May 31st
When I went to the park office in the morning around 11a, I was told it was already too hot to be going out to the dunes, that early morning or evening would be better. So I registered for another couple of nights at the campground and spent the day making another 200 pieces, backing everything up, and powering up my equipment.
Then, the unthinkable… my iPad crashed!
This was almost the worst thing that could happen in terms of my project. Without my iPad there was basically no way I could proceed. Most importantly it’s my camera screen, without it I can’t see what I’m photographing , unable to document what I’m doing, no documentation, no project!  I had no internet, no google to help me out, everything that I tried had not worked. Calgary had the closest Apple store, so basically I got ready to go home. I reorganized ‘Bill’ so things wouldn’t move around so much, went for a long walk along the beach, called home to say that I might be coming back earlier than originally planned. I just couldn’t believe that I couldn’t figure it out, then around 9p I got the idea to hold down all of the buttons at the same time for as long as possible. I was nervous I would make it worse, but it was all I could think of doing that I hadn’t tried….
And it worked!!!!  Such relief!!! How dependant we’ve become!!!!
I couldn’t believe how elated I was, one, that the project could continue and, that I had figured it out all by myself. I knew more than I credited myself for… big learning!!

June 1st
I was up early and at the dunes before 9a. It was a 3km hike in, not strenuous, but hilly, and as it turns out these dunes are mostly naturalized… not what I was expecting, not great for an install. So I decided to stay and explore beach possibilities. I found an area near the boat launch that had great access, and started to mull over what I could do. I spent the day beach combing, relaxing, wading in the water – still very cold – stretched, exercised, Melted, so great to be able to move freely…hard to do in ‘Bill’. The only other person on the beach was a woman and her dog. It was a glorious day.
After dinner I went down to the boat launch and got set up to install. I worked from 6:30 until 9:30 or so by the time everything came out. The black flies were so bad, I still can’t believe that I endured as long as I did considering that I was swarmed almost the entire time . Talk about focus!
Got back to my campsite, backed everything up, powered up all my equipment, had a long chat with a friend who was leaving for a month-long holiday the next day, and was in bed by midnight…exhausted.
After having reviewed some of the footage, I was very pleased with how everything turned out. The camera sees things that I missed, and what it saw/captured was beautiful. Once again I was blown away by the beauty of this simple expression of light..

‘hai’ lights : Douglas Provincial Park, Sask.

June 2 – 4th
I left Douglas PP feeling happy about – well – everything –
Even knowing I was on my way home to rework my grant application – tedious –              to take my mom to some appointments – obligations – to take care of some business stuff – responsibilities  –
I was filled up with space – spaciousness – the prairies can do that. I felt a real sense of accomplishment and satisfaction…tangible –  I had a chance to see how this project could work, made it work, and now I would have a chance to refine the process, to reorganize what I was doing, to see, to reflect, to process, to write about what was really happening
‘out here in the fields’!    (cue the WHO!)

Crossing the S.Sask river at Riverhurst ….. this is in the middle of the prairies!

I stopped in Cabri just N of Swift Current for a night, at the end of Lake Diefenbaker, in the river valley. Poor gravel roads, seemingly endless prairie and then ‘ta da’… green valleys, beautiful hills and endless water. Quite a terrifying storm that night which howled until after midnight, but the next day, beautiful…
weather –  passing through, like thoughts – foreign, tortuous, happy, calm, simmering  – passing by – expressed and then gone – dissipated –

                            Stormy night at Cabri campground, the next day beautiful!!

