2. lay-over...Calgary

The next day, Saturday, was the first of our two lay-over days.

Denise is an amazing person who has lived in Guatemala, been a teacher, paints, does collage, photography, was props (most of which she made herself) and stage manager for several theatrical groups (her basement is filled with shelf after shelf of materials and tools), does fusing and lampwork among her many talents and she talks about it all so nonchalantly...well, you know) and I can't even imagine the things she has done that I don't know about yet and lives in a wonderful old house 

that she had remodeled and added onto and did much of the work herself including making the decorative tiles in the kitchen and she gardens with a sweet garden in the back. And she cooks. And she has amazing friends. I am seriously in awe of this woman.

So.

We lounged around in the morning with coffee and crowned Catharine with sticky weed  

Denise, Catharine, and Duffy

while we watched the sparrows, who were totally unconcerned with us, flit about and dine on the nanking cherries which were so profuse they weighed the branches down.

Then it was off for Duffy's walk through the neighborhood (I'm always surprised when I go up north during the summer to see so many things blooming since by mid-summer here, that's all done with) and to the park that overlooks the river and flood plain and an incredible view of the Calgary skyline.

that's ACAD behind the silver parking garage that is reflecting the clouds behind me

Natali, who lives nearby, arrived for our breakfast of waffles and a champagne toast

Cheryl (friend of Denise who slept over and who writes and performs jazz), Catharine, Natali

and then we four took off for a driving tour of NW Calgary which has a huge hill (whose name escapes me) in the middle of this clean and pretty city. 

A stop at Peter's Drive In for milkshakes was also on the agenda.

On our way back to the house we stopped by the house of Natali's friend Jill who was in the middle of putting up 40 pounds of peaches in various ways and she sent us off with a bag of our own.

Then back to Denise's for an evening of martinis, dinner, and companionship.