CRUMBLING MEMORIES

While the boy was away, he’s been to the Fairmont in Banff a handful of times. Each of the times he’s given me a bit of a tour. Of course the historic hotel was what I really wanted to see, not Banff itself. I wasn’t really interested in the shops as most of it is junky souvenirs. Although the shops in the hotel had beautiful jewelry and art.

So after the boy got the Yukon parked in tiny lot and we paid for parking, off we went. They are currently filming a movie at the hotel and in the area so there was some congestion around the front of the hotel but nothing serious and it was still pretty easy to navigate the area.

I cut off the bottom of the hotel because of the barricades and people. Within a few minutes we were inside and I was ready to explore. I absolutely love how they have modernized all of the original fixtures. The detail in these items is amazing. And the furniture they have is something else.

It was hard to get a clear shot of the staircase as there were many people passing by this area. This is not the staircase that the “Ghost Bride” died on. There are numerous stories as to how she died so you’ll have to google her story to read more.

I didn’t realize until we got “home” that we were able to enter all floors of the hotel to look around. I’m a little perturbed by my whole Banff experience and wish the kids and I would have done this trip on our own as my own kids understand how much I love this stuff and were willing to entertain me going up useless staircases and taking pictures of old stuff.

If I were a guest at this hotel, I’d park myself in front of one of these windows and enjoy a good book and a drink. What a view.

Another part of the hotel I enjoyed was a section on the second floor which displayed photographs from when the hotel was built, some of the first guests and a special menu that was created for when the Royal Family came to visit. I did not photograph any of those things as many of the items were behind glass and I wasn’t sure if I was allowed.

Then we headed outside. I believe this is the Bowness River. As we were on a time limit, we didn’t take in any of the hiking or activities offered. There are numerous hiking trails and places where you can rent bicycles.

Then we headed to the “strip”. The boy ditched us to hang out with his friend who declared that I was behaving like a “typical tourist Mother” so Makenna and I did the tourist thing and looked at all the trinkets in the stores including the Christmas store which was very cool. Then we shared a Beaver Tail while we watched the people stroll by.

Next time I go to Alberta I want to get to Emerald Lake. While Banff was nice, this spot was very touristy and busy. I would like to go further into the mountains next time.

The T. Eaton Co. Ltd.

The Eaton’s catalogue was the shopping mall for farm families in the early 1900s, the settlement period of the Canadian prairies. Coveralls for dad, a new dress for mom, and a special Christmas present for the kids, all came from Eaton’s in Winnipeg. The catalogue also supplied almost everything for the house, and, from 1910 to 1932, the house itself.

The house portion of Eaton’s merchandise was a Western Canadian phenomenon only. Houses were advertised only in the Winnipeg catalogue and in special plan books. The advertisements showed Douglas Fir trees, seven feet in diameter and 200 feet to the first limb. The lumber was without knots and came from trees that would not be cut today.

The mail-order house business worked like this: A few houses were listed in the catalogue as a teaser. The catalogue advertised free plan books that gave complete details about the houses: an artist’s sketch, floor plan, and information on lumber, doors, windows, flooring, and hardware. Few of the plan books exist today because they were distributed free of charge. 

Once the customer selected a house, the blueprints were purchased from the plan book for $2.50, although when competition appeared, the cost dropped to $1.00. When a house was ordered, the cost of the blueprints was subtracted from the invoice.

And order they did. Hundreds of Eaton homes dot the landscape in Western Canada, many serving the fourth or fifth generation of the same family, on the same quarter section of land. The lumber came by boxcar from British Columbia and the millwork came from Winnipeg. Freight was paid to the nearest railway station and the lumber was hauled to the farm by team and wagon.

Eaton’s sold at least 40 different house plans. While the large two-and-a-half-storey square house is most often referred to as an Eaton’s house, all shapes and sizes were available. The most common type was the one-and-a-half storey, sometimes referred to as the semi-bungalow. 

Very few single-storey houses remain, but the Art Dunlap house near Harris, Saskatchewan, shows how durable the houses were. The Dunlap house was built in 1916 and has been empty since 1956, but it still stands straight and proud.

Remember my Cricut? Well I’ve been making crafts and I attended my first craft sale the other day. My daughter organized my table, was an excellent seller and even took my custom orders.

Here is the video she made for tik tok.

I typically don’t go back to a house once I’ve had the chance to photograph it unless something has changed structurally.

I do go back and check on this one at least every year. I am so happy that I got to see if when I did when we were still able to enter it and I could get a better shot of the outside.

The mosquitos were awful outside so it was a quick visit.

I did a thing! I bought a Cricut.

It’s way too cold to go outside and I don’t have Colton to drive around to hockey so, I thought why not.

Here is some of the stuff that I have made. And it’s all for sale!

These are $10.

Milestone circles. 4 inch acrylic. Can make them whatever color you want. $35 for the set.

Memorial Blocks. Includes the light. The backside of this one has a wedding photo of my Grandparents on it. $40

Lots of onsies.

This adorable shirt for a special one year old! I can make more if you’re interested.

And bibs! Lots of bibs.

So until the weather warms up, I’ll be at the kitchen table, crafting. Then I’ll be back out shooting.

From my house to yours!

This family will always be near and dear to my heart. Smokey was Cade’s unofficial partner for many years and the two of them had each other’s backs on many occasions. When Mrs Smoke was looking for someone to capture this beautiful bunch, I knew I wanted to try.

These two have 3 beautiful children, two of which are now all grown up. Their youngest shares his middle name with Cade. I still remember getting the middle of the night phone call to tell us that the newest little Smoke had arrived safe and sound.

I had a great afternoon with this bunch and I’m hopeful that I was able to capture them the way Mrs Smoke envisioned.