John and Betty 2014 Visit

This summer we were blessed by the visit of Nelson's brother, John, and his wife, Betty, from Ottawa, Ontario. It had been ages since we saw them and so it was a special time of catching up. The plan was for them to spend a few days in Regina, then here at Draper's Acres while Nelson was on his days off, then back to Regina before heading home. 

Alice Draper with her kids from L to R - John, Teresa, and Nelson.
Photo taken Aug 2014 in Regina, courtesy of Teresa and Francis Untereiner

Unfortunately, the weather on Nelson's days off were wet and chilly for mid August which kept the farmers out of their field. Most of the time we stayed in the house where JJ hooked my laptop up to our big screen TV via an HDMI cord so everyone could view the genealogy records and old photographs at the same time. This was fantastic because it allowed everyone to contribute to the conversation, sharing memories and correcting misinformation. 

The spattering of rain played havoc with our photo taking sessions though, as you can see by the blotchy photographs.

Both Nick and JJ were working at Circle Square Ranch (CSR) Wolf Creek, and we had to get them back to the ranch right after lunch. In fact, the rest of the staff were inside preparing for a meeting when we were taking these pics, which shows on Jeremiah's face as he's the most logistical one and didn't want to walk in late. 

L to R - Jeremiah, Nelson, John holding Scout behind Grandma Alice, Betty
with Peanut, Nick. Taken at CSR Wolf Creek, Aug 2014

But as you can see in the above photo, a raindrop is hiding Betty's face, so we went for another one. 

L to R back row - Jeremiah, Nelson, John holding Scout, and Nick.
Front row - Grandma Alice, and Betty holding Peanut.
Taken at CSR Wolf Creek, Aug 2014

Hmm, nice shot, but Grandma's face is obliterated and others are hazy. So we tried one more. 

L to R - Jeremiah, Nelson, Scout, John hiding behind Grandma Alice, Betty
with Peanut, and Nick. Taken at CSR Wolf Creek, Aug 2014

And that's a good shot of everyone including the dogs...except John is hiding again, Nelson has lost his smile, and both Nick and Scout are looking to the left where someone has just come out the door to find out what's holding the boys up. *sigh

Since Montmartre is the Paris of the Prairies due to its French history with Montmartre, France on the outsirts of Paris, we stopped at the 1/38 scale model iron Eiffel Tower to give John and Betty some fun pics to take back.

This first one is Nelson telling John and Betty to look wa-a-a-a-a-a-y up so it appears the tower is taller than its actual 30 ft height. 

Nelson taking photo of Betty and John at Eiffel Tower,
Montmartre, SK.

Unfortunately, Nelson never showed me the result of this angle. My version was for John and Betty to move closer to me thus putting space behind them to make the Eiffel Tower look bigger. 

Betty and John at Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, SK, Aug 2014

Montmartre is building a real nice park beside the Eiffel Tower and while there, I mentioned that it would be nice to take a photo near the gazebo with the CN Montmartre sign in the background, but after being cooped up while we were in church, and then while we had a big family lunch in Wolseley, Scout and Peanut wanted to go exploring, so the best photo of that excursion is this one of John taking a pic of ME. 

John taking photo of me with Betty and CN Montmartre sign in background.
Taken at the Eiffel Tower Park, Montmartre, SK, Aug 2014

This last one is cropped from one of Teresa's photos and is kind of grainy so I can't enlarge further, but I thought I'd end this post with these 2 precious members of John and Betty's family, Peanut and Scout. 

Peanut and Scout in Regina, SK, August 2014

It was such a nice visit. I hope you come back soon... and bring the kids and grandkids next time. :)

Our Christmas Season Diary

Don't laugh, but this is a make-up post for all the weeks I've missed. It's also an answer to those people who keep asking if the kids came home for Christmas. You may have seen most of these on Facebook, but for those who aren't hooked up that social media platform, and also for the record, I present to you our Christmas diary.

Draper's Acres, Montmartre, SK, December 2012

The season started when we brought Grandma Alice out to Briercrest Christian College at Caronport, west of Moose Jaw, for a full day of Christmas spirit.

Nelson, his mom, Alice Draper, and his son, Jeremiah,
at Briercrest College, Caronport, SK, Dec 2012

The Briercrest experience involved a musical performance of Scrooge in the afternoon, followed by a fantastic turkey supper while listening to carols played on a harp, and then a choral presentation in the evening. The above photo was taken after the meal and while I admit it's a big fuzzy, the alternative is one that clearly showed the strain of the day - especially if you take in the 2 hr drive in winter driving conditions.

