My morning started with an early flight, but with a first class seat it makes the time of day a bit easier to deal with. Once I got to the airport it was obvious that summer was in full swing. Kids and parents everywhere! I know, I know...I have been in their shoes many times, but remember...I worked for an airline. So travel was a part of not just my life, but my kids as well, so we knew travel basics. How someone still doesn't understand they can't take full bottles of shampoo and conditioner through security is a mystery. Oh well, I made it on the plane and was able to get a good amount of work done.  

Ken met me at the hotel and we grabbed a quick bite, got a bit more work done then headed to the Calgary Stampede. It is hard to get excited about a rodeo, since we have quite a large one in Houston. But, as we found out, this is more than a rodeo. It is a reason to party! And, that they do...all over the city! Music playing on patios, beverages being consumed and work not high on anyone's agenda. White cowboy hats and western wear are the expected attire, which Ken adhered to one of the two.

We walked to the fairgrounds, that also includes the arena where the Calgary Flames play and the outdoor stadium where the rodeo occurs. It was a beautiful day and the walk a great way to work out the flight kinks. After a bit of a ticket snafu, we were wandering the grounds enjoying the sights, sounds and people watching. They had an area with Calgary's favorite food trucks, so we thought it was time for a snack. Now, I am not sure about Calgary, but Houston has a bunch of food trucks. However, there were only three in the food truck area. Maybe the only have three that are worth it? We did find a truck with an interesting sampler plate, so went for it. A Wild West Show was starting in a small horse arena next to the trucks so decided to make it a dinner show. Unfortunately, the WW show was a bit lame, so we ate and headed to the big stadium to see the chuck wagon races (highly recommended).

Ken had free passes to one of the VIP areas, which was a bar overlooking the stadium grounds. Even though the races didn't start until 8p (it was about 630), the place was packed! As someone said "even though no work gets done during Stampede...lots of work gets done". That was very obvious by the groups that were "networking" in the bar. We stayed long enough to see three heats of the chuckwagon races, then back to the hotel to get some good sleep for our weekend activities.