New book: I often mention the wonderful staff at The Western Producer: talented and engaged reporters, subscription and advertising staff who know their stuff, and the IT, accounting, creative and production people who make the place hum and the paper look great.
We also have a stable of freelancers who are important contributors to this newspaper. Among them is photographer Patrick Price, who recently self-published a book called Range Life: A photographic journey of western culture in southern Alberta.
American Cowboy magazine gave him a great review, and I doubt I could say it better.
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“Price creates images that are distinctively his. His scenes of rural southern Alberta celebrate drama, as well as whimsy, quaintness, tranquility … and fresh ways of seeing things.”
It’s hard to pick a favourite photo, but I think mine is of a cattle drive that stretches for miles — right to the horizon — down a country road through beautiful range land. I also love the picture of the bride holding a shotgun. Very funny.
You can get a sneak peek, should you so desire, at patrickpricephoto.com/rangelife.html.
Mea culpa: Who ordered this weather?
Oh, yeah, I guess it was me.
As I write this, it is – 37 C in Sask-atoon and no, that does not include the wind chill.
Two weeks ago, I was whining about the weird, snowless, spring-like weather that, while wonderful, seemed so surreal.
That meant no snow cover for fields, winter wheat or even perennial plants. That meant no snow melt for dugouts. That meant bad little bugs surviving when they dang well shouldn’t be.
So, I asked Mother Nature to bring on the snow and cold, and we got it. First the snow fell, thank goodness, but then came these horrid temperatures. And for that, I am truly sorry.
Points to the premier: It is to Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall’s credit that he came out swinging against the prime minister’s health-care funding plan, or should I say, lack thereof. There is no way Canada will be able to continue funding health care at this rate without serious changes to how it is delivered.
Wall’s innovation fund plan is at least an attempt to seek better ways. If there is anything the federal government should be funding, apart from basic services such as health, it’s innovation.
