Goodbye Alberta

I was ticked off when I checked in and noticed that our seats had been reassigned in separate rows. I used Delta's new Twitter customer service app, and easily got exit row seats 10B and 10C. Painless and very efficient.

Monday morning passed quickly and we left for the airport shortly before noon. Good thing, too. It took forever to get through the many lines: ticketing, customs & immigration, security. Arrived home shortly after 6:00 p.m. and Chris picked us up at the airport.

Very successful and happy trip. Pics.

Sunday in Calgary

Waiting for the Train

We said goodbye to Marilyn and Chris, both of whom were leaving for home on Sunday. Bob thought we should return to Heritage Park with the time we had left.

I wanted to take the train, which turned out to the wrong choice for that particular day, because construction closed down many stops and we had to take two buses to our destination. Under normal circumstances, there would only have been a short hop from the train station to Heritage Park.


Gasoline Alley

Heritage Park provides great entertainment for an afternoon. Gasoline Alley is a terrific museum featuring historic vehicles, gas pumps, signs and other vintage car related memorabilia. The other structures reflect Calgary's colorful past, and a steam engine train also serves as transportation between a couple of venues on the property.


View from the gallery of the Prince House

The train ride was fun, especially when we saw the rain and hail fall quite heavily for about 20 minutes. Afterward, the sun came out and we resumed our visit. We enjoyed our afternoon immensely and grabbed a cab to return to the Marriott.

We had a drink at the Irish pub and an excellent fish and chips dinner at Milestones.

Lendemain de la Veille

We were in bed fairly early but I couldn't sleep for a long time after we returned from Heritage Park. The day's activities and the emotion of the evening ran through my head all night, so I was happy to get up in the morning and begin work on my photos.

Alberta scenes

Chris, Bob and I went out around 10:30 and went up the Calgary Tower. The day was a little overcast and the air was full of smoke from fires raging in the west, so views were not as spectacular as I had expected. In fact, the tower seemed a little dated, somewhat in need of a a makeover. I enjoyed looking at old Calgary Stampede posters.

The bride and her dad

After walking to the street festival on Stephen Avenue, we made our way to Milestones for brunch with the wedding people from the night before. By this time, we quite hungry and the small turkey sandwiches weren't really enough to eat -- for once, our shared meal was not the best choice. We ended up spending the entire afternoon sitting at a patio table.

Chrissie Grant and Hillary Lanier-Child

We were thrilled to spent several hours with the bride, and also caught up with many members of the wedding party. My brother Al had not been to bed at all, and Laurel had been up much of the night shepherding her bridesmaids and keeping them safe. A number of guests were somewhat incapacitated for partying, but fortunately we were not in that camp.

Marilyn went off to the Calgary Zoo sometime in the mid-afternoon, but she joined Bob and me later and treated us to dinner at the James Joyce Pub. By then, the air had chilled and I ran back to our hotel for our jackets. We had a good meal and were glad to go "home" shortly before 10:00 p.m.

The Dance

Simply the Best

Chrissie and Alex promised a "surprise" for their first dance, and I held my breath when I saw that the bride had changed into a white cotton dress with a red crinoline. Inspired by her Tennessee and Alberta heritage, she pulled on her cowboy boots and took center stage with her new husband. Several guests (not me!) had the presence of mind to record the couple's first dance.



The Wedding Singer, Hillary Lanier-Child

Bridesmaid Hillary Lanier-Field sang "Simply the Best", a song I associate with Tina Turner, of course. Electrifying! Hillary herself was ... the best.

Simply the Best

I call you when I need you, my heart's on fire
You come to me, come to me wild and wild
When you come to me give me everything I need

Give me a lifetime of promises and a world of dreams
Speak a language of love like you know what it means
And it can't be wrong, take my heart and make it strong, baby

You're simply the best, better than all the rest
Better than anyone, anyone I've ever met
I'm stuck on your heart and hang on every word you say
Tear us apart, baby, I would rather be dead

Food, Drink and Party Favors

All you need is love ...

On each table: red and white wine, candies coordinating with bridesmaids' dresses and shoes, little boxes for the candies, can coolers for each guest. Tables 1 through 8 were called up to the buffet in short order for a variety of salads, raw vegetables, cheeses, rolls, pastas, several kinds of sausage and hot meats, delicious salmon, and a full selection of fancy bakery items for dessert.

After dinner, the reception moved to the second floor.The wedding cake was small, surrounded by donuts, all in the color scheme, distributed to the guests. The bar remained active for all types of libations.
 

