https://pixhellated.ca/ 2026-10-06 https://pixhellated.ca/an-open-ended-problems-sunnyridge-farm-kirriemuir-ab-2026-04-05-1789742193 2026-09-18 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/09/an-open-ended-problems-sunnyridge-farm-kirriemuir-ab-2026-04-05-1789742193.jpg An open ended problem, Sunnyridge Farm, Kirriemuir, AB, 2026-04-05 They say that the land is inexorably linked to the people who own it. I think this is true in part, but I have been alive long enough to notice that the land is generally indifferent to the people and it shrugs us off easily over time. Also, those things that we have built. If we're linked to anything on the land, it's our accomplishments that seem to fade as we do. Johnny's (my father in law's) quonset has seen better days. My mother-in-law spent years trying to get a scarce contractor to come out and fix the shingles that had blown off it. If she does find one now he had better bring some duct tape because the wind has taken the back out of the poor thing. And since this photo was made, the front as well. The land is shrugging it off. Just as it shrugged off John, who now rests in a plot several km to the west, and my mother-in-law who is 40 km north in a long-term care facility. I guess at some point we all wind up falling apart with our hospital gown flapping at the back an https://pixhellated.ca/stacked-car-show-strathmore-ab-2026-07-11-1789096473 2026-09-11 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/09/stacked-car-show-strathmore-ab-2026-07-11-1789096473.jpg Stacked, Car Show, Strathmore, AB, 2026-07-11 It's funny how your perceptions, and, well taste (or lack thereof) change over time. As an eight year old kid, this vehicle was literally The Shit for me. I mean, them stacks, triple carbs. Woof! Ed "Big Daddy" Roth was a bit before my time as I came along in 1968, but every elementary school kid knew about him in the mid-seventies. He built right-proper rods. Fast forward five decades and I'm now an insurance broker who does fleet auto and is trained in risk assessment. That low cut windshield? Poor visibility. Those straight pipes on top of three carbs? Block vision, great way to run over some kid on a crosswalk. The open tops on the pipes? Comprehensive claim waiting to happen in the next rain shower IF the insurer will cover that, which I doubt. No way I'd own that dangerous, POS as an adult. Growing up takes the fucking fun out of <em>everything,</em> I swear. https://pixhellated.ca/not-working-from-home-sunnyridge-farm-kirriemuir-ab-2026-04-10-1788406493 2026-09-03 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/09/not-working-from-home-sunnyridge-farm-kirriemuir-ab-2026-04-10-1788406493.jpg Not working from home, Sunnyridge Farm, Kirriemuir, AB, 2026-04-10 There are certain assumptions people make about remote work that really piss me off. One of them is that when you're working remotely you have the flexibility to do more household chores, hobbies, etc. Actually not. When you work from home you are expected to be at your system and available just like you would be at a desk job. If you are upstairs repotting a spider plant or doing extra loads of laundry and not at your desk when you're supposed to be, that is called time theft. It's a firing offense. If you thought this sort of thing was okay, please don't ever get a remote job because it is fuckwits like you who make the rest of us look bad. ALSO, you need certain arrangements to work effectively. For example, having a good spot with good lighting that doesn't cause eye strain in a temperature comfortable environment. Not, say, shoved to the living room because the kitchen table at the farm - where you didn't want to be in the first place - is needed for some meeting held during yo https://pixhellated.ca/blue-grand-marquis-sunnyridge-farm-kirriemuir-ab-2026-04-04-1786769756 2026-08-15 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/08/blue-grand-marquis-sunnyridge-farm-kirriemuir-ab-2026-04-04-1786769756.jpg Blue Grand Marquis, Sunnyridge Farm, Kirriemuir, AB, 2026-04-04 This 80s something Mecury Grand Marquis belonged to my father-in-law, John. He liked it a lot. In fact, he bought two of them, one grey, one light blue, same year, same options. He ran the wheels off both of them, too. This one is the blue one, although you can't see it here. It's the special one. It was the car we hung the JUST MARRIED sign and the trail of cans on a string onto and drove away from the church from in 2000. My father-in-law wanted us to use it. We were running late when we left the church so we learned how well the old girl cornered as the Best Man who was driving made a few laps of town. It's been a while since the poor thing moved fast. In