Skullduggery

Each year for the past ten I've attempted to grow a plant inside one or both eye sockets of this ceramic skull...with varying degrees of success and defeat.   

This year I think everything worked out "just right" with these colourful little violas. Sun in the morning, shade in the afternoon and moist all of the time.  The small flat stone in the other eye socket serves as a peanut plate for the resident blue jays.

Did you know the flowers are edible and quite tasty?  Elegant in a salad or as a garnish...impress your girlfriend or significant other with your new found culinary talents.

Johnny-jump-ups say "hello" from southeastern Alberta.

Photographed at home on June 13, 2021.

Borshchiw (In Winter)

A return visit to Borshchiw about five months later.  

In some spots the snow was above my waist and it was bitterly cold.

That said, it was a sunny day and I really wanted to see the church with a backdrop of white.

Blue as the sky was the snow.

The cornerstone of the church.

Sometime between my visit the previous August and this visit, someone had kicked in the door to the bell tower.  (At the moment, I won't get into a rant about my opinion of such ingrates.)

Inside the bell tower.

I was pretty well frozen after a jaunt around the church grounds but wanted to stop for a shot of the cemetery before I was on my way.  (Seat heaters in cars are simply the best invention ever!)

Photographed near Prud'homme, Saskatchewan on January 16, 2021.

The Church at Gros Ventre-Tothill

This is what remains of the Congregational Church at Gros Ventre-Tothill, Alberta.  It was kind of an unintentional anniversary...I had stopped here exactly two years ago to the day. 

Little has changed but photos from that visit can be seen here:

Congregational Church and Cemetery at Gros Ventre-Tothill

Photographed on June 12, 2021.

Borshchiw

The church community of Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church was established in 1907.

The name "Borshchiw" was the name of the county where the Ukrainian settlers originated.  In 1947 the present day church was built.

The belfry that had been originally constructed along with the first church in 1907 was renovated at the same time the new church was being built.

The apse is unusually truncated for a church this size.

Two cupolas and five crosses.

Borshchiw Cemetery is about half a mile down the road from the church.  It was established soon after the settlers arrived at their new home on the prairies.

Birthdays shown on some of the grave markers date back to the mid-1800's...

...and a number of "Unknown" rest among the identified.      

Information courtesy of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon.

Photographed near Prud'homme, Saskatchewan on August 4, 2020.

Odessa Elevator

A former Pool elevator in Odessa, Saskatchewan.

Along the Canadian National Rail Line.

Photographed on May 19, 2021. 

Highland Cemetery

The cemetery was established by Lutherans in the early 1900's.

The winged hearts on the gates are made from horseshoes.

Gray marble headstones for Earl Leroy Dinnetz...

...and Melvin Moger who were both only five years old.   

The reservoir in the background is Rattlesnake Lake. 

Photographed near Whitla, Alberta on May 19, 2017.

Kenlis S.D. No. 6

All that remains of Kenlis School are the front steps.  A handsome stone monument was built on the landing in 1966.

The Kenlis School District was the first rural school district in the Northwest Territories with the first school opening in 1885.  A new school was built in 1902 which was replaced in 1946.

Can't miss it in the big prairie landscape.

Photographed near Abernathy, Saskatchewan on May 18, 2021.

Святий Михайло в Пено

Saint Michael at Peno.

The church began construction in 1909.

A concrete and stone bell tower is tucked into the southwest corner of the grounds.

The cemetery was established in 1904 and is less than half a mile south of the church. 

Saint Michael the Archangel Russo Orthodox Church and Cemetery is in Lamont County, Alberta.

Photographed on January 6, 2019.

Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery

Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery near Alma Lake, Saskatchewan.

The memorial marker displays a photo of the church that once stood here.

A reminder of things past.

Photographed on October 29, 2017.

Tin Cup Joe

A hand-crafted grave marker in Saint Andrew's Anglican Cemetery.

1836-1933 is a long life.

There has to be a story behind the name "Tin Cup Joe."

Photographed near Fenton, Saskatchewan on August 6, 2020.