Pilgrimage to the Prairie
Leaving home at the young age of 17, Alberta became the place where I was first able to experience and experiment with my own independence. Living in the middle of the prairie, wide-open spaces all around me, I had the room I needed to stretch out my wings and start flying on my own. It was the place that started to mold me and shape me as an individual, no longer under my parents guidance or lost in my brothers' shadow. Because of this, I feel a strong kinship to the gently rolling fields known as the Alberta prairies.
Wanting to get together with old friends from college, but also feeling the need to get back to the prairie for a bit, my mom and I headed out to Alberta last Friday. We stopped in Revelstoke along the way to see my great-Aunt Ebba. She'll be 100 in October! Although she is almost blind, she still lives on her own with a little bit of home-care help, and does surprisingly well.
Auntie Ebba and my mom.
Later that evening, after many hours on the road, we bounced down the gravel lane towards Foothills Camp. It was the first weekend of campmeeting and, no doubt, I was bound to see many friends there. Although it was already 9 p.m., the sky was still bright and we had plenty of time to set up our tent, while trying not to get eaten alive by the monsterous mosquitos!
Sabbath was filled with many wonderful reunions! Just walking through the camp grounds I would run into people I knew - some that I was hoping to see and others that I had no idea would be there. After church, I caught up with my good friend Rosalee. She was one of the people I had planned on seeing. It was so good to catch up with her while holding her little 3-month old son. He quickly fell asleep in my arms - what a precious Sabbath blessing!
Rosalee, Levi, and I
As I continued to walk around, running into and chatting with several friends, I was surprised at how many people were pregnant or had little children! It seemed like everyone is having babies!
The highlight of my day was getting to spend time with Brandi. She's only a junior in college, but I had the privilege of working at camp with her a few years back and she has been a blessing my life ever since. She is probably the most energetic, passionate, out-going, loving, talkative, Christ-like person I know. Not that she's perfect - nope, she's still very human - but she has a deep desire to please and serve God and that's how she lives her life. We found a quiet place to talk on Sabbath evening and we spent almost 3 hours just sharing what God has been doing in each of our lives in the past 2 years since we last saw each other. I was so blessed and inspired by her. She's like Enoch, it seems like she physically walks side-by-side, hand-in-hand with God every day, and just being with her felt like I had been in the very presence of God!
The rest of my time in Alberta was spend visiting family. We went up to Wetaskiwan to visit my great-auntie Violet and then back down to Calgary to spend some time with my Auntie Fay. We ended up staying in Calgary an extra day, bit it was nice because I was able to help my aunt out around her house and yard to do things that she is no longer able to do on her own.
The best part about being in Calgary was that it is Stampede week! I didn't actually get down to the stampede grounds, but I was able to watch some of the events on TV - calf roping, barrel racing, bull riding, steer wrestling, and chuck wagon races. And everyone, all around town, was sporting boots, hats, western shirts, and wranglers. It was great!
I drove by my old neighborhood in Lacombe, hoping to see how the new owners are treating my old house. To my shock and surprise, I found an empty lot! My house is gone! I loved that little place and called it my little house on the prairie, but it's gone now :( This is all that's left... grass and dirt. (That's the neighbor's house and yard in the background.)
I also got my fill of animals while I was out in Alberta. When I was up at my uncle's farm in Wetaskiwan, I got to play with his big, muddy St. Bernard! And the next day, when I stopped in Lacombe to see some friends, I got to play with Chico, Sox, Shadow, and my favorite: Ellie-May, the beautiful Rottweiler!
Isn't she beautiful!
Shadow
Fern trying to hold Chico still
Chico on a bad day! Although he's the smallest member of the family, he calls all the shots!
New member of the family.....don't remember her name.
Sox
Me and my girl - Ellie May. I love her to bits! (and she puts up with it!)
Alberta was as beautiful as always. The lush green fields, gently rolling for miles in every direction, always speaks to my heart. Every time I'm there I have to take pictures of it although I have hundreds of pictures from all the previous trips. Here are some that captured my heart:
This storm was brewing all morning, just waiting to burst, but the angry clouds made a beautiful contrast to the joyful canola fields.
