At one of our gatherings, Ruth brought some pictures from her album. One of them was quite special. My brother Doug, maybe 17 years old, with my cousin Julie on the back of his motorcycle. My mother’s youngest sister, Eleanor, and family had come from Saskatchewan to visit.

About 55 years later, here is the little girl on the back of the motorcycle, Julie, with granddaughters Riley and Ella.

Our final evening together. A big dinner at the Regent.

Jeanette & Steve and Sandra:

Reg and Tammy:

Kathy and Charlie:

Glenn did a fantastic job planning our long weekend. So many cousins were able to be together. Glenn with daughter Andrea, holding Archie, and Roman and Rosie:

Thank you, Glenn, for everything you did to make our visit special. Thanks to everyone who came from near and far. I am so grateful for the memories. As my cousin Terry in BC said, there is nothing like “Saskatchewan hospitality.” We all agree.

Julie and Reg’s dairy farm:

Also a robotic barn although a different design.

This machine removes all the manure. Not robotic but quite effective.

We gathered in the backyard to visit. Julie, Glenn, Steve, Jeanette:

Sandra and Ruth (Joy and Julie’s older sister):

Two of Julie’s granddaughters came over to ask Sophia if she wanted to play.

Addie woke up from her nap and joined the group, they soon became fast friends. Riley is in pink, Ella in yellow.

After breakfast with Jeanette and Steve (from Red Deer Alberta), we all droveto Balgonie to Joy and Brian’s dairy farm, Broyhill Holsteins. We started out at the house with drinks and dessert. Delicious dessert! Homemade apple pie, Saskatoonberry pie, and cheese strudel. And ice cream.

Early days of a future milk cow:

In a different barn, the next stage in the progression to becoming a milk cow. As these cows reach forward to eat their specialized mix of food, some of the food is pushed forward and out of reach. Periodically, this robotic machine leaves its charging station to slowly follow a magnetic path to the end of the building then turns back and begins spinning, pushing the feed closer to the cows.

The main attraction was the big barn, all robotic.

This room is the control central for all operations in the barn.

Sand, the best bedding material. Bacteria can’t grow in sand.

Three to four times a day, a cow may freely choose to be milked. A cow may enter the milking station when the gate is open. At the other end, a gate with a feed bucket closes. Note the white brushes cleaning the udder.

Each cow is easily recognized, her udder has already been mapped. The white brushes have swung away and milking tubes find the teats one at a time and attach. Then the machine quiets and the milk begins to flow.

With the technological improvements, quality has improved and, Joy said, “a woman can manage a herd of 130 milk cows in 4 hours/day. Previously, it took two men 8 hours/day to manage 40 cows.”

Joy and Brian have three sons. The oldest, Josh, is a food-producing large animal veterinarian. Lucas and Adam run the dairy. Lucas and daughter Mecaella:

Lucas’ son Gabriel with Sandra (from Carrot River):

Julie came over with her granddaughters, Riley and Ella. Jeanette and Steve to the left, Joy to the right. Jeanette and Sandra are daughters of my mom’s older brother Fernie. Julie and Joy are daughters of my mom’s younger sister Eleanor.

Joy and Julie married Lindenbach cousins. They live about 2 miles apart. We headed to Julie’s next …

Glenn did a great job organizing each day’s adventure. Today we toured the Depot where all Royal Canadian Mounted Police are trained. The visitor center:

We boarded a people-mover for the tour of Depot. Glenn worked as a carpenter at Depot for over 30 years and volunteers as a people-mover driver.

Beyond the parking area is Depot. No picture-taking allowed.

No trip to Canada would be complete without a stop at Tim Horton’s.

Wheatwyn Church where Glenn went to Sunday school and where both my parents were confirmed. The yellow field is canola, the green is field peas.

Cousin Gordon drove down from Melfort.

Behind the church, the well-tended cemetery.

The graves of my grandparents, Sophia’s great-great-grandparents, Ludwig and Julanna Manz.

Next stop, the Manz family farm now run by cousins Donald and Reg. My mother, the fourth born of 6 children, was the first to be born in the house in 1918. Donald and wife Marcia live here. Glenn brought cinnamon rolls and coffee.

Cousin Gordon drove down from Melfort. Our next stop would be the gray barn in the background, the structure built before the house.

In the loft, many birds chirping, piles of bird droppings.

The sons of Johnny, my mother’s younger brother. Glenn, Gordon, Reg, and Donald, plus Justin. Reg and Donald farm 22 sections of land (about 3500 acres). Some owned by them, others leased. They grow canola, flax, wheat. They also have small herd of cattle. Justin is 3 years younger than Reg and has gone up there to help with the harvest a few times (and loves it), so now he’s sort of like their youngest (adopted) brother.

From there, we drove to Southey

where Glenn’s younger sister lives with her husband Les. We had dinner in their backyard.

Another wonderful family get-together. Thank you Angela and Les! Tammy & Reg, Angela holding grandson Brooks & Les, Marcia & Donald, Gordon, Glenn:

On Thursday, Justin & Jennifer, Thais & Sophia, and I drove to San Francisco to fly to …

My cousin Glenn welcomed us at the airport.

We stayed at a really nice rental in the Cathedral District.