A day in the dirt, trees, grass and creek

As promised, an update on my visiting cousin, Fred.


But first, there was work to be done. At something around 7 or 8AM, I was on site at the landscaping supply yard to get the second load of soil for my sister's expanding garden.


I was most impressed with the fellow running the bobcat. He very gently loaded my little trailer. He also took care to evenly distribute the load.


I then delivered the trailer and its contents, quickly running away before I could possibly be put to work with a shovel! (kidding!) In actual fact, it was my duty to deliver, then run taxi service out to Bragg Creek for our scheduled family gathering at my Uncle D.'s cabin. (Uncle D. is my mom's cousin, not to be confused with Uncle David, who is me.)


My dad and I went out together, and having arrived quite some time before the rest - including those with keys to the property - we spent some time in the sun. I propped my camera on the fence and set the timer to take this photo.


Once through the gate, here's a shot of the cabin, and Meg, Uncle D.'s Golden Lab.


It wasn't any surprise that there were other animals on site. These were resident deer who, prompted with carrots, peanuts or just about anything edible, will very boldly eat from your hand if you're gentle and quiet enough.


Speaking of animals and food, here we are at lunch. Aunt M. made chili, and there was salad, buns, pie and ice cream. From right we have Aunt M., Uncle D., Dad, Uncle R. and cousin Fred. Clearly, Turtle needs a lesson in centering subjects in the field of view.


Meg, Fred and Uncle D. heading for the water. Fred wanted to ceremoniously dip the wheel of his bicycle in Bragg Creek, as he had on the West Coast, and will no doubt do on the East Coast upon his scheduled arrival in August.


Dipping... and is it any wonder why they call Golden Labs "water dogs"?


Uncle D. loves trains. So much so, he's installed a garden railway on the property. This section of track crosses the pathway to the outhouse. The section of track in this area is affectionately, and quite appropriately named "The Loo Line".


The track then splits off in a couple of different directions. There had been some winter frost-heave damage that prevented us from running any trains, but to a fellow train-lover, simply seeing the track running over the one piece of the property was satisfaction enough.

Today, Fred is off on a 40 KM round-trip tour of a couple Calgary parks to be followed by tomorrow's scheduled departure. I heard the number "120" in reference to the expected number of Kilometers for tomorrow's run.

Best to you, Fred, for a safe and exciting expedition.