The next day was very busy. I made my way to Sceptre, just N of the Great Sandhill Dunes, the museum was closed for a funeral, but a woman gave me great directions how to get there. It would be perfect for an installation. Easy access, great vantage points, lots of possibilities. I was for sure coming back. I continued to head north and east, winding my way back to Calgary. When I was in Empress, Pat Donaldson told me about an artist, Dean Francis, who had an open house once a year at his acreage, as it  happened it was this weekend, and it was sort of on my way home, so I took the Estuary ferry across the shortest distance across the south Saskatchewan river and made my way to his place. Cars and trailers and trucks filled the yard. There was a bluegrass band playing in one of his converted churches, art filled the walls and people wandered through the various buildings and grounds, visiting, viewing, enjoying the day. I was glad I stopped even though I didn’t stay long. I wanted to get as far as I could before night fall.

Estuary ferry east end of the S Sask river, on the way to Dean Francis Studios

As soon as I hit the AB border, the gravel roads disappeared and the driving became so much easier. I was looking to stop in Acadia Valley for the night, but took a turn too soon and ended up at the Acadia River Municipal Dam. Such a beautiful surprise!
The municipality dammed a small river and created a beautiful wetland, that incorporated a recreation / fishing area. I became very interested in making a piece here, a water piece along the edge of the dam. I took  a lot of photos as well as all the information I would need in order to contact the local RM.
It was a beautiful quiet evening. The water had turned to glass and birdsong filled the air….Just birdsong, no other noise!  The morning was warm enough to do all my stretching outside on the picnic table…first time! This place felt special. I hope I can create something here.

                                                    Acadia river municipal dam

On my way home I took hiway 40 into Dorothy, where I came across 3 moose making their way across some farmers field. I had never seen a moose on the prairie before, let alone 3 together, so I stopped to watch them for a bit on the side of the road, and wept at their majesty and grace as they sauntered along to who knows where…?
Once in Strathmore, I got directions to an RV car wash, which Bill needed  desperately, and then made my way to Calgary  – the first part of my journey over, so many feelings…sad, excited, exhausted, grateful for all of it…looking forward to what’s next

another beginning – another adventure of sorts –   yet to be sorted…..

Louise
Okori

All images / text   ©  Louise Pagé   2017

I left Waskesiu ahead of the storm that was brewing, hoping to get to Emma Lake before the rain. It was a cool, cloudy, windy day drive on the 263 –
who knows when I’ll be back?
sadness,  gratitude – simultaneously –

feeling the sense of place, of belonging, be – longing,  of home – expanding that feeling –
remembering,  re – remembering   – refuelling – filling up – filling up with  okori – source –

Arrived at Murray Point  Tuesday, May  23 just before 1p. This is a place I do remember, many of my favourite childhood memories live here, my connection to this geography grew in this place  –
The campground is closed and under construction. I drive around – the last time I was here was April 2011 in a snowstorm and before that, fall 2003 when I handed the keys to our family property over to the new owners. I had lived here for just under 2 years at the turn of the century. It had been a very rejuvenating and creative time on many levels – a non-grasping time as Gyō-zō would say. I loved almost everything about my time living there. Now the community is much changed – unrecognizable really. I drive around, check out the park, the dock, the beach…
I park by the old water pump and walk towards the Emma Lake art school at Okema beach. I wanted to put up a forest piece along the path. It was a common walk back and forth for cottagers, but more significantly, for me it was one that both my mom and I walked the summers we attended art camps, my mom in ’55, me in ’86.  I wanted to mark the path in some way, however the fallen trees, puddles, debris and neglect made navigating the forest impossible. The only spot was near a fork in the road near the water. Weather permitting I would consider it.
I stopped in to visit with some friends who offered to let me park in their driveway as long as I needed to. With severe weather warnings  for northern AB and SK, I decided to stay put. I made 100 more pieces and waited to see what the weather would bring.

May 24th
When the warnings were lifted in the morning, I attempted to install a piece at the spot I found yesterday, but had to abandon it 2/3 of the way through when it began to pour rain.

abandoned piece between Murray Point and Okema beach    May 24th 2017

Somewhat disappointed but not deterred, I decided to continue wandering and headed east and north to Candle Lake Provincial Park, where I had never been. Once again a difficult drive, lots of traffic, not particularly scenic and super windy.  When I arrived, there were white caps on the water, it was difficult just to walk around and explore. No one was at the campground to greet you, to take your money or show you around. (This would happen over and over again at provincial campgrounds in SK ) I found a site in a beautiful birch grove and hunkered down for the night, to wait out the storm.

