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zyzyly
There was a two-day period where I simply went in the direction that the people I met told me to go. I was driving along a farm road in southeastern Alberta on the way to Saskatchewan, and came across the town of Cereal. Most of the businesses along the main street were boarded up, and the place looked deserted, except for a boy of about 10, riding around in circles on his bicycle. I was standing on the street with my camera and he rode over and told me his name was Joel Toth. He asked what I was taking pictures of, and then told me about the museum.
About the only thing that was still open in the town was a one-room museum in the old train station on the edge of town. By chance, it was Joel's sister Jaycea who ran the museum. He suggested I go see it, so I did.
Jaycea is 19 years old. She opens the museum for a few hours every day, and gives tours whenever someone like me wanders by. She goes to college.
The museum, though small, was fascinating. It offered a glimpse of rural life that is fast disappearing in Canada (and long-gone in the US). Jaycea gave a great tour, and was surprisingly knowledgeable about how the world she lived in was changing. I came away from the tour with an appreciation for the Canadian prairie that I had not expected.
Before I left, I asked Jaycea where she thought I should go next. It turned out that one of her friends had a grain elevator museum in another small town about 40 km away. She called her friend and told her I was coming.
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no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 05:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-27 06:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 05:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-27 06:17 am (UTC)Visiting from RuralRob's journal, but I have to ask...
Date: 2005-12-26 09:35 pm (UTC)I like the way you travel, btw.
Re: Visiting from RuralRob's journal, but I have to ask...
Date: 2005-12-27 06:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 10:17 pm (UTC)you are leading an incredible life. I read your every entry, even if I don't comment often, you are always somewhere hidden in my thoughts.
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Date: 2005-12-27 06:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 10:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-27 06:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 11:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-27 06:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-27 11:51 pm (UTC)I'm out of town and on a dial-up modem, and what comes up on the front page of google isn't helpful. I'll try to remember to look some up and post URLs when I get home, though.
By the way, I love that mode of travel-- not that I've tried it so far. The closest I've got is whimsically changing my mind when I see some fascinating sign.
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Date: 2005-12-27 12:15 am (UTC)~paul
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Date: 2005-12-27 06:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-27 07:06 am (UTC)Sue is having a kind of rough time right now, i think this is actually the first time she really has come face to face with her own mortality.
~paul
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Date: 2005-12-27 12:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-27 06:24 am (UTC)open soul/open road
Date: 2005-12-27 02:04 am (UTC)however one labels it, it was a gift.....
:))))))
Re: open soul/open road
Date: 2005-12-27 06:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-27 05:58 am (UTC)Your encounter with Jaycea in the museum reminded me of one my dad and I had with a young woman at a similar museum in the middle of nowhere (Brúarlundur) in southern Iceland. It was about the Hekla volcano, and its curator stayed there with her young son in case someone came along wanting to know about the volcano. We enjoyed chatting with her for quite a while (nobody else came in) and her description of the way of life there really put some things in perspective.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-27 06:17 am (UTC)It was probably one of the best things about my trip. Just connecting with people where they were and hearing their stories. I found it to be very spiritual.