Calgary Reunion: 11/25/07 - Breakfast at Second Cup

Calgary Reunion: 11/25/07 - Sacred Heart Church

No overseas trip is complete without a visit to a place of worship. Mark, Butch and I went to Butch's church in Calgary. It was a wonderful feeling celebrating Mass with a family member.

A landmark in Calgary throughout the years because of its tree-lined walks and beautifully tended gardens, Sacred Heart Church dates back to the turn of the century when the population west of the Cathedral was burgeoning. The interior has an architectural effect of simplicity; the only decoration on the brick exterior was a moulded, arched opening at the main door where the name of the church was displayed in Gothic lettering. (Ref: http://members.shaw.ca/corcalgary/history.html).

Below are pictures of the altar and the seating area.

Calgary Reunion: 11/25/07 -Lougheed House

This grand sandstone prairie mansion was built in 1891 and enlarged in 1907; the impressive scale and the high quality of the design, materials and interior furnishings of the house reflected the wealth and prestige of the Lougheeds. Lougheed House, also known as Beaulieu, was home to Senator James Alexander Lougheed, Lady Isabella Hardisty Lougheed, their six children and staff. At that time, Calgary had fewer than 4,000 inhabitants.

Lougheed House breathes history to a degree that few other Calgary buildings can match. The house became the centre of Calgary’s social scene as the Lougheeds welcomed oil millionaires, politicians and entertainers into their home.

Calgary Reunion: 11/25/07 - A Yakuza Lunch. Hai!

All that walking and sight seeing took a toll on our feet and our tummies. Butch treated us out to a Japanese lunch and then we walked back to the hotel for a drip in the pool and the hot tub.

Calgary Reunion: 11/25/07 - Vogue-ing in Stephen Avenue

Calgary Reunion: 11/25/07 - Christmas Tree at the Hyatt Regency

We were impressed with this 25 foot tall Christmas tree in the Hyatt Lobby. It was such a perfect backdrop for our reunion and made everyone very happy.




It was Mom's birthday by the time we were done with our photo shoot. So Butch placed a phone call to Mommy to greet her a happy birthday.

Calgary Reunion: Vogue-ing for Mima and Manila

Below are photos of Butch in and around Calgary.

Calgary Reunion: 11/25/07 - Hyatt Pool and Tub

Mark showing Butch how the video camera takes incriminating videos.


Mark-kano and Astro Boy in the hot tub. Note the raised leg ala Esther Williams.


Mark in the pool.

Calgary Reunion: 11/25/07- Sleepover

Since this was our last night together, we all decided to have a sleepover in the hotel. Mark is assisting Butch prepare Butch's cot for the evening.

Calgary Reunion: 11/26/07 - Prairie Ink Cafe

The Prairie Ink Cafe inside McNally Robinsons is a popular place for breakfast and lunch. This is where we practiced with Butch on his laptop.

2007 Year in Review: Summer Renovations at 811

These are "before" and "after" pictures of the painstaking and often painful and time consuming effort Mark and I made for 811 all summer. Knowledgeable as we are in home renovations, we were not prepared for the curve ball ahead of us.

This was no ordinary renovation. This was a restoration of an 1929 hotel apartment interpreted in today's times. While the kitchen was already gutted prior to our taking over, no modernization can be done to the bathroom, and all paint from the old heavy all-steel doors (3 of them!) had to be removed to restore them to their glory. This task, in addition to compounding walls that crack over time, repairing wood floors that have been damagd by the previous tenant, a refrigirator that leaked and otted some kitchen cabinets, among others.

From June thru September, with a one week break in Disneyworld for my birthday, we juggled work, teaching, housekeeping and restoration. But it paid off and now, we are happy to showcase 811. A lot of credit is given to Mark who worked on the complexities of the plumbing, electrical wiring, compounding and painting and the placement of the art we have collected. All our artwork are showcased in the 2 apartments and we have 2 more coming in by the end of the year. A 6 feet by 4 feet 1934 reproduction of a European poster and an old mirror in a new wood frame selected by Mark.

What did I contribute? Me? I just posed for the pictures.

811: Le Lounge pour Lizard or Decompression Chamber?

This is Mark's pride and joy. I call the Lounge, preferably the Lounge for Lounge Lizards. Because I am one. It's too contrived to call it a Living Room. Why? Is there such a thing as a Dying Room? What about the other rooms? Don't we live there too? Whatever... this is where designers need wordsmiths to come up with a better word to describe a place where you entertain and where you de-compress.

How about the Decompression Chamber?

811: Dining Nook

The large space on the left side of the "before" photo is where the dining nook is. It seats 4 comfortably but we can seat 6, with 2 extra chairs at both ends, if required. The large oil painting, "Fishermen," purchased in 2001 from the painter, Oscar Salita (with Deanna and Mark in 3rd photo), is the focal point of the nook. Because of its scale and bright colors, it is most appreciated when viewed across the living room.

Our dining table was once a library/study table from Vassar College, Mark's alma mater. Almost 100 years old, it's such a hard working table that it also doubles as our work table where we hatch all our travel adventures and schemes and where I sew occasionally.

811: Bathroom Medicine Cabinet

Porcelain firxtures were popular in the late 1920's or the Art Deco period. Walter Von Nessen was awarded a patent in 1929 for an Art Deco Bathroom lighting fixture such as this. Rights to his design were assigned to the Efcolite Corporation, which later became know as American Standard.

Why throw something if it still works today? There was a reason then and it worked, well, I believed it will still work today. Sure, you want something up to date. But there is a lot to be said about incorporating history without being stodgy, old fashioned and too attached to the past. Mark and I preserved all porcelain fixtured in the bathroom. We only added a new chrome shower curtain rod, a full width mirror opposite the tub and an overhead cabinet.

811: Bathroom

You can see where "old" meets "new" in the bathroom. The yellow patina of the subway-style tiles show its age and gracefully bordered by the sage bull nose tiles. The fresh coat of bright white paint "pop" out the new fittings - from the shower head to the overhead cabinet.

811: Kitchen & Foyer

The galley kitchen is 8 feet long and is very minimalist in its design. All kitchen equipment are hidden under the counter including the 2 burner commercial grade stove I have had for 15 years. Our rationale is: why have your stove take up counter space when you don't use it for more than 3 hours? Everything in the kitchen is designed to serve more than one purpose. The microwave is also a convection oven. The toaster oven is also sometimes used for warming food. Our coffeemaker is also our thermos and our tea maker. The under the counter ref, well, serves one purpose. Well, you can't win them all.

But what takes up the most space are the condiments Mark and I use to prepare our meals. Most of them come from our travels both as souvenirs and also to be used in our meals. Unintentionally, it also becomes an artful display of world graphics.

811: Breakfast Nook

The kitchen terminates to a breakfast nook where Mark and I share meals.

811: Our Pet Plants - Wilbur and Dulcinea

Wilbur is the "photos" plant and is assigned to guard the paintings. Dulcinea, named after my favorite restaurant in Manila, is the aloe vera in the foreground. Her job is look harmless then inflict pain on anyone who attempts to touch her. See those thorns on her fleshy leaves?

It is important for Mark and I to have plants in our homes, for as long as it is hospitable for them. Reminiscent of our life in Bedford and the need to purify the air, we also hope these plants will contribute to the positive "life force" in our apartment.