Large as Life

I wasn't expecting to see a bridge in the surrounding flat prairie...but there it was, large as life!

This one-arch bowstring bridge crosses the Moose Jaw River.

Whereas many bridges of its kind were retired long ago, this one is still in daily use.

Looking directly north.  There is a large farmyard just up the road.

Photographed near Dummer, Saskatchewan on January 26, 2022.

Saint Boniface at Spring Lake

The congregation of Spring Lake Saint Boniface Roman Catholic Church was established in 1905.  The church was built between 1905 and 1912 by German Catholic settlers mostly from Minnesota and The Dakotas.  The church and grounds are an outstanding landmark in the community.

Photographed near Ankerton, Alberta on September 17, 2021.

(More about) the Witch House

A visit to the witch house this past fall. 

A link to a photo of how it would have looked in better days:  Click Here

A link to an informative article on catalogue houses:  Click Here

Photographed on November 19, 2021.

...and Gone

A continuation of yesterday's post.  It was now almost two years later and I was on a return trip to Holy Ascension Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Cemetery at Westbrook.

The grounds were nicely manicured.

Autumn was here and leaves were beginning to fall.

Clouds swerve and sway in the big blue sky above the cemetery.

Just to the side of the bell tower was a new addition...

...a painting of a memory...

...for across the road where the church and hall once stood was virtually empty.

Aside from the outdoor altar, there wasn't a trace that the church or hall had ever existed.  They were simply gone.

But, ending on a positive note, the outdoor altar had been given a new paint job and it looks wonderful.

Photographed at Westbrook, Saskatchewan on October 10, 2021.

Here...

Holy Ascension Ukrainian Orthodox Church at Westbrook was built in 1919.  

Five wooden Orthodox crosses adorn the cupolas and peak-ends of the curved roof.

A hall for celebrations.  

The centre cupola has an exquisitely shaped roof.

Winter's late afternoon sunlight inside the church.

The balcony on the far left is above the front doors.

The outdoor altar is decorated with a chalice.

The cemetery is just across the road from the church...

...where there is a wooden bell tower...

...and granite memorial marker.

A long-distance view of the church.

The cemetery has burials dating back over ten years before the church was built.

Winter's late afternoon light is fading quickly...

...casting long blue shadows over the snow. 

Photographed at Westbrook, Saskatchewan on December 18, 2019.

Red Rock Coulee

A natural area (maybe better described as "supernatural") midway between Orion and Seven Persons, Alberta.

Stopping here is always treat for the senses.  Enjoy!

Photographed on January 12, 2022.

Святі Петро і Павло поблизу Сторновея

Saints Peter and Paul near Stornoway.

The church had just been repainted...so recently so that the scaffolding was still standing and the smell of fresh paint was in the air.

The view from the cemetery.

Birth dates here go back as far as 1861.  

Behind the scaffolding...

...and tucked into the corner nearest the church is the bell tower...

...which houses one more bell than is usual.  

Not so many years ago the church and grounds were in a state of neglect but that has now changed...

 

...and for the better.  Once again all is well at Saints Peter and Paul.  

Time to be on my way.  

Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Cemetery was photographed near Stornoway, Saskatchewan on July 28, 2021.