September in Alberta

Spotted in Leduc County, Alberta

Elevator Friday - Duck Lake, Saskatchewan

Thank you to Dale Redekopp as always.

There will be a bike for sale

Selling my Can Am Ryker next spring. When riding season starts again next year I will have a decision to make. I will know if I can hack two wheels again or if I will have to stay with three wheels. Either way I will be selling the bike. If I am stuck with buying something with three wheels I will be upgrading. My four day trip at the end of August taught me that I need more comfort for long rides and more luggage space for long distances. I like this thing and it is great on smooth pavement. On slightly uneven pavement you feel the bumps too much, the suspension is a bit too stiff. Otherwise it is a lot of fun.

The bears did not cooperate

I had taken a recent drive to the Ya Ha Tinda part of the province west of Sundre, Alberta hoping to see some bears on the forestry road. No bears but some great fall colours.

September

The time does, and does not, fly by. Time recently dragged as somehow I hurt myself somehow through day to day living and was raiding my painkillers for a number of days. I look back at summer and there was more that I wanted to accomplish. With luck I can squeeze some activities into the fall.

Life gets in the way of adventures. I recently found out that the wife of a friend of mine has a third recurrence of cancer. This time it is inoperable. Treatments will start again, there is no telling how long she has, maybe a few years. I had tried to meet up a few times this year, our schedules did not match.

My cousin’s daughter has kind of adopted me. We had kept in contact through the years. When I had the accident she visited me several times in the hospital and has kept tabs on me on a regular basis and we have become closer. I am happy to have someone looking out for me and have been bringing her up to speed on my personal matters should anything nasty happen to me again. Her and her husband work hard and have two great kids. They have a small farm and she raised some turkeys. She did not have the time to kill and prep the birds so she had someone do it for her, a business called Mother Pluckers. Love the name.

White Super Power Truck

Big old truck in Forget, Saskatchewan.

Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Random notes

Not the greatest summer. Temperature has dropped. It has been overcast and rainy.

Friends of mine sold their home in Calgary and are moving to the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia. They have a vague outline of a plan about what they want to do and how they are going to do it. They have no home to move to yet, they have not found a place, and no jobs waiting for them. They are going to crash with some friends and relatives until they get it sorted out. Any other people doing this I would worry about, they can do something with nothing and land on their feet. I drove down to squeeze in a visit and wish them luck.

I am having issues with my only sibling. Every once in a while every so many years somehow I get labelled with being responsible for some kind of vaguely defined mistreatment and get disowned for an indeterminate amount of time. The amusing part is I have really do not have much interaction and I have enough of my own problems without causing more. For the last few years I have been concentrating on my recovery and the last in person visits we had were enjoyable. Since I am not interested in indulging this I shall wait it out and see how long this latest instalment lasts. I am sure that I am not the only one with family issues.

I got out more this summer compared to last despite the lousy weather. My legs are stronger and I am more confident in my walking and gaining stamina. It ain’t great but it is incrementally getting better.

I made a recent visit to the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton where I spent five months. I dropped in to remind myself how far I came. I saw a few nurses and therapists that I knew from my time there. I wanted to show them my progress and thank them. I still have a ways to go. For some reason I thought it was important to do this. Speaking to them just reinforced that I have to just keep at it one foot after the other and it will keep getting better.

Tried to catch some harvest lines

 

On the road

I spent last Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday taking a trip from Edmonton to Waterton National Park with a friend.

I met my friend Dave in 2024 when we were both on the same ward in the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital. I was recovering from numerous horrible injuries and Dave lost a leg due to complications from diabetes. During one of our many conversations Dave mentioned that he was getting close to retirement age and had no idea what he was going to do as he had no hobbies. Well, he kind of had an activity or two that he could no longer pursue with a prosthetic leg. I kind of off handedly told him to get a motorcycle. He said he could not ride one. I countered that he could ride one if he bought one with three wheels, like a Can Am Spyder. Dave got intrigued by the idea and bought one last year and quickly got his motorcycle license.

Last year and this year we went out for a few day rides. This last weekend was the first multi-day trip. I learned a few things. There is no way I should have attempted anything like this last year. I wanted to last year but I did not. I was not good enough physically. I managed okay this year. I had some minor help here and there from Dave. There is a big difference in my physical condition this year and next summer I believe I will much better.

The trip was a success. There was about 1,400km in four days with lots of breaks, which we both needed. There was good food and good beer. Weather was fine, except for running into some rain on Sunday. There were plans to do the Highwood west of Longview, except we found out it was snowing at the summit. If you have plans be flexible, lots can happen. Stayed in Blairmore and fit in Waterton Park and around Cardston area  

I am a little stiff and sore in a few places and not hurting as much as I thought I would. Dave has not retired yet but he is planning on not working next summer. He thoroughly enjoyed the trip and is looking to do a lot more of this next summer. I will have the winter months to get even better so I can attack next riding season. I will close out this fall with some riding for a few hours around my home area.

