Flight

An exquisitely designed sculpture of geese in flight...graceful and elegant.

Thank you to Roger and Paulette Bourlon.

Photographed in Parc Ponteix in Ponteix, Saskatchewan on June 17, 2023.

Oh!

Oh!  Caught me by surprise. 

They really like Romaine lettuce (if you happen to have any handy). 

Photographed in Alex's yard in Medicine Hat, Alberta on May 29, 2021.

Saints Peter and Paul near Arbakka

This small Ukrainian Orthodox church was built in 1904 and stands in the countryside about a mile north of the Manitoba/Minnesota border.

The prominent structure at the front of the building could easily be mistaken for a bell tower but is actually a prominent entryway to the temple (a characteristic design of people originating from the Carpathian Mountains).

Across the churchyard is the cemetery.

Handsome old headstones mark the graves of pioneers. 

When the church was the centre of activity for the area there most likely would have been a wooden belfry that stood separately from the church and housed the bell that now stands on blocks beside the church.  

Locally the church is known as "Bilawchuks" as the land for the church and cemetery were donated by the Bilawchuk family.

Three simple budded crosses grace the roofline of the church.

The grounds are bordered on three sides by trees creating a park-like feeling...really quite a lovely place to visit.  A picnic table would be a welcome addition.  

Information courtesy of the Canadian Orthodox History Project.

Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Temple and Cemetery was photographed near Arbakka, Manitoba on August 21, 2022.

(The Former) Immanuel Lutheran Church

The Immanuel Lutheran Congregation was established in 1903.  The church was built in 1907, and after over a century of service, closed in the early 2010's.  

The story I heard was...

Some years later a man was looking for a "country church" where his daughter could be married.  When he couldn't find anything that fit the bill, and the opportunity of buying the church presented itself, he jumped on it.  Not only was his daughter married here but he's made the church available to anyone who wishes to be wed in "a little country church."  Good on him.

The exceptionally attractive steeple...

...and the steeple with the moon.

Photographed in Baldur, Manitoba on August 18, 2022.

Inner Glow

On the way home from gardening at Daisy's house today I saw that the prickly pear cacti are now coming into full bloom.  Their flowers bloom with an inner glow that is second to none.

They're a late spring delight on sunny hillsides here in southeastern Alberta.

Photographed on June 10, 2022.