Friday, 16 October 2009

canada part three

floating down the elbow river once again, only this time outside calgary. a bit more action packed than expected...but after 6 hours and one less raft (due to a pucture)...we made it.

weekend out at dorian´s family cabin.

dorian the proud father.

day hike with mike, jen and kids to the plain of six glaciers, lake louise.


stunning.

uncle wolfgang, aunt nancy, neils and anita visit from germany.

back to our favourite campsite...this time for some cliff jumping into the ice cold water.

geoff on his reading perch.

jenny doin´ dishes.

on the road to visit the family in saskatoon. here, an old grain elevator in dorothy.

at oma stehwien´s house, admiring all the art/puppets on display.

puppet made by great grandfather oka.

oma´s hand made puppets.

photo of opa and oma stehwien.

opa´s studio bursting with his work. theres more in the basement and garage...some dating back to his art school days in germany.

funny painting by great grandfather oka.

one of opa´s many grain elevator paintings.

one of oma´s many amazing scherenschnitt (paper cutouts).

our favourite opa self portrait.

our favouite portrait of oma.

family gathering at aunt barbara´s! from the left, evan, florian, anita, aunt nancy, neils, uncle wolfgang, aunt barbara, jenny, uncle dave, amanda and andy.

saskatoon´s broadway bridge over the south saskatchewan river.

another shot of oma´s gallery.

thanks for having us oma!

geoff picked us up from saskatoon and we went further east, just outside wadena to fishing lake.

fish from fishing lake. nice catch jenny.

sunset.

geoff is on board.

jenny the water skier.

i was eventually on board, its not as easy as you might think.

geoff´s lovely grandpa made us dinner.

our fish...jenny´s was bigger.

the flat prairies.


back home to calgary through the ´badlands´...carved out of the prairies and filled with dinosaur fossils.


gettin´down at the leishman´s garden party.

we jammin´.

bev, jenny and ross from scotland!

polynesian themed regulars party at the ship and anchor with good friends = fun.

the ramblin´ambassadors.

geoff and sara happy slappin´.

hula girls bev and jenny.

a little farewell gathering at ours...thanks to all who helped out and thanks to all who came!

the sunnyside crew.


mmmmmmm.


autum colours.

tasty lunch with the folks at the river cafe.

we´ll miss you ma and pa...thanks for EVERYTHING.

farewell friends...

Wednesday, 9 September 2009

canada part two


board game fun with the family.

cedar visits calgary and gives garden work a go.

dinnendahl men.

happy grandpa and grandson.

the gangs all here when oma has a quick stopover on her way home to saskatoon.

bike riding along the bow river.

huge rainbow over the calgary skyline.

the best way to spend a summer's day in calgary, floatin' down the elbow river.

baby jack rabbit in our garden.


weekend visit to pigeon lake and christy's farm...just south of edmonton.

brother david.

papa franz with a sketch done by opa.

best campsite ever, on highwood river...just outside the rocky mountains.

spot our blue tarp on the left.

eating well...

day hike up to plateau mountain.


the flat top of plateau mountain...looking west to the great divide.

lost the trail on the way down but made it in the end.

looking east from the pass on highway 532, known as 'the hump'.

campfire back at our site.

indian paintbrushes all along our path as we ascend raspberry ridge.

on the ridge...



between the rocky mountains and the praries is 700km of highway known as the cowboy trail. ranching families first settled in the area in 1880 and turned it into cattle country. yahoo. yeehaw.

brother david and his football (soccer) team play a league match in mcmahon stadium.

and so the fun begins at the annual south coutry fair, just outside fort macleod.

thanks to all the good people at the kasbah site for everything!

bev and daughter ellen.

stilt horse.


sara and ellen dancin' away...

...jenny enjoyin' the tunes...

jah youssouf and the woodchoppers association...

...the very entertainin' united steel workers of montreal...

...dylan on guitar with the screamin' jimmys.

chillin' and listenin' to mark & john jammin' back at our site.

moody skies on the road home from the fesival.


good eats with the boulis family and friends from aussie land.

golfing with geoff, nicole, zimmer, larissa, dallas and katherine...


a lovely feast at the copeland's.

ahhh...here's what we look like after two years of marriage.