From Calgary Alberta

OK, here we are again, up and moving again, to the next step in this quest for rest. At this moment we are sitting at the Saskatoon airport, having followed all the rules for early arrival we find ourselves sitting in Tim Hortons or at least something that has a sign on it saying it is, but could not even be considered a reasonable facsimile thereof, although they do have muffins in a Tim Horton’s bag and something like coffee in a Tim Horton’s cup so it might just be. Anyway, we were two hours and ten minutes early for our flight and here we sit with two hours to spare before we can board our plane. That may sound like I might be complaining but I’m really not, as it does provide me with the time I need to touch base with you. I do hope with the two hours here and the two hour layover in Calgary that I will have enough time to get this published and out there for your reading pleasure, LOL. OH, by the way we are headed to Hamilton, Ontario where we hope to be of some help to the WEC staff there as they ready the place for our Annual National Conference, starting June 16^th. We will also be there when our newest Granddaughter makes her grand entrance into our family and into this world.

Now, let’s get back to what has happened since our last post on April 20^th. We spent one week camping at Campland RV Resort, just north of the City, from where we spent many wonderful hours with all our family and some of our friends here in Saskatoon. From there we traveled north to Turtleford, where we abandoned our camper for the next 6 weeks or so. After visiting some awesome family there and lending a hand stopping a fire from take it’s revenge on the neighborhood, we headed up to Meadow Lake, where we spent some wonderful time with more of our family and yet more of our good friends up there. This morning at 8:20 AM we left Meadow Lake and headed towards where we are now, making a quick stop in North Battleford at A&W, where we met with a very dear and long-time friend, a friend from my very early childhood and whom I haven’t seen for nearly 2 decades. We only had about an hour for quick flashbacks but it was awesome to run through those memories. When we reached Saskatoon our son Skip met us, dropped us of at the airport and disappeared with our truck and here we are.

This blog is almost finished and we are still in Saskatoon so once Gail has had her go at the spelling and whatnot, I’ll post some pics and get it out to you. So, about an hour and a half later, we are sitting at A&W in the Calgary Airport, which by the way serves product similar to most other A&Ws, yeah.  I’ll let Gail do her thing then get this off to you.

Some of you have said that you have not received all the blogs so try scrolling down past this page and the pics that follow you will come to the last previous blog. Keep repeating this process and you should come to each of the twenty blogs. If that doesn’t happen please leave a comment and I will attempt to figure out why.

God Bless.  With love.

Erwin & Gail

Saskatchewan "The Land of the Living Skies"

And other living things

Beginning to end.

It has been drawn to my attention that some of you really read this stuff and that some of you even look forward to reading it, a concept that seems, to me, to be absolutely inconceivable. But, alas, it is true and I am drawn to continue to pour it all out at you.

Well, OH my, it now seems, officially, to be the beginning of the end. We re-entered Canada on the 25^th of April. That is 6 days before we were required, by U.S. law to do so, a total of 176 days in the land below. We crossed the border into Canada at Emerson, Manitoba and made our way to Winnipeg where we camped in the front yard of our dear friends Dave & Delight for the next two days.

Let’s take a step back now and let me tell you about our last few days down south. When I left off last time we had just arrived in St Joseph, Missouri and had just veg’d out for a day and took the time to tell you about all that had passed before. We stayed in St. Joseph for 3 days and took in the history of the place. We visited the Pony Express Stables Museum and learned how young boys and men, of small stature, were hired to ride horses at full speed for many miles, through all kinds of terrain, all kinds of weather and through hostile neighborhoods,  only stopping long enough to change horses. So that for a mere $5.00 you could send a letter clear across the country in 10 days or less. $5.00 you say! And a hundred and fifty years later we complain about a dollar, but of course it does take way more than 10 days now. We also learned that, as famous as the Pony Express was, it really only operated for 18 months, lost only one pouch of mail and one rider, so some of the stories you hear might be somewhat exaggerated. We also visited the Patee House Western Museum where we learned a lot about life in the West in a time that, I guess could only be described as the “Good Ole Days”. We learned about the early trains and telegraphs, we learned about the first cars and highways. We learned about outlaws and Indians, about Jesse James (shot at his home in St Joseph) and Buffalo Bill Cody (who started his career as a Pony Express rider). We learned about the Civil War, or at least the effects of the Civil War on the West, and about the first incident of American flag burning right there in St Joseph.  The following day we took a road trip across the Missouri River into Kansas, along the Pony Express Highway then along the Missouri River up into Nebraska, if for no other reason than to add two more states to our journey.

From St Joseph we headed north to Fargo, North Dakota where we spent two more days just waiting for the weather to change to bearable in Canada before we ventured in. We left Winnipeg on Monday spent one night camping in Yorkton SK. then on to Saskatoon, where we have been since, having decided to spend one week hunkered down and visiting friends and family before we head even further north.

So, as always, all good things must come to an end. I’ll post this and a few pictures after Gail has had a chance to work her miracles with the words I have so diligently misspelled and turn them into real words.         

God Bless.  With love.

Erwin & Gail

Where it all started

The things one would say to ride a horse

Just so you know

A place to rest before going back

The Patee House an up scale hotel, Part of the first floor, house the
Pony Express office.

Mark Train Stayed here on his way west to avoid the draft

Aunt Jemima started here

Jesse James shot dead here april 3rd 1882

Yet another state

There he goes!!!

And another

The missing sign from last blog

On the road again

Haven't run out of states yet

This is the last state

Welcome home

A litle piece of heaven