fact, it's been a while since it has moved at all. There is not only a tree growing against it, there's another growing under the hood. Aging isn't pretty, that's for sure. Saying this as someone who also has stuff growing in the wrong places now. https://pixhellated.ca/bus-capacity-car-show-strathmore-ab-2026-07-11-1785900958 2026-08-05 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/08/bus-capacity-car-show-strathmore-ab-2026-07-11-1785900958.jpg Bus capacity, Car Show, Strathmore, AB, 2026-07-11 I think everyone has a fantasy vehicle. I also think that a person's fantasy vehicle changes over time. When I was eight or nine I wanted a Lambo. I had a picture of a Countach on my bedroom wall. As a teen it was all about Pontiac in general and Trans-Ams in particular. Then Corvettes. Then Fieros. I was always car crazy as a kid. I remember being fifteen, one year away from being sixteen, and saving every penny for a car. Once I had that car I'd never have to walk places again. Freedom. The first car was not a Trans-Am or a Fiero. It was a 1977 Chrysler Gran Fury. It was a tank. It was, embarrassingly, a former Red Top taxi with most of its livery intact. And, yes, it was freedom. There were adventures. Costly ones. That freedom is far from free when the expenses pile up and the bills roll in. That's part of what took the bloom off the vehicular rose. That and... I got older. I still like looking at cars. Once I thought I'd like to own a sportier unit so I got a 1988 Fiero GT. https://pixhellated.ca/little-red-corvette-car-show-strathmore-ab-2026-07-11-1784967758 2026-07-25 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/07/little-red-corvette-car-show-strathmore-ab-2026-07-11-1784967758.jpg Little Red Corvette, Car Show, Strathmore, AB, 2026-07-11 Some habits are hard to break. I have always thought of myself as a fine-art photographer, even back in the days when the splop that came out of my film cameras wasn't fine and certainly wasn't art. Digital accelerates the process while shortening the learning curve, but it also enabled me to produce egregious amounts of splop with my first digital camera. Fine art was always the goal. Always. I needed to produce something gallery worthy or I wasn't. No, really. My entire self-worth as a human rode on the contents of that memory card and every shot that wasn't Ansel-esque later that day or night was personally devastating. I have been trying to reframe how I think about this over the years, but it's not easy. This is how I found myself wandering a local car show with, yes, the Canon EOS R5 with Helios lens and Ray's Canon EOS 7D he left me when he passed because, god damn it, I am an accomplished fine art shooter and I need the tools for the job with me. The bargain 40D tagged al https://pixhellated.ca/sad-window-the-old-house-sunnyridge-farm-alberta-2026-04-08-1782882991 2026-07-01 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/07/sad-window-the-old-house-sunnyridge-farm-alberta-2026-04-08-1782882991.jpg Sad window, The Old House, Sunnyridge Farm, Alberta, 2026-04-08 The wife's parents built a new home for their young family back in the 70s. The old home was supposed to be pushed into a hole shortly after. It's four decades later and the old house is still there, right next to the new house, still blocking the view from the kitchen window. The large pile of dirt from excavating the "new" home is still out back of it, too. Covered in trees. The old home is basically pigeon housing now. The roof is coming in. The stuff left inside has been destroyed by snow, water, and evil birds. Even if any of it is still salvageable, anyone trying to go in there will fall through what's left of the floor pretty quickly. I give the place another decade before it falls in of its own volition. https://pixhellated.ca/tech-progression-sunnyridge-farm-kirriemuir-ab-2026-04-04-1781323140 2026-06-13 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/06/tech-progression-sunnyridge-farm-kirriemuir-ab-2026-04-04-1781323140.jpg Tech Progression, Sunnyridge Farm, Kirriemuir, AB, 2026-04-04 There are a few generations of tech in this image. The large TV antenna at the right is the obvious one. Around 2006, satellite dishes appeared on the old farmhouse. First for TV, retiring the old antenna, and then Internet, retiring the phone line for that need. Finally, the Internet dish was eclipsed around 2010 by the very small, hard to see blip partway up the antenna tower - a 4G wireless unit. The tech just kept getting better and smaller and more capable. The owners of the tech have gotten less capable over the years. One has passed and the other is in long term care. To be human is to become less functional as we age. The future