Oyen

On Tuesday, we drove from Lloydminster to Oyen. Barb and Gypsy tried to navigate us down what should have been a direct southern run. Well, the paved roads changed to broken pavement and finally genuine gumbo. Laurie loved it - "practice for the Dempster" - Barb was a lot more paranoid about slipping right off the road or really getting stuck. These roads really explained why we saw so many filthy cars and more trucks (mostly Dodge Rams).
We eventually made it to Oyen (which is due east of Calgary) to visit with Iris and Bill. Iris is Laurie's step sister and she is so much like her mother (even though she was raised by an adoptive Mum) that it is remarkable. She is a fabulous cook and fed us an excellent dinner and breakfast. We really enjoyed meeting Bill - a fascinating man who worked for years in the grain elevators and currently is helping out a 90+ y.o. farmer - so he could answer our many questions. (Blue flowered fields =flax). He also has an extensive collection of coins and paper money and he was very knowledgeable about them. Then there are his fish ponds with his large collection of koi - that he brings indoors to overwinter. And their beautiful garden, and love of Christmas decorating. Did I mention the Pig's nose scotch? It was a delightful visit. We can see why they have chosen to retire in Oyen, it has many services, golf next door, but the 35-45 below winters kind of deter us!