Elaine and I made an 11 day whirlwind trip to Alberta at the beginning of April. From home to Kitchener to Calgary to Banff to Calgary to Fort Saskatewan to Edmonton to Calgary and back to Kitchener then home. Our rental car was a Dodge Charger, so the driving was fun.
The first weekend was with friends for the wedding of one of the 13 girls in our group of friends. The wedding was beautiful with the Rocky Mountains as their backdrop at the Banff Springs Hotel (like a castle really). We explored Lake Louise, the Chateau, Banff, shops, the Rimrock, the Banff gondola and Sulphur mountain and the Banff Springs hotel (like a castle). Great fellowship and lots good food of course.
Then we met with a group of my McDonald cousins related to my birth father’s family. Meeting new family and enjoying time with stories, pictures, a copy of my great grandfather’s passport, genealogy talk and more good food. I was completely welcomed as part of the family. What an amazing feeling!
Then we met April Osmond, a first cousin on my birth mom’s side, in the most Canadian place, Tim Horton’s of course. So nice to meet and be welcomed by more family. It’s way better than on video chats.
Then north to Fort Saskatewan to see Elaine’s sister Anne and her husband Jim for a few days. We hadn’t seen them in three years so it was wonderful to catch up and spend time together. Naturally we had to go to the West Edmonton Mall, enjoy some great food. Anne and Jim also welcomed my sister Jill and Jimmy to their home for an evening.
Finally to Edmonton to meet my birth siblings and their spouses on my birth mom’s side. Jill visited us in Muskoka last fall, but this was our first time to meet Jimmy, Sam, Doris and Rylan. It felt like meeting old friends as we have spent a couple years doing video chats. We took in some museums and enjoyed each others company. As you can see, the genetics are strong.
We also managed a side trip to High River (after Banff) to see some parts of the set for the CBC show Heartland! A walk around town included a picture in front of Maggie’s, lunch at Evelyn’s Café, a tour of the museum and more. We even found the ranch. Shhh!
We arrived home very early on April 12th and drove home after a slight sleep in. What an amazing trip.
Meandering Moose 