probably belongs to machines. https://pixhellated.ca/ford-logo-sunnyridge-farm-kirriemuir-ab-2026-04-04-1780718929 2026-06-06 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/06/ford-logo-sunnyridge-farm-kirriemuir-ab-2026-04-04-1780718929.jpg Ford logo, Sunnyridge Farm, Kirriemuir, AB, 2026-04-04 When I was a kid we joked that FORD stood for Found On Road Dead. While that definitely described my 1972 Ford Gran Torino, which had ... issues ... it's not fair to apply it to all of their products. This is embossed into the fender of a 1952 tractor and the damn thing was still running like a top before John declined and went into the lodge. The truth is that, charge the battery, change the oil, and put in some fresh fuel, damn thing will probably start right away and continue to run fine for another fifty years. They sure don't build like that anymore. https://pixhellated.ca/dog-gone-sunnyridge-farm-kirriemuir-ab-2026-04-04-1780549976 2026-06-04 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/06/dog-gone-sunnyridge-farm-kirriemuir-ab-2026-04-04-1780549976.jpg Dog gone, Sunnyridge Farm, Kirriemuir, AB, 2026-04-04 This dog house has been a permanent fixture at my wife's parents' farm for the entire time I have been with her. When I first visited the farm the inhabitant of said canine abode was a lovely fellow named Chauncey. He was good with cattle, he was good with kids, he was good company, well, he was just good. He was older when I first met him and he passed by the time my daughter was five or so. Next up was Rex, who was good with cattle but I don't think much else. I remember the parents cussing him out frequently because he kept wandering off to visit the neighbours and they had to keep retrieving him. He wound up chained up a lot of the time because of that, until he got too old to wander that far. He's gone now as well. It's not a pleasant thing to outlive pets and the empty dog house bothers me. I miss having a dog there even if I am allergic to them and the last one wouldn't stop jumping on me. I guess what is even more unpleasant is the realization that if there is a next do https://pixhellated.ca/a-ford-ability-crisis-sunnyridge-farm-alberta-2026-04-08-1778739876 2026-05-14 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/05/a-ford-ability-crisis-sunnyridge-farm-alberta-2026-04-08-1778739876.jpg A-Ford-ability crisis, Sunnyridge Farm, Alberta, 2026-04-08 The crisis in question is that these Fords (well, one Mercury, but still...) have all lost the ability to run. Every farm has a dead vehicle graveyard and this is my father-in-law's. He's no longer with us, he's in a graveyard down the road from this one. It's sacriligious to think this, but he was a Ford guy and I have think he wouldn't have minded being buried next to his iron. https://pixhellated.ca/welcome-to-the-international-grille-langdon-ab-2026-03-28-1778738734 2026-05-14 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/05/welcome-to-the-international-grille-langdon-ab-2026-03-28-1778738734.jpg Welcome to the International Grille, Langdon, AB, 2026-03-28 There's a generation of farmers who swore by International Harvester trucks the way other people swear by religion. From the late 1950s through the 1970s, IH owned the working truck market in rural North America. If you needed something that would haul, pull, and take abuse without complaint, you bought an International. Full stop. The styling was never the point. The grille on a Scout or a Travelall or a Loadstar wasn't trying to be pretty; it was trying to tell you something was behind it that meant business. All those horizontal bars, that heavy chrome lettering. Functional and unapologetic. Then the 1980s happened. International Harvester ran into financial trouble, sold off the truck division, and by 1986 the name was gone from pickup production. Navistar kept the commercial trucks alive but the farm trucks, the workhorses, just stopped. The market that IH had built over decades moved on to Ford and GM and Dodge without much ceremony. What's left now are the survivors. Yo https://pixhellated.ca/lead-by-example-kinsmen-park-strathmore-ab-2026-03-16-1778738096 2026-05-14 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/05/lead-by-example-kinsmen-park-strathmore-ab-2026-03-16-1778738096.jpg Lead by Example, Kinsmen Park, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-16 Kinsmen Park sits at the edge of downtown Strathmore, the kind of quiet civic space that most people walk through without stopping. But there's a memorial there worth stopping for. Kristian Ayoungman was 24 years old. He lived on Siksika First Nation, twenty kilometres south, but Strathmore was his town too. He played hockey here. He was the