I grew up in a house with a field just beyond our backyard, in a town that was seemingly plunked down in the middle of nowhere. It was surrounded by fields, and in one direction, beyond the fields were the Great Sandhills. I can tolerate crowds, I’ve lived in a city since I finished high school, and I’m not sure I could live in a small town again, but I still am attracted to wide open spaces. All of these pictures were taken near Regina, SK.
sunflower against a blue sky
sunrise in mid-July
Summer in Canada to me means going somewhere and seeing some of my beautiful country. Canada is such a wonderfully diverse country and I appreciate it all…prairies, mountains, ocean, and our cities, too. I’ve only been as far east as Quebec City, and would love to see the east coast of Canada someday.
Summer Solstice, English Bay, Vancouver 2013
Quebec City, 2010 (wow, seven years ago already!)
Banff (these pictures are from 2014)
Great Bear Rainforest, British Columbia, June, 2013
Prince Rupert to Hartley Bay in a seaplane
Bishop Bay Hot Springs in the Great Bear Rainforest
Near Gull Lake, Saskatchewan, July 2016
Prince Albert National Park, June 2016
Near Mankota, Saskatchewan, September 2016
When I was a kid, there were three places we’d drive to that I would look forward to with much anticipation. One was driving through Saskatoon on our way to my grandparents’ house. We’d drive by the beautiful University of Saskatchewan campus, and I’d imagine going to university there. I loved every second of my four years there.
Thorvaldson Building, University of Saskatchewan campus in Saskatoon
Driving to Banff, and getting that first glimpse of the mountains was (and still is) a thrill! For at least the last 10 years, maybe more if I really thought about it, I’ve been to mountains somewhere in Western Canada or Montana.
driving to Banff
But, Cypress Hills in Southwest Saskatchewan is most likely the place I’ve been to the most. It was about a two hour drive from the town I grew up in and it’s the first place I remember going where I felt like I was going somewhere! I’d watch for that first glimpse of the hills, just a silhouette far off in the distance, and as we passed through Maple Creek, I could finally see the hills close up! I’ve camped here a lot with my family, gone to Brownies and Girl Guide camp at Camp Shagabec, and I’ve been several times as an adult, but most of my memories of it are as a kid (including one Victoria Day long weekend when it snowed – I think I was 5 or so. I think that was also the last time I rode a horse!).
View from the top of Bald Butte
Sunset view at the Lookout Point
The pedestrian bridge over the North Saskatchewan River between Battleford and North Battleford has become one of my favourite places to photograph. If you’re ever in the area make sure to take in the sunset from the bridge. I’ve been visiting this area of Saskatchewan since birth, really, but it’s only in the last few years that I’ve appreciated how scenic it is (and it definitely correlates to when I began pursuing my photography hobby).
Still have some Puerto Vallarta pics to share which is a good thing! Between being busy at work and figuring out how I’m going to handle my workload, and being uninspired by the April landscapes this year, I haven’t picked up a camera in awhile. The prospect of May flowers, though, will change that soon!
If you’re interested in traveling and experiencing different places, I really encourage you to think differently about your accommodations and look beyond hotels and resorts. Renting a house was not without frustrations – there were a few pool issues to be sorted out which meant contacting the owner in Texas and then dealing with the property manager who lived across the street and was extremely busy running a fishing boat charter company, and a language barrier with the pool guy. Also, because the house was for sale, there were a few showings, but we knew that a possibility before renting, and received a discount for the inconvenience. Some people have asked if there were any worries about renting a place online because what if the place doesn’t look like the pictures and you’ve spent all that money and it ends up being in a bad neighbourhood? You do need to do some research. I looked on AirBnB and Home Away. Read the reviews, then try to read between the lines of those reviews. I only look at places that have more than 5 reviews, preferably more (because it’s pretty easy to get three of your friends to give you a good review!). If there’s an address look it up on Google Maps street view. Establish a rapport with the owner either by phone or email – do they respond to your inquiries quickly and answer your questions? This all sounds like it takes some effort, but I enjoy it! Keep in mind, this was for a two week stay, and a good portion of the travel budget was going towards accommodations. I wouldn’t put this much effort into a three day stay, for example. Ultimately, the house in Puerto Vallarta was chosen for its million dollar views and my bucket list rooftop, private pool! All the research paid off! All the pics were taken from the rooftop.
The sunsets!
The neighbourhood…5 de Diciembre
Felt a little nervous for this guy painting on the roof!
And the iguana who liked to sun himself on the ledge of the house’s second level.
As in Maui in 2015, I don’t think I missed a sunset in Puerto Vallarta. The sky is my endless fascination.
Most of the sunset pictures I took in Puerto Vallarta were from the rooftop pool. I don’t really have a bucket list, but I’ve always wanted to stay somewhere with a private pool.
…a lot of time was spent in this pool staring out at the sea (but my favourite time in the pool was in the evening look at the lights of Puerto Vallarta and the moon)…
The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.
– William Arthur Ward
“hark, now hear the sailors cry,
smell the sea, and feel the sky
let your soul & spirit fly, into the mystic…”
― Van Morrison
Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta…many photographs to share after two weeks in Puerto Vallarta, but this is one of my favourites.
