91 Years Young

View from the top looking North, this shows the 2 tallest buildings downtown Calgary.

626ft/191m

My Nana turned 91 on April 25th. When you get to be that age you deserve to celebrate your birthday in style. You may have read one of my first posts about our helicopter ride in the mountains to celebrate her 90th....well this year it was a surprise limo ride to the Calgary Tower and dinner at the revolving restaurant. These are 2 things that I myself have never done. My Grad date really dropped the ball on the whole limo thing back when I graduated Grade 12 because it seems everyone but me had a limo for their grad. Also I guess I just never got around to eating at the Tower before. Ah well, ancient history!

Nana was completely surprised to see the limo. She's pretty easy to surprise as her hearing is not so great and she doesn't really hear plans being made. All 11 of us settled into the limo and took the scenic route to the Calgary Tower, Nana enjoyed every minute of it. It did not have a sunroof, so no re-enacting famous movie scenes. Darn it.

With our reservations at the Sky 360 restaurant, we got free access to the observation deck. My son was beyond stoked to be able to step on the glass floor. My bro-in-law wanted to download the sound of breaking glass on his phone...but that would have been cruel right?! Yes, definitely a bad idea.

Nana, Hayden, Me

You can dress me up and take me out.

Looking SW, Rocky Mountains to the West

Saddledome and Stampede Park looking SE

Looking NE: City Hall, Bow River, and the shadowy part at the top is where I grew up.

Once we did the full circle tour of the observation deck and pointed out places we recognized, it was time for dinner. which was one level higher. Drinks, appetizers, main course and don't forget dessert! The food was delicious and the service was excellent. With it being a revolving restaurant, our view was slowly changing and the sun was going down so it was a lovely way to enjoy a first class meal.  I highly recommend the roast chicken and risotto, but the arctic char, strip loin and bison ribs all got rave reviews (as did the grilled cheese and fries for the 7 year old).

The restaurant does a full revolution in just over an hour. We were there for 2.5 turns. The limo brought us back to my Aunt and Uncles house, Nana was tired and my son was hyper. We called it a night. Here's looking forward to celebrating 92 next year with Nana and the family.

Goin' Old School near Donalda

Science Mound School

No trip of mine would be complete without finding an old school or 3.  Fortunately the Donalda area has many old schools as well as old houses and buildings down just about any gravel road you take. This area never disappoints. The only thing that I couldn't control was the weather....had to cut the trip short but still satisfied with the things I did get to see when I wasn't blinded by snow all up in my grill.

This wins my favourite school of the day. It is called Science Mound. It was reportedly named after a nearby hill, but I couldn't see a hill anywhere I looked. The school operated from 1905-1954, then it was sold to the Science Mound Community Club in 1956. It was used into the 90's, by my friend Tim's recollection, which is also around the time it got the new red roof. You can see there was a vestibule on the front at one time. Now the paint is peeling, the wood has holes and the rock foundation needs some TLC. Sadly, I don't imagine that any work will be done on this old timer.

Science Mound

Spruce Coulee - still operating as a Community Centre

Ibsen - now privately owned 

There are other schools in the area that I have blogged about previously so I won't post them again but here are the links to them in case you need to see more schools! Up To Date School,  Skybo School and Wanda School.

Also on the way home I stopped by to see my old friend Rutherford. It was summer last time I drove by so here is a current photo.

Thanks again to Tim for being my exploring buddy! Next blog post will be abandoned houses in the Donalda area.  Ooooh ahhh!

Thanks for visiting my blog and have a great weekend.

Ferry Point

Part of the Donalda Museum,
on the edge of the coulee.

A few days ago I met up with someone who I've talked to through an online photo group, he is a wealth of knowledge on various topics and history, particularly the history of the area around Donalda, AB. (I have bugged him with many questions!) He showed me some cool old schools and some other interesting places. If it wasn't for the weather, I could've/would've explored a few more hours! The snow was coming down pretty good at some points, ruining what could've been some great photos but there is always another day. Hopefully this is the last of the snow and real Spring is coming soon. Stay tuned!

