Boyle McCauley News

Since 1979 • April-May 2024 • Circulation 5000

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Growing Up Outdoors

I have spent most of my youth and much of my adult life in the outdoors. Growing up in and around Fort Saskatchewan, my brothers and I spent hours:

  • Hanging out in the forest making forts and tree huts,
  • Wading in the creek in our birthday suits,
  • Chasing rabbits and deer,
  • Running from the odd lynx or bobcat,
  • Messing with hornets’ nests (a painful experience),
  • Playing hockey on the frozen creek,
  • Getting bootfuls of water when the ice was too thin,
  • Going for trail rides on the farm at Scotford,
  • Having our own brand of demolition derbys, (we had a lot of old wrecked cars that barely ran), and
  • Baling hay in the fall (I still love the smell of fresh cut hay).

As I sit here writing this article, many wonderful and sometimes sad memories are filling my mind: the passing of my maternal grandfather when I was 13. I was sitting in the back seat of the car watching him fall asleep as he passed away. He himself loved fishing and the outdoors. Most of my family, on both my Dad’s and Mom’s sides, still live in the country. Mom has an acreage near Mundare. I love to spend weekends there, and have peace and quiet time with the dogs, listening to the coyotes’ nearby, and the magpies squawking at the dogs and cats. I also enjoy going to my youngest brother’s place near Elk Island Park and riding the horses he has, watching the buffalo in the park. I’ve been spending a week helping some long time friends with lambing season for the past two years.

Now I sometimes go for a walk or bike ride in the River Valley and reflect on how wonderful it is to be outdoors. But that’s another story.

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