We learned later that the liquor, wine and beer from the reception were moved to the house of the bride's brother, Steve, for the "after party". It must have been a hell of a celebration, if the hangovers we witnessed the following day were any indication.

Family Reunion

Steve, Cath, Marilyn, Al

All four Ryan siblings were together again for the first time since the end of the nineties. We had a lovely reunion, with one another and our spouses. Marilyn was determined to get a picture of the four of us, and I'm so happy to have it.

Cousins Chrissie Ryan Grant and Chris Hennessey

Cousins Chris Hennessey and Steve Ryan

The cousin reunions were equally moving, though we all missed Marilyn's son, Harry Marshall, who has just begun his residency at Western and couldn't take time off so soon.

Both Chrissie and son Chris have grown up a lot since they last met in 2007. Chris and Steve Ryan haven't been together since 2001, when the Ryans stayed with us on their way to Memphis. A lot of water under the bridge since then.

A special pleasure for Marilyn and me was visiting with our sisters-in-law, June and Laurel, and June's sister, Phyllis Hoshino. I don't want to wait so long till the next reunion.

The Reception

Chrissie's Wedding Weekend: Reception

Bridal party on left. Steve Ryan, Marilyn Marshall, June Ryan walking.

I was afraid that my platform shoes would not be equal to the walk over to Gunn's Dairy Barn, the reception venue. They surprised me. I wore the shoes all evening, including a trip up and down stairs, and didn't change them until we were ready to leave the reception.

Chrissie and Alex received their guests informally as we entered the barn's lower level. Guests were seated at numbered tables close to one another, each with bottles of red and white wine, and large vases of multi-colored candies (skittles, smarties, jelly beans etc.). Guests moved from table to table filling up their small cube-shaped gift boxes with a variety of candies, or "lollies", as our Australian table-mates called them.

Emotional and humorous speeches followed, all MCd by the funny and efficient Matt Wall. Toasts to the bride and groom were informal and heartfelt. A good time was had by all.

The Ceremony

Chrissie and Alex Grant

Although  I favor traditional, predictable marriage ceremonies, at least in theory, the weddings I've enjoyed the most have been more relaxed and less scripted. Alex and Chrissie's was definitely one of these and three days later, I'm still beaming as I remember that lovely ceremony.

Alex and Chrissie's vows were a combination of traditional words, personal comments and humor. Several lighthearted poems reinforced the celebratory mood and everyone laughed. The bride and groom seemed well matched and full of joy.

The couple will be living in Australia, and Australian marriage laws had to be respected. After the signing of the register, the bride and groom held up their marriage certificate and posed with the wedding party. All official now. I thought the bride's parents looked happily bereft: Australia is so far away, but fortunately the world is small now, and the miracles of technology connect us all.

Matt Wall, the master of ceremonies, herded guests toward the reception venue. Let the party begin!

The Processional

Mel, Ashley, Hillary, Katie

Mother of the Bride Laurel catches a glimpse of her daughter



The groomsmen -- and woman-- took their places facing the guests. The bride's attendants, colorful in their short dresses and heels, watched expectantly and heads turned toward the entrance to the Prince House grounds. And there she was, the elegant, radiant bride - my little niece, all grown up.

Her dad, my brother Allan, reached for Chrissie's hand and helped her out of the carriage, and the procession began. The bride's mom, Laurel, touched her heart.

I always worry a little about the flower girl and ring bearer, but Matilda and Ryan were both pros, poised and royal wedding worthy. Chrissie followed, on her father's arm, and the groom approached them. Time for a kiss and the hand-off.

As the marriage commissioner stood before Chrissie and Alex, the early evening was filled with emotion and expectation.



The bride, her dad and groom

Miss Piggy Picks a Prime Seat

Alex Grant and his beautiful bride Chrissie Ryan

I always have a camera in my hand. This trip, I agonized as I left my new Canon Rebel at home, deciding instead to travel with the very light, reliable Samsung with the good zoom. I regretted my decision only in low light situations, but for the most part, the point-and-shoot performed very well.

Uncharacteristically, I forged ahead of the crowd to a prime seat on the aisle, in the second row of the "groom's side". I can never remember which side is which, but was happy I didn't have to move, as the folding chair was a little shaky on the lawn and I wanted to minimize movement, lest I find myself sprawled on the lawn, unable to get up without kicking off my platform shoes.



Groom's attendants, with flower girl and ring bearer

Turns out the groom's side is the best spot for a good view of the bride, and, because no one was in front of me, I was well positioned to see the entire bridal party. I got my test shots in before the procession began, including a few of the bride and groom. I was not looking over the heads of tall Minnesotans as I enjoyed my rare, unobstructed view. No guilt either!

