It has been quite a while since I wrote an entry! Everything's fine, but we're settling into a routine that doesn't make for quite as interesting reading as I try to write about...
And as I write this, Collin objects. "What? It's plenty exciting!" No doubt he's right - we've spent some time poking around the city and discovering (or rediscovering) some fun spots and events. As it's been strange to be in a new place and not know many people, it's also been really nice to get to know some of his friends better. Collin's paper on collective spin squeezing was officially accepted to PRL (woohoo!). Finally, we signed a new lease so Kowalski the Cat and I are here officially, too.
So, in retrospect, time hasn't been wasted at all. We went to Heritage Park a few weekends ago and timed it well - it was the weekend of their Fall Harvest Festival. We spent a couple hours strolling up and down the streets and board walks, exploring old trappers cabins and the strangely humble former abode of one of Calgary's most famous early residents. I was able to speak to costumed reinactors about old timey postage rates and how to type-set a printing press. We ate ice cream in a small park next to a children's midway, where squeals of laughter rang out as joyously as it must have a hundred years ago, when the rides were first unveiled.
On our way out we stopped at the Farmer's Market, and snagged a lot of produce for outstanding prices. Food prices are higher in Canada than they are in the States, and far higher than they are in New Mexico. I still haven't gotten over my sticker shock whenever I go to restock on milk and bread. It was lovely to spend $25 and walk away with as many fruits and vegetables as we could carry.
Since that trip to Heritage Park, autumn has arrived in Calgary in a wave of golden foliage. I'll have to take a picture of our street and post it. It's absolutely gorgeous. Schools and community centers are preparing for other Fall Festivals, and the grocery store is stocking up on turkeys. Canadian Thanksgiving is the second Monday in October, and then Halloween...
October will be busy. Collin and I are heading out to the mountains this Sunday, to either hike to the Beehive at Lake Louise, or find a new place to explore. I kind of want to try canoeing on one of the gorgeous glacial lakes, but that might get old (and cold) quickly. I think I generally have more fun exploring on my feet.
A holiday, a friend's wedding, and Halloween after that...our friends will be hosting a big Halloween bash and I'm pretty stoked. I love themed parties (especially the catering potential - at the gooey center of every Christi is a 1950's housewife, evidently), and have been missing the kind of silly dinner parties I'd host in NM.
To sum up, September's been filled with important everyday things. October is shaping up to be more of the same, only colder. I'm missing everyone back home and have been channelling that into making an array of baked goods (the most delicious so far is a tie between banoffi pie and maple apple blueberry crisp). And my novel is progressing slowly but steadily.
I know it's time to stop writing when I start sharing recipes. Banff and/or Yoho and/or Jasper National Park(s) next time!
And as I write this, Collin objects. "What? It's plenty exciting!" No doubt he's right - we've spent some time poking around the city and discovering (or rediscovering) some fun spots and events. As it's been strange to be in a new place and not know many people, it's also been really nice to get to know some of his friends better. Collin's paper on collective spin squeezing was officially accepted to PRL (woohoo!). Finally, we signed a new lease so Kowalski the Cat and I are here officially, too.
So, in retrospect, time hasn't been wasted at all. We went to Heritage Park a few weekends ago and timed it well - it was the weekend of their Fall Harvest Festival. We spent a couple hours strolling up and down the streets and board walks, exploring old trappers cabins and the strangely humble former abode of one of Calgary's most famous early residents. I was able to speak to costumed reinactors about old timey postage rates and how to type-set a printing press. We ate ice cream in a small park next to a children's midway, where squeals of laughter rang out as joyously as it must have a hundred years ago, when the rides were first unveiled.
On our way out we stopped at the Farmer's Market, and snagged a lot of produce for outstanding prices. Food prices are higher in Canada than they are in the States, and far higher than they are in New Mexico. I still haven't gotten over my sticker shock whenever I go to restock on milk and bread. It was lovely to spend $25 and walk away with as many fruits and vegetables as we could carry.
Since that trip to Heritage Park, autumn has arrived in Calgary in a wave of golden foliage. I'll have to take a picture of our street and post it. It's absolutely gorgeous. Schools and community centers are preparing for other Fall Festivals, and the grocery store is stocking up on turkeys. Canadian Thanksgiving is the second Monday in October, and then Halloween...
October will be busy. Collin and I are heading out to the mountains this Sunday, to either hike to the Beehive at Lake Louise, or find a new place to explore. I kind of want to try canoeing on one of the gorgeous glacial lakes, but that might get old (and cold) quickly. I think I generally have more fun exploring on my feet.
A holiday, a friend's wedding, and Halloween after that...our friends will be hosting a big Halloween bash and I'm pretty stoked. I love themed parties (especially the catering potential - at the gooey center of every Christi is a 1950's housewife, evidently), and have been missing the kind of silly dinner parties I'd host in NM.
To sum up, September's been filled with important everyday things. October is shaping up to be more of the same, only colder. I'm missing everyone back home and have been channelling that into making an array of baked goods (the most delicious so far is a tie between banoffi pie and maple apple blueberry crisp). And my novel is progressing slowly but steadily.
I know it's time to stop writing when I start sharing recipes. Banff and/or Yoho and/or Jasper National Park(s) next time!
