Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Wending Our Way Home


 We had a lovely drive home from Lethbridge today.  It took us 6 hours instead of the usual 5 because we stopped to take pictures along the way - it was a beautiful summer day in Alberta.

The last couple of times we've made the trip, we've gone off the highway to check out some of the little villages along the way.  Today we explored the beautiful little village of Arrowwood, located near Gleichen.  I had to check it out on the internet when we got home to see what it's history is.


It was incorporated in 1926 and with its three grain elevators was a distribution point for wheat from the local ranches which was sent throughout Canada.  The current population is 247 people.  Their pride in their village is evident everywhere.  The community has entered in the Communities in Bloom competitions every year and were winners in 2002, 2003, 2004, 20005 and 2006.  They competed nationally in 2007and won special mention for the residential component of the competition.  Here are a few pictures I took of the village.

We only saw a few stop signs but each of them was growing out of a flower barrel.

The water tower is just used as a landmark now since they've got a new water system.

The remains of an old wagon with it's bed filled with flowers decorates the new shopping center consisting of six businesses across from an RV park housing 4 RVs.

This little honeysuckle cottage is currently for sale.  Any takers?

This looks like a renovated church.  It's located at the corner of 1st Ave. and 1st St.  I don't think there were more than 4 streets and avenues in the whole village.

This is the United Church with a cute stubby steeple.

The restaurant - the only one in the village - was nicely decorated with vines painted on the walls.  It even has a dining patio attached.

Along the sidewalk beside the restaurant is a fence with the brands of the local ranches carved into it. The picture is of the smallest of three sections of fence.


This house was for sale too.  You might want to enlarge it to read the sign at the left.  I don't know what they do for law enforcement in the village - maybe they just post signs to shame the offenders!
Five kms. down the road, around a bend and down a hill from Arrowwood there's this quaint blue one-lane bridge across the Bow River.  When approaching it, you need to watch for approaching traffic and just one of you can cross at a time.
 

And at the side of the road across the bridge there is a patch of wildflowers, or weeds, whatever your perspective is.  Thistles are too beautiful to be called weeds, as long as they're not in my garden.


Farther along the road I've seen this old homestead so many times but couldn't stop on the bridge to take a picture.  Lloyd found a lay-by and I ran across the highway to get this picture.  I've always wondered why that particular spot was chosen for the home and why it was abandoned.

Here's a zoomed in close-up of the homestead.


And this is the last picture I took.  An oil well in a field of Canola.
So we're home safely now.

Pat.

10 comments:

RoeH said...

I wish they'd put signs up here for idiots that vandalize stuff. And for a lot of other things, too. But in the US we can't hurt their feelings and all that ****. :)

Mickey said...

Fun to stop and smell the roses in our busy lives! Gorgeous day to do it in! Pretty interesting little place! Did you stop for lunch there?

just call me jo said...

That's so cute that you stopped to take pictures along the way. Would you have done this even without a blog? That is a cute little berg. Rick and I need to stop and smell the roses more. We'd have never taken time to look at all those interesting places. I love thistle, but I'm like you--not in my yard.

Southhamsdarling said...

I agree. How lovely that you actually stopped to take those photos and to visit that little village, and to ENJOY the journey, rather than, like most of these days, just head from A to B as quickly as possible. More of us should go off and explore like you have just done. Wasn't that a cute looking little homestead that had been abandoned?! Like something out of the Hillbillies! Loved the little bridge as well.

Raindrops and Daisies said...

Love the photographs Pat.

Especially like the homestead - fantastic.

The honeysuckle cottage looks as though it could be here in Ireland!

Thanks for sharing.

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

Thanks for sharing that ride home with us. It makes the trip a little more interesting when you take the time to visit places along the way. Glad you had a good trip home again. Hope your Wednesday is a wonderful one.

Holly said...

Man, Shannon Stobbe is in big trouble!!! That's hilarious. Love all the pics, thanks for sharing, oh, and I'll take the little honeysuckle cottage.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful stop on your way home! We wouldn't be allowed to post such a sign over here - it would contravene the 'human rights' of the wrongdoer!!

Michael and Hanne said...

Nice visit to a small place. We love small places, and often visit Telfordville near Thorsby....

Haf Dozen Reasons....... said...

Looks like Wyoming!!!