That’s the Summer that Was

Reflecting on summer and prepping for winter seems to be the main activities of us prairie folk once the fall equinox passes. So here are our reflections on the last few weeks of summer which saw us on more outings with Boxy, the RV. 

A highlight of our RV season had to be our visit to the RCMP Police Dog Service Training Centre at Innisfail, Alberta. This centre hosts the breeding programme as well as training of the service dogs and their RCMP handlers. We were treated to a demonstration of some of the teams’ skills at this last show of the summer and at the conclusion of the participating teams' training programme. 

 Sandy back in uniform

This facility trains police dogs for general duty or special skills.  “The responsibilities of police services dogs include locating lost persons; tracking criminals; searching for narcotics, explosives, illicit alcohol and stills, crime scene evidence and lost property; VIP protection; crowd control, in conjunction with tactical troop; hostage situations; avalanche search and rescue; and police/community relations.”

The graduating teams show off their skills at 
taking down some bad guys

The training field is being relocated on the site’s grounds in 2018, so the weekly demos may not be held next year.  We recommend you put this on your things to see and do in Alberta list, however, when the demos are again being offered (normally Wednesday afternoons in the summer).

Starting their training young, these puppies are chasing after this intruder 
on the property (the summer student)

Our final trip with Boxy was a circle tour north east of Edmonton taking in a number of the “world’s biggest” or unique things some of the smaller communities have created to encourage people to visit their areas. This was during the first week of September, through beautiful, rich farming country with stunning vistas of mature crops waving in the breeze as the season’s harvest was just beginning.  Even without the “attractions” to take in, the drive through these gorgeous prairie scenes was well worth the trip.

The first stop we made on this tour was Mundare, Alberta, home of Stawnichy's Meat Processing, makers of the best Ukrainian garlic ham sausage, hands down. After going to the store at their plant to purchase a couple of rings of sausage, we headed to Mundare's attraction, a giant replica of the famous product. 

I will leave the interpretation of this sculpture to you …

but it is big.  Mundare, AB

Next up, we were off to Andrew, AB to track down the world's largest mallard duck. Alberta sits in the Central North American Flyway.  There are many lakes and ponds forming a nice north-south link through the province that make excellent stop-overs during the seasonal migrations. Just east of Andrew is a lake that plays host to many mallards during their journeys, hence this tribute.

Good thing I took that birding course last winter, 
I just might spot this guy! Andrew, AB

As we made our way to our next destination, Sandy pointed out this collection along a farmer's field. Sure beats the oh too common nailing of one's ball cap collection to fence post after fence post, or worse yet, "posting" of their old boot collection.

A rainbow of old combines along the highway

Our next stop was Smokey Lake, where they hold an annual Pumpkin Festival and Weigh-Off every October. So, what do you think their giant sculpture was?

 Kate in the giant pumpkin patch, Smokey Lake

From Smokey Lake, we made our way to Vilna, a teeny tiny old town that has done a pretty good job of preserving its old buildings and heritage. We spent a considerable amount of time exploring every aisle and shelf in the old hardware store that had something of everything, including a store cat that kept watching our every move.  After the hardware store, we were off to see the world's largest mushrooms. According to the Vilna website, a salute to this wild mushroom acknowledges its use in many traditional dishes of the local, mainly Ukrainian, cuisine. Mushroom hunting has been a tradition in the Vilna area since the first Ukrainian settlers' arrival in the early 1900s.

Sandy finds shelter under the World's Largest Mushrooms, Vilna

Winnipeg, Manitoba, where Sandy hails from, also has a substantial Ukrainian population, and she has long been a fan of Ukrainian food. Her pyrogies are a favourite contribution to the monthly Canada party pot luck dinners held in our community in La Quinta, California during the winter. We had to go on a far jaunt during this tour to make our way to Glendon, Alberta to find this salute to one of her favourite foods.

The World’s Largest Pyrogy, Glendon, AB. 

Not sure how the fork ranks in the world order.

Not claiming to have something that is the world's largest, St. Paul, Alberta has chosen to go with something "other worldly."  Built during the celebrations for Canada's centennial year, 1967, the St. Paul UFO Landing Pad promotes not only world peace but intergalactic harmony as well. Unfortunately, it is too big, with too many elements to include in one photo. As this is the year of Canada's 150th birthday, that means this installation is celebrating its 50th. 

Kate and Sandy waiting for a UFO. 

No landings, as of yet. 

Our final stop on this loop was the World's Largest Pysanka (Ukrainian Easter Egg) in Vegreville.  As you have no doubt figured out by know, the area of this tour was substantially settled by Ukrainians, many of whose families continue to farm, work, and live in the region. This Easter Egg is spectacular, slowly oscillates back and forth, and has an intriguing pattern.  Each design element in a pysanka has a special meaning, so when one is created, it tells a story or pays tribute to something.

 World's Largest Pysanka,Vegerville

So, there, that wraps up our last adventures of the summer. With our medical adventures, we didn't get out exploring by bike, or RV, that much, which means next summer can only be better! 😊😊 

Here is a clipping I have had in my desk for many years. I think it accurately sums up what we thought about summer. 

Even if you think your summer was too short, we hope it was a good one!