on saturday, we donned our cowboy hats and i learned a valuable lesson : i can pull off wearing a cowboy hat! you see, hats usually make me writhingly uncomfortable and consequently self-conscious. not so in a cowboy hat. so if i can wear one, anyone else can and it’s the great equalizer.

^{(from left to right, me and my sister’s silhouettes.)}

even though the thought of a free pancake breakfast (good ones are hosted by caravan) was quite enticing, we still couldn’t get up in time and only arrived in time for the closing of the lines. =S so we went to the stampede for food instead. we wandered around the grounds among the food vendors and finally just got hot dogs and kettle corn. it seemed to be a good match. ;)

my sister bought rodeo tickets in advance (around 41.00 each) and so we ducked into the stadium after lunch to catch “the best outdoor show on earth”. it was exhilerating how they introduced the show set to the same music that bill pullman gave that speech in “independence day.” while i couldn’t appreciate all of it (alas) it was still an eye-opening experience to be involved as a spectator in the protocols of a rodeo show. and i really wanted to be one of the cowgirls who would ride around the stadium carrying a majestic flag bearing the logo of one of the many sponsors. i thought the cowgirls were hot. so were some of the cowboys. ;). as my sister put it, it’s the mixture of down-to-earth, gritty, and their association with difficult physical tasks that is very enticing indeed….

after the rodeo (three hours!), we walked around the fairgrounds watching people trying to win prizes at a myriad of games. we didn’t play what for the risk of winning a 5-foot tall stuffed animal and having to carry it around the city. we also dissected the midway rides. i might have wanted to go on one or two were i not afraid of having my insides turned inside out the day before a big run. it is a really good fair and no wonder with how many people coming through it every day for a week expecting a great experience.

(so basically the calgary stampede consists of a rodeo show – a better, fancier show every night capped with fireworks – and a really good fair.)

for dinner, we went to the olive garden where we had to wait 35 minutes for a table. i ordered an eggplant parmigiana (not really carb-loading as i should have) and k got an grilled lemon-herb chicken. it was just alright.

then we went home and slept… at 11! because the next day was a big day….

On this day..

• Play Me, I'm Yours (Toronto Life, Ep. 318) - 2012
• - 2008
• Good to be prepared =S - 2006