Family pictures

 

There are some people in life who make you laugh a little louder,

 smile a little broader 

and live a little bit better. 

This is family. 

 And here is mine.  

Together really is our favourite place to be.

Thankful and grateful.

Blessed beyond measure.

 

 

 Thanks to Mimsical Photography from Coaldale for coming out to Purple Springs for us!

Also a big thanks to our kind neighbours for the use of their property.

Gold Butte - Montana

 We had a really neat day excursion here about 10 days ago.  While Andy was driving the potato truck he was seeing the Sweet Grass Hills in Montana every day from his truck window, and he got the itch to go climb one of them.  He talked to James and together they decided this was something they wanted to do, and since Andrea and I are the lucky gals to be married to these adventurous guys, we got to go along :D all we had to do was find babysitters for the children.
We left Grassy Lake at 8:15 am with J&A to cross the Aden border but got sent back because they didn't have the technology to process Andy's passport so we had to turn around and go thru the Coutts border which cut into our time a bit.  It was close to noon before we made it to the Sweet Grass Hills, and we chose Gold Butte, which is the middle bump - or ancient dead volcano.
In all honesty we thought it would be easier to get to then it was.  What looks from Canada like soft velvet soil was actually bumpy/grassy coulee after coulee, in the most bare and empty land I have ever seen. Makes Southern Alberta seem like a metropolis!  Good thing we were in James' truck or we would not have made it nearly as close to the base of the hill as we did.  Most of it is privately owned land but we talked to a rancher and he told us we were allowed to open and close the cattle gates to drive thru the pastures.  At a certain point there was no road to be found so we drove thru the cattle till we got to the closest point possible for climbing.  Make note, this was not hiking, or walking.   Once at the shale part of the hill it was steep and it was serious climbing.  And I'm sad to say Andy is the only one who made it all the way up. His feet are nimble like a deer, and his love for climbing shone thru as he made his way to the top while Andrea, James and I watched from lower down, tuckered out.  It's always good to be impressed by your hubby;)
We drove around in the area too, making a small stop at the old graveyard and mine entrance. We didn't end up seeing the ghost town, maybe next time?   It was all very fascinating, beautiful in it's own way and interesting. 
Here is a nice little webpage where you can read up a bit about the history of Gold Butte.  Enjoy!

Starting out, Gold Butte looming large!

Lunch before the ascent

Gold Butte is one of three hills in a row, Andy is telling me something about the West Butte, which is in the distance.

The upward climb in shale - good thing we had hiking boots on!

Andrea and I

Andy, in his element!

Beautiful wood pieces laying around in the rocks

Spectacular views

I wonder why the trees were all dead?

Andy took this picture from the top - 1,963 +/-  metres up

It was very windy and a bit chilly in the open plains

Enjoying refreshment afterwards by the truck

One grave left - there's history here

Andy at the old mine entrance

We found a little campground on the way out, it was rustic;)

Potato harvest

 Andy worked part time for friends this past harvest season driving a potato truck.  Here are a few pictures from his venture. Questions about the process? You'll have to ask him.  ;) All I know is there are lots and lots of potatoes in this neck of the woods.  Lays potato chips and McCains fries both have enormous factories in the area.  One is actually so close by to our farm that if the wind is the right direction we can smell the fries frying.  Which of course makes us instantly hungry.  ;)  It's pretty incredible to see the harvest of the land out here, vast fields with enormous machinery digging out mountains of food for the humans on this earth.  Food. More then enough, with literally tons going to waste. It's a blessing I hope we never take for granted. 

Thanksgiving time of year

Everytime a new season starts I fall in love with it all over again.
I think I love spring till summer comes in...
and I thought I didn't want summer to end till autumn rolls across the land...
and I'll probably like winter just a wee bit when it makes it's arrival too.

I love the changing seasons but fall, I gotta say it, is something else.

The crisp nights and early mornings.
A garden overflowing with deliciousness.
Baking full of cinnamon and spice and all things vegetable and fruit.
School and Bible study.
Long sleeve shirts and brown boots.
Yellow leaves and all things orange. 
Gourds. Pumpkins. Sunflowers and Black Eyed Susans.

We have been in this small part of the world two full years this past Thanksgiving weekend. Time flies!  Slowly this farm has become more and more "home-like".  We've been working hard to make it feel warm and inviting, a place to come home to, a place to love and be loved.  A place to find beauty and blessing.
For everyone those words mean something else, but for me a warm and loving home environment is of utmost importance.  And it is home now.  I am thoroughly used the sounds and blemishes of this 80's house, even the ever present coyotes don't bother me anymore. :)  That's saying something;)

We are content.

This is what my days have been filled with - and we're enjoying them immensely.

Tomato soup for canning.

We tried growing Atlantic Giants this year

...and then of course my sugar pie pumpkins.

An average daily haul.

Bread and butter pickles

Pumpkin and pies.  Family favourites

Smor'es!! 

My baby bug - she keeps us laughing

I'm trying to teacher Abby how to take selfies :)

Supermoon eclipse

 "And God made the two great lights - the greater light to rule the day and the lesser to rule the night - and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light to the earth." Genesis 1:16,17. ESV

The supermoon lunar eclipse, which happens only once every 30 years or so happened to take place again the last weekend in September and we were pretty excited to watch.  Of course we had to learn about it first to truly appreciate what was happening, and we were pretty awe-struck.

It was very special that we could start watching while it was still light outside and finish watching just in time for bed.  And even neater was that friends and family all over could watch the same moon at the same time being covered by earths shadow.  A shout out goes to my sis Natasha for these gorgeous pictures of the moon she took at her home in Owen Sound.  It looked the same here only I had no camera to take pictures with! So thanks a ton!
The kids were thrilled to cozy up on the trampoline with blankets and sweaters and moon gaze till past their bedtime, although I must admit that once we threw Abby in bed things became alot more peaceful and less crazy.  She can not sit still for even a moment.