Elevator Friday - Kinuso, Alberta

Thank you Dale Redekopp.

Abandoned Alberta

Near Torrington, Alberta

I owe an update

I am still getting about on crutches. I do not think I have used the walker for about two months.

Some of the pain in my left leg - the one with the most metal - has faded with time. There is still pain, it is not as severe as it was. When I looked at my feet my first week in the hospital both were red, blue, and purple from my toes to a bit above the ankle. They were heavily bruised. I was amazed there were no bones broken in my feet. After all this time I am getting more sensation in my feet. There are still some numb spots but it is getting better.

I had an evaluation in physiotherapy today. After some measurements it shows I have gained a bit of range of motion with my knees and hips. That was a bit of a surprise as I thought I hit the wall in that regard. A therapist had told me that I am doing too much at times. Most of the time I feel like I am hardly doing anything. It does not take much to tire me out. I am incrementally getting better and I want to be back doing some hiking in May of next year. I think that is an attainable goal.

The time has come for the much anticipated bale post

Canola Leduc County, Alberta

Abandoned Barn

Big hay loft in this attractive old barn near Galahad, Alberta.  

Big hay loft means lots of room to store hay for feeding cattle in wintertime...and also a great place for mama cats to have their kittens. 

Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Abandoned Alberta

Near Elnora, Alberta.

Elevator Friday - Hubbard, Saskatchewan

Thank you Dale Redekopp.

Spotted in Jasper, Alberta

I took a day trip to Jasper yesterday because I wanted to get out and enjoy summer. Weather was perfect. It was sad to see all the damage Jasper suffered from the wildfire last year. It remains one of my favourite places.

I missed this . . .

Anyone who has a passing interest in this blog knows I spent a good chunk of last year in the hospital. I missed the spring and summer. I was released in the fall and got to see nature start to surrender to winter. Not that I minded. I got to live another day.

This year I am appreciating ever more the greenery and the colours of summer. It was almost taken from me last year, I came too damn close to dying. I am trying to squeeze in what I can now, maybe I am trying to do too much before I am able. 

In the last few days fields of yellow have started to make their presence known. I missed this most of all in the summer months last year.

Canada Day

Weather will be wonderful and I will be celebrating with beer.

Life is good.

Bales near Mount Brown

This past fall near Whitlash, Montana.  

Beyond the fresh new bales is Mount Brown which rises to just a touch under seven thousand feet above sea level.

Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Elevator Friday - Holdfast,Saskatchewan

Thank you to Dale Redekopp.

Chainsaw carving

Spotted at the Righand Distillery outside Leduc, Alberta.

Liberal School 1906

About a mile from Liberal Church which is a bit southeast of Mirror, Alberta. Now it is an occasional community hall. Nothing but farms in the area.

So I bought this . . .

 2019 Can Am 600cc Ryker. It is in fantastic condition.

When I was in the hospital last year I dreamed of road trips and riding my motorcycles again. About two weeks ago I went to visit my friend on his acreage where he has my bikes stored. I sat on my bike with my feet planted on the ground and really wanted to believe I could ride one of them this year. I had to tell myself that likely was not going to happen.

I still get around on crutches. I cannot take any unassisted steps yet. I am now using the leg press in physiotherapy and I believe the legs are getting stronger. I do not think the legs will be strong enough to be on two wheels this summer. Or possibly next summer. Three wheels are pretty damn stable though and easier than two wheels.

This is incentive for me. I am working towards riding this in August. In the meantime I need to work on some flexibility and being able to swing my damaged leg over the seat. A person needs goals. 

Liberal Church 1906

I prefer my churches on the conservative side.

This southeast of Mirror, Alberta. This is a country church that is no longer in regular use and it is well looked after. Walking around church grounds on crutches and trying to take photos is awkward. I was here a couple of weekends ago. The only other time I was here was a few years ago in winter and the access was blocked by snowdrifts.

Elevator Friday - Hepburn, Saskatchewan

Thank you Dale Redekopp.

Spotted outside Leduc, Alberta

52.6989442, -112.8586680

This is the old Dorenlee, Alberta train station sitting abandoned in a farmer’s field. It was moved from where it stood a few miles east. Whatever there once was in Dorenlee there is little evidence of anything now. At one time there was a general store with a gas pump, two Serle grain elevators, and the train station.

Elevator Friday - Glaslyn, Saskatchewan

Thank you Dale Redekopp.

