Regina - Tregarva Saskatchewan

Scenery? What scenery? Traveling the plains...

First house built by Bill's granddad; his mom was born in another house two doors down (now apartments)

The beautiful Qu'Appelle Valley, which lured settlers west with visions of lush farm and grazing land

Bill's great-grandmother's grave, a strong and courageous woman

The little cemetery in the middle of a field; the town of Tregarva no longer exists

Margaret Lambert's section of land she homesteaded; she's buried about 1/2 mile from here

Willison Lambert's acreage (Bill's granddad, who arrived here in 1878 at 18 years old)

A little happy hour next to my pilfered lilacs, in full bloom everywhere! (These were found in the back of a deserted parking lot, so no worries about turning me in, I hope!)

I was thinking yesterday as we arrived in sunny Regina that we had come in the gentle season - the winter wheat has already been harvested, and fields are quiet. As we drove out to the rural area where Bill's ancestors settled, the afternoon sun glistened on little bogs, the trees swayed in a gentle breeze, and the hills were fresh and green, the fields barren, awaiting their next crop. Today, having visited the local genealogical society and armed with maps detailing the homestead claims, we returned to the same spot, and experienced something far different, climate-wise. A cold, bitter wind blew from the north and threatening clouds scuttled across the horizon. We drove down gravel roads until we finally located the lonely, wind-swept cemetery where Margaret McKenzie Lambert, Bill's great-grandmother is buried. We donned our fleece jackets and took some photos, then drove past the fields Margaret and Willison Lambert, Bill's grandfather once farmed. This afternoon, we visited the Saskatchewan Archives and located the homestead applications and grants of land for them both, quite a thrill to see their handwriting!
Now we're back in our RV, staying out of the chilly northern winds as much as possible, and looking forward to seeing more cousins (on my side of the family) tomorrow and Saturday at Riding Hills National Park in Manitoba before heading into Winnipeg on Sunday.