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.

Fence line

I seem to have solved the issue of not being able to upload photos. I have no clue how this got fixed. If I managed to fix it I am at a loss as to what I did.

Years ago a reader commented that they wanted to see a fence line in a photo. For some reason this stuck with me and I am always looking for an interesting fence line. What looks good in person does not always translate to a photo. Anyway it was taken a few days ago.

In honour of Canada Day