Tag Archives: rural

In just the last few weeks almost all the snow has melted, except for where it had been piled or accumulated in the ditches. The birds have clearly taken notice and seem to all be coming back north at the same time.

Some of the birds I’ve seen in great numbers this week are canadian geese, tundra swans, mallard ducks, and red-winged blackbirds.

Our early spring drive through the Badlands was memorable and beautiful. Just after we arrived, the scenery quickly changed as a heavy snowfall quickly blanketed the rugged terrain in a layer of white.

A few facts… Moose are shy, solitary animals, and don’t travel in packs. They can live for up to 25 years, and prefer cold climates, like Manitoba. Apparently moose can outrun a person by the time they’re 5 days old, traveling up to 56 km/h (35 mph). Yikes! Don’t get too close.

This one was spotted, out for a morning walk.

I tend to be a “home body”, so my job has forced me to put on my boots and go see the view from the top of the valley when it’s too cold to want to venture out. That has also meant that I have seen new beautiful views, for which I’m often reaching for my camera. I hope to share a variety of pictures with you from behind the wheel, today and in the future.

Happy New Year! I can hardly believe we’re changing our calendars for the start of 2025. The years roll by faster each time and I choose to remember that the remaining years ahead are not up to me, but are in His capable, trustworthy hands.

And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.

Daniel 2:21 NKJV

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 NKJV

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 NKJV

You have set all the borders of the earth;
You have made summer and winter.

Psalm 74:17 NKJV

‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.

Jeremiah 32:17 NKJV

After 21 years off, doing other things, I’m now back to driving a school bus. Not much has changed, I still don’t like getting up early. But, I’m learning to appreciate the sunrise and quiet time with the Creator.

Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor…

Well, I haven’t got to the snow part yet, but it IS coming. This is Manitoba after all. I don’t know if I’ll make it but I know the One who goes with me.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.

Isaiah 43:2a NKJV

This summer, I have a daily walk scheduled to take in the colorful sky filled canvas.

Sometimes the sky is clear without a cloud to be seen. Other times there are so many clouds I am surprised by a last minute peak that the sun makes at the horizon before it disappears for the night.

One thing you can count on, the sun sets right on time every evening, never looking the same twice.

This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24 NKJV

Got the winter blues or just having a hard time getting around today? Maybe you just need to smile. I understand smiling is good for our health, helping to reduce blood pressure, pain, and increase your endurance. So what have you got to smile about today?

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

Philippians 4:4 NKJV

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven—He has made everything appropriate in its time.

Ecclesiastes 3:1,11 NASB

While visiting Arizona in early April I was delighted to enjoy the green, spring-like desert. I know from experience that the Arizona desert is not normally this green, making the view a real treat.

The last time I visited the Grand Canyon was June 2000. The temperatures were then reaching into the high 80s at the top and scorching well over 100°F at the bottom. This time around it was very different, as the top was covered in a layer of snow and only got into the 60s.

The view was just as spectacular as I remember it being over 20 years ago. To think that God likely formed all of it in just a few hours as the waters receded following the great world-wide flood of Noah’s day is amazing.

Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line?

Job 38:4-5 NLT

I recently learned that there are four different kinds of frost, each with it’s own way it forms. They go by names such as radiation or hoarfrost, advection frost, window frost, and rime frost. I guess I had never considered that there was more than one kind. No matter what you want to call it, it’s absolutely beautiful against the bright blue sky.

Holiday Mountain Ski Resort is opening again and everyone in our little town of La Riviere is excited to see some life returning to our valley. The official opening day is Boxing Day but today we got a sneak peek of the whole operation.

From the breath of God ice is made, and the expanse of the waters is frozen.

Job 37:10 NASB

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.

Isaiah 40:8 NIV

Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?

Matthew 6:26 NLT

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

Psalm 28:7 NIV

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Psalm 107:1 NIV

I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.

Psalm 34:1 NIV

My light will shine out for you just a little while longer.

Walk in it while you can…

John 12:35 NLT

We will tell the next generation

the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,

his power,

and the wonders he has done.

Psalm 78:4 NIV

Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

Philippians 2:6-8 NIV

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

And this is not your own doing;

it is the gift of God.

Ephesians 2:8 ESV

The summer has officially begun and the temperatures are beginning to soar. It’s hard to believe this area gets down to -40 C in the winter when it’s hot and muggy like it is now.

I don’t know about you but I get grumpy when I’m cold. Yet, I find that it is when I bundle up and venture out in to “the arctic”, I often am surprised to be greeted by the loveliness of God’s creation. When face to face with undeniable beauty, I can’t help but have a more positive attitude, even if the temperatures are beyond negative.

