It's stampede time!

So we went to the Stampede today. First time I'd gone in probably six years and I would guess only the fourth time I've ever gone. Stampeding is an expensive proposition, and when the kids were young, there wasn't much for them to do. But the day also saw a couple of firsts. I attended my first stampede breakfast held on the grounds itself (Native Calgarians find it pretty hard to avoid some kind of invitation to a stampede breakfast of any sort - there's so many - but most of them take place in other parts of the city). It was also the first time I saw a rodeo, which was kinda neat, but ranks up there with the time I watched a bullfight. Interesting, but not the kind of thing I'm going to pay for a second time. And I bought myself my first ever cowgirl hat. I've owned boots for years - very comfy things - but never had a hat. Guess now I'm fully outfitted!

If you've been to the Calgary stampede before, there's not much to say. If you haven't, well, it's hard to describe in just a few words. It's part midway, part rodeo, part agricultural show, part place where old people spend the day looking at all the vehicles, RVs, and houses that you can buy lottery tickets for. It's certainly much more diverse than the agricultural show that was held in the city I grew up in, but after Universal Studios and Six Flags, the kids found the midway much more disappointing than they remembered it.

So that's how I spent my day. Eating free food, paying way too much for a few midway rides, and trying to avoid the exhaustion, sunburn, and heat stroke that so often accompany a trip to the Stampede. I'm happy to say I managed to avoid all of them.