The Fields of Saskatchewan

One of the things I love the most about Saskatchewan is the beauty of all the different fields of crops. We saw so many more than the pictures below but I forgot to take my camera a few times and other times we were on the Trans Canada and hubby just wasn’t willing to stop so that I could take pictures 🙂

Peas

Wheat

Canola

But grains aren’t the only things grown on the land in Saskatchewan. We had a good time visiting with the farm animals as well.

Duke and Maisy are fainting goats. When a fainting goat feels panic their muscles freeze for roughly three seconds, which generally results in the goat collapsing on its side. I guess we are not scary people because we never saw Duke and Maisy faint.

Duke

Maisy

We arrived on the farm just as a load of sheep went off to the processing plant.  I’m glad I didn’t make friends with them, it would have been hard to see them go.  The sheep left behind were pretty cute and quickly made their way to the fence for a visit.

Baba was cute and friendly. He is in a separate pen with Neil to keep Neil company.

Neil is the only male sheep and he has to be kept separate from the females until the time is right … I’m sure you know what I mean 🙂   Neil was very friendly and wouldn’t stand far enough away from me while I was in his pen so I had to wait until I was outside to get his picture. All the sheep thought my clothing was very tasty and I had a hard time stopping them from chewing on it!

And of course every farm needs horses. Trigger and Milan were also very friendly.

Until next time …

To The Farm Holly!

If you have ever visited a farm in Saskatchewan you will know there are no road signs along the way, so when we left Saskatoon yesterday morning I put the GPS coordinates of hubby’s cousins farm into Holly, our GPS, and we set off. Things went well until we got close to the farm and Holly told us to turn onto a gravel range road. We were pretty sure we were turning to soon but we decided to follow Holly’s directions. All was well as we drove our first nine kilometers but then she wanted us to turn into someone’s driveway. Uh oh we thought, this isn’t good! Hubby continued on the road, ignoring Holly’s telling us to turn onto goat trails … doesn’t she know we are towing a 35 foot fifth wheel? Of course she should know since she is programmed with all that information but she sure wasn’t taking it into account. Eventually we could see a landmark in the distance, a church that we both recognized, so we knew we were finally going the right way. Or were we?

When Holly told us to turn right at the next cross road, we looked at each other and thought, okay that could be right, so we made the turn. The road was decent for the first kilometer and then it started to get narrow, and then a little narrower, and eventually we were on a grass trail!

At least it was a pretty drive!

The only upside to the grass trail was it was much smoother than the gravel roads. As we carried on the fields of grain grew much taller but eventually the road widened and we could see the farm in the distance. Fortunately we arrived safe and sound and all was well inside Maxx, but I can honestly say this was a trip for the record book. I just kept thinking some poor farmer was probably out there working on his field and looked up to see the top of Maxx driving through his crop 🙂

Until next time …

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

We arrived in Saskatoon around noon and settled in at the city RV Park, Gordon Howe Campground. We had heard it was a nice campground and we certainly were not disappointed. Every site is large and surrounded by shrubs so you have complete privacy. Our site backed onto the golf course so we were able to enjoy an afternoon in the sun with a few drinks watching the golfers … and the best part is the very, very high netting that borders the golf course and the RV park, there was no way a ball was going to hit us!The only strange thing about this campground is the lack of sewer hook-up at each site. We paid $40.00 a night for power and water but will have to dump our tanks on our way out of the park. There are people who stay here monthly so we were wondering if they have to pull out every week or so to dump their tanks but we found out, by the noise and smell, that the city brings around a pumper truck to empty long term visitor’s tanks.

Our early afternoon was spent, aside from watching the golfers, getting a few chores and some long overdue baking done. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening touring around Saskatoon.

We enjoyed a nice walk along the South Saskatchewan River

We thought about taking a ride on the Riverboat Cruise but it was fully booked.

Saskatoon is the largest city in Saskatchewan and straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River. I also found out that the city was named after the Saskatoon berry, which is native to the region. I always wondered if that was the case when I was picking Saskatoon berries on our property in the Caribou region of British Columbia when I was a child. I haven’t seen a Saskatoon berry in Saskatchewan but if they are anything like the ones in the Caribou then they must be pretty awesome!

Until next time …

Lloydminster, Saskatchewan and Lloydminster, Alberta

The drive was pretty with the canola fields coming into bloom.

We had a quiet night in the Home Depot parking lot in Lloydminster, Alberta. Lloydminster is unusual because it straddles both Alberta and Saskatchewan. Unlike most cities that fall in this category Lloydminster is not a pair of twin cities on opposite sides of a border sharing the same name, it is actually incorporated by both provinces as a single city with a single municipal administration. In 1905 when the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created, the Fourth Meridian was selected as the border. This meridian bisected the town of Lloydminster and caught the residents by surprise. The residents petitioned to have the new border revised so that the entire town was in Saskatchewan but they were unsuccessful.

