Road Scenes - DANCELAND at Manitou Beach

A few weeks ago Carla and I spent a weekend at The Manitou Hotel and Spa. The hotel was fine, Carla enjoyed the waters of the pool, the brunch on Sunday was nice, and the food at a restaurant in Watrous called "Paul's Place" was really good!

However, the highlight was DANCELAND. They were hosting a square dancing weekend and we sat on the balconey watching for a while. The view of the dancers twirlingaround the floor was awesome. More than the Danceland floor was rocking as hundreds of square dancers filled the hotel. Restaurants and shops around the village were doing a brisk business. And hundreds of people (including us) left to spread the good news about Danceland and Manitou.

The schedule for the summer at DANCELAND is packed with entertainment.
It is wonderful to see that this landmark historical building generates so much revenue for Manitou and Watrous!

Glendive, MONTANA on the 4th

As a family, one of the best traditions we have is heading the the United States each 4th of July. We became citizens of that great country during our years in Tennessee and all four children are dual citizens.
Typically, we pack the minivan up and head to some town in Montana or North Dakota on the 3rd. We spend a couple of night in a hotel which thrills the kids. And on the 4th take in the Independence Day Celebrations.
The fireworks are always awesome, generally beginning in backyards mid-afternoon and wrapping up with an official ceremony in around10:00pm.
This year we went to a "Bump n' Run" car race in Glendive. The race is part smash-up derby, part regular race and is quite exciting. We had near seen a car race before so this was a totally new experience.
On the 5th we ventured into the Makoshika State Park which literally runs up to the town of Glendive. Incredible badlands, fantastic hiking trails and awe inspiring vistas are the norm in this park.
For you Saskatchewan readers, Glendive is only about 5.5 hrs south of Regina and well worth the trip.

Graham Taylor's FUNERAL lunch

Friends and family gathered at the Taylor farm north of Wolseley to celebrate what Dad had billed as his funeral lunch.

In actual fact, it was his 70th birthday party. As Master of Ceremonies I had the pleasure of giving some of my perspective on Dad's 70 years and introduce others integral in Dad's life. His sister Jeanette Bohonos and sister-in-law Marie Taylor shared stories about Dad. Katherine, although ill, rallied enough to talk about Dad and tell a funny joke. And Mum spoke poignantly about Dad.

Family and friends like Max Graham and Ileen Brennen traveled from Winnipeg. Diane Munro and Dale Taylor were in from Calgary. Ken Christoffel and daughter Jenny from Regina and Grant Taylor from Kenosee.

The day was perfect, the friends were many, the extended family like was present and the funeral lunch/birthday party was...well unique.

PANCAKES for History

The sweet smell of pancakes and sausages wafted over downtown Wolseley on Saturday morning.
The great food and beautiful weather were the recipe of success for the Wolseley and District Museum committee. A number of people were bustling about meeting the needs of the good crowd. Roy Taylor looked like he was a master mixer of pancakes, Diane Banbury manned the till and Bob Campbell seemed to be in the thick of the pancake cooking action.

I was able to chat with Tracey Coueslan, Mark Cieckiewicz and a few other folks. And I got a nice photo of Evie Smith and Jean Schramm sharing a laugh.