Amanda Connolly

There’s only one way to describe my first full winter in Calgary and that is definitely “never-ending.” I spent four years in Ottawa, where there are no Chinooks and it’s just plain cold all the time. But like most Canadians, this winter has been particularly brutal and has me desperate for whatever short and relatively un-frigid breaks I can take. That the thing about this city, though – just when you think it’s warming up, winter comes back with a vengeance.
For example: the first picture below was taken when it was so warm I could actually sit on my balcony and read while getting some colour. The second, third and fourth are about a week and a half later.

UGH
At least here it’s usually sunny – except when it’s snowing.
Needless to say, all the cold has me eager for summer and whatever adventures lie ahead. Summer in Calgary was amazing last year but everyone days even that was crappy compared to how it usually is. Honestly, as long as we get home good thunderstorms and scorching heat, I’m happy. It will be interesting to see what happens in June though. We’ve had so much snow this winter and everyone is wondering what will happen during the melt when the mountain runoff comes downstream. Here’s hoping last year really was a once-a-century kind of thing!! There are a few things left on my Alberta bucket list that I’m hoping to do this summer – namely, going for a trail ride in the mountains and heading out to the Badlands to see some dinosaur fossils. Fingers crossed I can cross those off in the coming months!