These are some pictures of the beautiful drive back through the mountains to BC.
Wanting to get together with old friends from college, but also feeling the need to get back to the prairie for a bit, my mom and I headed out to Alberta last Friday. We stopped in Revelstoke along the way to see my great-Aunt Ebba. She'll be 100 in October! Although she is almost blind, she still lives on her own with a little bit of home-care help, and does surprisingly well.
Auntie Ebba and my mom.
Later that evening, after many hours on the road, we bounced down the gravel lane towards Foothills Camp. It was the first weekend of campmeeting and, no doubt, I was bound to see many friends there. Although it was already 9 p.m., the sky was still bright and we had plenty of time to set up our tent, while trying not to get eaten alive by the monsterous mosquitos!
Sabbath was filled with many wonderful reunions! Just walking through the camp grounds I would run into people I knew - some that I was hoping to see and others that I had no idea would be there. After church, I caught up with my good friend Rosalee. She was one of the people I had planned on seeing. It was so good to catch up with her while holding her little 3-month old son. He quickly fell asleep in my arms - what a precious Sabbath blessing!
Rosalee, Levi, and I
As I continued to walk around, running into and chatting with several friends, I was surprised at how many people were pregnant or had little children! It seemed like everyone is having babies!
My friend Ivonne and her son, William. (The last time I saw him he was only 4 days old, so he didn't remember me. He wasn't sure what to think of me and was a little jealous that I was taking up his mama's attention.)
The highlight of my day was getting to spend time with Brandi. She's only a junior in college, but I had the privilege of working at camp with her a few years back and she has been a blessing my life ever since. She is probably the most energetic, passionate, out-going, loving, talkative, Christ-like person I know. Not that she's perfect - nope, she's still very human - but she has a deep desire to please and serve God and that's how she lives her life. We found a quiet place to talk on Sabbath evening and we spent almost 3 hours just sharing what God has been doing in each of our lives in the past 2 years since we last saw each other. I was so blessed and inspired by her. She's like Enoch, it seems like she physically walks side-by-side, hand-in-hand with God every day, and just being with her felt like I had been in the very presence of God!
The rest of my time in Alberta was spend visiting family. We went up to Wetaskiwan to visit my great-auntie Violet and then back down to Calgary to spend some time with my Auntie Fay. We ended up staying in Calgary an extra day, bit it was nice because I was able to help my aunt out around her house and yard to do things that she is no longer able to do on her own.
The best part about being in Calgary was that it is Stampede week! I didn't actually get down to the stampede grounds, but I was able to watch some of the events on TV - calf roping, barrel racing, bull riding, steer wrestling, and chuck wagon races. And everyone, all around town, was sporting boots, hats, western shirts, and wranglers. It was great!I drove by my old neighborhood in Lacombe, hoping to see how the new owners are treating my old house. To my shock and surprise, I found an empty lot! My house is gone! I loved that little place and called it my little house on the prairie, but it's gone now :( This is all that's left... grass and dirt. (That's the neighbor's house and yard in the background.)
I also got my fill of animals while I was out in Alberta. When I was up at my uncle's farm in Wetaskiwan, I got to play with his big, muddy St. Bernard! And the next day, when I stopped in Lacombe to see some friends, I got to play with Chico, Sox, Shadow, and my favorite: Ellie-May, the beautiful Rottweiler!
Dream - the St. Bernard
Isn't she beautiful!
Shadow
Fern trying to hold Chico still
Chico on a bad day! Although he's the smallest member of the family, he calls all the shots!
New member of the family.....don't remember her name.
Sox
Me and my girl - Ellie May. I love her to bits! (and she puts up with it!)
The roads are straight and narrow (and sometimes gravel!)
This storm was brewing all morning, just waiting to burst, but the angry clouds made a beautiful contrast to the joyful canola fields.
I love this view of the prairies with the Rocky Mountains faintly in the background. (On a clear day, they stand out even more majestically!)
These are some pictures of the beautiful drive back through the mountains to BC.
Comments
Sorry about your house being gone. The house Babs and I lived in when we first got married is gone too. They tore it down to build the new performing arts center at Andrews University.