One of the areas that caught my interest was Ferry Point. The first settlers started arriving in this area on the Battle River in 1891. In 1902 a ferry was established to cross the Battle River and provide a link to the trails and on either side.  Around the same time a store and post office were established. Soon came a blacksmith shop, a feed mill, and a hotel. The actual Ferry Point Ferry only lasted until 1907 when a steel bridge was built. The town began to decline when the railroad bypassed it, as happened to many places who's fate was tied to the railroad. People and businesses began to relocate to neighbouring communities. In 1921 the Ferry Point Community Hall was moved away, leaving very little left to show that there was a community called Ferry Point.

A couple miles west of the townsite and river crossing is the Ferry Point Church and Cemetery. The former Ferry Point School was near the church also. The church was built in 1905 and is still looked after. What I found interesting was that is was never wired for electricity, it is as it always was. My tour guide Tim, told me that they still host a candlelight Christmas Eve service. This sounds absolutely charming and I would love to attend this someday.

The Ferry Point School was in operation from 1903-1949. It was then moved to Bashaw for use as a classroom, then as a teacherage and finally as a private residence. I hope it's still loved and lived in. This sign is on the corner of an occupied farm. The farm is still in the family of the man who donated the land for the Ferry Point School. That's pretty cool.

I have a bunch more great photos from this day but they will have to wait for my next post. Thanks to Tim for showing me around his neck of the woods!

Easter Weekend and Abandoned Vehicles

Final Resting Place

Not the same.

It has been over 2 weeks since I posted. I keep meaning to find a few moments to sit down and write a post but something always seems to get in the way. Also, I have not found the time to get out and explore in awhile so I had to improvise and drive down the highway to a spot I had made a mental note to stop at sometime.  I have a few of those spots close by, in case of emergency. Today was an emergency.  I have been cooped up for a few days, my son was sick and then I got sick, we even had to miss family Easter Dinner in Calgary. Fear not, I cooked a turkey today so I didn't have to miss out entirely. I am usually in charge of cranberry sauce when I go to family dinners and always make my own. Did you know you can't get fresh cranberries here this time of year? Or so the kid at Sobey's said. I had to get can-berries..it's just not the same as mine. SMH, as the kids say/text.

I always admire the photos I see of old vehicles that people just seem to find sitting in fields or somewhere. I always wonder how the ended up where they did and who they belong to. I've driven my share of back roads but rarely seem to see old vehicles. I've found a few but other people seem to find them easier than I do. It's makes it fun when I do see one though.

I headed out to the 'emergency' truck I have seen a bunch of times just west of my town, maybe a 10 min drive...if that. It made for a good photo and took a slight edge off my need to get out exploring. I swear it's like an addiction.

GMC something, I like old vehicles
but don't know enough to ID them.

Close up!

Grill n Chill

Outstanding in it's field. Summer 2016
Near Trochu, AB

Was told this is a Datsun 510 Coupe 1968-73.
Found near Valhalla Centre, AB. Feb. 2017

Also because it was just Easter weekend, here is a bonus photo! Even though both my son and I were not feeling too chipper we did dye some eggs and had an Easter egg hunt around the house on Sunday. Since my kiddo is not a huge fan of chocolate, the Easter Bunny brought him some Lego, which kept him occupied for at least 20 minutes.
This was not the weekend we all had planned but I guess we made the best of it. Also it's the playoffs so lots of hockey to watch!
Have a good week everyone and I will try and post more often.

The Pink Lady

I have driven by the 'pink lady' at least once a month for the last 3 years.  In the summer when the trees are in bloom only the top of her roof can be seen.  When the trees are barren in the fall and winter, you can see more of this lovely old gal.  I am not sure why I decided that Friday was the day but I grabbed my camera and headed out to meet her. I had visions of the homeowner being so excited that someone was interested in their old house that they would grab the keys and say, "let me show you the inside!".  Wishful thinking.....but you never know!

The Pink Lady is on the property of a newer home and other outbuildings so I was really hoping someone was home. Lucky for me, the homeowner was home and allowed me to take photos.  She said it is over 110 years old.  I commented that it looked to be in not too bad of shape but she said the inside wasn't. I guess no inside tour. I thanked her and said I'd take a couple photos and be on my way.

I did peek in the windows as I was walking around, not much to see.  No furniture or anything but I could see some original architectural details like some lovely built in shelves and metal vent covers. These as well as the baseboards were painted a bright shade of sky blue.