Elevator Friday - Parkside, Saskatchewan

From Dale Redekopp.

Not much happening

Some plans got trashed. Some plans got changed.

Met with the lawyer and settled my lawsuit. I am not getting rich nor am I getting what I think I should be getting. Apparently my injuries are not worth as much as I thought in Alberta. The lawyer takes their cut and then their disbursements on top of that. Lawyers are a necessary evil but you just cannot help feeling screwed at times, even though they get you more than what you would have got on your own. I had the option of taking it to court to fight for a bigger amount however a court date is at least two years in the future. I believe they want to wait me out. I do not need the funds now but I am in my early sixties and I might as well take it and invest it for the future for when I do need it. Sometimes you need to move on.

In the meantime I did manage to get out for a bit. I have a weekend trip planned and I did manage to get to Waterton, Alberta. Always worth going. 

The good parking

I have a placard for handicapped parking and I have taken full advantage of it. Before the accident I never really paid much attention to how accessible places may or may not be. For those that do not have any issues with mobility I doubt many of you have given it a second thought as well. Most places are good. I have not yet run across anyone parked in a stall when I was looking for parking that did not have a handicapped tag. A few places of businesses I found to be a little dangerous trying to navigate uneven rickety stairs with nothing to hold onto. I have always been pleasantly surprised how people, anyone really, will lend a hand to help me navigate something. Washrooms are the biggest problem, you would be surprised how many I needed to use that do not have a simple thing like grab bars to make your life easier.

In Alberta my handicapped parking tag is good until 2030 and I do not have to pay anything for it. The big thing I needed it for was to open my car door as far as possible so I could get my legs out wity my limited range of motion. For that you need a wider parking space, regular spots are too narrow for me. That is getting betting though. Mobility is getting better and I can bend a bit more. Sometimes I do not take the good parking so I can prove to myself that one day I will not need those spots. My goal, one of my goals, in 2027 is to get to the point where I put the handicapped placard in the glove box and use regular parking spots. 

My Way

Photographed in Mendham, Saskatchewan.

Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Not a great week

Over the last month I have been making some good progress. My gait is getting a bit better and I am feeling more stable. Still need a cane for now. Unfortunately my body decided to attack me with bad pain all over and I needed to give myself a rest. I had to get into the prescription painkillers - Tylenol 4 - to make life bearable. When they wear off you feel hungover which is not a great feeling.

Elevator Friday - former Bulwark, Alberta elevator

Elevator used to be at Bulwark, which is a ghost town.

Thank you to Dale Redekopp.

53.4327531, -112.8775863

St. Margaret’s Church not too far from Edmonton, Alberta.

It is kind of hidden away. Nice little spot. Church was locked and in the brief time I was there I was getting eaten alive by mosquitos so I did not stay long. The cemetery appeared to have a number of unmarked crosses.

Random post

Had a follow-up with my surgeon today. I have not seen him since last October.

I took a cab because I dislike hunting for a parking spot, I am not a fan of parkades, and I hate trying to pay for parking with parking machines in the city. Paying for parking used to be easier, now it is computerized machines or apps. I like to be early for appointments, my cab was late. I booked my cab for 8:15am and it was fifteen minutes late. The driver looked well past retirement age, not that I ever thought it would affect his ability to drive. We got half a mile and he pulled over in a parking lot, got out, looked ill, then got himself together and got in. He got on the highway and I asked him to slow down when I noticed he was well over twenty kilometres over the limit. A bit of speeding does not bother me however he was drifting and had trouble staying in his lane. Later he was speeding up, slowing down, and too damn close to the traffic in front. Twice in the city I had to tell him when lights turned green and I yelled when he got close to hitting someone. I got dropped off and when I got in the building I called and reported him. The guy was a danger  to others.

As for my appointment, updated x-rays, a five minute meeting with the doctor to tell me I am fine. I used a totally different cab company for the trip home.

If in doubt, post bales

Elevator Friday - Domremy, Saskatchewan

Thank you to Dale Redekopp.

GMC post

Goddard Cemetery

Inscribed on the marker:

"In my father’s house are many mansions

Otto Meer

Died May 18, 1915

Aged 75 years

May

His wife died

Mar 29, 1911

Aged 71 years”

Information from the Medicine Hat and District Genealogical Society. There are six burials here, three are known: Otto, May, and their daughter Helena who died November 17, 1926. The Meer family emigrated to Canada in 1909, applied for homesteads, and purchased a half section in 1910. After May passed Otto applied for funding to build a cemetery in the area. This small spot is supposed to be two miles west of where their farm was. The names of the other three burials are lost to history. May they rest in peace.