He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes.
He casts forth His ice as fragments;
Who can stand before His cold?
He sends forth His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.

Psalm 147:16-18

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13 NIV

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What does it look like to be filled with all joy and peace? Or to overflow with hope?

Well, that’s what I wish for you this new year. I think you’ll agree with me when I say, we could all use a little more joy, peace, and hope in our lives!

A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.

Proverbs 16:9-HCSB

Life never turns out quite the way we thought it would. It’s comforting to know that He is the one who, as other translations put it, “decides where we will go“, “guides each step“, or “directs his steps and makes them sure“. If God is the one directing each step I take, then I can more fully enjoy today, knowing that I’m right where He wants me.

Despite the harsh temperatures and cutting wind, the sun still draws me out of my house to capture a few beautiful winter shots.

We were given the opportunity to borrow a friends’ canoe to take out on the Pembina River. The day we choose to head out was warm but windy and it took us an hour and a half to travel up river, a short distance that is just a 10 minute walk. After a short break we then turned back and made the same distance in just 20 minutes.

In Alberta we enjoyed a white water rafting trip down the Athabasca River. The water was very cold, even in late August, and the view was unforgettable.

We drove over to Old Fort Point just before sunset to check out a scenic lookout up a hill that overlooked the Athabasca River, Twin Lakes, and the small town.

I have so many pictures from our trip that we made this summer and want to share some of the highlights with you. We drove through Banff National Park, driving our Jeep and glad we invested in new tires before we made the trip.

We stopped by the Columbia Icefield Skywalk and saw the Columbia glacier. I’d definitely recommend driving through this area and even taking a few days or weeks to see all the sights and hike the trails, which we didn’t do for lack of time.

We then traveled south down BC highway 97, through the mountains, stopping several times to take in the view.

Now that it’s officially spring, I have gone back and looked at the pictures I took the last few months. I was surprised to see such intensity of the colours in many photos, something that my winter shots usually lack. Here are a few of my favourites…

This winter I have been enjoying the view outside. It can be a little more challenging this time of year to find things to photograph, but that just means you need to bundle up and look a little closer.

I took these photos on a very cold day in November. It was miserable weather for having your picture taken because all we wanted to do was bundle up and go back indoors. By the time we were done we had red noses and frozen fingers.

In my haste, I lament that I didn’t take the time to make sure the shots were turning out. Many pictures had a good idea going but I didn’t execute the way I should have. I think I really didn’t have a good idea of what I needed to get either, which led to many random shots that weren’t kept. I guess that’s part of learning from you mistakes.

In the end I did end up with some keepers. Here are a few…

Before: This first photo was taken in 2010. I was trying out my macro setting on the camera and was enjoying how much detail I could capture in the weeds and yet how blurry I could get the background.

 

After: This is my new favorite recent picture. It was taken at Lincoln Brick Park back in January 2013 when we got out to enjoy above freezing temperatures and some fresh air. I love how much detail there is and how warm the colors are.

Again, I used the macro setting in the this shot. I like how I used the treeline in the second one and how it’s much brighter as well. I would say that you can see a big improvement in my technique.

Back in January we had exceptionally balmy winter weather and now in the early spring of late March it has been exceptionally cold. I may call Michigan and Ontario home but I’m ready to be done with my winter coat and start enjoying some warm sunshine again! Anyone else agree?

One of my most favorite Canadian TV shows to watch is PhotoXplorers. It’s about an adventurous band of photographers/urban explorers who slip behind the barricades to capture haunting images of abandoned buildings and structures from around the World. It combines the thrill of going into dangerous places with the excitement of capturing amazing pictures otherwise never seen.

Watching the show made me want to find an abandoned building of my own and backpack in with some fellow photographer friends to do the same. I pictured myself taking capturing photos like the ones Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre took of the remains of the motor city that were featured in Time. But, I don’t have free time to plan photography trips and travel around the country just to take pictures. Instead I started thinking about some more local options.

This is an old homestead that was abandoned years ago. It still sands today and with permission I was able to go take a look around.

This first taste of abandoned building photography has definitely whet my appetite. I’d love to go back and do it again. More than that, I’d love to check out some new locations. Anyone have any ideas?

While traveling through Ontario I stopped to snap a few pictures. I was surprised, and yet pleased to notice that I hadn’t taken very many but that they turned out just as I had hoped. I guess it’s a sign that I’m getting better with the camera. Yeah!