No Borders……………………….Only Horizons
Bruce’s Travel Blog
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After my
longest-ever drive …….. See HERE
I arrived into
Saskatoon around 20:00, absolutely shattered. Luckily the hotel/motel was easy
to find and I went next door to a Greek take-away and ate it in my room before
crashing out.
The next morning I
didn’t have much difficulty finding the Sunday to Doukhobor Prayer home where I
got a warm reception and they asked me to speak after the service. There were
many interesting questions, and we had something to eat and more chat and
singing.
I then went around
to the Unitarian Church where the Quakers held their weekly meeting. I was
early and had a nap in the car and then thought I had the wrong place since
nobody was there – but then a few people turned up and there was a small
meeting.
The next couple of
days I explored the City and then moved hotel since I didn’t want to be in the
same place when I returned.
I then had a great
day out with Mitch & Dorothy Ozeroff where they
showed me around the area near Langham, where they live.
Went to see the
old Doukhobor Villages, but unfortunately not much remained of them other than
the cemeteries which we visited and tumble-down building which we saw.
. Mitch &
Dorothy had farmed in the area for many years and they took me to the farm
where their son and daughter-in-law live.
They talked of how
farming had become so capital-intensive over their lifetimes, and the seed-rig
(pictured) cost over CAN$1m.
The land is flat,
flat, flat, so when you see the electricity pylons, they just disappear into
the distance in a total example of perspective.
The river nearby
is fed from the Rockies, and they know days in advance if there is going to be
some extra water coming through.
They
were fascinated by what I had to say about the Quakers and John Bellows and
they said that they had a Mennonite community near them and some close friends
there who they were sure would be interested in telling me about the Quaker
involvement in the Mennonite migration. I had a wonderful and entertaining day
with them.
1
I then drove down
to Regina where I spent the night and went to meet Jon Kalmakof,
a lawyer and historian who runs a Doukhobor website and is a font of knowledge.
We talked and talked and I could have gone on all day but I had to get away to
drive up to Veregin to meet Linda Osachoff
who had organised a small supper reception for me with the Board of the
National Doukhobor Heritage museum.
Unfortunately I
was late and got a bit lost, but recovered and sang for my supper and we had an
excellent evening.
The next morning,
we went for a drive around the area
Many of the graves
noted the anger of the people against the oppressive Russian state. Two trees
had been planted beside Linda’s grandfather’s grave. They are now fully grown
trees. I like that.
We finished up at
the Hall at the Museum where there was a small crowd of people to listen to me.
As in other
places, the original Bellows Pocket Dictionary astounded people by the
smallness of the typeface.
The next day, I
drove with Olga and Alfredo to Yorkton after an interesting visit to the actual
Heritage Museum beside the Tolstoy Museum
…and the took the
straight, flat road back to Saskatoon
I
met Ryan Androsoff and Ashleigh Androsoff
(not related to each other) in Saskatoon the next morning and they were
interested in what I had done,, but also keen to give me information about the
film and exhibition they were about to put on there in Saskatoon. All very
interesting, but unfortunately I wasn’t going to be around to see it all.
I
then had a free day being a tourist and resting in the sunshine in Saskatoon.
Interested in various local things including the Cannabis shop and the
signs/bins attached to the street rubbish bins. The river runs through the
centre of town but is unremarkable.
It was then time
for my big train journey…..
See
ALL my photos from this blog HERE.
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Copyright © BruceJJCadbury
2019
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