"Ghost Church"

Rudser Lutheran Church stands like a "ghost church" on a country road in northwestern North Dakota.  At one time the centre of activity for miles around...now all covered in white and home only to ghosts of the past.

Still a lovely place...obviously well respected and well kept.  Bless those who take care of our history.

Can't believe it's been over five years since my visit.  What I remember is the beautiful fall weather and that it simply felt great to be out on the road.  Happy trails to you!

Photographed near Zahl, North Dakota on October 28, 2017.

Abandoned House near Wasel

Must have been a pretty nice house back in the day.

Photographed near Wasel, Alberta on September 19, 2021.

A Beautiful Place Out in the Country

A lovely Sunday morning at Negrych Ukrainian Orthodox Cemetery.

Every once in a while a place evokes forgotten memories, déjà vu or some fleeting emotion that's simply difficult to describe.  My short visit here was all that...wrapped up like a present for a truly wonderful experience.  It's one of those things that I will not soon forget.

It's good to slow down every now and then to enjoy those special moments...whatever they may be.     

Photographed near Venlaw, Manitoba on my birthday in 2022.

Hague Water Tower

The handsome CNR water tower in Hague, Saskatchewan.

I'd stopped to see the water tower the previous summer but since I was in the area again a return visit was in order.  It's still in beautiful condition...and also learned that the tower is used as a symbol in the town logo.

Photographed on October 9, 2022.

Driving Miss Daisy

I had the pleasure of Miss Daisy's company this past Sunday.

It was a warm day so she had her window wide open for the whole trip.  

We usually end up at Hillside cemetery where we can drive slowly down the narrow lanes...she has lots to sniff and I don't have to deal with traffic.  Can't beat that for a Sunday drive.

Photographed in Medicine Hat, Alberta on February 12, 2023.

Містер і Mісіс Сул

Містер і Mісіс Сул.

Mister and Missus Sul.

John and Mary together for all time.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Photographed at the Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery of Saints Peter and Paul near Sunville, Manitoba on August 19, 2022.

Great News!

Some great news to share.  

My dear friend David Carter arranged for a meeting with the archivist at the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre here in Medicine Hat, Alberta today.  We soon established a mutual understanding that the preservation of our heritage was vastly important.

In brief...the photos I've taken covering much of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba along with isolated areas of North Dakota and Montana will now be preserved in perpetuity in the archives of the Esplanade.  Everyone with an interest in our history will have access to the photos of the historic sites I've had the pleasure to experience first hand.  

And what better way to celebrate than with photos of the Congregational Church at Gros Ventre-Tothill...

...and Daisy!

It's been a wondrous day of gratitude and appreciation that works both ways, and all around.  I'm feeling somewhat blessed at the moment so excuse me for blushing.  I believe a glass of champagne is in order.

Daisy at the Congregational Church was photographed near Gros Ventre-Tothill, Alberta on October 2, 2022.  

Дванадцять хрестів

Дванадцять хрестів

Twelve crosses

A small selection of handcrafted wrought iron crosses that grace the domes and cupolas of both large and small Ukrainian churches in the beautiful province of Manitoba.  Enjoy!

Saint Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church (1900/1921)

Venlaw, Manitoba

July 24, 2022

Saint Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church (1900/1921)

Venlaw, Manitoba

July 24, 2022

Saint Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church (1904/1933)

Ozerna, Manitoba

July 25, 2022

Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Ascension (1911)

Ruthenia, Manitoba

July 26, 2022

Saint Peter and Saint Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church (1904)

Rossburn Farms, Manitoba

July 26, 2022

Saint Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church (1918)

Glenhope, Manitoba

August 19, 2022

Saint Peter and Saint Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church (1940)

Sundown, Manitoba

August 21, 2022

Saint Elias Ukrainian Orthodox Church (1908)

Sirko, Manitoba

August 21, 2022

Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church (1898)

Stuartburn, Manitoba

August 22, 2022

Holy Eucharist Ukrainian Catholic Church (1924)

Rosa, Manitoba

August 22, 2022

Anyone interested in the symbolism of the crosses may find the above collection thought-provoking as well as a little bit puzzling.  My overall view is not so much an explanation as it is an understanding.

From what I've read the crescent moon motif was introduced after the seventeenth century in Ukraine to commemorate the triumph of the Christian faith over Islam.  When Ukrainian settlers immigrated to Canada the crescent moon was kept as an ornamental element on the wrought iron crosses that decorated the domes and cupolas of their churches.

During the early days of immigration it seems that at times both Catholic and Orthodox churches used the crescent moon at the base of their crosses and both faiths used the trefoil (three-barred) cross and the Latin (crucifix) cross. 

  

As is was, there were no "set rules" so the artists who designed and sculpted these attractive wrought iron crosses had a creative hand in expressing their native heritage and displayed it proudly on the churches they built in their new homeland.

Thanks to Crosses of East Slavic Christianity among Ukrainians in Western Canada by A. M. Kostecki.  

Squirrelly

I was out at Daisy's house in Elkwater to shovel some snow a few days ago.  

No sooner had I picked up the shovel when the resident squirrel started chattering excitedly at me.  I'm sure he or she knows there's no serious threat but one must stand one's ground, right?  Pretty cute from this human's perspective.    

Less than an hour later I was finished and everything was back to normal...much to the squirrel's delight I'm sure.

Photographed in Elkwater, Alberta on February 3, 2023

Ukrainian Pioneer Mass Grave

This beautifully carved black granite marker celebrates the one hundredth anniversary of Ukrainian settlement in Canada from 1891-1991.

It stands on the site of a tragic event that occurred well over a century ago near Patterson Lake, Manitoba.    

The sign reads:

"Ukrainian Settlers Mass Grave

          

"In May 1899 scarlet fever struck the first group of Slavic families who camped at this site.  Forty-two children and three adults died.

"This memorial commemorates the suffering, perseverance and courage of those pioneers who overcame tragedy. 

"They carved homesteads out of forest and made life possible for us: their descendants.

"Parkland Ukrainian Pioneer Association 1978."

The site is home to (from left to right): the large one hundredth anniversary monument, a fiftieth anniversary jubilee marker, a guest book housed in a waterproof box atop a steel pole, the carved wooden information sign, a cairn listing the names of all those buried there, a headstone for an infant and a white budded cross at the foot of the burial mound. 

The burial mound is prominent in the above two photographs.

To the south is a canola field...

...and to the north, across the road and behind the aspen trees is Patterson Lake.

The grounds are impeccably kept.  

The reflection of the sky in the large monument had me awe struck for the entiretiy of my visit...almost as if heaven came to ground and was there keeping watch. 

Photographed near Olha, Manitoba on July 27, 2022.