Saint Elias near Wroxton

Welcome to Saint Elias Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Cemetery.

The church is in a grove of trees set back from the road.  

The headstones in the left foreground are atypical of those usually found in Ukrainian pioneer cemeteries.  Someone took the time and made the effort to build custom molds for these distinctive markers.

The bell tower is just above the hall entrance.

The outdoor altar stands just behind the church.  In the warmer months I'm sure many weddings, baptisms and funerals would have taken place here.  

The blue-framed window is the only exterior church decoration. 

The congregation formed in the early 1900's and built their first church of logs.  The church seen here was constructed in 1938.

Cool shade under the trees was welcome on what was quickly becoming a hot summer day. 

The sign is almost hidden by trees.

Photographed near Wroxton, Saskatchewan on July 28, 2021.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Saint Margaret's Church.

Photographed in the Cypress Hills of Alberta on November 12, 2021.

Holiday Greetings from Veregin

Holiday Greetings!

A lifesize nativity scene in the Village of Veregin, Saskatchewan.

Photographed on January 7, 2020.

All Saints at Bellis

The gate is open...

...to All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The church is just on the outskirts of town.

And adjacent to the church is a prominent bell tower beside a stand of aspens.

For a small country church is has a vast array of window shapes and sizes: tall and narrow below the dome, tiny and square on the outer transepts, pointed-arch on the transept angles, wide rectangles on the apse and a rounded arch above the front doors.  And best of all...they compliment each other. 

The original church marker is almost lost in the lilac bushes.

A picturesque setting.

Photographed at Bellis, Alberta on September 18, 2021.

Near Smoky Lake

An old hand-hewn log building near Smoky Lake, Alberta.

Looks like it may have been a barn on the lower level with a home on the top floor.

It was only four days until Christmas and I couldn't help but wonder how the holiday might have been celebrated here at the time: wake up and add logs to the fire, feed the cattle and milk the cow, the barn cat would like some of that fresh warm milk...she's a good mouser.  Maybe there were a few treats left by Saint Nicholas in the stockings hung by the stove for the kids.  Time for breakfast...fried eggs, toast grilled on the cast iron stove with homemade butter...fresh sausage from the neighbour down the road.  Be fun to go out and play in the snow while it's bright and sunny, make snow angels, build a snowman and then help mom with the baby while she gets Christmas dinner ready.  A prayer of thankfulness...turkey with stuffing and mashed potatoes, whipped cream on pumpkin pie for dessert.  Twilight time...light a candle or two, leftovers to nibble on, dad tells a story while mom rocks the baby to sleep then early to bed after such a joyful day.  Different times.

Photographed on December 21, 2020.

Saint John in Cereal

Saint John the Baptist Anglican Church in Cereal, Alberta.

Photographed on December 1, 2021.

Parohia Ortodoxă Română Nașterea Fecioarei Maria

A walk through the grounds of the Romanian Orthodox Parish of the Birth of the Virgin Mary.  Enjoy!

The church is in the southwest corner of the grounds.

A peek inside.

The bell tower is tucked far into the bushes...

...and the bell is still mounted inside.

My Sunday afternoon visit to Saint Mary's was most enjoyable.  The grounds are surrounded on all four sides by a dense hedge of trees and bushes and,  once inside the lush greenery, it's a world unto its own.  

Photographed near Hairy Hill, Alberta on September 19, 2021.

Lodi

"Oh Lord, stuck in Lodi again," plays in my head every time I see this school sign.  Thank you John Fogerty.

This is how the sign looked less than a week ago.

And this is how it looked about four and a half years ago. Not only is there a change of seasons but on the sign itself. 

Photographed near Hilda, Alberta on December 14, 2021 and June 11, 2017.

Charles School

Charles School still holds its own in the prairie landscape.

Don't let the snow in the ditch fool you...it was +15°C.

Photographed near Nemiscam, Alberta on November 28, 2021.

Pendant d'Oreille Cemetery

A pioneer cemetery in remote southeastern Alberta with the Sweet Grass Hills of Montana in the distance. 

Photographed near Pendant d'Oreille, Alberta on November 25, 2016.