kind of person who moved easily between two communities that have spent more than a hundred years as neighbours without always acting like it — a champion pow-wow dancer on the reserve, a hockey star in town. People from both places knew him and liked him. In March 2019, after an alumni hockey game in Strathmore, a racist confrontation outside a local bar escalated into something that should never have left the parking lot. It followed Kristian and his friends down the highway toward Siksika. He was shot and killed on the road home. He was 24 years old. Two men from town were charged with first degree murder. His mother Melodie, in the days a https://pixhellated.ca/twister-sunnyridge-farm-kirriemuir-ab-2026-04-04-1776728690 2026-04-20 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/04/twister-sunnyridge-farm-kirriemuir-ab-2026-04-04-1776728690.jpg Twister, Sunnyridge Farm, Kirriemuir, AB, 2026-04-04 This is a Twister grain bin. It's probably 2 or 3 stories high, and it taught me a life lesson. The lesson was that you never go that high for a vantage shot without a safety harness and safety lanyard. You especially don't do it wearing sweat pants that turn out to be nearly frictionless so you almost slide off the very high roof. Finally, it taught me how much weight I can hold up with just my index finger and thumb. I rolled that together into a single life lesson to make it easier to remember. That grain bin is also why I love my drone so much now. https://pixhellated.ca/double-parked-little-ford-sunnyridge-farm-kirriemuir-ab-2026-04-04-1776658345 2026-04-20 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/04/double-parked-little-ford-sunnyridge-farm-kirriemuir-ab-2026-04-04-1776658345.jpg Double parked, Little Ford, Sunnyridge Farm, Kirriemuir, AB, 2026-04-04 I think this little Ford tractor was John's favourite. (John being my father-in-law.) Yeah, he had bigger and fancier units, but I never saw him drive them around the yard the way he did this one. It was like 60 years had been knocked off his age and he was 15 again. It's not every day you see an almost octogenarian come around the gas tanks on a tractor at such speed that he takes the corner on two wheels, looking like Michael Knight charging the bad guy in KITT. And the grin on his face. Just ... damn. That tractor has a history. https://pixhellated.ca/town-office-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1776177186 2026-04-14 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/04/town-office-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1776177186.jpg Town Office, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 This is the very last image to post from my wonderful outing with my friend James at the beginning of March last month. Barons town hall is very neatly kept like the rest of the town. The town is obviously on the decline, but they're keeping the place up as best they can. https://pixhellated.ca/prairie-grounds-coffee-house-langdon-ab-2026-03-28-1776174344 2026-04-14 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/04/prairie-grounds-coffee-house-langdon-ab-2026-03-28-1776174344.jpg Prairie Grounds Coffee House, Langdon, AB, 2026-03-28 This is a cute little coffee shop in Langdon, Alberta. They make a mean raspberry cheesecake latte. My only complaint is their small town hours. Small town businesses do not like being open on weekends at all, at least not the independent ones. If they are open, they close too early. I got to Prairie Grounds at 3:30 pm with the intention of enjoying my latte, my cranberry orange loaf slice, and playing on the Net on my tablet at leisure. Yeah, well. They close at four and the pretty young thing working there kept looking at me and the clock and me again. No pressure! https://pixhellated.ca/ih-badge-up-close-the-old-house-sunnyridge-farm-alberta-2026-04-08-1776005813 2026-04-12 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/04/ih-badge-up-close-the-old-house-sunnyridge-farm-alberta-2026-04-08-1776005813.jpg IH badge up close, The Old House, Sunnyridge Farm, Alberta, 2026-04-08 Here's another International Harvester to go with the one I posted yesterday. This one is an old grain truck on the in-laws farm. https://pixhellated.ca/international-harvester-badge-langdon-ab-2026-03-28-1776005617 2026-04-12 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/04/international-harvester-badge-langdon-ab-2026-03-28-1776005617.jpg International Harvester Badge, Langdon, AB, 2026-03-28 I've totally got a thing for International Harvester trucks, especially when they look like they're on the edge of death. Like this one. Of course I pulled over and loved it up. That's normal. Doing it with a $13 children's camera that spits out