This might be a trend

This is the second time I have seen this in a rural area. Different sign, same message.

A quick thank you

I noticed I picked up a follower. Thank you to those who drop in and read this site.

"100 years ain't old for a rock"

You can see some interesting stuff when you are out cruising the backroads of Alberta. I am slightly curious what the story is behind this.

When you do not have enough good snow for a snowman . . .

Spotted in Camrose, Alberta January 29, 2017.

A bit of rural humour

When you have an old truck and leftover mannequin legs  . . .

January 28, 2017 Range Road 224 west of Delburne, Alberta

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Near Star, Alberta on December 31, 2016. Along with finding some very beautiful churches in this part of Alberta they also have some very long elaborate names. This is a Ukrainian Catholic church. The style is practically the same as the Orthodox churches in this area. Lots of small churches dot this part of Alberta. These places are well looked after and you can tell the people took a lot of pride in them.

Very unique bell tower.

A walk among the tombstones

Robsart, Saskatchewan November 11, 2016. I posted about Robsart before. It basically a ghost town in the southwestern corner of Saskatchewan. On a separate trip I noticed the cemetery that I somehow missed on a prior visit.

The arch seems to be a reserved area for those who served.

This was a bit unique. The marker at the top said "Army".

Very few people live in the area now. There are quite a few people interred here. The local population must have been higher at one time. A stop at a cemetery can tell you about a place, answer a question or two, or have you questioning something else. There are a few ghost towns or near ghost towns in the area andt his is a lonely part of Saskatchewan. If there was a church in the area I missed it on this trip.

On the road

After days of neck and head pain, cause still unknown, I feel almost human. The weekend is too nice to stay at home so time to head out and see what I can find. If you do not go looking for stuff how will you know if it is there?

Zen and the art of bale photography

Taking a photo of a subject like this should not be rushed. Bales are in no hurry to have their picture taken. They will hold their pose for you. See the picture, be the picture. True enlightenment is not reached through meditation, it can only be achieved by actively taking photos of bales through the seasons. Only through this repeated act will all be revealed.

Near Aidrie, Alberta January 19, 2017

Sometimes I just get frosted in the morning

One of the irritating things about winter is having to scrape your windshield. I drove up to see my mother on January 21, 2017 and woke up the next day to this. Ice fog with low visibility and a layer of ice on the car. Most of the time a scraper will easily peel off the frost on your windshield. There are times like this where a layer of ice was welded to my windshield and it was not coming off without some serious persuasion. The KIA I drive does not have one of those Canadian essentials: a good heater. I fired up the KIA and let the anaemic defrosting process get to work. At least I was not in a hurry as patience is not one of my stronger qualities.

As an aside, in my high school days I worked after class at a service station. One nasty cold winter day I had someone pull up in a car to get gas. As he waited he produced an ice scraper and was scraping the inside of his windshield as parts of it were iced over. I have yet to see that again. I do not even know how he managed that.

Every year before winter strikes I ensure a few essentials are kept in the car. Spare gloves, toque, and a sturdy ice sraper/brush. I say it should be sturdy as sometimes I have had to brush a foot of snow off my car from an overnight snowfall. Every few years I end up buying a new snow brush as I find they break over time.

Same barn time, same barn channel

January 22, 2017 Leduc County, Alberta. The hoar frost and fog created some nice scenes. Fans of bales will have to be patient.

Exaltation of the Holy Cross Ukrainian Catholic Church

East of Leduc, Alberta December 30, 2016. Lots of these in the area.

Love the cross in the cemetery beside the church.

No hay bales, just a barn

December 31, 2016, Highway 21, northeast of Edmonton, Alberta.

Promo post

A friend of mine has a site that deserves some traffic. I think he has found his niche with his concise posts. A lot of his stuff is things a lot of us will never see or experience. Go pay a visit.

shutterspeedron.blogspot.ca

Fogbound

The weather in Alberta can be odd. I was leaving Drayton Valley, Alberta after visiting my mother on January 22, 2017. I thought the fog would break and the sun would come out. I was wrong. I drove over one hundred eighty miles back and it was quite foggy all the way. 

Temperatures were a little below the freezing point. Weather like this can do interesting stuff to road surfaces. I stopped to get a coffee before hitting the highway as for me coffee is one of those essential items on a drive. I waited for traffic to clear, turned, and went into a slow five miles per hour lateral drift for five feet before I gained traction. You can have new tires, all wheel or four wheel drive, and sometimes it makes no difference. I drove a little slower than usual on the highway back. The highway was much better.

On the way back I took a slight detour to see if there was a church that I suspected was in the area. If it existed, it was no longer there. I was going to do a bit more exploring however slick icy patches on the gravel roads made me question my decision. I stuck to the well travelled highway all the way. The frost and fog did make everything picturesque though.

