Saturday, July 2, 2011

What We Did On Canada Day

Since I was Mr. Mom this weekend (my spouse is working on contract and has been away for the better part of the week) the kids and I went to Calaway Park for Canada Day.

Calaway Park is an amusement park roughly 10 miles west of Calgary (towards the Rocky Mountains).

Many summers ago, I worked at Calaway Park. One of the best jobs ever. There was a large contingent of 18-25 year olds, and after the park closed at 10 p.m., we were off to some bar, and on more than one occasion I got home just in time to change and race back to work for my 10 a.m. shift.

Ah, to be young and stupid. But I digress.

Calaway Park has grown substantially since I worked there back in 1985 (it now has 35 different rides). Here is a Park map.

My kids' favorite ride is the swings, called the Dream Machine. It was my six-year-old daughter's first time on the swings, and she wanted to keep riding it, but there were too many other rides, so we had to move on.
My ten-year-old daughter loves the roller coaster, but do you think I can get her older brother to ride with her? We'll have to keep working him over!
Here's a photo, from the top of a viewtower at the centre of the Park. This is looking towards the north. We bought season's passes to the Park, and the drive to the Park is only 15 minutes, since we live on the west side of Calgary. We normally get there at 10 am, when the Park opens, and leave at noon, since the Park gets really busy by early afternoon.
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9 comments:

  1. PadreJuly 2, 2011 at 3:17 PM

    Thanks for sharing the activities of your holiday, especially all the pictures.

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  2. RognarJuly 2, 2011 at 6:13 PM

    Eleven years in Calgary, still haven't been to Calaway Park.. Funny that.

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  3. spielmeisterJuly 3, 2011 at 12:57 AM

    Thanks for sharing this. Looks like you had a great Canada Day. The park looks like a wonderful place to bring the family. :(

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  4. spielmeisterJuly 3, 2011 at 12:58 AM

    Oh sorry, the last post should have ended with a :) instead!

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  5. The Happy WhiskJuly 3, 2011 at 5:58 AM

    Go Mister Mom. Great fun.

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  6. WymarcJuly 3, 2011 at 7:45 AM

    Happy belated Canada Day.

    I saw the map and it dawned on me that maps of parks and other such places could very easily be adapted into maps for villages and other locations.

    Your great day and national holiday translated into a gaming idea for someone in another country. One has to appreciate the Internet at times like this.

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  7. Tiger TigerJuly 3, 2011 at 9:01 AM

    Thanks for the virtual look at a good time on Canada Day.

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  8. Stefan PoagJuly 3, 2011 at 9:58 AM

    We rode on a Ferris wheel at the Detroit "River Days" festival about a week ago. I realized that it was the first time I had been on a carnival 'ride' in over ten years.
    Here in the US, we are in the midst of our own version of 'Canada Day,' the 4th of July weekend... known in my household as "the weekend Gretel (one of the dogs) hides in the closet because she hates the sound of fireworks."

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  9. ObiriJuly 4, 2011 at 9:55 AM

    I worked there in '93 between high school and university. I lived in the NE at the time so it was a long drive for me. The pay was terrible, the job was boring but I worked with my best friend and lots of young hot girls so it wasn't all bad.

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