Recent Calgary Pictures

Did I say I LOVED the amount of sunshine we get in Calgary?!  Wow.  What a different winter than a Vancouver one!

I promised to post some “after” pics for the Martha Stewart’s of you;  I am no Martha though- keep in mind.  I love the feeling of my place though- small and cozy.

It’s a bachelor so my bed is to the right behind the screen.

Hallway

 

Bath Room

Me in my new winter coat!

 

Been spending some time walking along the Elbow River by my house.  Here are some pics from there:

 

The part of Calgary I live in used to be the French quarter in town so there are a lot of Catholic churches and the original street names are printed on the Avenue and Street signs that are mostly now all numbered.  I have been spending lots of time at St. Mary’s Cathedral by my house.  It is a beautiful church right at the Elbow River.  I like going in there after my walks to sit in silence; it is so peaceful in there. On sunny days in the afternoons, the stained glass windows take my breath away.

 

I like sitting in front of the Virgin Mary statue.  People come up and kneel in front of her, touch her, and send their prayers up to her.  I don’t know what they are praying for but I know what I pray for and I know that it brings me comfort.  Like magic.  We come to her in all conditions- pained, lonley, suffering, grateful and lost and it’s all OK.  I always feel better when I leave.

I was so stunned when I saw Our Lady of Fatima.  Mary is also the patron saint of Portugal and my dad is from a village not far from Fatima where the Virgin Mary appeared to 3 children earlier in the last century.  Millions of people make pilgrimages to Fatima each year- some on their knees.  I remember being there when I was 16 and taking in the energy of the place and watching people approach the main vestibule on their knees; I was so moved.  Who knew I would find Fatima in Calgary of all places?!