alternating our travel plans - one day out-of-town, then one day in - we spend a leisurely morning with gwen and the girls: first visiting their new home, then checking out one of the famous stampede breakfasts (super, crazy busy! who needs a free pancake breakfast that bad?), a spot of cowboy hat shopping, and finally ending up at our rented townhouse for a bit of R&R - that means some tv for the gaggle of cousins :)
 
 
 

 
after our goodbyes, we visit the calgary heritage park for a quick peek and some milkshakes (this is where bosco learned the hard lesson of complaining instead of gratitude after being offered one (no, not two) treats...

well, he perked up, easily enough... poking through our car's sunroof
then we went to my old, old friend from montreal-days: pamela.  and this is where my mom (and her mom) are going to kill us.  no photos.
   no photos?!
of us, i mean.  i took a few of the children.  i even brought some old polaroids of us as girls to share (and they did cause quite a laugh.  trevor asked pamela: "who's this black girl?" knowing full well that it was her, with quite the tan no doubt - although being next to ever-pale me would help anyone get to the halfway mark)




it was wonderful to see pamela again. and pj.
actually, watching this brother and sister, all grown-up and so lovely together, so obviously integral to each other's lives - i loved it. it gave me hope that girls don't have to have a sister in order to have a close family relationship.