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.