I got up really early this morning.  I had a couple of wonderful days with friends and family in the south and it was time to head home.  My primary reason for heading down was to celebrate my cousin’s birthday and we really DID have all sorts of fun. She is such a precious and generous person!  Amazing!

 

I picked up a Tim Horton’s coffee, extra-large black, on the outskirts of town and drove north on the highway after saying my good-byes….the morning light was soft and the Oldman River was just a soft expanse in the coulee below. 

 

There have been so many different times that I have wanted to stop and explore the small towns and old buildings along the way, especially those with grain elevators and this was a perfect opportunity!

 

There is almost a mystical sense of quiet and beauty at that hour of the day on a quiet highway in good weather.  I relished my little side trips and the peaceful feeling I derived on the mini-adventures.  The time spent circling the grain elevators was particularly special and the pigeon sounds were the only sounds that broke an eerie silence.  The air was cool and the sky filled with constantly changing cloud. 

 

It was a calming and happy few days I spent with family and friends and I am blessed for having grabbed a bit of a vacation.