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When the sun sets here

 It’s not really a thing.  It’s more of a tease.  Like it’s not really a rule; just a suggestion. The farther down the sun goes, the more it just slides north instead of actually setting.  Then, when it finally does set, it still doesn’t get dark right away; the sun is still sliding sideways just below the horizon, and twilight lasts for more than an hour! We’re in Saskatoon. 2017 summer trip map We’ve been staying at County and Regional parks.  Last night’s stay at Foam Lake City Park.   And free firewood. 
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Bambi

 Driving down a dirt road, watching for bear, moose, lynx, a great gray owl, or grouse; Henry with his head out the window helping; a deer by the side of the road spotted us.  We stopped the car.  The deer and henry locked onto each other.  The deer was curious and approached.  Henry was mesmerized and never twitched.  He was one with the deer.  Henry found his Bambi.  Bambi found his Thumper.  The deer never got close enough to touch, but looked from several different angles.  In time, the deer broke the spell by bounding away, but they had a moment, Thumper and his Bambi. We’re in Saskatchewan. 2017 summer trip map 
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Uncle Doug

 My cousin, not really my Uncle, only three years my senior, he’s been Uncle Doug since teenage years.  I think he started it by calling me Uncle Steve. He stayed with us for a while in Colorado when the kids were little.  He taught us to play Farkle with dice.  I believe there was a card game called “Bullshit” as well.  The kids called him Uncle Doug too.  J He had had some heart trouble a few years ago, and now it was time for his heart to give out the rest of the way.  For all of the people we have known who have passed on, this time wasn’t the same.  What made this death different was the surprising contribution of social media.  Knowing he was almost out of time, his sister Teri and cousin Suzanne by his side, but not enough energy to sustain visits or conversations, Doug could still read texts and Facebook posts. As much as I dislike funerals; all of us testifying how much we loved them once they’re dead, I liked what happened for Doug.  He was not in pain, and could spend his last few days receiving well wishes and reminiscences from friends and family, near and far.  Distance was not a constraint; we all got to share that time with him in a way.  He got a warm loving goodbye from all his friends and family.  
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If I had been a botanist

 I’d have specialized in lichens.   And ferns. (These are not photos from here in Manitoba, they’re from high dry Colorado.) 
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A drive through golden fields

 We’ve been told the gold consists of safflower. In this sea of flat agricultural land, is an oasis of rolling hills, forests, and lakes; Riding Mountain National Park. 2017 summer trip map Isolated camp sites. Remember the Samoyed dog Queen I had as a kid?  A sled dog in Southern California.  It didn’t make much sense, and her coat was always a little thin.  Here is what a Samoyed coat looks like when the dog lives in cold country where it belongs. He’s a woolly bear.