The name has kind of stuck, but we don't really go on weekend trips anymore. Back in the day, when the tradition first started, all of the Guild members were younger, and still working. We always went away for a weekend of photography, and usually tagged on an extra day. Now in recent years we don't bother to go on a weekend, and usually go during the middle of the week. Most of our members are retired, and those that are not, can usually book time off work, or work part time remotely. So this year the Fall Photo "Weekend" extended for five days and four nights, from Monday to Friday.
After our Fall Photo Weekend tour stop in Big Valley, the Guild gang headed further south to the town of Rowley. The town was the setting for some of the scenes shot for the movie Bye Bye Blues back in the 1980's. Some of the buildings were constructed or renovated for that movie. Since then it has become locally popular as a tourist attraction. The old buildings remain, and it has the look and feel of a ghost town, despite the fact that there are a handful of permanent residents, all in rather new and well maintained homes.
Many of the old buildings that remain, have been restored. There is a large area in the center of town that is used for camping in the summer months. On a regular schedule throughout the year, the town hosts Pizza Night as a popular local outing and fundraiser.
Everything was really quiet when we visited; not surprising since it is already late October, and it was a Monday afternoon. We spent an hour or two wandering around and photographing some of the buildings. I did a shot with my big 8x10 view camera, and also a few more with the smaller 4x5. Helena enjoyed being along and exploring, and I helped her to take a photograph with the view camera as well. She didn't remember that she visited a number of times in the past, as a small child, when we were camping nearby.
By the time we wound things down, it was late afternoon and the autumn sun was low in the sky. We packed up and continued on to Drumheller. There we stopped in town at the grocery store and picked up a bunch of supplies for the week. By the time we made it out to the AirBnB in East Coulee, it was dark. We managed to catch most of the baseball game on TV, and watched as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Seatlle Mariners in the American League Championship series, and advanced to the Work Series. We grilled some steaks and prepared a nice meal, and enjoyed the conclusion of a really nice day.
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