Sometimes other stuff sidelines you

Last Friday night I developed a headache. One of those where your eyes, neck, head, and teeth hurt. Saturday morning I drove three hours to visit my mother. I got no sleep that night due to the pain. I would have rummaged around to find some medication however being the nice guy that I am I did not want to disturb anyone's sleep. Sunday morning I got fed up and rooted through my travel bag for some medication. I rarely take medication. I have nothing against it, I just do not like taking something unless it is absolutely necessary. I never got into the habit of taking something at the first sign of pain.

Sunday was worse. Much worse. After taking pills every four hours there was a slight edge taken off the pain. I managed to be in a good enough condition to drive the three hours back. On the bright side I was able to get a full night of sleep on Sunday night. 

Monday I woke up to horrible lower back, neck, and shoulder pain. I wish I knew what I did to find myself in this condition. The most rigourous thing I did all weekend was badly lose four games of eight ball on Saturday afternoon. This is what happens when you do not play in months. I need practice. Hurting all over does not help either. 

Monday I managed to get an appointment with a massage therapist. This one was good. I am still in pain but things feel different. More rest.

Today? Somewhat less pain. Hopefully this ends before the weekend. It is putting a crimp in my ability to get out and do things and is affecting my posts.

Proswita School 1906 - 1953

Highway 45 and Range Road 191 north of Lamont, Alberta on December 31, 2016. There is no sign marking the site. This is apparently the second Proswita School, the original site was about a mile from this one. This is a typical one room school design in Alberta. It is unfortunate that it has been vandalized.

Jenn at westofthefifthmeridian.blogspot.ca tracked down the name of the school for this post. Visit her site when you have a moment. 

St. Michael Archangel Roman Catholic Church

Established in 1905 in St. Michael, Alberta. I to saw this December 31, 2016. There are lots of great spots in this area of Alberta for sights like these.

The angle looks off on this probably because I was taking pictures in drifted snow and freezing at the same time. Beautiful church. I will have to go back in summer.

Cemetery in the back. A bit too cold and a bit too much snow for a closer look.

Sledge Hockey

My nephew plays sledge hockey. That is not him in the photo, it is one of the players that was having some fun on the ice at the end of the session. The sledge has skate blades on the bottom and the hockey sticks have cleats on the butt end to propel you along the ice. It is played by those who are differently abled. Otherwise sledge hockey is played like any other hockey game. I have watched a few times and I am impressed by some of the players. A few of the players can really skate and fire a puck. There is also a Canadian Olympic Team of sledge hockey players. 

Canadian Olympic Park January 16, 2017

Post that was done in vane

Spotted this in Radium, British Columbia January 14, 2017. For some reason I keep an eye out for interesting weather vanes.

Marble Canyon January 14, 2017

I live reasonably close to Kootenay National Park. I also have a pass for the park. Sometimes I like to get out into the Rocky Mountains. This park is on the British Columbia/Alberta border and Marble Canyon is barely off the highway. I have posted previous visits to here before. 

Scrap post

There are a few photos that I have saved and I try to find something to do with them. I like this and I wanted to make an interesting post out of it. For now it will be scrap post, a post from the scraps of things I collect. Fitting in this case since it is scrap metal.

December 30, 2016 near Leduc, Alberta

Chinook time

I live just a bit north of Calgary, Alberta. The Chinook hit. A Chinook is just a warm wind. About week ago it was bitterly cold and temperatures were in the minus twenties in Celsius. This week we have hit plus ten. The snow is rapidly disappearing and I have seen green grass. In the past I have experienced a few winter days where there was no snow and it was warm enough you would think it was summer. The countryside is soggy. This time of the year makes it difficult to get out except for on the weekends. Before and after work there is not quite enough light for some quick runs out to the country. 

The days are getting longer. We will get at least a few more snowstorms before winter dies. The season is in transition. If these warm temperatures keep up I might be tempted to get the motorcycle on the road.

Spotted in Radium January 14, 2017

At the Horsethief Creek Pub and Eatery.

Radium Hot Springs January 14, 2017

Saturday January 14, 2017 was the day for a one day road trip to Radium Hot Springs in British Columbia. From where I reside it is about a three and a half hour drive. This is Highway 93 from a bit north of Banff and heading west into British Columbia. It was a bit icy.

Being close to the mountains allows you to see sights like this.

Along Highway 93 you do not have to go far to see views like this. This one is just outside Radium and right beside the highway.

Heading west just before you enter the town of Radium.

The whole complex is being renovated. The hot pool is kept at about 39C. I stopped to try it out. It was warm but not hot. There are a few hot springs in this area of British Columbia. Fairmont Hot Springs is just a bit south of here and I find it hotter. It is an easy day trip from Calgary, Alberta.

In the lower right is a lifeguard chair and umbrella that someone never bothered removing. It is completely iced over.