It’s summer and in between mowing grass, gardening and spring cleaning, Lyle and I have been taking little trips not too far from home. I feel very fortunate that Lyle likes to drive. When my sight first changed, I found it difficult to sit just as a passenger, but nowadays I kind of like the idea of sitting back and for Lyle to take the wheel.
We both like being outside in the summer months. This year the mosquitoes have been a bit of a problem. I really don’t like them but they seem to like me. The annoying part is that if I don’t feel them land on my skin, I certainly don’t see them until it’s too late.
This year, one of our little trips was to Fort Macleod, a small town in southern Alberta. In the early days it was a thriving post for the North West Mounted Police and today the site celebrates that history. We took a walking tour around the restored buildings of the fort and stayed on to watch a performance of the musical ride.
We began our tour viewing the buildings around the courtyard. There was a boardwalk that I found easy enough to navigate with my white cane. However, there were a few gaps in the boards and I imagine that navigating with a wheelchair would be too difficult. From there we proceeded to the air-conditioned museum section before exiting to the benches around the parade ground for the musical ride performance.
In spite of not being able to see the horses and riders, the show was quite entertaining. The maneuvers were accompanied by a description from a loud speaker system and I could hear the sound of the horses when they came close to the fence. After the ride, we were able to go to the stables and see the horses close up and to ask the young riders any questions we might have. That was the best part for me.
There is a picture with this post. I am standing beside one of the horses in the stable. The riders all wore red woolen uniforms replicating the original ones of the mounted police. It was exceptionally hot on the day we were there and I’m sure that the riders were only too pleased to discard their uniforms after the show. Each horse had a maple leaf brushed into the side of its rump. It was quite effective. If you go to Fort Macleod, be sure to stay for the musical ride performance and the visit afterwards at the stables.
Sue with horse
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