The Radisson Zion Museum is a Provincial Treasure

I recently took a short trip from Saskatoon to the town of Radisson, Saskatchewan.  I had traveled through the town before, but had never been too interested in the town's museum - the Radisson Zion Musuem.  I'm not a prairie museum enthusiast because usually I see neater pieces of history just driving around.

This time, however, the museum's owners lured me inside.  And it was incredible.

Privately owned and funded, artifacts fill every room of the old Zion church, and every room took my breath away. One of the owners, a warm and bubbly Barb, said that she, her husband and another partner had amassed and funded the collection, renovated the church, and now run the museum entirely on their own, just because they love doing it.   Their passion shows in every detail.

Just a few of the many photos I couldn't help but take...

Sisters.

My gorgeous sisters, Anna and Becky on the lawn on the grounds of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

My Sister's Baby Girl, Allison Susan

I did a little shoot with my sister and her new baby, Alli, in our hotel room in Minneapolis.  The first image of many...

Stampy Goes to Canada in "Stampy's Saskatchewan Adventure"

My son and I made this little slideshow about his favorite (ok, and MY favorite) youtube-r , Stampy. We made Stampy out of wooden blocks, paint and some teeny tiny nails, and we posed him around our house and around town. I love photography and he loves minecraft (ok, I do too) and so we both had fun with this one!

Stampy, we adore you. Thanks for taking us on your epic adventures!

And yeah, Pandaface is me.

The Beckett House Near Kinley, Saskatchewan

On a lone trip to the RM of Perdue, I came across this gorgeous house and homestead.  From my research, it appears to have been occupied as early as the 1910's, and lived in until the mid-1970's.  The Beckett family, who owned the home, were immigrants from Minnesota and frequently socialized with the Millers, a family I've previously profiled.  I absolutely love this house - enjoy!

The Beckett House

Other buildings on the homestead

View from the homestead.  In the distance is the Kinley, Saskatchewan grain elevator.

Inside the house.  

The living room.  Notice the white chair - my family owns identical ones.

Ladder to the attic

Upstairs

View out the back door.  

Portraits of Carl Only Took a Bribe of $25

My son HATES to have his photo taken.  I think it might be because I go overboard telling him how handsome he is.  A few days ago, I really, really wanted to get an updated photo of him.  After intense negotiations, we agreed on a bribe that cost me $25.  Best $25 I ever spent.  He even let me brush his hair!

The Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery Photo Project: Part One

The Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery is the largest cemetery in Canada and the third-largest in North America. I have visited it numerous times, as my family lives just blocks from the main entrance in Montreal.  Still, I have hardly scratched the surface of the fascinating stories and lives that are buried there.  The cemetery has been operated by the building council of the Notre Dame parish since 1854.  For more on it's history, visit the cemetery's website.


I have thought for a while now about how to best present the photos I've taken, since there are so many different ways the stories of the cemetery can be told.   In many ways, the stories of the cemetery reflect the stories, complexities, and ironies of the living city, and is organized similarly.  I've decided to let the photos speak for themselves and present them in an arbitrary order, similar to how I took each photo during my visit.  

One of over 65,000 monuments in the main cemetery. Often, these monuments do not mark the place of burial of the individuals listed but serve as family memorial.

Gilded Angel at the Entree Remembrance 

In 1989, many graves were moved from other city cemeteries to the Notre-Dame Des Neiges Cemetery.  Those that were not immediately claimed were given makeshift grave markers like this one.  Family members were given until 2015 to claim a relative's gravesite and replace the temporary markers with tombstones.  Today, the field resembles a Potter's Field, with homemade markers, and numerous ones identical to the one above.  

Rows upon rows of military burials.

On the family vault of the John Molson family.  The vault is immense, built into the side of a large hill.

The front door to the Molson family vault.

Headstone of Ann Molson, wife of John Molson

This headstone does not mark a burial site, but serves as a memorial to three young men who drowned in the St. Lawrence River in 1866.

Icy hand of Jesus

Many headstones before the 20th century list the cause of death of one or more of the individuals listed.  Found in the cemetery are headstones listing as cause of death Scarlett fever, tuberculosis, cholera, fires, drownings, and many more. 

Charles Melville Hays was a passenger on the Titanic when it sank in 1912.
His official date of death is given as April 15, 1912

This grandiose vault was built to commemorate the life of  Salvatore Gervasi, a member of the infamous Gervasi mob family.  He was murdered and stuffed in the trunk of his Porsche (which was then parked in front of his parents' house in Montreal) .

Inside Salvatore Gervasi's vault

A line of family vaults along the main road of the cemetery.

This "Garden of Angels" contains tombstones of young children, including infants.

In the Garden of Angels

Built into the side of the granite Mont Royal, Vito Rizzuto's family vault is a testament to the mafia family's power and wealth in Montreal.  

Ironically, Jesus guards the vault of Vito Rizzuto