Bethlehem Lutheran Church

The remains of a stone church near Markinch, Saskatchewan.

At the time I didn't notice but one of the tree branches follows the gable end roof line.  It had been a long day and must have been in auto-pilot mode.

Not many country churches face eastwards as this one does.

It took a lot of manpower... 

...and horsepower to hoist these stones.

Another auto-pilot moment...the curved branch seems to be cradling the round window on the west wall.

A more extensive collection of photos of the church including the cemetery taken fourteen months previous can be seen here:   

Bethlehem Lutheran Church and Cemetery

Photographed on May 17, 2021.

Sunday Morning

Yellow tea roses on a Sunday morning.

Heavenly fragrance.

Photographed in Linda's yard on June 13, 2021.

Saint Elias

Saint Elias Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Cemetery.

There's no other way to put it other than..."It's a sweetheart."

Near Wandering River, Alberta.

Photographed on February 19, 2021.

Wilton Birmingham S.D. No. 2291

The Wilton Birmingham School sign is just outside the hamlet of Birmingham, Saskatchewan.  This country school district existed for sixty-five years.

The metal sign is accompanied by a sizeable stone monument.

The white border around the plaque simply glows in the late afternoon light.

The information on the plaque is slightly different than on the metal sign...the first five years are not recorded on the plaque.  Could be the school district was created in 1907 but the school wasn't built until 1912?

Photographed on October 28, 2020.

Markinch Elevators

The grain elevators in Markinch, Saskatchewan.  

The large silver one in the foreground appears to be just a large annex.  I wonder how the grain trucks get in to unload their haul?

Photographed on May 17, 2021.

Saint Margaret's

Saint Margaret's Church and Cemetery in the Cypress Hills of Alberta. 

Spent the better part of this past Saturday tending to an assortment of gardening duties around the church.  Near the end of the month a small work party of dedicated volunteers will help out with whatever needs doing on the grounds...there are still a few of us around.

Little church in the big hills.

Photographed on June 12, 2021.

Between Hafford and Tallman

A single-arch bow string bridge spotted somewhere between Hafford and Tallman, Saskatchewan.

Photographed on January 17, 2021.

Early Morning in the Garden

Grab a cappuccino and enjoy a walk through the garden...first off are some purple and white irises.

Tiny fragrant blossoms on the Dwarf Korean Lilac.  The early morning light gives the flowers a distinctive blue tint.

White wind flowers border the walkway.  

One last orange poppy blooming in the terraced rock garden.

A closer look at the irises.

These bright yellow globe flowers appear to be simply floating in air.

Clusters of white flowers on an old-fashioned spirea.

Time to sit down and finish that cappuccino...maybe have another.

Photographed around 6:00 a.m. in Linda's garden on June 12, 2021.

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.