Cpt Mo Wednesday

Owl spotting

Off to visit mom on Sunday. I was held up due to some kind of oil spill on Highway 39 near the intersection of Highway 20 east of Drayton Valley, Alberta. There were cleanup crews and the highway was reduced to one lane with flagmen at either end and multiple cleanup vehicles.

On the way back I took Highway 622. East of St. Francis I spotted this owl in the tree. I stopped on the highway and was lucky enough to run off multiple shots before it grew tired of me and flew off. I believe it is a Grey Owl. Taking a detour worked out well.

Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Havryliuke)

The church is located west of Dana, Saskatchewan and was constructed in 1928 by the faithful who were settlers from the Borschiv county in Ukraine who arrived in the area in 1910. The first Divine Liturgy in the church was celebrated in 1928.

                                                - Dale Redekopp 

Random photo

Leduc County January 28, 2024.

When it is better to be on the upper floor

The double decker outhouse at the Windsor Hotel in Lundbreck, Alberta.

You can see the outhouse at the back of the hotel.

Late night black and white

Elevator Friday

Kelliher, Saskatchewan.

Thank you Dale Redekopp.

Cpt Mo Wednesday

Snow days of yore

Someone posted this online, I do not know who took the photo. This is Kitimat, British Columbia in the winter of 1972. At that time I lived in Terrace which is less than seventy kilometres north by highway. Conditions there were close to the same.

I was in Grade Three when the snow started falling one winter Friday night in Terrace. It snowed nonstop Friday, Saturday, and ended late on Sunday. I remember my father clearing the snow a few times before he gave up. It was not a blizzard, just a gentle snowfall that never seemed to end.

Monday morning everyone woke up to find the town paralyzed by the snowfall. I remember it took the snow equipment a few days to get to our street. At that time we lived on Soucie Avenue (you could look it up if so inclined, I do not remember the house number). I usually walked to E.T. Kenny School. Not that day. It was awesome if you were a kid having that much snow. We had some great snow forts.

At that time my father worked as a heavy duty mechanic at a heavy equipment dealer. The branch manager at the time lived not that far away. On that Monday morning he got up, and seeing as it was impossible to drive to work, took it upon himself to walk there. It took him about two hours in the heavy wet snow. Once he got there he found the place empty and started calling staff to ask why they were not at work. He got a few choice replies.

The whole town eventually got dug out and life got back to normal. We moved from Terrace to Cassiar which was a much smaller place and routinely got about twenty feet of snow every winter.

Return of the lone tree post

Monday again

Took a drive on Saturday and ended up in Medicine Hat and met a friend for dinner. This is about five hours from where I live. I grabbed a place to stay and came back yesterday.

The return trip took longer. I took a different route and I hit a few snowstorms and freezing rain. Winter in Alberta.

I usually have my iPhone and iPad with me. For some reason when I see comments posted I cannot respond with either, I have to wait until I can use my laptop.

Back to the grind.

Tried a fence line

Snow covered field with a barbed wire fence near Vulcan, Alberta. Tried a minimal look. 

Waiting for warmer times

Hope everyone has been keeping warm. This last week was cold. I work in a small office and on Friday one of the furnaces stopped working. It did not get fixed until four in the afternoon. I had my winter coat on all day as one furnace struggled to produce sufficient heat. In a week of temperatures that had dropped as low as -45C that was the worst thing to have happen to me. Here in Canada if it gets ridiculously cold you still go to work.

I am glad this cold snap is breaking. Everyone I know made it through with no serious issues. Temperatures above zero in a week.

With being cooped up due to the cold weather I reluctantly did some course work, updated my tax file (waiting for some forms from my bank before I can file), organized some financial stuff and made some preliminary plans for eventual condo renovations and maintenance. Being responsible is definitely less fun.

Southern Saskatchewan, July 2023

Well the last few days were no fun. Last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday temperatures dropped to around -40C or less overnight. Saturday there was an emergency alert broadcast to conserve power to prevent rolling blackouts from happening.

I left work on Friday, drove to the grocery store, then from the grocery store to the liquor store, got out of the liquor store and the car would not start. There was plenty of battery power, it would just not catch. I went back into the liquor store and waited for five minutes, it was too damn cold to wait outside. I tried the car again and it started with no problems. I got home and decided I was not going anywhere on the weekend. The car could sit in my heated parking spot for the weekend.

When it is this cold the plan is to stay home, make sure the heat is on, check my emergency stuff, have a few beers, make chili. A few bowls of chili will keep you warm. Everyone I know made it through the cold snap with no problems.

It is significantly warming up the next few days. I keep a summer photo or two in reserve for winter days like this. I love Canola fields.

Not much happening

Too damn cold here to go out and do anything. It will be warmer next week. Temperatures that are below -30C are are good reason to stay home.

Wherever any of you are I hope you are keeping warm.

The first Cpt Mo post of 2024

Snow today

Leduc County, not all that far from where I work. It it worse than it looks. Snow is falling heavily and we may get about four inches when it is done. Visibility is limited. The temperatures are forecast to plunge to -30C the next few days. The first true winter weather we have had.

Abandoned

A long abandoned gas station in Landa, North Dakoka.

Imagine pulling up in your 1949 Ford convertible on a Friday night.

"Fill 'er up!" Then off to the drive-in theatre. Good times.

- Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Foggy day perspectives

Leduc County, Alberta January 6, 2024.

A bit of snow arrived in my part of Alberta

 

Critter post

Jasper, Alberta.

Zoomed in for a closer look.

Leftover from last month

I was in Jasper National Park on Saturday. This is along Maligne Lake Road.

Start the New Year off with some colour

Leduc County July 2023.