Calgary - December 2018

Jane's brother, Stephen, has played Scrooge at Calgary Theatre for the last 25 years. It's been on Jane's bucket list for years to see him play the role. This was the year. We were there on opening night, with it's special touches, including a backstage tour with Stephen.

We had a delicious dinner at a Turkish restaurant before the performance, compliments of Stephen's partner, Michael. 

The play was first class... professional and heartwarming. No cameras were allowed during the performance, but I grabbed a couple at permissible times. We had perfect seats. Before the show...

Jane and Stephen and a cutout of Stephen. The similar B&W tops were purely coincidental. :)


After the performance... Stephen removed his wig and asked the audience to participate in "Toonies for Turkeys" to help the less fortunate in Calgary. Stephen initiated the idea early in his career with the help of the cast. With personal and corporate donations, they have raised $2 million over the years. Wow. 

We stayed at a hotel near downtown Calgary. We'd stayed there before but to our happy surprise this time, we had a couple rabbits join us. They're domestic escapees or were set free by someone, but we loved seeing them. We started to look for them every time we went outside.

Suckers as we are for wildlife, we quickly found... no surprise... that they enjoyed muffins and buns which we gladly shared. 

Our rental in the hotel lot. I hate white cars. But white on white is kinda cool. I like to try different rentals... cheaper than buying one... this one was cool in some ways, a pain in the ass in others.

While Stephen was performing, Michael took us to a couple sites in Calgary that we hadn't seen. This is Lougheed House. Some of you will remember the name. An elegant time, when life was simpler. Not necessarily better, but simpler.

A "Christmas Tree" in the house. Not one we'd want in our homes, but clever we thought.

A picture of a picture on the wall. Reminded me of my childhood. A Lionel isn't it?

A cozy nook in the house. Jane loved it. I liked it. :)

The living room.

Michael asked if we'd like to see the new library. I thought sure. But I sure didn't expect this. This is the entrance.

I'm always looking around, so I spotted this scene outside a library window. My kind of diversion. The green bikes are rentals. Pick up, pay, drop off. Or I guess it's pick up, drop off, pay. Whatever.

The library is an architectural marvel.

Jane & Michael on the stairs.

No high shelves... reachable by all.

Levels upon levels. Lots of computers and quiet areas. No crowded shelves. An incredible design. They've taken the 'open concept' to heart.

This is no ordinary library. It will win awards and be a second level tourist attraction in my opinion. But then again, it cost $250 million. That's a quarter of a billion!

Is this what libraries in today's large cites have to do to attract us in the digital age? Maybe. If you go to Calgary, check it out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

How things can change. I always took my 'monster' camera on trips before. Not this time. These are all taken with my shirt-pocket point-and-shoot. On an overseas trip I think I'll still take the monster, but I may have to reconsider that even. Maybe it depends on where we go. We'll see.

Bob & Jane
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