Stampede Day

After a quiet morning I met Ryan downtown around noon. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed to the Stampede grounds. I was a little let down to be honest. The rodeo had already shown at 1:00 and not again until 8 p.m. where I expect I will be gone by then. Too long to hang around.

I think I expected more that what was there. Once inside the grounds it was more so a host of rides and games than anything else. Eventually we stumbed across the Art Display/Show/Exhibition that was tucked away in a back part of a building. Not very well advertised, but I was very impressed with the art that was there, and with the amount of work that was being displayed. Unfortunately, I think it is one of the Stampede's best kept secrets, as I saw no advertising for it. In talking with some of the artists, I heard several times, that barely anyone ever came through. Too bad, the display was magnificent, too good to be missed in my opinion. There was a featured competition of highschool students and the work was amazing. Out of respect, I did not take any photos with my bb, although in hindsight, a few maybe wouldn't have been that bad. They had several large water features set up, mostly around large standing rocks, with what looked like sculptures sitting on the edges. It wasn't until I noticed a movement out of the corner of my eye that I realized that these were actually living models. They had been painted in browns to emulate woodtones and looked like carvings. Amazing. Speaking of carvings, there were many, and many sculptures as well, both in miniature and in lifesize. A great display. After walking around the fairgrounds again, Ryan I and decided to leave and head out someplace to eat. We went to Earl's for a true Alberta beef Steak dinner. YUMMY!! Knives were not necessary, the meat fell apart as soon as you touched it. Can't beat Alberta beef in my opinion, especially blue rare. After dinner, we headed back home, where I dove into my bottle of Yellow Tail that I had attempted to drink the night before. I may get to finish it tonight. It will be a quiet night, Ryan has gone out for the evening which suits me just fine. After running around all during the day, I look forward to some quiet time in the evenings. I didn't take any photos today. I didn't want to carry my camera around with me. Tomorrow we are off to the Calgary Zoo, and then later tomorrow night, I catch my flight home. Right now, I have the place to myself and a hot bath is in order.