Saskatchewan: A Pile of Bones

Not all of my stay in Calgary was bad news, for it was there that I was contacted by Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert's office that he had given me his consent to photograph his home. And more importantly, I was given his address. To be honest, I had already found the address through the Land Titles Office in Saskatchewan, but it was nice to not have to worry about facing any resistance while there.

So, I flew from Calgary to Regina, where I had the chance to stay with a friend for a few days while taking a picture of Premier Calvert's home. After the relative disaster of Calgary, Saskatchewan was an oasis. I arrived late on a Thursday evening. On Friday morning, I went to the Saskatchewan Legislature Buildings to pick up a signed waiver form, and then my friend and I drove up to Saskatoon on Saturday to take the pictures. No problem. Like Ralph Klein in Alberta, Premier Calvert's primarily residence isn't in the capital city, but it was a nice sunny day and it made for a pleasant excursion.

Premier Calvert's home was interesting in that the neighborhood was not what I would consider 'premier worthy' from my own preconceived notions. It was definitely not a posh area of Saskatoon at all, and neither was his home overly spectacular. I'm very excited about printing and exhibiting this picture, as it may play with people expectations of the lives that the premiers lead.

As an aside, some people complain about the prairies, but personally, I love them. The nothingness of the terrain bears down on your senses like nothing else, and the sky is so huge that it takes on a personality all its own. I got to watch a prairie storm roll in and overtake us with a huge downpour. That same night I saw a beautiful prairie sunset. If you've never been through here, I recommend it.

But, traveling through Saskatchewan got me thinking about how the cities and towns seem so randomly placed. There are no converging rivers, mountain valleys, etc, to create a natural stopping grounds. I then learned that Regina is where it is because the settlers were sick of treading across endless prairies, trying to find a place to settle. They came across a large pile of bones (I think from buffalo or something), and decided it was a decent enough landmark to necessitate building a settlement. So Regina is where it is simply because a pile of bones was left there. Crazy.

2 for 3.