I think this is the first time in a decade that DawnO was actually home during her birthday. It usually falls on or around August long weekend which means we tend to be in another country jumping out of airplanes, or touring Russian cities. For obvious reasons, we are limited in our travel options. In lieu of going somewhere exotic, DawnO decided to check something off her ever growing bucket list. To complete this task she looked no further than our own South Saskatchewan River.
We had heard that there are the largest fresh water fish living in our river which can live to be 160 years old and can grow to be over 100lbs. Once DawnO heard these creatures were in our river, she decided she needed to get a picture holding one of these prehistoric giants. I have a friend that takes people out to catch (and release) these monsters so we booked it. After two postponements due to weather, we were finally able to cast off on one of the most beautiful autumn days this year.
Leading up to the trip DawnO kept saying that she didn’t want to do any work, she only wanted to get the picture. I realized that meant that I was more than likely the sucker that was going to do the hard work. To my surprise, when the line got a bite, she jumped right in to reel in a 21lb monster!
The largest catch of the day went to our friend Marnie, who landed a 42lb dinosaur.
A few days later, we continued our new trend of local travel and headed to Saskatchewan to enjoy a few days at the Moose Jaw Spa.
We enjoyed soaking in the mineral pool, our massages, and exploring the historic downtown area. On our way back to the city we took a minor detour to Shaunavon SK, where my parents grew up. We got to visit with my Grandpa Jack who is the only relative I have left in town.
After our visit we were off to Harvest Eatery, hands down one of the best restaurants in western Canada. Even if you don’t have relatives in Shaunavon, it is worth the trip for this restaurant. I highly recommend anything they make.
Well that must be it. There’s no way we could find more to do around our little corner of the world… right? Wrong. DawnO had a couple more tricks up her sleeve. She planned a date day which included a corn maze in Brooks, Alberta, and a stop at a new distillery in Rolling Hills, Alberta.
It has been a pretty eventful week. ‘Relaction’ at its finest. I challenge you to discover places a little closer to home. You might be surprised what you find.
