Another Visit to the Mine Site

On Tuesday May 20th, after a leisurely morning, and a big breakfast, Margarit and I headed into Nordegg.  We stopped at the Beehive Artisan Market so that Margarit could pick up a book that she had ordered.  then we waited out a shower before heading up to the mine.  The forecast was not great, but it actually turned out a little better than expected.  The temperature only made it up to about +11C, but the showers that were supposed to be dominant in the afternoon, didn't really materialize.

We had permission to be up at the historic site and I was able to drive my truck in.  I elected to shoot with my big 8x10 camera, as I've never used the big boy at this location before.  The downside is that all of the images I shot, can only be contact printed.  I actually purchased an 8x10 enlarger about 15 years ago.  For a number of years it sat in storage at my skylight shop.  When I retired, I moved the crates over to the shop in East Coulee.  One of these days I have to actually unpack the thing and get it set up in my darkroom.  In the meantime, any images that I shoot in 8x10 format are limited to being contact printed to actual size.  I'm such a slug......

I exposed 14 sheets of film, and look forward to actually being able to develop some of this stuff.  There is a lot of interest in my images from the mine site.  The Discovery Center wants me to display some this summer, and the Beehive wants to use some as well.  I've already selected a couple for the Apparitions project, and will probably used one or more on my 2026 calendar.

Here are a few snapshots from our afternoon.  Once I get around to processing the film from this outing, I will share a few more.

Spring 2025 - Game Camera Photos

On May 20th, while Margarit and I were out at Nordegg, I pulled the memory card from my game camera.  It had taken 427 photographs since early April.  We are not getting the deer visiting as often as they do in winter, now that I am no longer feeding them.

This time around we captured some of the poor weather conditions that have been experienced in recent weeks.  Rain, fog and snow....!!  Snow on several occasions, including a dump of nearly 8 inches on Easter Monday.  I was out at that time, but didn't bother to check the camera at that point.

Mostly the images were of the deer, and I only saved a few of them.  We did get some shots of our resident Red Fox that shows him/herself, mostly at night, checking things out.  We had a coyote wander through at one point.  Some crows from time to time, and that was about it.

I've noticed that the deer get pretty nasty with each other when they were fighting over the grain I put out.  I've found clumps of fur on the ground, and seen them rear up and strike each other with their front hooves.  Some of them were sporting missing patches of fur, and I assume that this is how it happened.  The bucks are starting to get the nubs of their new antlers.

There have been a number of bear sightings in the neighborhood this spring, but none wandered through our place.  A black bear was recently seen in the west end of the subdivision.  And a grizzly with three cubs wandered across the golf course on May 19th.

I reloaded the camera and we shall see what crosses our path the next time that I choose to pull the memory card and have a look.

Planning the next BP outing

In mid June the Beer Parlour Project team will be travelling to south central Alberta.  We have been confirmed to visit the Waldorf Hotel in Drumheller on Saturday June 14th.  Not only will the entire team.... Chris, Connie, Margarit and I... be attending, but guests Arturo and Sharon will also join us.  We are in the process of trying to line up some other opportunities for the rest of that weekend.  Stay tuned for more details.....

***Update***

It will be the Rockyford Hotel in Rockyford, Alberta on Friday June 13th.  Please feel welcome to stop in at one or the other or both of these venues and say hello, and share a cold one with us.  More importantly, take in the vibe of these old places that are, sadly, fast disappearing.

I shot this photograph of the Waldorf Hotel with my 4x5 view camera back in the summer of 2020.  The Beer Parlour Project had been put on hold at that point due to the pandemic.  If I recall correctly the tavern was closed and not operating at the time of this photo.

Nordegg Visit

Margarit and I stayed in Edmonton on May 17th so that we could attend the 60th birthday celebration for our sister in law Barb.  On the morning of May 18th we packed up and headed out to Nordegg.  In years past, when I was still working, we always made a point of heading out somewhere for the May long weekend.  In recent years, not being attached to a working man's schedule, we try to avoid the long weekend crowds.  This time around it was the Sunday of the long weekend when we arrived at the cottage.

With all the rain and snow this spring, and the recent showers, the fire ban that had been in place prior to the long weekend was lifted.  The ban was only in place for a week or two, during a period of warm and windy weather.  

This would just be a short visit to the cottage, but we enjoyed it all the same.  I am really far behind on chores and stuff at home, mostly due to being laid up for a couple months this winter with a broken leg.  I'm still catching up, and so this visit was a short one.

