Calgary Stampede

Stampede has come and gone again - ten days when the city puts on it's best-est cowboy duds and lives for the rodeo of all rodeos.  We only made it out to the opening parade this year, but that was an event in itself.  We went with our friends, and so the guys headed downtown at 6:30 the morning of the parade to grab a good spot.  It was a good spot indeed, for even CTV and CBC, the two major Canadian channels were positioned exactly across the street from us, so we also were a part of the equivalent of the Today Show or Good Morning America's coverage of the parade.  The wives and kids joined them around 9am, taking the train along with the other million people gathering for the festivities.  I would have taken a picture on the train, but I couldn't move my arms, or hands, or feet, or anything else.  Memories are made of events such as these.

   

The tv camera man locked in on Colton and Jason - so I locked in on him for a brief moment.  If one was watching the parade on tv, they would have seen the boys, then me poke out quickly with my camera and then a quick cut-away by the channel.  I think I messed with their shot.  heehee.

Calgary is a mesh of cultures - lots of immigrants from all over the world - and the parade represented that mesh well.

I loved these guys.  

I also loved these gals dressed up in their frontier gowns and parasols.  Just lovely.

Bevo made and appearance - it was all we could do, as good Ags, to not jump up and saw off them horns.

These little clowns were quite cute and full of energy.

This is so Calgary - Go Flames!

A few more of my favorites...

And finally, even the street sweeper was part of the show.  Only in Calgary, and only during Stampede.