For the next twenty-five years the town remained as two towns with two separate municipal administrations. Finally, in 1930 the provincial governments agreed to amalgamate the towns into a single town under shared jurisdiction.

The majority of Lloydminster’s population used to live on the Saskatchewan side of the city but that ratio has since reversed. In the 2011 Canadian Census, nearly two-thirds of the city’s population lived on the Alberta side. In 2000 the city hall and municipal offices were relocated to the Alberta side of the city. While the city acts as one city the postal codes on the Saskatchewan side start with an S along with the rest of Saskatchewan’s postal codes, and the postal codes on the Alberta side start with a T in line with the rest of Alberta’s postal codes.

In municipal population the two sides of the city rank 12^th in the province of Alberta and 10^th in the province of Saskatchewan. If the city were entirely in one province, Lloydminster would rank 9^th in Alberta and 5^th in Saskatchewan.

Another interesting fact … most of Saskatchewan does not observe daylight saving time, remaining on Central Standard Time year round. Alberta mandates daylight saving time so Lloydminster’s charter allows the city to follow Alberta’s use of daylight saving time on both sides of the provincial border in order to keep the entire city on the same time.

And the best part about Lloydminster? Right behind where we are parked in the Home Depot parking lot is a Starbucks 🙂 I can go a long time without a Starbucks and it doesn’t bother me … until there isn’t one around and then I really crave a latte! So I must sign off this blog and head over to Starbucks as hubby is waiting to get on the road.

Until next time …

Goodbye Saskatchewan

After a very busy week we bid farewell to Saskatchewan. We attended two anniversary parties, the 100^th Anniversary of Sacred Heart Church, a rodeo complete with an awesome sunset, and countless meals with relatives. We were very spoiled and had a wonderful time catching up with hubby’s family.

As we head toward Edmonton, Alberta our fridge is full of fresh vegetables from the farm and our hearts are full of love … not a bad way to end our visit in Saskatchewan.

We also set a new record while we were there … we had fourteen people in Maxx for happy hour on Saturday before our last anniversary party! Unfortunately there was only seating for eleven so our three younger guests had to stand and visit but other than that it worked out well 🙂

We are now settled in at Home Depot in Lloydminister, Alberta for the night. Our next few days will be spent in Edmonton visiting with our two sons and their wives.

Until next time …

Hubby’s Gone Back To Work!

Well it’s not a permanent job but it is definitely work! Yesterday hubby went out to the fields to help his cousin move grain. Although I’m sure it was hard work, I know he enjoyed it:-)

I also had a very enjoyable day with hubby’s cousin’s wife. After she worked in her garden and I worked on yesterday’s blog and the pictures I had taken so far, we headed out to the field with the grain cart to drop it off to the guys. Okay, I got the easy part of the morning!

The skies in Saskatchewan are thick with smoke from fires burning north of the farm.

The skies in Saskatchewan are thick with smoke from fires burning north of the farm.[/caption]

Arriving at the field.

Last year I was able to take my first trip in a semi and this year I took my first trip in a large tractor towing a grain cart, I wonder what next year holds for me?

After dropping off the grain cart we headed back to the farm to pick up another vehicle, and as I’m told there are no idle hands on a farm, so I was put to work driving yet another vehicle out to the field. When we arrived at the field I was able to see the grain cart we had hauled out in operation.

 

There is so much more to this operation and it was explained to me but I just don’t have the knowledge or memory to share it with you!

After we had moved vehicles around we again headed back to the farm, this time to make lunch and once the guys had gone back to the field we headed out on a few errands. It wasn’t all work though; hubby’s cousin’s wife took me to see a Ukrainian Catholic Church near West Bend, Saskatchewan that was built in 1933.

Like Sacred Heart Church, this church no longer holds a weekly mass.

After our visit to the church we drove to the Kelliher Cemetery to visit a few more of hubby’s relatives who have passed on.

The rest of my afternoon was spent working on more pictures that I had taken through the day and once hubby returned from the fields we had a nice dinner with his cousin and wife and an early night to bed.

Today hubby is back at work in the fields and I’m catching up on emails and stuff before heading into town with hubby’s cousin’s wife. I am really enjoying my time here on the farm and reconnecting with hubby’s relatives, both current and past.

Until next time …

Happy 100th Birthday Sacred Heart Church :-)

We have been very busy since arriving on the farm near Kelliher, Saskatchewan. We arrived on Saturday and attended a 40^th wedding anniversary party for hubby’s cousin and his wife who now live in Palm Springs, California. We were glad that we arrived in time to attend this party as we have had lots of fun visiting this couple several times while we were south last winter. The party also gave us a chance to catch up with many relatives that we haven’t seen since our last visit to this area twenty years ago.