On my Dec 20th wedding anniversary, I headed into Regina to pick up Jessie who was flying in from Calgary. While in the city, I picked up Grandma Alice and we watched the planes come and go while waiting. We brought Grandma home with us so she could watch the Live Nativity our church was presenting the next day at the local Candiac Auction Mart.

What's Happening in the Barn? Finale at Candiac Auction Mart,
Candiac, SK, Dec 21st, 2012

The next morning, Jessica led the Praise and Worship at the Sunday morning service.

Jessica Draper, Praise and Worship leader, Church on the Hill,
Glenavon, SK, Dec 22, 2012

After  Christmas and Boxing Days, Nick's girlfriend, Alana, came to spend a day with us. That was a lot of fun playing the Wii and Connect games as we got to know her. Probably scared her with our competitiveness, too. I didn't want to make a big deal of taking photos of her, but I do have one of her as an angel in the Live Nativity. In the photo below, Alana is on the left side of the back row.

The Angels in Glenavon's Church on the Hill's Live Nativity,
at Candiac Auction Mart, Candiac, SK, Dec 21st, 2012

After Alana, our next guests were my sister Bonnie and her husband, Magnar, from Swan River, Manitoba. They stayed a precious 3 days and Bonnie and I spent some of that time outside. Of course I had my camera with me...

Bonnie Bremnes, at Draper's Acres, Montmartre, SK, Jan 1st, 2013

I love that photo of Bonnie. Don't you think she looks like one of those women in the Sears catalogue?

Magnar and Bonnie Bremnes with their Vibe at Draper's Acres,
Montmartre, Sk, Jan 2, 2013

The next day, Bonnie and Magnar had to get back to their jobs in Swan River where he's a minister, and a teacher at the Living Word Ministries and Bible College, and she's the college cook. So blessed to have them share some of their down time with us.

No sooner had Bonnie and Magnar left when Crystal, our oldest baby, came home for a visit and left the bright lights of Vancouver, BC behind. Her return was just what we needed for a family photo.

The Draper Family, clockwise starting at 12 o'clock:
Jeremiah, Nelson (dad), Jessica, Crystal, Nicholas, Anita Mae (mom),
taken at Draper's Acres, Montmartre, SK, January 2013

And then it was time for the girls to leave. First was Jessie as she had to get back to her final year of classes at Rocky Mountain Bible College in Calgary, AB. Does the term, Daddy's Girl, come to mind?

Jessica Draper and her dad, Nelson at Draper's Acres,
Montmartre, SK, Jan 2013

Here are the kids waiting for Jessie's flight to be called while under the harsh airport lights. They're trying to look serious for Dad. It sort of worked, eh.

Draper kids in birth order, L to R: Crystal, Jessica, Nicholas, and Jeremiah
at the Regina Int'l Airport, Jan 2013.

With the boys back in school, and Jessie gone, Crystal and I got down to some serious stuff like reading and writing. I really like this photo of Crystal because although she can be as loud and boisterous as the rest of them, she enjoys the quiet times, too.

Crystal Anne enjoying quiet time at Draper's Acres, Montmartre, SK, Jan 2013

Crystal Draper out walking past Draper's Acres, Montmartre, SK, Jan 2013

Mind you, after one of her jaunts outside with the bitterly cold wind biting her cheeks, she said she was ready to go back to the mild weather on the west coast. Ha ha.

After a wonderful week's visit, it was time to bring my baby to the airport. On the way, we stopped to take a pic of the sunrise and I like to think it's a beautiful reminder of her visit home this Christmas season.

Crystal Anne Draper and a Saskatchewan sunrise east of Francis, Jan 2013

And then she was off to Vancouver where her lonely sweetie, Chris, was waiting for her.

West Jet flight out of Regina Int'l Airport, January 2013

And there, my diary of our Christmas season from Dec 2012 to Jan 2013 is now posted for all our friends and relatives to see.

I hope you enjoyed this trip through time at Draper's Acres. You're welcome back anytime. : ) I'll leve you with this final photo taken from my kitchen view on New Year's Day.

Jan 1st, 2013 Sunrise, Draper's Acres, Montmartre, SK