trip.  I'm glad we did it.  I've got lots of great pictures and we've made lots of nice memories.  Worth it!