 

The old Chev post

A thank you to Dale Redekopp who visited me in the hospital, helped me when I got out of the hospital, and took me on a day trip last Sunday to distract me while I am recovering. He is one of many who helped me when I needed it. I must mention his wife Lynn who rescued me from hospital food with baked goods.

It was good to get out. There was some distance travelled and some spots photographed. All in all a good day.

And because I like black and white . . .

It has been ages since I featured Captain Mo

 

The fall guy

I made it over fifteen months without falling. With everything I have been through I was impressed that all the way through my recovery I had not fallen once.

Last night I was at a restaurant. It opened at five and I got there with a friend just before it opened. I got halfway to my table. Wet floor that I did not know about, it was mopped just before opening and no sign. The bottom of my left crutch hit a soapy spot, the crutches immediately went out from under me. I slammed the floor like a ton of bricks. A waiter and customer awkwardly helped me up. I seem to be okay, just a bit of pain.

The food was damn good. 

Elevator Friday - Thorhild, Alberta

Thank you Dale Redekopp.

Fun with cars

Yesterday I had a friend help me out with picking up the car. He picked me up, drove me to the bank to get a bank draft. Off to the dealership to sign the paperwork and hand over the money. I decided I wanted something added to the car so off to the registry to register the car.

I kept my plate from my prior car that was involved in the crash and I would transfer it to the new one. I planned to use a registry just out of town as they are usually not busy. I got there only to find it closed for the day. I found out later it was closed because a bat was in the office and the office was closed until someone could be found to remove it.

Back to my town, used the registry there which was busy. Standing for long periods of time on crutches is not fun. Later in the day I got back to the dealership to pick up the car. Of course you cannot just drive off. The sales guy has to show you how everything works and then get you to sign more paperwork saying he showed you everything and explained everything. Then you get to drive off. I said if I could not figure out some stuff I would be back. 

Out for a two hour drive last night to get comfortable with it. For a base model it has a backup camera and a tilt and telescoping steering wheel. It is the first time I had either of those in a car. I ran into a bit of rain and looked for the wiper controls. Those look like the most complicated wiper controls I have ever seen. I might need a tutorial on those. I have no idea on how to listen to music on my iPod. All in good time. It does what I want it to - get me from A to B - and is a nice enough ride. 

I woke up this morning in a lot of pain and I had to take something for it. Bending my body to get in and out of a car and sitting in a car seat will take some work. I am still a ways off from getting my flexibility back and twisting my body to move around is not fun. It will get better with time. 

The car arrived earlier than expected

New car. 2025 Mazda CX-30.

Elevator Friday - On a farm northeast of Edmonton

Thank you to Dale Redekopp.

53.13444, -114.47722

I managed to get out last Friday and do a bit of actual exploring thanks to Dale Redekopp. It felt good. I did not take enough photos for this post as I am out of practice. I was on crutches walking through this cemetery and was paying too much attention to my walking and not enough on material.

About one thousand Black American settlers from Oklahoma, from about 1908 to about 1912, came to Alberta. Amber Valley is the most well known settlement in Alberta. Some settled in Keystone, now Breton, Alberta. It did not last long. After WWI many moved to other places and other opportunities. This area would have been very isolated back then.

This cemetery is a short distance off the highway beside a township road. I have literally driven by this on the highway dozens of times without ever seeing it before. There are only three marked graves, two of them from the 1980's. The plaque lists the original settlers.

"In memory of Molly

Beloved wife of

W. M. Hayes

Born 1865

Died May 24, 1928"

She is listed on the plaque. This is the only settler marked grave with a headstone.

The grave below has no headstone. The small rectangular stone on top has the initials M H on one side. I suspect the stone might belong to the Mollie Hayes grave. There are no other names on the plaque that would have these initials. You can see the outline of several graves in this small cemetery. Their markers are lost to time.

Elevator Friday - Poe, Alberta

Thank you Dale Redekopp.

Random late night notes

Another few days of pain. Things are better today. Last Sunday whenever I stood, or did some walking on crutches, I felt knives of pain radiating up my legs from the bottom of my feet to my thighs. Monday and Tuesday the pain progressively got better. Today I was almost feeling normal. I have no idea what triggered this. I thank whoever invented painkillers.

A friend texted me a day ago asking if I am able to go on a motorcycle ride. Months ago I thought I would be able to hop on the bike in May of this year. Wishful thinking. I am convinced I will be back on the motorcycle, it will just take longer. 

Elevator Friday - Shonts, Alberta

Thank you to Dale Redekopp.