Week 11 on the road

This week was a short one for both in days worked and distance traveled. I went north from Edmonton to High Level, back to Edmonton and a short run to Grande Prairie I went past a classic Church building in a remote village on my way to High Level

The Strang Presbyterian Church is the only church in Dixonville Alberta and was established in 1932.



The detail in the corner joints is just incredible

and the precision in the dovetailed corners is incredible especially considering the Craftsmen who built it were probably working only with hand tools obviously using round logs, i must admit I'm glad I not a carpenter back in the "Good Old Days"

Phil

"Indians"

Hi from Edmonton,

Phil and I had the pleasure of attending a Pow Wow last weekend. this is where the Indians get together and dance and make music with only there drums


















and there voices. They held it in a Recreation Hall at the Alberta Uni, hence the seating and basketball courts. It was just fascinating to watch and listen too. They had different dance segments which also showed the various costumes of the tribes and dances.

This gorgeous little fellow was dancing with his brother ( who didn't want his photo taken) and shows off the intricate work of there costumes, The older guy didn't mind having his photo taken with me but when Phil said he could my scalp he looked a bit sour. So much culture and tradition to take in. There were 300 dancers in the pow wow. there were about 10 different drumming tribes with 10 men sitting around playing the one drum and singing (chanting) in there native tongue. Warren, one of my special friends, would have been overwhelmed by the Indians. I wish he could have enjoyed it with us. ( I miss this guys so much).
what a privilege to share in this with them, even though at times we didn't understand what was going on.











I saw Jenny B and Maralene on Monday for a few hours. The Greyhound bus was on strike and because it was a long weekend it was difficult to get a hire car. Phil and I were asked to go to lunch at some folks place we hadn't relay met before. I told them what had happened and later that night Alice rang me and said she would love to take me to Jasper to see my friends. I was quite overwhelmed by her generosity. So we spent a very chilly 2 days in the Rockies and 3 hours with Jenny and Maralene. The Rockies are beyond explaining and the sun shining on them was amazing. No I didn't have the camera with me. I think Phil and I will have to get one each



I have been doing some sewing the rest of the week and trying to book flights back to Australia. At this stage I am leaving Edmonton on the 16th June and coming back on the 26th July, with Phil's Mum.

Our Friends from England Mark and Linda are coming to visit at the end of September. How sad, we will just have to take them to the Rockies, and visit Jasper and Banff, again!!! I will also show you my table topper out of Kerry Swains book and the bag I made Phil's Mum for mothers day.


Hope you are all enjoying the cold, and love to hear from you.

love Tina, Mum and Grandma

(Elijah, Grandma has been looking for an Indian costume for you, but you will have to go without the tommy hawk, sorry.)

Ps. Sorry I lost the first three photos. When i tried to get them back that came to the front of the blog instead of the end. Oh well still makes for interesting viewing, I hope.

Hi all in the Land Down under!!!

What a great week we had last week in the truck. As Phil showed you on the map we went from Edmonton to Fort Nelson to Mackenzie to Winnipeg. It was unbelievable the change in the scenery from one day to the next. On the western side the popular trees haven't got any leaves on them yet, but in Winnipeg they are in their full glory. There was snow still around on the ground in the west but completely gone and incredibly green. Sorry guys, the water was just laying around after a few days of rain. I think I should work on an underground, undersea tunnel to get some over to Oz. Its almost unbelievable to see the country side here then to hear of the extra restrictions placed in Tamworth and I'm sure other areas.
The Rockies are the most amazing scenery I think I have ever seen. (they are still snow covered) As we were driving through them a black bear decided to cross in front of us. I was so excited and surprised course i had actually given up looking behind every tree and bush in the hope of seeing one. Anyway here he/she was just in front of us. I couldn't get the camera out in time to get a photo which is disappointing but I am saving that for the next time I see a bear with a fish in his mouth in a mountain stream, of course there will be a few cubs running around. We also saw another bear but he was dead. He was in the middle of St John and probably had been hit by a car. that is a bit scary, when you think of kids walking to school etc. But all the brochures say you make a noise so they know you are there, so you don't frighten them and they will pay you no attention. But if they do decided to run after you, you are to lay down and pretend to be dead. Easy!!!!! I hope never to have to put this into effect and if I do I sure hope there is a bathroom, or I think I would need a Washroom close by.
This week I have been trying to book a flight back to Australia in June. It has become a little more complicated because Phil's mum is coming home with me. But the specials in Canada aren't the same as in Australia, so we are just trying to get the best deal for both of us. Kylie is doing a lot of the foot work so that has been fantastic.
I also am trying to get to Jasper,in the Rockies, to see Jenny and Marilyn but Greyhound buses have gone on strike and are not going to the west of the state. It is also a holiday weekend so most car hire places are not open or all the cars have been taken. So probably wont be able to go, which is really disappointing. It is also meant to snow in Jasper on Monday so that might be a highlight for them. It would have been a high light for me to to see them. I believe Jenny has brought some sorbelene and some Magazines for me. What else does anyone need,??? maybe some decent coffee!!!!!
Well till next time,

Tina

Week 10 on the road with Tina part 4

Some things over here are just different

like the side of the road you drive on,

the sun goes East to West via South,

there is no Southern Cross in the sky

and the designers of some concrete agitators seem to be back to front as you can see



































and they seem to add extra axles under there Prime movers

Week 10 on the road with Tina part 3

Between Mackenzie and Dawson Creek is the town of Chetwynd, known for its chain saw carvings



If you want to view some spectacular photos of the area visit this link
http://www.britishcolumbia.com/photogallery/

Week 10 on the road with Tina part 2

This Tina came with me and we traveled North west from Edmonton to Fort St John, http://www.cityfsj.com/

then on to Ft Nelson, Mackenzie and over to Winnipeg




The landscape can vary considerably on a short distance.

Left is overlooking a valley on the way to Ft Nelson










As you travel from Ft St John to Mackenzie you pass through the Rockies at an elevation of aprox 930meters on the road, with mountain peaks to just over 2000meters high and at these elevations there is still snow left from the winter falls, which this year were the heaviest in about 30 years

Week 10 on the road with Tina

The beginning of the Alaska Highway















These pic's are a bit out of order these two are a Timber Trestle Rail Bridge an hour or so northwest of Edmonton





























In the Rockies

week 9 on the road

This week was a relatively short week on the road just 2 trips.

Firstly to Flin Flon, then to Mackenzie.

For more info on Flin Flon try this link http://www.cityofflinflon.com/index-frameset.html (Mum double click on this link to go to The Flin Flon web site)
















On the way to Flin Flon you travel through Forest's















Past lakes















to a more desolate landscape, there is a mine with a vertical shaft nearly a mile (1.5 Klm) deep.