Yesterday we attended the 100^th birthday celebration of Sacred Heart Church where hubby’s mom attended church until she moved away from the farm. Hubby’s maternal grandparents, and many of his aunts and uncles, are buried in the attached cemetery.

The White Eagle Sacred Heart Parish is a now a Municipal Heritage Property located approximately 17.5 kilometres north of the Village of Kelliher, Saskatchewan. The current church, rebuilt in 1960, is on 1.2 hectares of grounds, which also includes the cemetery.

Polish immigrants, including hubby’s grandparents, settled in this area in the early-twentieth century and constructed the original church in 1915. Although the church took several years to complete, a cemetery was established on the grounds in 1916, making the property the religious and social centre for many Polish families in the area.

This building once housed the community centre.

By 1960, the original Sacred Heart Church had deteriorated and the needs of the congregation outgrew the building. Once again, the congregation worked together to construct the current church and the old one was removed. A shortage of priests eventually stopped weekly masses at Sacred Heart Church sometime in the 70’s and parishioners began attending mass in either Kelliher or Foam Lake, Saskatchewan depending where their farms lay.

We enjoyed the 100^th birthday celebration with mass followed by dinner and had even more opportunity to catch up with long lost relatives 🙂

Until next time …

Fort Qu’Appelle

Throughout our trip we have driven through many constructions zones were they are repaving the Trans Canada Highway. In both BC and Alberta a speeding ticket in a construction zone will cost you double but in Saskatchewan it will cost you triple! Good thing I’m always advising hubby of the speed limits during our journeys, although I’m not sure he thinks that’s a good thing 🙂

After a three-hour drive we arrived in Fort Qu’Appelle situated along Echo Lake. We stopped at the visitor info booth to ask about campgrounds and were told there was a city run campground on Echo Lake right in town and a Provincial campground 12K out of town on Echo and Pasqua Lake. We decided to try the city one first because we could ride our bikes around town but it turned out all the sites were either filled or reserved, even though the regulations clearly state they do not take reservations. So off we went to the Provincial Park and it turns out that was the better decision because it is a much nicer campground.

Honestly when we saw how full the city campground was we were not holding much hope for the Provincial Park, especially because today is the last day of school for the year and next week Canada Day falls in the middle … that would normally totally fill up any BC Provincial Park! Maybe we were lucky because Saskatchewan Provincial Parks don’t take reservations and we arrived around 1:00 p.m. before people get off work, but we were able to get a nice site and we have power. After tonight we are headed out to hubby’s cousin’s farm for a few nights so we thought it would be good to stay in a campground so that we could empty our tanks and fill up with water. The site we have is right across from a water tap so that will be easy to take care of tomorrow and the sani dump station is right at the exit so we can also take care of that tomorrow …. and unlike BC, Saskatchewan doesn’t charge you $5.00 to dump your tanks, but I won’t go on about that again:-) And they also give you free firewood, all for the low price of $27.00 per night, although we did have to buy a $7.00 24 hour park pass. If you are spending more time in the parks in Saskatchewan you can buy a three day pass for $17.00, a weekly pass for $25.00 and an annual pass for $50.00.

We were just able to get set-up before the skies opened up and we were treated to heavy rain, thunder, and lightening but it didn’t last long.

Tomorrow we are off to Kelliher, Saskatchewan for a 40^th wedding anniversary on Saturday evening and the rededication of White Eagle Church on Sunday. We will then meander around until the following Saturday when we are attending a 25^th wedding anniversary in Foam Lake, Saskatchewan.

I will leave you with this picture I took yesterday of rain off in the distance. I thought it was really cool because it looked like a waterfall of rain coming out of the clouds.

Until next time …

No New Roads Today

I was thinking that once we ventured east from Calgary, Alberta today we would be taking roads we had never travelled before, but sadly that is not the case. Almost twenty years ago to this date we travelled out to Foam Lake, Saskatchewan with our three children to attend a family reunion and we took the same route we travelled today.

Once you hit the BC/Alberta border the Trans Canada Highway flattens out and becomes a four-lane divided highway with lush green fields as far as your eyes can see.

I love driving through BC because of the spectacular mountain ranges capped with snow and surrounded with thick green forest but it is much easier to drive through the prairie roads in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Since the roads were good, traffic was light, and the weather was great we decided to do a very long, for us, driving day … nine hours with several stops along the way before we arrived in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Our plan had been to spend tonight at Camp Wal-Mart in Brooks, Alberta and then tomorrow at Camp Wal-Mart in Swift Current but pushing through will allow us to spend a night in Fort Qu’Appelle which we would both like to do. We did pass on Camp Wal-Mart and set up at the local casino instead as it was a much nicer parking lot.

Bonus of the day … we went from paying $1.22L ($3.87G USD) for diesel in Golden, B.C. to $.979L ($3.08G USD) in Strathmore, AlbertaJ

Until next time …