Banff: A great place to visit, and a fun word to say...

Last week before the hustle and bustle of premier week (especially for Jim, who took over for Seth as Music Director), we decided to use our free time and drive to Banff National Park. We stopped at Lake Minnewanka to stretch our legs and have a look-see. It was pretty gorgeous, but, like Calgary, a bit chilly.





























We were hungry so we drove a little bit more to Banff and we spotted a little hotel restaurant named "The Meatball." I got the margherita pizza to split with Sophie, and Jim got the homestyle macaroni and cheese. Both were super spicy and I'm glad I remembered to pack extra snacks that day, as Sophie didn't really like it either. The bartender was super nice, but I wouldn't recommend it for the food. We decided to drive through the village of Banff, and it was a cute, quaint little ski town. It almost reminded me of Frankenmuth in Michigan, but with mountains and junk. We went to the falls and took a few pictures. There was a [drunk] wedding party there taking pictures, climbing up the rocks, and yelling in Russian. Here are a few pictures of what it looked like. The falls, not the drunk Russians.










You can see the bride in the corner, so I kinda lied...











































We then went to the gondola to go to the top of the mountain. It was chilly so we put on Sophie's new winter coat. She didn't really like that, but she didn't really have a say either.



































Notice the impressive beard growth. On Jim, not me!







We went outside to look around and to look for any wildlife. Apparently they all got the memo that we were coming that day and to stay home.











We did see a chipmunquirrel running around. Sophie kept yelling "HI!" at it, but it still wouldn't let Sophie give it a hug. His loss!















We noticed the clouds were getting grayer and grayer, so we decided to head to Tim Horton's for a hot chocolate and then home before the rain got us.














When we got inside to take the gondola down, I wanted to take Sophie's jacket off, but she wouldn't have that either. And the Taiwanese tourists were very taken with Sophie! They couldn't keep their hands off of her! We drove home, missing the rain and savoring the rest of our break. It was a good day!

Life lesson #642

Remember when Mama told you the light was hot and not to touch it?


















Yup.
But you did get extra snuggles and extra books to take your mind off the nasty blister on your finger. Ah, the trials and tribulations of being headstrong and stubborn! We love you anyway.

Happy 21 months!

Today is moving day! We're off to Calgary this morning. We're sure going to miss Vancouver! Oh and Happy 21 months babygirl! Your magic and love fill us up completely. Thank you for making us smile.

Oot and Aboot in Vancouver II

We have been enjoying the last of our time here in Vancouver. It truly is a beautiful city! The weather has been nice and it has allowed us time to get out and explore. Sophie has REALLY been into her "Your Baby Can Read" DVDs (which is the only TV she watches), and in them they talk about a lot of zoo animals. So, we decided to bring her to the Greater Vancouver Zoo to see some of them live and in person. It was super hot so we didn't stay too long. We saw many animals that Sophie adored. Here are a few pictures.















































































































The next day, Jim and I took Sophie for a walk. I wanted an iced tea from Starbucks, so Sophie and I stopped in while Jim went to the music store across the street. There, we met Reese, the cutest little brown doxie this side of the border.














And of course, Sophie decided she must try the lemon.














I also had the opportunity to make Alice in Wonderland cupcakes for a friend of mine's birthday. Click here for my flickr to check them out. I am pretty proud of myself! I made the fondant myself and the birthday girl was extremely pleased! While I stayed home, Jim took Sophie to the Walking With Dinosaurs show (where he got to see an old friend Lynda from Blast!).
































Last Friday I took Sophie to the Davie St community garden. Here are a smattering of photos I snapped. I kind of pretty much really love sunflowers, and they had a few beautifully bloomed ones. Sophie was very gentle and enjoyed smelling the flowers as well.






































































This has been one of our favorite cities on tour and we hope to come back someday!

Les photos de Brad F

Gordon White, the premier 'king' clown on KOOZA, and his wife Elaine graciously invited the band to his house for a gathering. Brad Fernihough, KOOZA's fantastic physio, is a near-professional photographer and shot a a few pictures of Sophie at the BBQ. Check out his other amazing work here. These were taken August 10, 2010. Sophie is 20 months old.