get lost! the canadian prairies...

canadian pride in the heart of the prairies... 

summer is here. temperatures are rising above thirty degrees celsius, the days are long, and the open road is calling my name. wedding season is already in full-swing, which means that i could easily dj every weekend, if i wanted to. i do want to, but i also want to prioritize getting out and enjoying the summer, and not working six days every single week. since canada day afforded me a three-day weekend, i decided to make the most of the last chance i had to hit the road for a little adventure. 

kenaston, saskatchewan - small-town saskatchewan high rises...

i have family in regina, saskatchewan, that i haven't seen since 2006. i'd rather be a do-er than a talk-er, so instead of repeating the old 'i should really get out there to see them... it's been so long!' i sent them an e-mail, and invited myself for a visit. family is good like that. 

when the clock struck three pm on friday, i donned my green sunnies, opened all the windows and the sunroof, cranked the road trip tunes, and set out to follow those little white lines heading east. around dinner time, a sign advertising an antiques shop lured me into a little town called kitscoty, just shy of the alberta-saskatchewan border.

kitscoty, alberta

the antiques shop was closed, as were any potential dinner options, so i pulled out my camera and explored the main street of kitscoty. 

stretching across the nation from coast to coast, you'll find that countless small towns share the same backbone - the canadian national railway. as a child i stared out the window for the edmonton-regina journey every year or two, and the sight of a towering grain elevator meeting the train tracks on the horizon is a distinguishing element in those memories. 

stunning view from a pit stop i took, overlooking the north saskatchewan river

sunset just east of saskatoon

shadows lengthen; the sunlight fades from cloud to cloud, kindling their torn edges as it dies from softness to softness down the prairie sky. a lone farmhouse window briefly blazes; the prairie bathes in mellower, yellower light, and the sinking sun becomes a low and golden glowing on the prairies edge...

- who has seen the wind; w.o. mitchell