A ROYAL VISIT TO CAMP TIMMY'S

Day 1...
Dim sum lunch at Central Grand... the Royal Couple were so hungry that we wolfed down the meal in 20 minutes flat!

Walk through Princess Island Park, past the River Cafe, through Eau Claire and up the TD Square to visit Devonian Gardens.

Home cooked meal for the Iron Chef matriarch herself; a hallmark of greatness, in culinary terms, is acquiescing yourself to dish washing assistant while your son stumbles through the preparation of a full course meal!

Blade II. Actually, my dad fell asleep during the movie, but my mom, though easily frightened by gory scenes, kept strong til the end!










Mom and pops sitting in Devonian Gardens.

Day 2...
Morning service at the Calgary Chinese Alliance Church Chinese Service.

Lunch consists of Viet subs at Pacific Place.

Shopping/culinary workshop by mom at T&T. I now know the difference between "duong gwa" and "geet gwa".

Wisk the royal couple to Drumheller to see the badlands and hoodoos.

Dinner is all-you-can-eat snow crabs at Booker's Crabshack, celebrating my mom's birthday, generously sharing her birthday with another kinda famous queen.

Games 2 Oilers/Ducks with pops back at home.







The King and Queen at Horseshoe Canyon, me messing with their camera's panoramic feature.

Day 3...
Leave for Edmonton. The royal couple is supposed to keep the driver awake. But, alas, even their superpowers can't overcome the EXTREMELY boring drive from Calgary to Edmonton. They're out by the time we hit Gasoline Alley. The drive resorts to naming cows, wishing he could go over and tip one over....WAKE UP!!!

Lunch at Good Buddy's with the King's sister and husband. Man, I haven't had this kind of food in quite a while. I am nostalgic about Congee Wong.

Visit to cousin L and their beautiful poodles, Bruin and Franky. Or should I say, ACTING SARGENT cousin L! I part ways with the King and Queen, knowing that they are in good hands. I follow cousin L to Sears where we have one terrible experience with 2 of their managers. Then off to Spruce Grove.

Visit with cousin V and M, and their cute kids L and C. Play some Candyland, catch up and then the King and Queen arrive. We feast royally on some awesome steaks. Top it off with strawberry rhubarb pie a la mode.

Spend the night in Edmonton.










Family portrait in Spruce Grove. Gotta stop wearing technical shirts with 3M reflective logos when taking flash pictures!

Day 4...
I left their royal highnesses to sleep in while I join D for breakfast, who is making a homecoming herself. Amazing breakfast at Alberta Family Restaurant (what a quirky name for a business? well, there's no confusion about what this business does, where it's located and who it caters to...) Actually, the conversation was even more amazing. A stroll along Whyte Avenue (in its full, undefecated glory, prior to tonight's probable shenanigans) and a drive to D's old high school.

I remind myself that I REALLY, REALLY miss (and love) tickling the ivories.

Leave Edmonton for Calgary.

The Royal Couple zonked out again. This time, the driver stays awake listening to the new Starfield CD. AWESOME!!

Stop off at the Deerfoot Outlet Mall, only because I haven't been there yet. This mall that has, at most, 15 stores has 2 dollar stores!

Dinner is at home, sirloins on the barbie.

Game 3 Oils and Ducks on the tele. Crazy game.

The Incredibles, part one. This time, my mom zonks out first, so they decide to call it a night.

Day 5...
Banff - Cave and Basin (apparently, the cradle of the entire Parks Canada ministry)

Picnic lunch along the Bow near downtown Banff.

Quick drive to Sulphur Mountain gondola and hot springs. Then, I realize that we've been here before, on a previous visit to Alberta when my cousin V got married. So, no sense in tracing old tracks.

Quick visit to Lake Louise. The ice castle is gone and the lake is in a neat semi-frozen state.

Dinner at home wherest the Queen cooks up a meal for our friends J, P and E.

Mom and dad are offered the continuation of The Incredibles. They politely decline, opting instead for reading and watching the, how appropriate, crowning of the new American idol.

They start packing...







A twist on the typical Lake Louise shot, where the merging mountains are seen only in reflection.










Oh, oh! Let me hold the camera too long and I start fooling with the settings and taking candid shots (never was a big fan of portrait shots). I believe that candidacy captures an unscripted and unrehearsed sincerity.









Unfortunatley, in a place of such stunning beauty, racism still rears its ugly head.











Here's E kickin' it live with the Queen and King!

Day 6...
Nothing planned today. It was a quiet day, with Mom and Dad waking up at around 8, having a small, simple breakfast and then going for a stroll. The weather has been just amazing for their entire visit and they wanted to soak in the fresh air one more time. Around noon, we put all the bags into the car and headed for the airport. They got their boarding pass and we said our farewells. Until the next royal visit!











A tribute to a royal set of hands. Each wrinkle line represents a soiled diaper changed, a life-giving meal prepared, a deserved spanking prescribed. One of many hems sewn, too many heavy shopping bags lugged, another lecture articulated. An apple peeled, a watermelon deseeded, another mess cleaned up. A desparate phone call picked up, another piano lesson driven to, a guilty tear wiped, and a scared hand held. She really only needs one, but with two, she has done some amazing things.