Paying a visit to honour my paternal grandparents and my Uncle Paul in Saskatchewan in late October.
It’s important to remember where you come from. . . It keeps you grounded and connected.
The days of a family on every quarter-section of farmland are long gone.
The church is closed, and emptied, in case of vandalism.
But the graves remain. There is a cemetary fund, and a cousin keeps the grounds groomed.
There has never been much First Nations recognition to my knowledge in Saskatchewan “pioneering” and farming communities.
There were vastly differing worldviews.
Nomadic lifestyles vs a “new nation” seeking “hard-working immigrants” to “break the land.”
I honour and respect my ancestors for the huge leap they made from the “old country” to Canada, to work so hard to make new lives, and to give future generations like mine a much better future.
This was my chariot for a recent visit to Saskatchewan and Manitoba to see relatives and friends. A Jeep Wrangler Sahara.
I flew into Saskatoon, and had a car booked at the airport. When I got to the rental desk, the gal behind the counter asked if I’d like a Jeep for the same rate.
Having heard there was snow in the works for western Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan, I said “sure!”
I’d never driven a Jeep before, but it proved to be a trusty ride on snow and ice. Stiff and bouncy on the highway, but what the heck. . .
We took a ramble round the Historic Stewart Farm in Surrey, BC, enjoying the bees working on the beautiful blossoms, and Steller’s Jays working on acorns.
We took the Skytrain and Seabus to North Vancouver today, and wandered west along the shore, and then back east along the shore. Then back on the Seabus to the south side to ramble around Canada Place before heading home.
I took an overnight solo camping trip up the Sea to Sky highway the other day. Photographed a bunch of wildlife.
Sea Lions at Porteau Cove. They’ve hanging out there for weeks if not months. . .
Barn Swallow at Porteau Cove. There were several young looking ones appearing to test the breeze.
Brown-headed Cowbird at Porteau Cove.
Red-breasted Sapsucker at Alice Lake Provincial Park
Douglas Squirrel at Alice Lake
Raven at Alice Lake. It seemed to follow me about halfway around the lake before heading off. . .
I’m thinking Audubon’s Warbler. . . There was a bunch of them flitting about at Alice Lake Provincial Park near Squamish, BC. I took over a hundred shots over the course of an hour to get a few decent ones. . .
I was in Comox on Vancouver Island for work, and I got up early for a walk. I’d been to the river and estuary before as part of my volunteer streamkeeper learning experiences many years ago, and it was great to see it again.
Nice to see the First Nations recognition, and panels on the ongoing habitat restoration efforts.
This Anna’s Hummingbird greeted me as I left the hotel property and stepped onto the river trail.
Common Mergansers
Lake LA-4 plane. The “pusher” configuration caught my eye. . . Online search shows it was manufactured in 1965.
