Twenty Three

September 24th is Hailey's 23rd birthday.  This year it was extra special as the two of us were out at Nordegg together, without anyone else around.  I distinctly remember the day that Hailey was born.  It was a beautiful sunny fall day.  Margarit had been in labor most of the night, and Hailey arrived early in the morning.  I remember going home to get some rest later in the morning, looking around at the beautiful fall colors, and thinking how much my life was going to change.

The morning dawned heavily overcast and drizzling, but by late morning the rain quit and the clouds began to lift.  Actually, we could really use some rain, as there has been virtually nothing out here for over a month.  The precipitation today didn't amount to anything and we got less than a millimeter.  Just enough to keep the dust down, but that was about it.

By late morning Hailey and I decided to venture out.  We did a quick run to the dump to get rid of some garbage, and then headed into town.  Most of the shops are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the off season.  So we were unable to get Hailey a slice of pie from the Miner's Cafe, and I was unable to drop off my prints at the Beehive.

We headed up to the minesite for a walk around, and as per usual I took my camera along with me.  As in the past I booked my access with the County staff and had permission to be in on a private tour.  There were some staff working down at the briquette plant so we avoided that part of the site.  I discovered that some asshole had vandalized the electric motor in the far winch house.  There was a package from bandsaw blades on the floor.  The motor was torn apart and destroyed.  The armature was laying outside with all of the copper wire stripped off of it.  For F*ck's sake.....!!!  This stuff is way more valuable historically, than it is for a few pounds of copper.  The County really needs to take steps to adequately secure the site with some proper fencing.  The mine dates back to 1910, and has been shut down for seventy years.  To date, there has not been a lot of vandalism.  But in recent years, with increased activity in the area, vandalism and looting has been accelerated.  Once this stuff is lost, it's gone forever.  This is exactly why I am investing my own time and money to document it while I still can.

Hailey's younger sister Helena passed along a wonderful birthday gift just before we left.... a bad cold.  Hailey suffered with that all day on her birthday, and I suspect it will only get worse.  I think I'm catching it too....

Once we got back to the cottage in the afternoon, I started slow cooking a batch of Greek Ribs for Hailey's birthday.  Hopefully her cold symptoms aren't too bad yet, and she can actually taste them.  We will have a nice relaxing dinner together and hang out in the evening.  Another day or two out at the cottage and then sadly we will have to return to the city.