Happy Hallowe'en from The Witch House

Don't eat too much candy.

Photographed on October 30, 2025.

The Alberta Pacific Grain Co Ltd

It's been more than a few years since I've been through Dorothy, Alberta.  At the time, the grain elevator was in pretty sad condition... 

...but now it has a fresh coat of paint and a new roof.  "Thank you" to all those who gave this prairie sentinel a new lease on life.  In other words, thanks to those who give a damn!

Photographed today at Dorothy, Alberta on October 23, 2025.

Happy Thanksgiving

A bus shelter decorated for the long weekend.

Photographed near Rhein, Saskatchewan on October 9, 2025.

Out for the Day with Daisy

Out for a ride around town with Daisy a couple of days ago.  

She's looking great for 14+ years old, don't you think?

Photographed in Medicine Hat, Alberta on September 22, 2025.

Miss Jessie Rowe

"Remember me as you pass by,

As you are now, so once was I,

As I am now, so you must be,

Prepare for death and follow me."

A lone grave on the northern slope of Gold Butte Hill in northwestern Montana.  

She succumbed to tuberculosis when just a teenager.

Photographed near Gold Butte, Montana on October 17, 2025.

Moove Over

Encountering cattle on a trail near Whitlash, Montana.

Photographed on October 17, 2024.

Boots

The Great Sandhills is a natural area in southwest Saskatchewan and is the largest set of active sand dunes in all of Canada. The landscape is ever changing.

The Hanging Cowboy Boots Arch is located above the parking area. It was built by local rancher John Both as a display of his appreciation and love of life. He understood this fragile landscape and believed in its preservation. Some of his ashes are spread beneath the arch.

Yes, there are sand dunes in Saskatchewan.

Photographed south of Sceptre, Saskatchewan on October 26, 2024.

Congregational Church Cemetery

An abandoned cemetery not far from Surprise, Saskatchewan.

Looks like the wooden cross has been "at rest" for a couple of decades or more now and the barbed wire fence is in a state of disrepair as well.  All this amounts to the very definition of "abandoned".    

No headstones...just indentations in the ground.  But, tiny as it may be, those buried here have a wonderful view of the vast prairie landscape.  

Photographed on October 27. 2024.

A Beautiful Place Out in the Country

Saints Peter and Paul Russo Orthodox Church of Dickie Bush was photographed near Wasel, Alberta on September 20, 2021.

Tamarisk United Church

Just down the road from Tamarisk School is Tamarisk United Church.

I love the simple exterior design employed so often in prairie country churches.

The interior is a little unusual when compared to the dozens of country churches I've seen on my travels.  Simple wooden chairs for seating, two raised areas including a stage with two pump organs and a piano (which was more-or-less in tune) and one of the most beautiful stoves I've ever seen.

An etched plaque outside the church states:

"The United Church of Canada was formed in 1925 from the union of most Congregationalist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches.  Of the hundreds of churches inherited by the new Church, most were modest structures.  Pointed windows and occasionally a small bell tower identified their spiritual purpose.  Originally a Methodist church when it was built in 1907, Tamarisk United is one of the best examples in Manitoba of those many humble buildings.  Tamarisk's straightforward external character expresses the unpretentious theological nature of Methodism.  Unpainted woodwork in the interior creates a warm, welcoming glow."

Stop by for a visit.

Photographed near Grandview, Manitoba on July 22, 2022.