Candle Lake Provincial Park SK

I woke around 3a to check what was happening with the weather. It was still windy and raining hard. I saw that a small vintage boler camper had arrived, it  must have been after I went to bed after 10p. They had parked right next to me – strange that I didn’t hear them arrive and that they would choose a spot right next to me, considering that the campground was empty save for one other RV! When I woke up at 6:30a the wind had died down, the rain had stopped… and the people next to me – gone! Were they ever there? dream? ghosts? The whole place felt creepy and I would say for the first time since I began this journey, I felt uneasy – hard to explain. I was out of there by 7a and on my way to PA, where I stocked up on groceries, before  heading  south on highway 2, driving through the countryside looking, seeing possibilities everywhere.
I stopped when I’d had enough of the wind and bad roads at Wakaw Lake Regional Park
I could have been in BC, you had no idea you were in the middle of the prairies. It was the perfect place to do laundry, have a shower, get caught up on wifi… and wait for the next phase of the storm to pass through which it did furiously until the next morning.

Wakaw Lake

May 26th – 30th
I was very close to Manitou beach, Canada’s dead sea / lake. I had been once with my mom years ago and was curious if there was a possibility around there. I was keeping an eye on the weather, and decided to stay for the weekend to wait for the winds to either stop or at least die down, which eventually happened on Tuesday morning.
I spent the time wandering through the town. I bought an old cheese box from the antiques dealer, met Michael Gaudet from GG’s gallery, Millie Strueby from Danceland hall… listening to the stories and history of the area. I walked through Wellington Park, which was beautiful, I could for sure see a piece in the creek. I spoke to Michael about it. I was thinking I could come  back for the Spirit of Manitou Studio Trail weekend in July. He and his wife were founding members of the event and he thought it would be fine to join in. I looked forward to it!  The lake was still too cold and the wind too fierce to go for a swim/float in the lake, so I spent time in the mineral pools which was a wonderful treat for my skin and my driving body!  I so appreciated seeing the cultural diversity of the visitors, people being drawn from all over to visit the healing waters.

Manitou beach, SK                             Wellington Park

When Tuesday morning came I felt rested and ready for what would come next.
I had read about the sand dunes at Douglas Provincial Park, so I headed south to explore the area. Another super stressful drive on roads that maps said were paved, but they suddenly turned into sand…major roads!!  ( truly third world roads in SK! )
I took a break in the small town of Elbow, at the junction where the dammed South Saskatchewan and Qu’appelle rivers come together to create Lake Diefenbaker. Once again I was blown away…in the middle of the prairies, sail boats, catamarans, 852kms of white sand beaches, water as far as the eye could see, golf courses…I could have been on the coast, it was surreal!

Endless water views                  Pelican spotting    Elbow SK

Caterpillar and gnat infestation       Douglas Provincial park SK

I arrived at Douglas provincial park around 3p, once again no one to greet me, take my $, or help me. It was too late and too hot to start a hike, so I found a place to park, got settled, and caught up on some computer work.
The park was infested with army caterpillars, I could hear them falling on the roof in the night…gross!!..and of course the usual mosquitoes and black flies… June in Sask!!
But I had power and water, and  was grateful not to be tenting. The wind had died down, earlier rains had cleared the air of dust, it was warm, Saskatchewan clouds filled the blue, blue sky…so much space, just when I think I couldn’t possibly feel more spacious,  I feel myself open and make room for more –

Louise
Okori

All images  / text © Louise Pagé     2017

Waskesiu

I arrived in Waskesiu on Friday May 19th, around 12:30p, a week after leaving Calgary.  I began with a short maiden voyage, in my RV named ‘Bill’, to Dinosaur Provincial Park on a sunny but windy day. I don’t think I drove much over 80 kms an hour,
it was like trying to drive a kite –
a few tense moments as horse and rider get used to each other!

