Kutawa School 1921 - 1963

 

51.740467, -115.541580

Bighorn Falls in Clearwater County, Alberta. There is a small parking area where a bridge crosses Bighorn Creek. Last Saturday June 26, 2021 it was over 30C. There are two ways to the falls. I was here once before and only saw them from above. This time I walked alongside the creek and then most of the way in the creek. I was barefoot in my runners and it felt great. It was only about one kilometre distance to get there.

You can walk right up to the base of the falls. For being in the middle of nowhere it is a popular place. There were a couple of family groups enjoying cooling off when I was there. From where I live it is a day trip, about three hours and a bit one way. 

 

View from the ridge the looking down on the falls. Beautiful spot.

In the 1926 version of Beau Geste who played Digby and who played John?

Bales are the answer.

 

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Dorothy, Alberta

 

Canola!

Parkland County, Alberta June 27, 2021.

Sunday morning church window

 

Random post

Stepped out from Bandy Manor to pick up a few incidentals. While I was at the grocery store I took a look for grape jelly because grape jelly pairs well with a toasted English muffin. My local grocery store did not have any grape jelly. You know supply issues are getting serious when grape jelly is affected.

I did not pick up any English muffins. If you cannot have grape jelly to go with them then what is the point?

Not COVID

Showed up to work yesterday, coughed a few times, and promptly got sent home. My work sent me a text message requesting that I get a COVID test and send them the results before coming back.

The work day starts at 8:30am, I was home by 9:00am. I then looked into getting a COVID test. The Government of Alberta has a website where you can book an appointment. I go through several pages and get to the end where you submit it to get an appointment. I could not get the website to work beyond that point.

I then phoned the local hospital. They tell me you have to book through Alberta Health Services. Try the website again, no success. Phone the number on the website where after going through the phone menu options I sit on hold for over ninety minutes before I get a live body.

I then answer a raft of questions and the registered nurse on the other end tells me I have a cold. I agree, however my employer insists on a COVID test and I need to book one. Then the line goes dead. I wait a minute, then I get a phone call, the nurse apologizes for accidentally hanging up on me. I am just grateful I do not need to do this again for another possibly another ninety minutes. My appointment is for 1:30pm where I have to drive to a parking lot where two trailers are set up to do the testing.

I get to the parking lot at the given time. My instructions were to wait in my vehicle until called. So for fifteen minutes I am waiting in 30C heat until I am called. I get a call and they ask me for my name, I give it to them, and the line goes dead. I promptly get another call and the same thing happens again. At this point I am contemplating walking over and knocking on the door of the trailer. Before that happens someone starts walking towards me in a white medical overall, blue gloves, and a facemask. She verifies my identity and I follow her to the trailer.

The trailer looks like a forty foot cargo trailer with no windows. When you get inside it looks like something out of a science fiction movie. There are seven people inside dressed the same way as my guide, laptops, and some medical stuff. I get a swab stuck up my nose for ten seconds and I am done.

At 2:45am this morning I got a text stating my test was negative for COVID. All of my alerts on my phone are turned off so I do not know if I get a text or an email unless I tap an icon to check. I woke up after eight this morning and discovered the news.

So I have cold which has largely gone away. I might be able to go into work tomorrow.

No longer trucking

I drive by this everyday on my way to my new job. It is hard to get a photo of it as it is just off the highway and there is not much of a shoulder to pull of the road and the highway is a little busy. I made a quick attempt at a photo this morning. I will keep trying for a better one because this truck has character.

 

Something is out to get me

Wonderfully warm and sunny day this last Sunday. Felt a little off but shrugged it off and took the motorcycle out for about three hours.

This morning I woke up and felt like I had been run over. Throat is sore, stuffed up, nose is running just enough to be irritating. I made it through the work day however I really should have packed it in part way through. I was losing my voice off and on. You would think that with all of the people I have been in contact with the last few years I would have come down with something much sooner. Hopefully this nasty little cold will be over soon. I do not think I have been ill in the last three or four years.

At this stage I really need a good night's sleep. I think I was awake all last night when this cold kicked in. It is good weather all this week so I want to be able to enjoy it.

