August ~ to the prairies and back

The Canadian prairies keep calling us back...

though it had been seven years since we were last there.

  

The beauty of the sunflowers.  

The golden fields of grain…and that big blue sky. 

But more than all that...

it's the people that we have missed.  

My sister lives in southern Manitoba.  

It has been several years since they relocated to Killarney…

to a new farm, a new house and a new neighbourhood. 

We had an invitation to join the rest of the family there two years ago for my Kathy's milestone birthday…

but decided we would keep my dad company at home and go there the next summer.  

As we all know…there was no traveling happening 'the next summer' (2020). 

So we were thankful that we could make the trek out with the motorhome this at long last.  

We were also thankful to have GPS lead us to their doorstep…

since following directions on unmarked gravel roads can be a challenge! 

Molly showed up on the front doorstep to greet us…

just as she did seven years ago on our last visit. 

That was on another front porch…

in a different town in Manitoba. 

She was also quite willing to be the tour guide as we explored the farm on an ATV. 

We checked on beef cattle scattered across the fields…

In gullies and on the bluffs.  

The USA border can be seen from their back yard. 

There are fences to keep their cattle in Canada...

but they have been known to cross over without permission. 

Getting them back home was not an easy matter.

We spent a few delightful few days with Kathy and Jim.  

It was also nice to see all the nieces and nephews and their growing families while we were there as well.  

And then…on to Steinbach where we met up with good friends. 

I got to know Char and Betty through our involvement with MGCC. 

How special to meet up again...and carry on where we left off last time! 

From there we moved to my cousin’s farm just south of Winnipeg.

Another warm Manitoba welcome!

How nice to visit with Uncle Dave and Aunt Justina and all the Manitoba cousins. 

We had a fabulous dinner, toured their farm and garden, enjoyed a pottery demonstration in their shop, and parked our RV on their yard overnight. 

Friendly Manitoba?  We can vouch for it. 

We left with many good memories.

In Saskatchewan we made a little detour to Saskatoon to visit my elderly aunt that we hadn’t seen in years.  

And in southern Alberta we had lunch with another uncle and aunt as we passed through.  

And there were others...

cousins and nephews that we looked up along the way.

It was so good to meet face to face with so many.  

Who knows when we will meet again?  

Our trip home was a smoky one…

with smoke from the BC wildfires blanketing much of the prairie.

However, by the time we reached southern Alberta it was raining heavily.  

We had plans to visit Waterton Park on the way home...

...but decided to avoid the rain and spend a few nights in the BC Rockies instead. 

We visited Fairmont Hotsprings...

where we  hiked up to the original outdoor pools and bathhouse. 

Really quite lovely!

We soaked in the public pools and camped not far away.

We spent a few days in Kimberley...where we had never been before. 

Once home to the world's largest lead-zinc mine (the Sullivan Mine)...

it is now mainly a tourist and ski resort.  

We took in the farmer's market, strolled the brick pedestrian plaza, ate at cute eateries, cycled the rail trail...

...and hiked the Marysville Falls trail.

The deer have the run of the town! 

Two weeks on the road and 5500 kms later...it was time to head for home. 

As we got closer...the smoke got thicker.  

The rain we had in the prairies had not fallen here.  

Now as the month ends, we have finally had some rain...

though the fire situation is still dire. 

These two will be back in school shortly...

so we went golfing together last week.

Our kind of golfing...

on a putting course.

Lucy may never have golfed before...

but she is a pro.

Maggie always aims for the highest score...

which doesn't work out quite so well when one is golfing.

Though she seemed quite content to be on top!

We celebrated our 50th anniversary with our family on July 31st...

and had moved on.

But our friends threw a surprise party...

and we celebrated some more!

How nice to be able to get together again...

to mark the milestones...

to eat together...

to share our joys. 

These are the special times. 

That was August 2021...

and autumn is just around the corner.

Thanks for stopping by...

and have a lovely September!