Publisher's Note

Publisher’s Note
by CK May is the month of flowers not just in the Philippines but also here in Calgary. A lot of my neighbors have done their spring cleaning and unfortunately I cannot cope up with them. I remember that during this time of the year my husband, Hank gets busier day by day. He takes care [...]
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Page added on November 27, 2013

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The Other Side

Finally, summer has come to an end! With the great weather lasting right up to Halloween, it is proof again that the best of summer goes way past Labor Day.

We managed to get close to 20 hikes in this year and we can look back during the winter at the many beautiful memories and pictures and relive the moments. The physical part of any of these hikes takes much effort, but not as much effort as fighting off the continuous encouragement of those around us to live their lifestyle – eating, talking, sitting…Both mental and physical shape of our minds and bodies need continual attention and being blessed with so much beauty and opportunity here in Canada gives us a chance to experience it in person.

Many weekends, in advance, I just pull out an Alberta map, draw a circle of a couple hundred miles in radius and start reading. (If you can not read a road map, you should not be driving) GOOGLE comes in handy in these situations to get further information. We rarely visit the same place more than once, as there are many possibilities to go exploring. As the weekend gets closer we monitor the weather forecast and make sure to have some back up plans. The day or two before the weekend we decide where we are going and if there’s a chance of rain or cold we throw in the appropriate clothing and footwear. In the summer with warmth and daylight available until near 11 pm we can do more and even hike weekdays in the city, in parks you can get lost in! I don’t mean the overcrowded, socially accepted, big name parks; the biggest challenge of those parks is finding a parking spot or picnic table. Calgary has over 3500 parks and you can easily enjoy the peace and quiet stress relieving beauty of our city. Griffith Woods, Douglas Fir Trail and Bowmont Park are a few examples. If you are insecure and nervous in that you need constant noise and commotion around you, then you probably have high blood pressure and a high stress problem. You have not adapted to the Canadian way yet.

Just this past weekend, while my wife is in the Philippines taking care of a family matter (that could have been done by the family there) I took a drive out to Brooks, Alberta. Although the town itself has very little to offer, the area has many interesting and beautiful sights. I went armed with 3 or 4 ideas, and by driving through the area I discovered much more! Did you know that there is a better alternative to the Drumheller Badlands? Yes, if you go to Dinosaur Provincial Park, not only can you camp at one of the best campgrounds outside of the Rocky Mountains, but you can drive INTO the Badlands. Deer and much wildlife are in abundance as there are fewer humans around and the occasional rattlesnake can be seen! If camping is not one of your interests, this area is still awesome for a day trip as it is only slightly more than a Drumheller drive anyway.

I hope I have been able to get you interested in continuing to explore and enjoy all of the beauty of the last clean, safe country on the planet. I can appreciate your praises on Sundays for God’s beauty, but unless you actually go out and make a little effort to see it, you will be back next Sunday praying for Him to help with the many ailments you will acquire with that (over)eating, talking, and inactive lifestyle. Message us on Facebook and we’ll help you get out of the house and even let you know of our next trip. There is always room for more! We only slow down in the winter, we don’t STOP going out.

Steve

The Other Side

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