I had been trying to find this one for some time. It is not listed in the county website. There are mentions of it online but there is no location listed. I consulted a friend of mine who is great at tracking down locations but all he could give me was a general area. This July I was in the area and managed to find it in the general area that my friend indicated. It is in a prairie farm field close to a township road south of Foremost, Alberta with not much around for miles in any direction.

The photos could be better. I am still having issues with walking and carefully picked my way across uneven ground with a cane to get to the cemetery. It is a work in progress.

International post

Canola, Leduc County

I look forward to seeing the Canola fields. Here in my part of Alberta we are setting records for recorded rainfall in July. The fields are not great and waterlogged. Hoping for a better August. 

Elevator Friday - Wrentham, Alberta

Beehive burner

I used to see a lot of beehive burners many years ago in British Columbia. They were used by sawmills to burn off wood waste. They got phased out years ago due to environmental and health concerns. When they did operate they were in use twenty-four hours a day and you could see red sparks out the top at night. The top had kind of a metal mesh dome if I remember it right.

This is a former beehive burner at Malakwa, British Columbia that I guess became some kind of diner it the past. It is vacant and up for sale. 

The real old west

Cannot miss

How can one go wrong eating at a place called “The Village Idiot Bar & Grill”?

Not dead

Just taking a short break.

I had multiple interactions with my lawyer and some related appointments. Once that was done I decided to take off for a few days. 

Elevator Friday - Skiff, Alberta

Largest barn in Canada

Southwest of Foremost, Alberta is what at one time was the largest barn in Canada. It likely is the largest barn in Western Canada. It was built by John Heninger, has three floors, over 16,000 square feet, and once housed about 4,000 sheep. Today I am not sure if it gets much use. A sign in the property says Douglas Ranch.

Canola

In my part of the province the Canola crop is not good. This one by Barons, Alberta is much better.

Random old vehicle post

Spotted today

Saw this on a fence post in Skiff, Alberta.

When 4WD cannot save you

Just a smidge east past Calmar, Alberta this truck has been sitting in a field just off Highway 39 for over a week. Prior to that the amount of rain waterlogged the fields so I have no idea if someone was drunk, the vehicle was stolen, or it was a case of y’all watch this. I am a little surprised no one has tried to retrieve it. It must be buried up to the axles.

Elevator Friday - Dinsmore, Saskatchewan

Thank you once again to Dale Redekopp.

Canola

The Canola crop is not great. Too much rain this year and the fields are patchy. Nevertheless I love seeing fields of yellow.

Random photo

Cpt Mo on Wednesday

Saying goodbye

I had a family matter that I attended to last Sunday.

Mom died last September and she was cremated. My sister and I finally got our schedules to match up. Various things kept us from doing this sooner. I picked her up in Airdrie and we drove down to the southeast corner of British Columbia to spread her ashes at a nice secluded spot. It was the same spot where we spread my father’s ashes in 1997. I had asked mom many times through the years after dad passed how she wanted to be treated when she died. All mom would ever say was to do the same thing that we did for dad.

I wanted to say a few words but there were no words to say. Mom was difficult for several years before she died. I did my best to visit her, usually one to two times a week. I ran her errands, did her shopping, drove her where she needed to go. I cleaned her condo many times. When she was in the retirement home several time I would surprise her with a soft ice cream sundae. Towards the end I was driving practically daily a hour there and a hour back while coping with recovering from being an accident victim. Before he died my father told me to look after my mother and I took it to heart. Mom could be so unpleasant at time that a lot of the time after visiting I would drive out of town, pull over, and take a few minutes to deal with the emotional frustration, hurt, and perceived ingratitude.

I had nothing to say. If anything I was indifferent. After she died it was kind of anticlimactic. In some ways it was a relief. She took up so much of my time and then all of a sudden she did not. It was an adjustment. Anything I could have said I already said to myself and debated in my mind. My father died many years ago and I miss him and think of him often. In time I hope I feel the same about mom. She had many faults but she was still my mother. It is, well ie do not know what it is, as I cannot find the right words to describe how someone who was once a person has been reduced to ashes in a small cardboard box.

The estate has been settled. The last act has been carried out. I am too old to be an orphan. I drove the sister back and made it home on the same day.

Random Okanagan photo

Happy Fourth of July to my American neighbours

Here is to two hundred fifty more!

Elevator Friday - near Boharm, Saskatchewan

Contributed by Dale Redekopp.