Saskatchewan

    While travelling across the prairies, I found myself gazing out the window happily all day. I did not feel bored or wish the flat drives were over like people had warned. I felt free and open and seeing all the beautiful fields of wheat and canola made me smile. I loved seeing where all of our wonderful products come from in Canada, and seeing where that bag of flour in the supermarket actually came from. The prairies were dramatic for me just as the Rocky Mountains were, and I found the difference in landscape within provinces fascinating. I loved getting out at gas stops and feeling the hot wind whip against my t-shirt. It's funny to say that I actually felt like the days on the prairies went by too fast!
    We drove from Edmonton to North Battleford, Saskatchewan which is about an hour or so north of Saskatoon. It is a small town with the basic stores, the church, the farms and not a major sightseeing destination but a great place to stop over and grab some groceries and enjoy the friendly locals.  We drove 20 minutes north up a gravel road lined with wheat fields until we came across the correct barn. My friend I was travelling with had contacted some long lost family a few weeks earlier and arranged for us to stay with them. She had never met them before and I had to laugh when her third cousins (young boys) stared at us in confusion when we arrived. Her second cousin kindly offered to take us on a boat ride on Jackfish lake which was wonderful. We were all laughing on the boat when we all couldn't remember the names of everyone and how essentially we were riding in a boat full of strangers!! We went across the rough waves and bounced off our seats reminding me of my childhood summers filled with boating. He then took us through a canal that winded through the summer houses, it was beautiful. It Reminded me of a North American Venice. We finished our boat ride with a refreshing swim in the middle of the lake where the cousins demonstrated  how to do flips and dives off the boat.

    That evening we happily gathered our sleeping bags and slept in the basement, thankful to not have to fight with the armies of mosquitoes outside! First though I must add, we had to partake in having icecream with the boys while playing with transformers..I laughed so hard when at the end of the night the two young boys were refusing to go to bed until my fiance had said goodnight to them, when that morning they wouldn't even say hi. We had a fantastic day meeting new people and it really goes to show that sometimes staying with long lost family can be fun and not as uncomfortable as you would think. This experience was an example of what I hope happens this year. I want to be open to new people and break that barrier we sometimes seem to have back home with one another.