I will continue to admire this house as I drive by from time to time.

Here is a song:

Barns! Barns! Barns!

Awesome barn near Vulcan, AB

Here at West of the 5th, we are crazy about barns!  So crazy that we are dedicating a whole post to barns. Big barns, little barns, red barns, white barns, falling down barns, gothic arch barns, hip roof barns, and a special (to me) barn. Also there is no 'we' here, just me!

When I first started exploring the back roads barns didn't interest me much. What was I thinking?? I now think of the pioneers who built these barns and how important they were. I am kind of in awe of them now. I love big barns and I cannot lie!

The first barn is interesting as it was a CPR Ready-Made barn. These were a part of packages that the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway) used to entice people to settle in the area. 6 'demonstration farms' were set up in Alberta showcasing everything you'd need to settle here. Here is a link to my friends over at BigDoer.com who did a wonderful post about one of these farms.  http://www.bigdoer.com/27596/exploring-history/cpr-demonstration-farm/. You'll notice my barn and the demo barn are the same. Not fancy but they got the job done.
Thanks to Jason Paul Sailer for letting me know about the significance of this barn.

CPR Ready-Made barn, near Kirkcaldy, AB

Big Skies! Barn near Trochu, AB

Beautiful arched barn, south of Clive, AB

Moody old hip roof near Eckville, AB

Near Sylvan Lake, AB

Urban Barn, right in the middle of Calgary, 

St. Francis barn, south of Genesee, AB

Frosty barn near Delburne, AB

Fimrite Barn, Valhalla Centre, AB

Near La Glace, AB

Near Valhalla Centre, AB

Saggy midsection, near Tomahawk, AB

Near Crestomere, AB

Have a seat barn!
On Menaik Road north of Crestomere, AB

Hello! South of Alix, AB

Last but not least is the barn built in 1926 by my great grandfather on their homestead in Southern Saskatchewan. This was the same year my Grandma was born, she was 1 of 12 children to be born and raised here. Her stories about growing up there are amazing and I know the barn was a huge part of her childhood. I remember asking her once what it was like to grow up the Dirty 30's, she says, " I never knew we were poor!" The old barn collapsed in 1999. The farm was sold when my grandma's brother passed away.  He'd lived there his whole life.

My Date With Anthony Hill

I had spotted this school during some online research and satellite photos showed that it appeared to still be there. A friend got there before I did and confirmed it's glorious existence and I have been wanting to see it with my own eyes ever since. This weekend was my time, I had a few hours and good weather so off I went. Some of the back roads still had some snow, it was melting and muddy. Other roads were just fine and some were so rutted that it felt like I wasn't in control and I was on some kind of track.  Like the jeeps in Jurassic Park. OK....so maybe it wasn't that bad but still I don't the feeling of my car moving with the ruts.

This wonderful old school is Anthony Hill, it is near Usona, AB. There isn't much in Usona now. The first Anthony Hill school was built in 1904. The one pictured here was built in 1914 to accommodate a growing number of students. The original school was then moved to nearby land where it was used as the Usona store and post office. I have read in 2 different places that USONA stands for United States of North America. In 1958 the school closed and became a community centre. It was used at least into the 80's as someone commented to me that he attended car club meetings here.


I made my way through a snow bank onto the grounds of the school, it was a slushy soggy mess. I could see into the basement through an uncovered broken window. It had some wooden benches and other junk. I tried the front door and it was unlocked, I had to take a quick peek inside. Once you are in the door you can go right which takes you down a pitch black scary set of stairs to a dungeon or hell or the basement. I couldn't be sure. The other choice is up into the main school room. I chose to go towards the light. The stairs creaked menacingly but I pushed onward and upward, it was about 6 stairs. It was a typical one room school with, you guessed it, one large room. This one did have a separate small room at the top of the stairs.  A cloak room would be my guess. The bathroom is out back somewhere. I didn't spend a lot of time in here, get in, take some photos and get out. Touch nothing and take only pictures.

I love the look of this old school and spent a while just looking at it from the outside. I feel like Anthony Hill and I are buddies now so I shall call it Tony Hill, I might even come back for a second date if I'm in the area.

Looking In

Looking Out

Redrum

Spooky

Tony Hill