Home Again

We arrived home last Tuesday after our 3 day, slightly meandering trip back from Saskatchewan. It was a great drive through some very different parts of western Canada. All beautiful in their own way. I didn't take nearly enough pictures, but I also have so many. I was going to make this blog posting about our many friends on the way, both two legged and four legged, but I decided to do a scenery one instead. We started out from the south east corner of Saskatchewan down to the south central, through western Saskatchewan then southern Alberta, then my favorite drive. Which is from Banff up the Iceflields Parkway to Jasper then west to Prince George. We were a week too early for the fall colours but it was still a beautiful drive and not a lot of traffic.

This is some of what we saw.

Flat around Regina or what?

View to the east at sunset

View to the west at sunset

Sunrise in Canmore, fresh snow on the mountains

At Lake Louise

Parking lot at Athabaska Glacier. Slush on the road for about 5K

Time to head home

We have had a great time but it's time to head home. We are leaving in a couple of days and going back via southern Saskatchewan and Alberta. Can't miss a chance to drive the Icefields Parkway with fall colours in effect. We will do a blog once we get home with more pictures. Blogsy and my old iPad have been painful trying to load pictures. So here are a few I managed to load.

Davie is crashed, being a farm dog is very tiring

Sleeping in Michael's truck

Davie's entertainment

Lots of walks

 

 

 

At the farm

We have been at the farm for almost two weeks. The weather has been gorgeous except for one day of rain. We have met lots of cows, calves, dogs cats and people. Below are a few pictures. Emmi is fascinated by the big round bales in the fields. Apparently they are meant to leap on and off of. Davie is just happy to run,and to watch his buddy Floyd the cat. Apparently cows and calves are fun to watch too.

On the run

On the run

Watching

Davie and his buddy Floyd the car

Tired

Bale jumping

 

Road Trip

We are on our Saskatchewan Road trip. We left home on Sunday and drove to the horses and huskies house in Hinton. Oh and also Joe the mule and his buddies.Then on Monday we went for a four hour hike up to Sulphur Ridge. This is the discription.

http://www.trailpeak.com/trail-Sulphur-Skyline-near-Jasper-AB-498

The trail starts from Miette Hot Springs in Jasper National Park. It was a gorgeous day, not a cloud in the sky. The only issue was the ground squirrels at the very top. They have no fear and Davie was mesmerized. We did a quick retreat down before we fell off the top.

Emmi being very good and walking beside me so we don't fall off the mountain

Stream to cool off in near the bottom

The Alpine

Yes these cuties caused some commotion.

Today we drove from Hinton to Saskatoon with a few stops. Including one in Vegreville to see the giant Ukranian Easter egg. And a huge horse in The Battlefords which intrigued Emmi. Tomorrow after a few stops we are off to Bender.

Pysanka

Happy guy

Who is this guy?

 

 

 

 

My dogs are crazy

I can't believe some of the pictures of the two nuts I took this week. They really do enjoy themselves. First is the Emmi cartoon strip, then the puddle man paradise.

She does slow down, sometimes

Almost "clean" puddles this morning from all the rain last night

Davie's tongue is like Emmi's ears you never know where it will be in the picture

Is this a happy face or what?

It's Cone Chucking Season

The squirrels are getting ready for winter. It started yesterday, they are busy chucking cones from the tops of the coniferous trees in the yard. Currently they are in a tree where a good percentage of the cones they chuck land on the metal roof of the barn which always makes the dogs wonder what the heck is happening. Emmi is fascinated by the falling cones, that is until one almost hits her. She checks them out trying to figure out why they smell like squirrel. There is a bumper crop of cones this year do to the wet spring and hot summer. The tops of some of the trees are bent with the weight. And since the squirrels are busy moving from tree to tree there are lots of trails for Emmi to track and lots of trees for Davie to circle! And lots of cones for me to pick up so they don't ruin the blades on the lawn mower. Because you see, the squirrels are very efficient at chucking them on the ground, but not as efficient in picking them up and storing them. But wait maybe there is a method in their madness. I pick the cones  up by the bucket full and dump them in the bush, getting pitch all over a pair of gloves in the process. So are the squirrels letting me be their gatherer? Then they just have to move them from the pile I make, hummm, will have to see what happens.

So my question is are the squirrels trying to tell us something about the coming winter???

Hey Davie, I smells them!

See told ya.

I'm pretty sure they went this way.

She says they are coming from that way.

Or maybe that way?

Marvin the cat, agent provocateur

Marvin is one of two cats at Lab Land. Smeagle, the smart one, went outside when we arrived and did not come back in the house until the BT and the BC had left. He did come visit me outside when the BT/BC where in the house but he stayed clear of those two.

Marvin (picture curiosity of Erin from Lab Land)

 

Marvin on the other hand saw a chance to play with dogs brains and did a marvelous job! He would sneak inside every morning while we were out playing in the field. He would be sitting somewhere watching and make his entrance as soon as we were out of the house. One of his favorite sleeping places is the towel cupboard above the washer and dryer. How did I find this out? Well Davie discovered him on day two.

I sees him

Ha, cat,  think you are the only one who can jump up here!

Davie is a "tad" obsessed with cats. He wants to herd them so badly. His favorite cat is Floyd who lives in Saskatchewan. If Davie didn't go find Floyd last fall Floyd came to find him. He is a very strange relationship.

Davie and Floyd

I nicknamed Marvin, Stealth, because in the every evening when we where outside he would sneak out of the house to prepare for his nightly hunt. Part of his preparation ritual was rolling all over the sidewalk in front of the window to entertain the BC and the BT. And every morning I would find at least one if not more vole carcasses beside my truck. 

Pre-hunting ritual

So we still cannot say Marvin in this house or Davie thinks he has made a special trip from Lab Land to visit him.