THE DOOR

Weathered,paint peeled, door to an abandoned farmhouse built in 1870's. The farmhouse and adjacent barn were built by my friend's Russian ancestors on the banks of The Little Bow River. It was and still is part of The XL Ranch. Although the farmhouse was left to deteriate in the harsh extremities of Alberta's +35-45°C summers heat and -35-50° C winters cold, the barn has been maintained. Every summer, nearly 300 head of Black Angus Cattle fatten up on lush grasses before the inevitable trip to the stockyard. As a family friend, I spent 3 summers there to help with branding and fence maintenance on this section of land. Replacing the roof on the barn in the extreme heat of the summer earned a much needed tire tube float down The Little Bow with cold beers in tow. The evenings were spent around the camp fire below an awe-inspiring celestial riot of the universe's constellations and meteor showers. The sound of cattle lowing,and the not too distant coyotes howling made for a scene straight out of the 1800's. No cellphone signals made it even more authentic.