Nemeiben Lake with the LA crew

Holly and I were fortunate enough to spend a beautiful, sunny weekend with some great friends at Carina and Graham's family cabin on Nemeiben lake. Nemeiben, with its clean, fresh water, was the perfect getaway for me personally, since up until then I had been working in the goose-poop-saturated waters of Wascana lake!

Putting his teacher skills to work, Gabe was giving lessons on how to roll a kayak. He also gave a bonus lesson on how to drive a 4 wheeler like a pro.

We ate some of the best shishkabobs I've had in a long time, and finished up the evening with a nice big fire.

I'm already looking forward to the next time we can all get together.

High and Heavy Hitters

A few weekends ago we had the privelage of spending the weekend at our friends' farm in Preeceville. Nevin, his wife Lindsey, his brother Nels, and his folks, Ken and Elsie, not to mention their Lion-like dog Montana, were taking care of buisness at the farm. Holly and I helped out with some berrypicking/painting for Holly, and fence building/beer drinking/freestylin, for myself.

Check out the new combine...pretty sweet! Also check out the hummingbirds feeding. A small army of little hummingbirds fight over the sugar water feeders, all day long... who knew Kool-Aid was such a hot commodity in the Preeceville region?

The crops are pretty nice this year, Nevin informed me. If you don't beleive me, check out Nevin's Mom, Elsie, in the bean field... I half expected to see a big nasty alien come sauntering out of there like in the movie 'Signs'... Or maybe shoeless Joe Jackson and James Earl Jones...

"If you build it, they will come"...

So, we built it - A fence that is - to keep virtually everything out of the orchard. Well, in 2 days we put up most of the 12 foot tall posts, pounded 4 feet into the ground. The fencing wire and other components were to come later. Meanwhile the ladies painted and caulked the grain truck, turning it into the hottest ride east of Saskatoon.

All in all it was a great weekend.

Finally, I have made a blog entry... it's off my chest and I can go to bed. If you're wondering why I'm up so late, it's because we just watched Batman in the theater with Holly's cousin Rob (my awesome, but now-ex roommate), and now I'm jacked, and trying to fend off the urge to put on tights and a cape to catch some criminals lurking around downtown.

Katepwa Salad

Here are some pics from the summer. Matt is happily showing off his power tools acquired for his 26th birthday. We also went to Katepwa Lake for some fun in the sun with our little cousins. We got a fancy-shmancy camera…so check out Matt’s superior ‘photograhique’ prowess. WATCH OUT National Geographic…

In conjunction with STK Services, here are some pictures of my study area in SW Saskatchewan. Check out my honourary field assistant...what a babe. The pictures outline some little goodies of the native prairie, as well as the monstrousities involved in to extract (and transport) oil and gas in the area.

Enjoy!

I Love My Saskatchewan

It's Holly here...

I am coming out of a period of massive neglect with this blog. It seems to happen anytime we make a BIG move. Our time in Thailand was such an amazing conclusion to our year abroad, and it feels so great to be back at home. This spring, Matt and I have both started grad school at the University of Regina. Matt is working in the limnology lab and continuing his masterful analysis of Saskatchewan lakes. I am diving into the avian world of our native prairie in Southwest Saskatchewan.

For all the spectacular sights I've ingested in my short life thus far, I can say that nothing fills my heart like the secret wonders of Saskatchewan. I've spent the past month wandering our native prairies and delighting in it's diversity. You may think that all this wandering in solitude will only encourage the continual loss of my sanity, but I assure you that indeed I am anything but alone...

Every morning I feel like I am the only person awake in the whole world. I am greeted by a private viewing of the sunrise as I walk through the crisp dewey grasses, carefully avoiding the meddling prairie cactus...ouch! The prairie flowers are starting to speckle the ground, and every morning I seem to discover a new species. Little birds soon start chipping and singing their tiny hearts out, so confident in themselves. Wouldn't it be nice if we had the confidence of those little birds to sing our heart's delights for all to here? I chance upon a faithful Mama bird flushing from her nest, and I marvel at her tiny little eggs nestled in their grassy bed. Thoughts of Cadbury Mini Eggs race through my head, but those sugary counterparts pale in comparison to Mother Nature's speckled treasures. What a good little Mama to sit their patiently enduring rain, wind, heat and predators in hopes that her brood will be successful. A gentle breeze then carries the abrupt and inquisitive snort of an antelope to my ears. Have you ever heard an antelope snort? They really are entertaining, and usually quite curious to see what kind of strange bipedal creature they have spotted. I smile everytime I meet these comical creatures, with their slightly mullet-ish mane.

Have I mentioned that my lovely husband now adorns a mullet? It's so hot.

I wish I could share some photos but I lack the magical cord. I promise to post some photos soon to support these fanatical claims to any skeptics in the audience who consider Saskatchewan to be a flat, boring visual punishment before hitting the rockies. Next time your blazing down one of our uninterrupted open roads stop and think about those secrets that are hidden in the flat expanse that surrounds you. It's an amazing world right in our own backyard. My only wish is that one morning I might rise above a ridge to discover a sleepy tepee village with a bison heard grazing off in the distance!

A-bientot!