Howdy Folks,

As September is upon us, so is the farmers and their fall harvesting across the prairies and beyond.  As I ventured over to our daughter Amy’s home in Consort, Alberta with Bruce and Bonnie a couple of weeks ago, we fully enjoyed our journey.  I shared just a few photos on my last blog, and decided I needed to share some more of the great photos that were captured.  I always like to say, a picture is worth a thousand words and more.

Our arrival at the long driveway, was a sign we could not miss.  When travelling in new areas, some sort of landmark is always a good thing.  Coy, our grandson was very excited to see us and show us around.  But not until we enjoyed a delicious good home cooked meal with the kids and Amy’s in-laws.

As Consort sits approximately 62 km west of the Saskatchewan border, the lay of the land is fairly flat with rolling hills for miles and miles.  The area has had very, very warm temperatures for the last month or so, and this has put a twist on the harvesting of the crops.

We began our journey driving side-by-sides across the fields to the paths that follow along the edges of the quarters.  This area is quite different from central Alberta.  Many huge power towers scatter over the landscape, continuing on in the distance for miles.

Wildlife is everywhere you go when traveling this great world of ours and here was no different.  We came upon this doe grazing in the field.  She never saw, heard or smelled  us right away, as the wind was blowing in a different direction for this.  But when she spotted us, there was a very still look, and then away she went not wasting any time heading south to safety.

We continued on, enjoying the warmth of the day, along with the breeze, and the dusty o’l trail.  By the look of things, some of the fence lines have been around for a good long while, giving them character in the distance.  All the farmers in the area have picked many rocks from the fields over time, and continue as the land gets worked up year after year.  We passed by a few large rock piles along the way of the beautiful golden fields.

Some of the back roads were pretty much built of dirt.  I’m pretty sure they would be impassable when the rains come down.

The views from the top of the hills were amazing as we could see for miles abroad.

As we traveled from field to field, there were clumps of trees here and there.  Some were just a few bushes gathered together, and others were small little water sloughs with several different types of birds enjoying a swim.

We happened to spy this old combine that was pushed to the side and hidden away.  I often ponder on what it was like for the folks who purchased this piece so long ago, what it cost, how excited they were to have it, and all the work that it completed on their life on the farm.

It seemed like out in the middle of nowhere, these co-ordinate signs were posted.  I believe that they have only been putting these out in the country areas for the last 10 – 15 years or so.

When I was taking photos that day, I decided to try out the black and white look, along with the color.  I really like how both options describe the scenes, as they really give a different flavor to the photo.

Even though the day was hot, and it wasn’t just right to combine yet, the bales could still be loaded and brought back to the Ranch.  A Farmers work is never done.  These were some of my favorite photos that I shot.  They really do tell a story.

When we reached the crew, we stopped and chatted and reminisced about the farming in the area, how the crops were doing and what they foresee in the future to come.

Our Grandson Coy, is one special little guy.  His love for life around him shines through beyond measures.  Throughout his first few years of growing up in Wetaskiwin with us, Coy and Amy’s bond with our relatives, Bruce and Bonnie grew close right from when he was born.  Bruce and Coy, have this relationship that is quite special and will be for a very long time to come.  I put together this little slide show in the field.  And as you watch it, you can just see what I mean when I say they have a bond.  Even though you might not know them, it is very easy to tell.

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All in all, we had a fabulous day.   Memories were made, and will be cherished and remembered forever.

From the Travelin Trailer…………..

Till Next Time

 

P.S.  Enjoy the little things in life for one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things.

Howdy Friends,

I was looking at the calendar, and seen that it has been only 2 weeks since we arrived home from our journey on the summer Chuckwagon trail.   For some reason, for me, it has felt much longer than that.  I guess it is because since I have been home, the work continues.  It is so good to be home, but there are many things to attend to.  First item to attack was our home on wheels.  We pack so much stuff in there, most of it has to come back out when we arrive home.  I have yet to complete that job, but I am gaining on it little by little.  I like to bring things in bit by bit.  This way I can clean out cupboards and closets in the house, and rid of things that are no longer needed.  Kind of a spring cleaning, only it’s happening in the fall.  As a matter of fact, I even joined up with some relatives and had a garage sale last week and made a few bucks.  The weather was great and what the heck! it was an afternoon off from work.

I am glad also to be back, and settling into my morning routine of me time.  I’ve been going out for my morning runs and enjoying the quietness and the beautiful sunrises.

I am always so grateful to have the ability and freedom to do this.  For one, it makes me feel so energized, and another reason is it keeps me feeling young and able to keep up with my grand-kids who I enjoy spending time with as much as I can.

The  weather has been so warm here, that little Ryker enjoyed an afternoon swim in his little pool while his momma ran some errands.  I had no problem sitting and enjoying some play time with the little one.

The Lakedell Annual Fair, down the road 30 minutes, was held this past weekend, so Daughter Kaylee and I gathered up the kids and headed on out to enjoy all the activities for the young and old alike.

The turnout was awesome as the weather rose into the high 20’s.  A very enjoyable day for all.

As the days are getting shorter, the sunsets are becoming more spectacular on the evening horizon.  Just tonight, Rick and I ventured on out to feed the oats to the hungry ponies.  I managed to capture some pretty neat photos with my camera phone.

When you have several head of horses, it is a daily routine to go out among them and make sure they are all free from injuries.  You just never know how much mischief they can get into when playing with each other throughout the day and night.

Once the quad has started up, the horses hear this and start milling around, then follow us out into the field to eat their favored oats.  Did you know that  thoroughbred horses will only eat enough oats till they are full, leave and come back later to finish up?  Unlike a pony who will gorge themselves to possible death from eating too much?  Yes, a pony or saddle horse do not have the sense to stop when they are full.  Just a little bit of tidbit information you might like to know, if you didn’t already .

After attending the races at Northlands today, we came home to a suspicious flag flying on our post.  It definitely does not belong to Rick, as most who know him, is a die-hard Toronto Maple Leafs fan and always will be.  I think we have a lead on who put it there, so when the time comes, I’m sure he will deal with the culprit, in one way or another.  Oh what fun has begun.  Hahaha.

I took last Wednesday off, picked up relatives Bruce and Bonnie and headed out east to visit our daughter Amy and her husband Chris and grandson Coy on their farm just past the town of Consort Alberta.

The land is very dry there right now and the crops are not far from being harvested.  We all enjoy the warmth of the sun, but too much heat on the crops is not that good.  Hopefully things will be profitable for the farmers in that area.

We took the side-by-sides and toured around the many acres around the Ranch.  The terrain in that area is so very different than here in Wetaskiwin.  The hills are rolling for as long as the eyes can see.

I so enjoyed seeing the tractors in the fields, the bales being loaded and the trucks hauling it away.  It brings me back home to the days when I was a kid.

Although my father was not a full-fledged farmer by any means, we did grow up on a farm with many of the regular animals a farm usually has, and I helped with the stooking of the hay into square bales, once my older brothers had left the farm.

There’s just something to be said about being a kid and growing up on a farm.  There is just no place on earth like it.

From Home on the Ranch

P.S.  It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you.  It’s what you leave behind you when you go.    Randy Travis