geoffandmar: July 2006

Greenwater Lake Trip

Marlene and I had a great time in Saskatchewan. It was a good healing experience going back to the lake and being with my family. It was our first trip back to Saskatchewan after my dad's funeral and baby Gregory's death. My family has a nurturing essence and it was great to feel their presence. Thanks for coming together and bringing joy into our lives.

My Brother Stuart

My brother Stuart is looking after the camp-
ground with my mom this summer. Stuart is fast becoming a handy man. During my trip, Stuart and my brother-in-law Gerald created a speed bump near the campground entrance. I was the first person to use the speed bump with Stuart's car.

The Campground Office

Mom and Stuart live
in the campground office during the summer. It's a busy location with lots of family and friends stopping over for visits. In the back area we'd have great campfires and storytelling sessions.

Our Cabin in Greenwater

Marlene and I stayed in this cabin while we stayed in Greenwater. Dad and I built it during the summer of 1984. We moved it up to the campground in 1988 and we made the deck in 1989.

Almi Campground View from the Highway

The campsites are nestled into lush trees. Monica (Geoff's sister in Edmonton) wanted to see a couple of different views of the campground.

Marlene, Mom and Sonia

Greenwater is a great place to walk around with family and friends. We usually liked to finish off the walk with an ice cream cone at the beach.

Liam and His First Water Fight

Geoff, Gerald and Stuart introduce Liam to the fine art of the water fight. Everyone got a good soaking!

Marlene at Batoche

A dramatic and bloody part of Canadian history took place in central Saskatchewan. Batoche was the headquarters of Louis Riel's ‘Provisional Government of Saskatchewan,' and the site of the last battlefield in the Northwest Rebellion of 1885. Marlene is posing in front of the historic church.

The Saskatchewan River Ferry Crossing

Yes, that funny strip of highway on the river is a ferry. It crosses the North Saskatchewan River and is between Batoche and Duck Lake. It takes 2 minutes to cross ... and it is free.

Bannock Burger

At Duck Lake we went to the Trapper's Cabin Restaurant and Geoff had the Bannock Burger. It was nice'n'tastey!

Marlene at Jack Pine Stables

Marlene and I went to Jack Pine Stables for a couple of fun days. Geoff won the trip in December in the SaskTourism photo contest. The stable is around 11 km north of Duck Lake.

Geoff and Chip

Geoff's horse is a brown and white American Paint horse. Chip is 7 years old and has an energetic personality.

Marlene and Twister

Twister actually has two names. Usually he goes by the name of "Peaches". People used to get too scared when they were told they were going to ride "Twister". Peaches has a less scarey twang to it. Twister is an old gentle soul of 18 years.

Our Guide Darlene

Darlene is the owner and operator of Jack Pine Stables. Darlene's husband was a Métis. His great grandfather (Patrice Fleury) was a captain under Louis Riel in the 1885 Rebellion at Batoche.

The Medicine Man Horse

We passed another stable during our horse ride. We saw this exceptional "American Paint" horse. Darlene told us that horses with these kind of markings and eye colour (blue) were associated with mystic powers and were often ridden by the medicine man of a First Nations tribe.

View of the Trail

This is a view of the trail in Nesbit Forest. We even rode part of the historic Carlton Trail during the trip. The Carlton Trail is an important historic trail that was used by the traders and trappers over a hundred years ago.

Prairie Flower

While we were taking a break I took a picture of a neat wild flower. Does anyone know what kind this is? (Sonia? Gerald?)

Darlene and Twister

After riding around for a couple of hours, we tied up the horses and had a small break. Darlene tied up the horses for us.

Blue The Magic Horse

The horse Darlene rode is named Blue. He had 1 blue eye and 1 dark eye. The First Nations people say these kind of horses have "magic" powers. He looked cool, but I didn't notice him speaking, flying or doing anything special.

Prince the Percheron

At the stable was a big work horse named Prince (he's a Percheron ... kind of like a Clydesdale). He is the dominant horse of the group. I think he was Marlene's favourite.

Good-Bye Prince!!

Before we left, Marlene had to say "good-bye" one last time to Prince.

Uncle Tony's Farm

Uncle Tony is my mom's younger brother. His farm is around 20 minutes away from Greenwater Lake. Uncle Tony and my aunt Bernice love animals. They have around 30 cats, 40 rabbits, 3 ponies, 2 dogs, 1 goose, 2 ducks, hundreds of chickens and some cattle. Uncle Tony has a great sense of humour and loves showing off his farm-yard to family and friends.

Aunt Bernice

Aunt Bernice loves chickens. She has a large collection of mostly exotic birds. Some have fluffy hats, some have fluffy pantaloons, and some have great colours and textures.