It was cold, rainy and windy the entire weekend I was there, a good way to begin really –  a nice, slow introduction into the ‘RV’ world – getting used to all the ins and outs of operating a home on wheels – there is a lot to learn – as well as catching up on sleep, and getting better organized. Monday morning was beautiful and sunny, not as windy, a perfect day to start the next leg of my journey, north to Waskesiu –
scouting along the way – letting my curiosity decide the drive, the starts and the stops…

I had lunch in Empress AB, at ‘That’s Empressive’, great spot!  The owner, Pat Donaldson (Nokomis) is a wealth of info and great stories. After spending a night in Oyen, I continued north on the Buffalo Trail , highway 41, and came across an ‘area of interest’, Mud Butte. So off I went to explore this unusual geological formation, deciding that I would love to go back and create an installation there. I took photos, walked around, got a feel for the land.

Mud Butte  AB

Next, a brief stop in Consort and a serendipitous encounter with a bank employee who happens to farm at Mud Butte, before continuing  on to Battleford, SK. where I stayed for a couple of nights, checking out the area a bit, connecting to wifi, catching up on email, and housekeeping…rather RV keeping!
The drive from Battleford to Waskesiu was not an easy one. The roads were not in good shape – terrible really, lots of construction, and early weekend traffic. I was glad to finally get to Prince Albert National Park, to drive in on the 263. It was all brand new pavement beyond Christopher Lake. Not much traffic after Lake Country and once in the park I was virtually alone on the road. It was a glorious drive – tree tunnels, filtering light through the forest, eagles and elk, blue rivers, blue skies….. I was almost there…
I found a place for the night at Nemikus Lake. The campground was partially flooded, but it was beautiful, and except for the lull of croaking frogs and chatty birds, it was quiet, and peaceful.

highway 263

Nemikus Lake   Prince Albert National Park SK

I arrived at Waskesiu Lake campground just after lunch the next day May 19th.
I had made it – back to the place where it began…where I began, the journey of me –
to now begin a new journey –

One of the first things I did when I got settled at the campground, was to decide that the space right in front of me was the perfect place to put up my first piece, that trying to find my parent’s original property was going to be impossible. Where I was, was beautiful – mossy, trees, uneven land, water, puddles. The land lent itself to circles and spirals, it felt very womb like – perfect –
light meeting the earth – being planted – creating something new –  birth!

May 21st 8:30a

I’m looking through the footage that I shot over the last few days and seeing how beautiful this small personal piece was – the way the wire meets the earth leaving the paper floating – sometimes seen sometimes not – leaving one curious – light scattered through the forest – Two people ‘saw’ it, even though many people drove / walked by –
2 were ‘drawn’ in – connection –  it was after all a personal piece.
The next day campers arrived at the spot next to where I had installed the work – two kids and a dog – so as spontaneously as it went up, it came down –

I haven’t stopped long enough to seriously reflect on how important and meaningful me being here is, but I feel the significance in every fibre of  my being –
It all began a year ago as an impulse to move, to see new places, to have new experiences It started out as a pilgrimage, a loop across the western provinces, and eventually turned  into an art project from an RV named ‘Bill’, returning to my birth place – Waskesiu

The process of getting here has been fascinating in so many ways  – the serendipity of all the necessary components coming together, all the people who came to my assistance to help make it happen, the enthusiasm and support of all my ‘cheerleaders’ who helped send me on my way, and who continue to cheer me on

everything came together  to make it a reality  –

gratitude for all of it fills me –

Enjoy!
Louise
Okori

hai  lights : Waskesiu                May 19th – May 20th 2017

All images  / text   © Louise Pagé   2017