crufty thermal prints? That part's new. And fun. https://pixhellated.ca/bandoned-building-exterior-01-rcaf-aerodrome-vulcan-ab-2026-03-07-1775186887 2026-04-03 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/04/bandoned-building-exterior-01-rcaf-aerodrome-vulcan-ab-2026-03-07-1775186887.jpg bandoned building exterior 01, RCAF Aerodrome, Vulcan, AB, 2026-03-07 One last view of the abandoned RCAF Aerodrome just outside Vulcan, AB. Such a large and expensive facility back in the day, hard to believe it was left to fall apart the way it did. Many successive governments could have at least sold it off earlier, but failed to. What a loss. https://pixhellated.ca/snowdrift-fire-dept-langdon-ab-2026-03-28-1775023766 2026-04-01 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/04/snowdrift-fire-dept-langdon-ab-2026-03-28-1775023766.jpg Snowdrift Fire Dept., Langdon, AB, 2026-03-28 I found this beauty in Langdon, AB, on a quick cruise through town. I was actually hunting for textures for my site foundtextures.ca where I give them away, but I won't turn my nose up at photographing an entire vintage fire truck. I would really have liked to climbed inside and run the lights and siren, but that's awkward when you're pushing sixty. https://pixhellated.ca/ramping-it-up-skate-park-strathmore-ab-2026-03-22-1774885465 2026-03-30 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/ramping-it-up-skate-park-strathmore-ab-2026-03-22-1774885465.jpg Ramping it up, Skate Park, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-22 There are two kinds of older adults. The kind that find pleasure in seeing youngsters having fun with their skateboards and those who think that Kevin Bacon played the antagonist in Footloose. I'm in the first bunch. It's always a hoot to watch the kids doing tricks in the skate park. Makes me miss my old banana board I used to have and want to buy another. Which would be dumb as I'm now at the age where I break hips. https://pixhellated.ca/proof-that-dumb-people-clump-kingdom-hall-strathmore-ab-2026-03-22-1774618456 2026-03-27 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/proof-that-dumb-people-clump-kingdom-hall-strathmore-ab-2026-03-22-1774618456.jpg Proof that dumb people clump, Kingdom Hall, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-22 This post is going to offend many people, a thought that cheers me considerably. This is a picture of the Strathmore Kingdom Hall. It's a place where stupid people clump together. Jehovah's Witnesses belong to the world's second silliest religion. 144,000 of them will be selected to rule in Heaven with Jesus after The Cheetoh starts Amrmageddon in Iran and they will tell the remaining Great Crowd that lives in perpetuity on Earth what to do and when. The 144,000 are called the First Fruit or God's annointed. I got bad news for you guys... If you're willing to let your kid die when a life saving blood transfusion is available, you're just a fruit. Oh, and when you die? The express elevator your shit ass goes on rides straight down, motherfucker. As it should. So what is the world's silliest religion? Latter Day Saints, obviously. We had the prophet who liked banging the oh-so-young daughters of church members after "marrying" them. Worse, a prominent member of the church cribbed https://pixhellated.ca/home-of-the-spartans-strathmore-high-strathmore-ab-2026-03-22-1774584817 2026-03-27 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/home-of-the-spartans-strathmore-high-strathmore-ab-2026-03-22-1774584817.jpg Home of The Spartans, Strathmore High, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-22 I've photographed this sign outside of Strathmore High School a few dozen times over the years. The first time was in the middle of the covid pandemic when schools were still closed and there were pictures of all of the grads out on the school lawn inviting everyone to their virtual ceremony because the in person one was against the law at that time. Vaccines were just being rolled out then. This was back when people would get into fights over who got the vaccine first instead of whether we should have them at all. How times change. Anyhow, the one constant message on the sign over the past half decade has been, "Home of the Spartans." That would be the local high school football team, The Strathmore Spartans. For some reason whenever I have photographed this digital sign I have made sure to get that message. I'm honestly not sure why. I hate team sports. Always have, always will. Growing up with a bad heart that makes you suck at every team sport in phys-ed class is a great way https://pixhellated.ca/barking-up-the-wrong-tree-thomas-drive-strathmore-ab-2026-03-22-1774546263 2026-03-26 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/barking-up-the-wrong-tree-thomas-drive-strathmore-ab-2026-03-22-1774546263.jpg Barking up the wrong tree, Thomas Drive, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-22 I like textures. I shoot them a lot. I even <a href="https://foundtextures.