Monday, October 4, 2010

I'm Falling in Love With This City

I spent the last ten days or so confined to my Calgary condo with a cold. I spent the better part of every day in my sad little sick room, occasionally venturing out on the balcony to see if summer was indeed, over.
And then late one afternoon, I felt well! I had to get out, put my legs in motion and breath fresh air. When I stepped outside into the sunshine, it felt as if I'd been away somewhere- not quite on vacation, perhaps powered down and tucked away in storage for a while.

Our apartment building is right across the street from the Bow River, so I headed on down there.



Sometime during my convalescence, autumn had arrived. Bursts of yellow surrounded me and distracted me from my walk.




And then the shocks of RED, begging to be photographed.



One of the things I've come to enjoy about the city of Calgary is that a good dose of nature is never far away. Once I got down by the river, I walked over one bridge and then back on another, pausing now and again to stare down into the clear water.



Then I continued on the path that leads to Prince's Island Park.





On a whim, I abandoned the paved path and headed down a dirt trail, running along the water.



I was vigilant about my surroundings, but felt completely safe at the same time. The well-travelled path I had given up on was within sight, but the wild flower pickin's were better down by the water and I had decided to gather some.



Soon the path curved back up towards the city, throwing me again into the company of joggers and business folk puffing home with their laptops. I'm sure I made the perfect tree-hugger impression, bursting out of the trees clutching colorful branches in my fist. I don't care. I got myself a nice souvenir of my re-entry into the world after being sick for almost two weeks.



I've officially been a resident of Calgary for about two months. I've enjoyed the bustle of the city and the quiet of the nearby mountains but that walk may be the first time my surroundings connected with me in a personal way. It felt like home.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad you're feeling better. :) Great pics of a beautiful place. Love the bouquet.

PFS

Margaret said...

Just gorgeous Caryl! So glad you are feeling back to normal and that your walk helped you to bond with your new environment. The bouquet is lovely.

Linda said...

Beautiful photos, Caryl. The park paths could easily be here, but without the big city backdrop of course.

So glad you are starting to feel at home there. It seems the area has much to offer, will be watching for more of your impressions and adventures.


Also glad you are feeling good again. Don't rule out it being a cold .. there has been one circulating here in New England that has an average life span of about 2 weeks. My dance with it knocked me flat for almost 5 days and I barely functioned for about a week after that. Seriously unusual for me as well.

jerseyirisjh said...

Caryl, So glad your feeling better! You pictures and description of your walk were wonderful!!


JI

Unknown said...

Yay! Glad you are starting to be comfortable there and feeling better. I see your flower arranging skills are much better than your cooking skills! ;-)

lois meyer said...

Anotheer beautiful article with gorgeous pictures. I'm getting anxious to get up there for a visit! So glad you are feeling better.
Love, Mom