Get Ready, Get Set, Canoe!

To kick off the start of the Fall semester, Edina, the Social Events TOC member, kindly organized a lunch and activities at Bowness Park in NW Calgary. 

It was the first for many students to visit the park and we couldn’t have asked for better weather - a lot of sunshine.  Bowness Park was closed for some time due to the 2013 flood, and since it reopened, there are quite a number of visitors every weekend to go rafting down the Bow River or to have a nice picnic.  There were 8 students and post-docs that came out for the event.  Everyone sat down on the patio for lunch at the Seasons of Bowness Park Restaurant and ordered from the Brunch or Lunch menu and needless to say, everyone thought their dish was nicely presented and delicious!  There were some new faces and people were talking to each other one-on-one for the first time, which is difficult sometimes when you are in big groups.  It’s nice to see so much diversity in our group and itreally goes to show how much a program like the Host-Parasite Interactions can bring people from across the world together and to share knowledge and passion about parasites.  

Following lunch, we departed to check out canoeing at the Boat House.  In groups of 2 or 3, we began our journey on the shallow lagoon trail, which was quite peaceful and full of greenery.  In addition to being a great place for water activities, the lagoon is also frozen in the winter to allow ice skating.  This could be an excellent place for another HPI social event!  The day ended with some Frisbee to get everyone moving on their feet and to show off their competitive side.