This Morning at Saint Margaret's

Tiny cathedral out in the hills.

Everything is lush and green this spring...

...and the lilacs are coming into full bloom.

The columbarium tucked away in the southwest corner of the grounds.

Peaked roof in front of a peaked hill.

Heather's Garden...new plants and field stone border.

Sage keeps his vigil under the limbs of a spruce tree.

More lilacs blooming.

The view across the coulee.

If and when you're in the area, stop in for a visit.

Photographed at Saint Margaret's Church and Cemetery near Eagle Butte, Alberta on June 3, 2023.

Another View

The day before "Lunch View" I had another view.  

This time with hills...and buffalo beans!

Photographed in the Cypress Hills near Eagle Butte, Alberta on May 26, 2025.

Lunch View

Took a friend out for lunch today and this was the view we enjoyed from the south window of Elkwater Park Golf Club Restaurant.  Pretty nice, if I do say so myself.

Photographed in the beautiful Cypress Hills of Alberta on May 27, 2025.

Earth Day

A couple of landscape photos to celebrate Earth Day.  Our planet has so many beautiful landscapes.  

The ones shown here is where I feel both at home and on vacation all at the same time...in a word, comfortable.   

Photographed near New Kiew, Alberta on September 21, 2021.

The Narrows

The Narrows is the only bridge that crosses Lake Manitoba.  

Lake Manitoba is quite a marvel...more like an inland ocean than a lake.

The resplendent sound of the Manitou, the Great Spirit, can be heard in the waves.

No land on the horizon.  Did I mention that Lake Manitoba is quite a marvel?

Photographed at The Narrows, Manitoba on October 18, 2022. 

End of Time

Photographed at Saint Margaret's Church and Cemetery near Eagle Butte, Alberta on June 2, 2024.

Deux Mois en Trois Minutes

Sun Bath

A prairie rattler enjoying a sunbath.

I have had a few startling encounters with them over the years but...

They won't hurt you in any significant way so, please don't hurt them or run them over.  They deserve a long and full life too.  

Photographed near Mayfield Cemetery in Saskatchewan on July 14, 2020.

Pink and Yellow

Pink vetch and yellow clover in a green pasture against a sky of blue.  Something I look forward to every summer...simple pleasures.

Photographed near Tothill, Alberta on July 6, 2024.

1, 2, 3 and 2

The prickly pear cacti were putting on quite a show on the south facing hillsides this year.  We had some rain this spring so they were all plump and blooming their hearts out.

Of course the best shows are on rather steep hillsides so getting to them is one thing, staying upright and not sliding down the hill while taking photographs on the sandy slopes is another.

I took a slightly different path on the way back to the truck and was rewarded with this little pincushion cactus blooming brightly.  

Photographed in Medicine Hat, Alberta on June 22, 2024.

Pelicans

Saw this pod of pelicans about a year ago at the Bullshead Reservoir just north of Eagle Butte, Alberta.

They would repeatedly swim in one direction then turn around and swim in the opposite direction, all the while excitedly flapping their wings.  Not sure what that was all about but they seemed completely consumed by the activity.

As soon as they spotted me they retreated to the rear of the reservoir, away from prying eyes.

It's always a treat to see pelicans.

Photographed on May 30, 2023.

Heather's Garden

Gardening has been keeping me busy; there's always lots to do in spring to get everything looking nice again.  And yesterday I finally had a chance to get out to Saint Margaret's to clean up Heather's Garden.  I wasn't sure what I'd find...last summer was one of the driest seasons on record plus there was some bitterly cold weather over the winter months. 

I wasn't expecting much (occasional pessimist that I can be) but was pleasantly surprised to find that most of the perennials had survived...and one of the prairie crocus was already in full bloom.  In a nutshell, all the really tough plants made it through some extremely harsh conditions.  Maybe one day I'll learn their innermost survival secrets but in the meantime I'll simply enjoy doing my best to take care of them.

We've been lucky this spring to have had some rain and a few showers.  So far we've already had more rain than we had all of last year.  Nice to see things turning green and flourishing.  In three weeks or so I'll plant some annuals and a few more perennials to fill in the empty spots.  I think Heather would like that.

Photographed at Saint Margaret's Church and Cemetery near Eagle Butte, Alberta on May 19, 2024.

On the Beach

Photographed on the shores of New Iceland, Manitoba on September 22, 2023.

Spring 2017

A flashback to mostly spring blooms...flowers make everything better, n'est pas?

May 21, 2017

A clump of buffalo beans alongside the highway just north of Simpson, Montana.  It's not spring without these cheery golden yellow blooms.  

May 28, 2017

At one time it was common to plant irises at the grave of a loved one...especially in country cemeteries on the prairies.  A lovely way of remembrance.  The grass was just barely turning green at Kincorth Lutheran Cemetery but these irises were already in full bloom.  They're tough and hardy. 

   

June 2, 2017

Fleabane is a native plant throughout the prairies.  This clump of happy white flowers was just outside the entrance to the Empress Cemetery.  The town of Empress is in Alberta, but the Empress Cemetery is just across the border in Saskatchewan.  

June 11, 2017

I'd stopped in Hilda, Alberta to take a few shots of the grain elevator and while doing so, came across this beautiful orange butterfly amongst the alfalfa flowers. 

June 17, 2017

If you're lucky enough to be traveling along Eagle Butte Road near Woolchester, Alberta at just the right time you'll be rewarded with the visual delight of these masses of pink flowers.  I always look forward to seeing "the pink fields" in full bloom.  I believe they are a species of vetch. 

 

June 21, 2017

A bee foraging in the blooms of a froebelii spirea in one of the gardens I tend in town.  Bees really are the busiest little guys.

June 24, 2017

Flowers and butterflies aren't the only spring delight...a doe with her fawns just across the lane from the Post Office where I pick up my mail.  The second fawn is hidden mostly behind mama deer.

June 24, 2017

A pincushion cactus flower on an acreage where I tend to some gardening.  The resulting fruit is sweet and delicious.  Leave some for the animals and birds...they need a treat every so often too.

June 28, 2017

The waxy yellow flower of the native prickly pear cactus.  I found this one high above the southern bank of the South Saskatchewan River in southern Alberta.

June 30, 2017

Bunchberries blooming in the Cypress Hills of Alberta.  They are the smallest variety of the dogwood species I've seen anywhere.  The unique four-petal flowers later develop into brilliant red berries that are enjoyed by a variety of wild animals and birds.

An interesting fact about bunchberries...when a bee or other insect lands on a flower it stimulates the flower to open at the incredible rate of half a millisecond...spreading the pollen at a few thousand times the force of gravity.  Imagine that.

Hope you enjoyed the somewhat belated spring tour of 2017.

Photographed in Montana, Alberta and Saskatchewan.