Spotted in Drayton Valley, Alberta

 

Still standing

The old elevator in the ghost town of Dorothy, Alberta is still hanging on.

In Candiac

Found this weatherworn building about a month ago in the Hamlet of Candiac, Saskatchewan.

Kind of looks like a rooming house with a store front at the side.  Room service?  

- Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Not much happening

I am into week three of the new job. Same type of work, just a different company and a different computer system. I do not like this system and I am still trying to get used to its quirks and how it organizes and files information. On the plus side the pay is a little better and the support for my position is a lot better. My day starts and ends a half hour earlier than the prior place and the travel time is about the same, maybe a minute or two less. Do I enjoy the job? It is a job that pays the bills and allows me to put away a bit of money so hopefully I can retire sooner.

I am doing my best to throw myself into the thick of things to get up to speed as soon as possible. This place hired me and I want to show them that they made a good choice. At the same time I am feeling unmotivated at times as it will soon be summer. A bit hard to work when it is bright and warm outside. For some reason I am feeling absolutely exhausted at the end of the day. It may be due to the season.

At prior jobs I would infrequently take a minute or two to work on this blog during the day, usually during lunch. I never told anyone at any workplace that I had a blog, I like to keep some things to myself. The work always has priority and got done and sometimes I worked through lunch to get something done for a client.  During lunch after eating and with nothing pressing I need something to fill the time. I usually set up a draft at home, review it later, then schedule and post. I only have a laptop and a tablet at home, there are desktops at work which made it a little easier. Anyway my blogging has been a bit interrupted. What I need to do is upgrade my home setup.

The post cupboard is getting bare. Something else I have to fix as posts are infrequent. I am working on it.

Walpole, Saskatchewan

Here a few weeks ago. The elevator is on farmland and abandoned for years. Not able to find anything on Walpole so I do not know if there was much here. When I was here all I did see was the elevator and no other old buildings. There was once a rail line that went through here that has been torn up years ago. 

The elevator stands alone abandoned in a field.

 

Near Drumheller, Alberta

Alberta prairie on a 29C day today.

Abandoned elevator Doonside, Saskatchewan May 27, 2021

There is one elevator in Doonside and nothing else. There was a bit of a settlement here at one time. I found a school marker while I was taking photos. The area was big enough at one time for an elevator and a school.

A road runs north by the elevator, a trail runs up to the elevator that I did not drive on due to recent rain, and another road runs alongside it so I got it from several spots.

Texaco

A vintage Texaco sign in Dana, Saskatchewan.

Don't see many in such nice condition.

- Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Souris Flat School 1920 - 1961

South of Carnduff, Saskatchewan on a very bright day. This one is only a few miles west of the Goschen School that was recently posted.

The farmer that gave me information on Goschen School gave me the location of this school. When I turned off on the east/west road south I was not sure if I was on the right road. I had to cross three Texas Gates to get to the school. The school is brick and it is intact. I did not venture inside as there was a danger sign posted inside the door.

There is a school marker beside the tree mounted to a rock.

This is a pasture for cattle so there watch where you step.

St. Paul’s Anglican Church 1938

Just a little south of Langbank, Saskatchewan. Really nice building.

Maybe I should stop posting

There have been a few days where I have not posted and the page views have been higher than when I did post. I am getting more views by not posting.

I am sure it is just bots generating views.

Random abandoned

Abandoned church in Oakshela, Saskatchewan.

The weekend

Nothing planned. I kind of overdid it last week where I did a quick road trip where I did a bit too much in three days of travel. One day was just over one thousand kilometres of driving. On the plus side I did cross some items off my list.

This weekend the weather may or may not be all that great and I have other things to accomplish.

The Saskatchewan prairie was perfect last week. Hope to revisit soon.

Abandoned Saskatchewan

Old stone house in southern central Saskatchewan.

Summerberry School

Great old abandoned stone school in Summerberry, Saskatchewan which is a ghost town. This is a really neat building. You can street view it in Google.

There is a slide on the side of the school. It looks like a fire escape.