More about our family.

Our family was getting married , first Gail & her friend Carol Roberson move back to Brooks & took jobs at the Horticulture center which is near Brooks & they had a rented suite in the town. Gail met her future husband here. We were still farming,so that fall we drove to Alberta to meet Bill & his parents,Jock & Agnes Mc Killop who lived on a ranch in the Big Stone area.Bill & Gail were planning to be married in the United church in Brooks.We made plans to supply the turkey for their wedding dinner.Bill's parents later moved into a rented house in Brooks. While Bill & Gail lived on the ranch where they raised their 4 children.Jonathon Maxwell Micheal & Jolene. they all attended school at Seesford school. We would come out to visit them each fall.
Colleen continued to live in Banff & after working as a waitress.She & her girl friend opened a ski shop & bike rental business called Ski Tips. She married Ed Ram & they have a new home in Banff near the river, Ed was employed & had worked for via rail for many years, until it was changed to go through Edmonton. He has ever since worked for the Brewster bus Company & has a place in that area selling lunches & other needs for travelers.
After Colleen left us , the Campbell boys returned to be with family & Kevin came & stayed with us until he got a job in the north.
Our large stone three story home seemed very empty. We heard of a plan for farmers in that part of the Manitoba who lived on small farms. We attend a meeting to see who would like to use their farm homes for where city folks or even people from other countries could come & have a vacation with us. We attended this meeting in Brandon Manitoba,I met several other couples who were interested in this Manitoba Farm Vacations plan.
I don't remember how many years we did this, but Max decided to quit farming but to cash rent our three quarters of land to a neighbor.
After our family were on their own I was working with Max to do all our land work, so the first
of our vacationers were a couples & they enjoyed the times, we would take them to the near by river to fish, some were there when our sows had piglets born etc.
We took them with us to many events in the area. We were also were helping with church services on the Sioux valley reserve, so they went with us & became a part of our life.
We had people from Europe, two German student who were learning English so they didn't quit understand our slang words , "such as you guys". We took them fishing & they caught a cat fish , which we never ate but they said it was good. They hung the fish up & carefully skinned it & soaked it in salt water over night then used some spiced & we baked it in the over, It wasn't too bad but Max said it was still just cat fish. The guests who came summer after summer were two boys from Winnipeg, their mothers brought them & stayed over night left the boys to spend over a month during July & August with us. They went fishing, helped with chores etc. I am still in contact with them to this day, in fact their parents came to visit us here in the lodge to see how we were doing & were very impressed with New Brook Lodge here in Brooks AB. where I have lived for over 5 years.