Greetings from Moose Jaw

Wednesday 20 July 2011

When last I posted I was in Winnipeg but decided to leave the Winnipeg report until my next post.  So I'll start with that.

I'm from Winnipeg and many of my relatives still reside there.  As a consequence, Winnipeg was all about family.  I stayed with my cousin Marilyn and her husband Earl.  They were very kind and generous to Sugar and me; Earl was especially kind to Sugs vis-a-vis treats.  Though they do not have dogs, they still had dog treats in their cupboards.  When I arrived, I boldly stated that Sugar was a very good dog and has never done any damage and that I could confidently leave her alone.  The first night we went out leaving Sugar in their home, she mangled a sheepskin rug that their daughter Kim had brought from Scotland.  When I went into the living room there were bits of sheepskin fur all over the place.  She even tore the skin part.  Obviously I was embarrassed and am now on the hunt for another sheepskin.  I guess I can now confidently assert that Sugar won't do any damage unless there is a sheepskin rug in which case all bets are off.   So even though Sugar was a bad dog, they still liked her and gave her treats and took her for walks.
Marilyn still liking Sugar

Sugar getting some ear action from Earl
Marilyn and Earl have a cottage on Lake Manitoba and Earl spent a good deal of the time I was there at the cottage to ensure it didn't flood (or at least that's what he said).  When I left, there was a 10 foot high dike very near the front of their cottage which is a good way from where the shoreline normally is.  He was showing me pictures and it is really something to see how high the water still is.  I'm glad my little cabin is safe from the ravages of Shingle Lake.  I took some pics on the way to Saskatchewan along some of the rivers.
The hugely over its banks Assiniboine

Marilyn and Earl have two daughters who get along really well.  I don't get it myself but there you have it.  Krista, the younger of the two, had Marilyn and I over for supper one night with Kim and her husband Ronald.  Kris's husband Roger showed up after work and it was very nice to see that both of them married really nice guys.  Roger took me for a ride in his new Charger and I was thinking I might get one until I realized I couldn't see out of the back window.  That night, Kim joined me on a long walk with Sugar and it was kind of nice to touch base with her now that we are both adults.  I'm only about 6 or 7 years older than Kim but she was always a kid when I lived in or visited Winnipeg.

I spent some time with my brother Jim too.  Jim is the eldest in our family.  He had a stroke several years ago which affected his speech but we find that we communicate well over movies.  We went and saw Midnights in Paris which Jim had seen before but enjoyed enough to see a second time.  I think it's the best thing Woody Allen has done in a long time.  We also drove down to The Forks for lunch where Suggie sucked up to Jim to get some of his lunch.
Sugar looking like a good dog so Jim will give her some of his lunch
I went on a bit of a nostalgia tour with Jim to all of the old houses he and/or he and I lived in.  On my own I went to the house that my mom and step-father built in Charleswood.  This was the last house I lived in in Winnipeg.
The old shack.  The trees have really grown in 35 or so years
While it was nice being in Winnipeg and seeing people it was also a really sad visit.  My cousin Gayle's husband David died of cancer while I was there.  David was one of those really sweet and gentle men who didn't say a lot but spoke when there was something worth saying.  I am very sad for Gayle and their two kids Sheena and Michael and for my Auntie Dorothy (Gayle's mom) who loved David a whole lot.  He will be very much missed. 

I had to leave Winnipeg at some point and so I did.  I was picking up Sue (not my Sue) in Calgary on Friday morning so I headed west on the Wednesday.  I stopped over night just outside of Swift Current at a park called Saskatchewan Landing.  I have to say that Saskatchewan in very beautiful and all you naysayers have likely never been here. 





 

Saskatchewan Landing is on Lake Diefenbaker and it is gorgeous.  I just missed the sunset but I did wake (at 4 ish) for the sunrise. 
Moon going over the hills




The bridge over Lake Diefenbaker

So as you can see the landscape of Saskatchewan is not all flat and wheat-covered.  Nope, lots of it is flat and canola-covered.

The beauty in a prairie landscape isn't always obvious.  The sky is as much a part of the landscape as the land is (not literally of course).  There are such a variety of colours and textures on the land that I found it really breathtaking.  Even though I am a proud Manitoban, I have to give the hand to Saskatchewan for being more lovely.

After my night at Saskatchewan Landing I booted over to Calgary because I had to pick Sue up at about 9:00 in the morning.  I found a hotel near the airport, did not explore Calgary, and had my supper at the hotel.  So nothing to report on Cowtown.  I shall end this here and the next one will contain my adventures with Sue.

3 comments:

Ami Harbin said...

sask is really gorgeous. sugar's capacities to misbehave and still win over confirmed again.

T said...

Can't wait to see the photos from Grasslands park!

(I've gotten over my fear of having a google account, but have tried to post twice and failed. Must be more of a techno peasant than I thought I was.) Clearly, I succeeded finally, though.

dsec said...

Yo, Jan. Where are you now? Thinking I may have missed you when you and Sugar arrived in Alberta. Terrific photos!

Post a Comment