Burn the Bum Off Bike Ride

Spring has arrived in Calgary so we enrolled in Bike Boot Camp 101. Goal: To burn off bum (that's butt in American.) Assignment: Get off bum, put bum on bicycle, sit on bum while moving legs until legs or bum fall off. Ready, set, Go!

Pedal out of downtown on aforementioned bum,noting key sights along way. This is Calgary's Official Bird: The Crane. very small joke. Seems like the Bike Bum Boot Camp admits just about anyone.

Pedal past dangerous wier... usually there are a flock of pelicans fishing here, but it must be Pelican Party time at the pier instead. The signs say "DROWNING HAZARD. MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIED HERE. GET OUT NOW! NO SWIMMING!" They should have added "Can you read, you stupid dolts!?" There were kids jumping from the bridge right above the sign. Oh well, maybe it will clean up the gene pool? This innertube just kept going up and down..flopping scarily... trapped right at the edge. Eeeeghhh....keep pedaling!

We pushed up hill and down dale ...oh finally, a real DOWN....to a brand-new off-leash doggie park! huge...fenced in..giant..free-ranging.. tons of space for dogs to be dogs..and the bike riders are separate but equal.

HEY! Someone is trying to steal my water bottle! I'll phone in a description. That Maui Dive Shop shirt should make him easy to spot.

Have you seen him polar bear dog??

Have you seen him Mrs. Duck?

Did he sneak past you while you were napping, Mr. Hare?
No sighting yet. After pedaling up a giant hill - time for a mandatory rest stop. Is there oxygen at this altitude? Where IS that dang water bottle thief? I need some H2O! I swear I was AHEAD of him on the way up..but maybe my brain is oxygen-deprived? At this rate, I'll never get the yellow shirt.
Hey! Did that white-legged guy in the Maui Dive Shop shirt sneak down there to the driving range? Seems like 1/2 of Calgary is down there. Look how far we are from home ... cool... much more to go! Pedal on!

Hey! There's the THIEF!

I finally caught him at the lemonade stand..trying to refill the bottle to hide the fact that he drank all the water. Cost us $5 for 2 cups of lemonade. Smart kids had no change and cute smiles and they wanted to be part of the photo journal. We saw the one girl's New York shirt and I told 'em Charlie was born in NY, and she said, "I want to be born in New York City!"... uh...too late, sweetie.

Ooooh, we're back by the Zoo .. next time this will be the destination!

Reward time! Coffee frappuccino!


and other reward: gorgeous sunset off the balcony at nearly 11pm... beautiful end to another very blessed day.

ABC's from Abroad

Almond croissant in an Alley near Avignon...

from a Boulangerie tres Belle, tres Bonne?

a Bicyclist Beyond Belief

and Berets by the Bunch.
Charlie Contemplating outside Chapel

and a Crazy Coat in a Courtyard.

Dos Dalis on Display,

Eyeing the Eiffel Tower,

and an Edgy Edward.

Famous Flowing Fountain
and Fabulous Fruits.












Grisly Gravestones

Hanging High

and HRH's Horses.

Indigo Irisesand Inside Inigo Montoyo's Inner sanctum ...(ok..that's stretching it.)
Just Jane before

Karting the Kids around.

Leapin', well, Lazin' Lizards



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Man iMMobilized,

Magnificent Maison du Moulin,

and Marvelous Movie Mania.. (the real-life set of Amelie)

and Morrison's post-Mortem.
Nativity outside the Nave

and did you Notice the Narcotics Noser?
Olives are On!





Oobviously it's Octopus and Paella (cool! O and P in same one...carrying on..)


l

Plenty of Paddingtons












and a Posh Poodle, Pierre.

Plus Phillippe Preparing to Provide Plates of Pasta!

Quest for Quasimodo
and Quiet, quiet

Regarding Regal gardens in the Rearview

while Sharon Sees Sumptious Squares to Sample.
Traitors Traverse at the Tower
and Tom Taking Texture

and then there's

Terry Tormenting Teens by Trippin' in Toeshoes (Taken after Trip but Topical)

Unitedly Us!
Vincent Van Gogh
and a View from Van Gogh's Vantage.
Valreas' Weeping Wisteria (oooh V and W in one.. I'm on a roll!)

Winter Wishing upon a Wall of Wine,

and Wavy Woodwork.


eXtraordinarily and eXactingly still.

Y, it's just Y-ine.

the baZaar &

the biZarre

Here's to Z-life!