Heritage Park

Guests gather in front of Prince House

We got a preview of Heritage Park on our tour of the city. The wedding venue wasn't immediately visible so I wondered how we would find our way from the entrance to the Prince House lawn, site of the wedding ceremony, and the reception Gunn's Dairy Barn.

Traffic was quite heavy in mid-afternoon so we decided to leave a little earlier than originally planned. We took a cab to Heritage Park from the hotel with sister Marilyn and son Chris, and immediately saw a wedding party on the lawn. Not ours.

Soon after we got out of the cab, we saw people from our party on the grounds. Marilyn already knew some of them, from the wedding rehearsal the evening before. We were ushered onto a shuttle bus for the trip over dirt roads to the area around Prince House. My bag included an extra pair of footwear (lesson learned from the last wedding), so it was inconveniently heavy but manageable. I was happy to be walking comfortably in my platforms, my first pair of high shoes in many decades.

It was fun to visit with guests before the wedding. The weather was stunningly beautiful: no sign of the frequent showers that had surprised us the day before. Time for the festivities to begin!

Hop On Hop Off Tour

Tour Map of Calgary

We had a day to explore Calgary before the 6:30 wedding at Heritage Park. We decided on a city tour: we've been here only once before, when we visited the Ryan Family during our Rocky Mountain vacation. I noted at the time that we missed Chrissie, "our adventure loving niece" in Melbourne, Australia. Who knew that we would be back to Alberta two years later to celebrate her marriage?

The hop on hop off tour is a new addition for Calgary visitors, and there aren't enough buses to make "hopping off" very feasible for tourists on a time budget. The next bus won't come for another hour, so stops are necessarily limited. The complete tour consists of rides on two lines. The Bow River Line takes a little over an hour and provides a little insight into Calgary's historic past. It was interesting to see "where it all began" at Fort Calgary, but I didn't really feel tempted to visit yet another North American fort. I was intrigued to know, though, that the Fargo TV series is filmed just across the bridge from the fort. Our tour guide, Bev, was very knowledgeable and pleasant.

The Heritage line is longer, with a very interesting stop at the 1988 site of the Calgary Olympics. The games actually turned a profit and the facilities seem to be well used twenty-six years after the Games. I was also intrigued by the sheer size of the Calgary Stampede grounds. This year's celebration -- known simply as "Stampede" by Calgarians -- was still being dismantled almost a week after it ended on July 13.

We arrived at our hotel in time to visit with son Chris, whose flight from the Twin Cities arrived right on time. My sister Marilyn joined us for a cab ride to the wedding venue.

Letters to the Bride

Wedding Gift from Chrissie's Maid of Honor

Chrissie's Maid of Honor, Katie Pickler, assembled and edited a book of letters to the bride, from her family and friends. It was one of Chrissie's favorite wedding gifts. This is the letter I wrote to her:
Chrissie,

You’ve travelled many miles over a long road before reaching this milestone in your life, but I wonder how the bright-eyed little girl you once were can possibly be celebrating such a grown-up day, with a quarter-century of living already in the rearview mirror.

May you always live in the sunshine you brought into the world on the day you were born. Your passionate, warm personality and sense of humor will serve you well on the adventure you are undertaking with your new husband. While your days won’t always be easy, you will find fun and
laughter in most of them.

My mother, your Nana, was so proud of her only granddaughter, and of your ability to hold your own against your two older cousins, even as a toddler with a fiercely sweet, Irish angel face. Like her own
mother, Nana believed that the world needs strong women, and I think you would meet her rigorous
standards for such a designation.

On this, your wedding day, you’re a beautiful Celtic woman, with a proud lineage of Ryans, Macphersons and Quinlans. We all love you and wish you and Alex a lifetime of happiness in a home filled with joy and mirth. I’m so honored to be sharing this day with you, my lovely niece.

Cath

Overbooked! MSP - YYC

Calgary Downtown Core

It was great to have an 11:40 flight this morning. Plenty of time to feed the cat, put out the trash and recycling, finish packing. We knew that our flight had been overbooked but were surprised to have our seat assignments taken away when we checked in online. Turns out we were the very last passengers to be assigned seats, but the seats were similar to the ones I selected several months ago, so we were OK in the end.

The flight was uneventful and, in fact, we arrived a little early. Too early to hook up with my brother Al who had decided to meet our plane. We took a cab downtown to the Marriott for $40 and were pleasantly impressed with our hotel, our room and the view of the downtown area. It's a beautiful city!