Difficulties in Canada

We spent a day roaming around Canmore and Banff as well as heading up to Lake Louise.  Our son had told us of a tea house a short hike from a huge parking lot.  We had hoped to take that hike but it became very clear,  early on, that the weather conditions were not going to allow us to make the trip.  Overcast and raining we chose not to take the hike.  We had not packed proper clothing for such a hike as it was over ninety degrees when we left.  Weather conditions can change in the mountains and they did.  We spent time around Banff and Canmore enjoying the scenery and just relaxing.

We found a quilt shop in Canmore that Mia said was fairly well known in the quilting community.  She investigated their wares while Honey and I waited as we usually do.

Canmore was a coal mining town before it closed down in 1979.  Named after the town of Ceannmore in northwest Scotland.  It is a Celtic word meaning "Big Head" and was titled in honor of King Malcolm III of Canmore who killed Macbeth in a fight for the Scottish throne in 1057.

The last mining town left in the Bow Valley area the city soon learned that it needed to make some adjustments in order to survive.  In 1980 Canmore became the site of the Nordic events for the winter Olympics in 1988.  Since then, Canmore has continued to be a vibrant community.

We took a short road trip while awaiting the check in time.  Following Three Sisters Road east out of town along the Bow River we come around a corner and look off in the distance to see what looks like a domed building sitting on the moon.  The Lafarge Concrete plant has a store dome that gives you the impression you are on another planet.  There is a lot of rock mining and gravel and concrete companies along this stretch of highway.

 Unfortunately Mia continued to have difficulties with her digestive system and my rash was moving around my body like a marathon runner.  The constant itching and scaling was driving me crazy.  Numerous emails to my medical provider got several different responses.  One response suggested I start taking bleach bathes.  Simple put, fill the bathtub and put a half a cup of household bleach in the water and jump in.  Supposedly it will kill bacteria if the rash is some kind of infection.

It didn't do much and I have continued to take one daily since the first.  The scaling seems to be better but the itching is almost non-stop.  The good news is the doctors made an appointment for me on Monday and I will be going in to have a biopsy taken.  Hopefully we will soon learn what it is and what it will take to dispose of it.

We saw a lot of great scenery in Canada and learned that it is illegal to panhandle.  Signs say it is also unsafe for motorists.  We discovered that Alberta has many economic issues with both a provincial and city governments that are taxing many businesses right out of business.  So everything isn't rosy in Canada.

Hope everything is good and thanks for stopping by.