Here are a few of the pictures I took in and around Shellbrook, Saskatchewan, while visiting my friend Silvie Bischler.
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I arrived to find the Saskatchewan prairie in full bloom, with fields of canola everywhere. Much of our driving was on dirt/gravel "section roads" like this one. |
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This countryside is a real paradise if you love to look at clouds, as I do. |
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When she bought it, Silvie's property was just a cheap little house in a field. She did a massive renovation, built on several additions including an octagonal Victorian veranda, and put a huge amount of work into landscaping. Here's what it looked like before she started... |
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...and here's "Wild Rose Acres" as it appears now: a little paradise. (The barn and nine cattle can't be seen here, but are off to the left.) |
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Here's Silvie with one of her cows, Reddy. |
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Sipping tea on the veranda. Silvie added this Victorian turret (among other things) to what was originally a very plain, boxy house. |
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Silvie found Angel by the side of the road last year. Deaf from birth, he would probably not have survived long if she hadn't taken him in. |
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Angel is both very intelligent and very sociable...an ideal pet. |
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Here he is snoozing in the late morning. |
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Here's a portrait of Silvie... |
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...and here she is relaxing on her front lawn. |
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Silvie dressed as a Hudson's Bay Company fur trapper. The costume and setting are courtesy of Debbie, the enthusiastic docent who showed us around Fort Carson, a restored HBC trading post. |
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We saw this elk by the road while visiting Waskesiu Lake, located in a park to the north of Shellbrook. |
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Silvie's mother recently bought this used Coachmen Cadet travel trailer. A 17.5' long 1977 model, it's in amazingly good shape--the previous owners took meticulous care of it, even garaging it in the wintertime. |
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The rig is nicely outfitted, with all the basics: range top, refrigerator and so on, plus a surprising amount of storage space. |
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In the rear of the rig is a decent-sized bathroom that even has a (small) bathtub! Since Silvie prefers bathing to showering (a hot bath is a wonderful luxury in a cold climate), this suits her to a "T." |
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The trailer's maiden voyage (for us, anyway) was an overnight trip to nearby Baun's Bay. |
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Silvie and I took her canoe out on the lake and paddled lazily around while she fished. Nothing was biting other than the mosquitos, but we had a most enjoyable time. |
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Here's the view from Silvie's end of the canoe. Aw, shucks, I forgot to bring my ukulele! |
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A closeup self-portrait. (The Nikon 950's 270° swiveling viewfinder display comes in hand for shots like this.) |
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The night after I left, Silvie and the trailer survived a small tornado at the same Baun's Bay campsite. Fortunately there were no injuries to trailer or occupant! We decided to name the trailer "Dorothy" after another twister survivor, and I created this logo for her. |
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Silvie in a pensive mood. |
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Flying home with the sun setting behind me...thinking about what a wonderful visit it was. |
| (All pictures except "view from Silvie's end of the canoe" taken by Andy Baird with Nikon CoolPix 950 digital camera.) | |