Sad news that this amazing piece of Canadian heritage has been burnt down; the iconic image that was once on the dollar bill exists only in archives now. I wonder if they will rebuild it to its former wonder.

Last year we went to Saskatchewan for a family (his) gathering at Moosomin Lake. One of the days was spent riding around packed in the car, yup five of us, uncles, aunts and us, checking out the places of their youth. We stopped at the very old Windsor hotel, decked out with saloon doors and deer heads and sepia photos, we had burgers and beer; across the road was the grain elevator.

inside the Windsor Hotel

If you’ve never been to the prairies and seen a giant grain elevator(and I had not) like this you must. Its stunning to be out the the ‘big wide open’, the sun is brilliant, the clouds reminiscent of The Simpsons and the grain elevator drumming up images of men with moustaches, pipe in mouth driving horse pulled carts, ‘their’ women in poofy long skirts, 5 kids in suspenders running amok.

Lake of the Woods Milling Co. was opened in 1895.

Article at Leader Post

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Someone had the bright idea that we should bring seafood to the prairie folk/family we were visiting. That meant bringing ice through the security check? No way José, that meant you throw out the ice in your cooler pre-security, go through security with your live-yesterday B.C spotprawns, then ask for ice at the Milestones post-security and viola critters stay fresh!

Nearing landing in Regina looking out the window I could see straightest lines that are roads going off into the horizon, grid after grid of farms as far as the eye can see. How anyone knows where to turn when driving around the countryside with no street signs is mind-boggling it all looked the same to me. And the sky! The prairie sky is something to behold, stratocumulus clouds that harkens The Simpsons intro. Canola was starting to bloom turning the giant fields yellow. Flax was starting and that would turn the fields blue. So beautiful.

We visited the old farm homes of mister’s mother and siblings, his grandfather was Alexander Hamilton McDonald senator that helped facilitate the building of a dam for irrigation, that went south and it turned into a recreational lake, Moosomin Lake. Bring on the pontoon boats!

What did we eat? Well bbq beer can chicken one night, bbq pork roast and potatoes, diner bacon & eggs breakfast at the lake cafe, and general down-home(not my Asian family side mmm) foods. No chillies for 4 days…i survived.

It wouldn’t have been complete without burgers and beer at the Windsor Hotel in Fleming (complete with stag head, saloon doors and black and white photos), the oldest Canadian grain elevator 1895 still stands across the way, apparently it was on the dollar bill once upon a time. True Canadian moments were everywhere. And I must mention that the people are crazy friendly!

Next time, farther East to Toronto…