On holiday Monday I managed to split a little firewood and get a start on that long neglected project.  Margarit did a little tidying in the yard.  I played my first round of golf of the season and shot a respectable 45.  I shovelled a wheelbarrow load of ash out of our firepit, and Margarit built a new stone ring around it.  We had a nice BBQ dinner together that evening, and watched all the weekend people head home.  

On Tuesday we went into town and also were able to take another tour of the historic mine site.  Although they are not open for public tours on Tuesdays, I was given permission to drive in and do some photography.  On this occasion, with the ease of access, I elected to shoot with my big 8x10 view camera.

In the evening we had a nice dinner of roast beef and then just relaxed in the cottage.

On Wednesday we woke up to cool weather and light showers.  It's just as well, as this was the day that we had to pack up and head back home to the city.  I'm sure looking forward to returning for a longer visit, sometime really soon.

Saskatchewan Trip - Day 5

Day Five of our tour was Sunday May 11th.  This was also Mother's Day.  We had arranged with the Hotel in Denzil, just the night previously, to drop by on this day.  But the plans eventually fell through.  The owners had just purchased the hotel.  Their first day of operation was just a couple of days prior on Friday night.  They were a little overwhelmed and scrambling to keep up to everything.  They left a message for us saying that they had pressing things to address and would have to postpone our visit.  Hopefully we get a chance to return to the area sometime soon.

With the day fully open we toured to the south of Macklin, and for a time crossed over onto the Alberta side of the border.  We explored the towns of Compeer and Altario before crossing back into Saskatchewan.  The Hotel in Altario looked perfect for a Beer Parlour Project outing but sadly it has been closed for some time.  We found our usual list subject matter including old vehicles, signs, grain elevators, old houses and various other junk.  The day was spent exploring and taking photographs and Chris and I had no regrets, despite the Beer Parlour Project not working out.

During this trip we discovered Bohemian Beer.  It was originally made by Sicks Brewery of Prince Albert, but is now made by Molsons.  We quite enjoyed it and this will have to become our treat whenever we visit Saskatchewan.  It is not sold in Alberta.

We laughed at ourselves when we were looking at a bottle of the stuff.  There are three little icons at the bottom of the label.  One calls for ID from the purchaser and the other suggests not to drink and drive.  Initially we thought the third one implied not to drink too much and attempt karaoke, but on closer inspection we see it means not to drink if you're pregnant.  Duh...!!!

Day Six of our trip was the last.  We checked out of our rental house in Macklin and had breakfast together at a local coffee shop.  Chris and I said our good byes and he pointed his car towards Calgary, while I made my way back home to Edmonton.  It rained pretty much all the way home, which is probably a really good thing.  The farmers have mostly finished seeding their crops, and this will help to dampen the risk of forest fires.

Beer Parlour Project - BP 27.0 - Edgerton Oasis Hotel

Our visit to the Prairie Oasis Hotel in Edgerton, Alberta was pre-arranged.  Chris had set this all up in advance, so the owner was expecting us.

The local high school graduation ceremony was taking place at a nearby hall when we arrived, and main street was full of vehicles.  In between the ceremony and dinner and again at another break in the festivities, waves of people came into the tavern.  We managed to photograph and visit with some of them.  Sadly it was only Chris and I on this occasion and with two of us it was just impossible to keep up with all the people.  They came in a huge wave, stayed for half an hour or so, and then left to attend some other part of the event.  This happened a couple of times during the afternoon, but we still missed out on some opportunities.

Wanda, the owner of the hotel was a very gracious host.  She has owned the place for over 20 years.  This is much longer than most of the hotels that we have visited, as the turnover in ownership seems to take place on a very regular basis.  I think perhaps when the pitfalls of ownership and the expense of operation become evident, some decide it is time to move on.  Wanda took as for a tour through every part of the hotel.  She has personal living quarters upstairs that are under renovation, and we even got a quick glimpse of those.

Wanda also operates the restaurant attached to the hotel, as well as a beauty salon.  She is a real go getter and is obviously very proud of what she has accomplished... as she should be.  Like the night before in Coleville, she insisted on covering our tab.  We had a couple of beers each, as well as Wanda's delicious home made burger.  This is a trend that we really don't want to continue, despite the great intentions of the owners.  This time around we made a donation to the local charity event that Wanda sponsors, in lieu of paying our bill.

It was a great visit and we were at the hotel from 3:00 until after dark.  We had a lot of fun and I'm sure I came away with a couple of great photographs.... and some regrets for opportunities missed.  We made our way back to Macklin after we had said our goodbyes and packed up all of our gear.  As usual, we felt a great sense of satisfaction as well as some fatigue, at the wrap up of this outing, number 27 in our tour.