Happy 4th Of July, for anyone out there enjoying this annual celebration!

Technically, today is the start of The Calgary Stampede here in our fair city. “The Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth”, so the slogan goes. If you’re into cowboy stuff, this is about as terrific as life gets in Canada. Roping cattle, chuck-wagon races, beer gardens (COWBOY beer gardens!), stampeding things (mainly animals, but also inebriated men and women), livestock displays, beer gardens, carnival rides, cowboy wear, beer gardens, and live country music, on at least two outdoor stages.

We’re coincidentally going to see two shows over the next few days, both considered “Stampede” concerts – Sugarland early next week, and James Taylor – the next week. Nothing says cowboy like James Taylor. You can almost smell the sagebrush, and hear the coyotes howl when you listen to James sing his countrified catalogue of hits…

Frankly, and just between you and me, the only time we go anywhere near “The Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth” is for these concerts. Otherwise, cowboys or not, a carnival is a carnival, no matter how big it is. Although they do typically open a special oversized Stampede Casino…

This morning is the big kick-off parade, meaning that when I go to drive Mrs. That Dan Guy to work, I will have to drop her off somewhere close to downtown. This is when we really wish we had one of those two-wheely Segway vehicles…

Chow for now!!