Nightswimming in Banff

It's been nearly a month, but I never got around to posting some more pictures from our anniversary trip to Banff at the end of November. We didn't do anything too fancy -- we mainly just strolled around the main streets of town, ducking into gift shops and baby stores when our ears started to get cold.


We had Scott buried under several layers of jackets, hoods, toques, blankets and sleeping bag (the Zooper Hula stroller came with a sweet matching sleeping bag), so he hardly felt the chill at all. In fact, it didn't take him too long before he just nodded off.

Here's a shot from Banff Avenue (main street) of what might be Mount Rundle. I have no idea what mountain it really is, but if you've seen our latest family picture, you might recognize it. It somehow managed to sneak into the background.

We also drove up the hill to the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, which is quite the alpine castle. It would be fun to stay in all the big railroad hotels in Canada someday. I've been in the lobbies of the big ones in Quebec City, Ottawa, Banff and Waterton Lake, but I've never stayed in any of them.

After a day of walking around in the cold, we weren't quite ready to jump in the cold pool for a swim, but we did spend some time in the hot tub. Luckily, the water in the hot tub wasn't overly hot (more of a warm tub), so it was just about right for Scott to have his second swimming experience. I've heard some babies don't really like the water. Scott is not one of them. During bathtime, he just loves to splash the water all over with his hands. The tub was no different, except that the sheer volume of water may have overwhelmed him a bit. With so many splashing opportunities, it was probably hard for him to know where to start.

We managed to capture some footage -- from a safe distance, of course. He is standing on one of the steps leading into the water, and you can see his practiced Jolly-Jumper technique at work. He still managed to splash and jump at the same time, but it took all of his concentration. This boy is very serious about his work.