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">built a site</a> where I have over 500 of them up now and eventually will be offering thousands more of them to others for use in their own art. This is because I have photographed more than I can use myself in two extra lifetimes. Someone else may as well have fun with them. Further to that, they're free. Photographers are broke enough already without being extorted by one of their own. Anyhow, as to this tree... I noticed the bark patterns and I realized they looked a lot like the swirls on a human brain, but without hot sauce (iZombie fans know what I'm talkin' about here). Of course I had to take a picture, once with a regular camera for the texture site and once again with the toy camera for this site. I have to say I like how the halftone dot image looks when printed. It's kind of neat. Expect more crappy bark pictures from me because looking at them is fun, and fu https://pixhellated.ca/fridge-fiasco-casa-mccormick-strathmore-ab-2026-03-26-1774545301 2026-03-26 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/fridge-fiasco-casa-mccormick-strathmore-ab-2026-03-26-1774545301.jpg Fridge fiasco, Casa McCormick, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-26 All marriages have friction points, mainly because each partner has a way they always did things before they married and neither sees a reason to change that, even after a quarter century together. My wife sees Saturday as cleaning day. Get it done first thing in the morning. In my childhood home, Saturday morning was sacred. My mom figured Saturday was to be fully enjoyed without anything unpleasant intruding. Sunday morning is when you clean as Sundays are already arsed up with the next day being a Monday, anyhow. Coffee tables are another area. I dislike more than one thing on a coffee table for display. My wife likes a lot of things all over the coffee table for display. And everywhere else. So do I as long as they are tacky movie memorabilia or antique cameras, but not on the coffee table. It must be something like a tasteful dish or tray and just one item only. Especially not family photos as those go on shelves or walls. Or plants. I have never understood the point of housep https://pixhellated.ca/she-s-a-real-dish-vulcan-ab-2026-03-07-1774483335 2026-03-25 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/she-s-a-real-dish-vulcan-ab-2026-03-07-1774483335.jpg She's a real dish, Vulcan, AB, 2026-03-07 I was eleven years old in December of 1979 when Star Trek the Motion Picture hit theatres. My mom was broke (as usual) so I wheedled my grandmother into taking me to see the movie. She didn't understand it. To be honest, neither did I. I mean the refitted Enterprise looked pretty sweet, but the story was... Whut? I didn't understand the point of the weird bald chick who got disappeared and and reappeared with the glowing gem on her throat. I also found Captain Decker annoying. I went into the theatre expecting more of the TV show I loved and it ddn't feel much like that at all. Blah. The ship redesign was pretty cool, I liked that part. Honestly, it had better lines than the one in the original series**. Saying this offends purists, but there you go. So I don't mind at all that the Faux Enterprise featured in the town of Vulcan, AB, is the Enterprise refit rather than the original from the TV series. It makes me happy. **Giving a nod to ST:SNW for getting their update of the o https://pixhellated.ca/flying-the-flags-strathmore-high-strathmore-ab-2026-03-22-1774457462 2026-03-25 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/flying-the-flags-strathmore-high-strathmore-ab-2026-03-22-1774457462.jpg Flying the flags, Strathmore High, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-22 Strathmore High School was completed in 2001. It's only a quarter century old, but the ugly architectural choices make it look older. I mean, who picked the ugly flappy wing roof over the front doors? Really? The 70s are dead and people need to stop exhuming the grave. Ugh. The one thing the school has going for it is that it connects to the Strathmore Civic Centre via its atrium. The Civic Centre has more gyms AND it has a swimming pool, which is cool. And also rhymes in case anyone is keeping score. I kind of wish that my daughter had been able to attend a school with an attached pool as she likes swimming. That's a win. https://pixhellated.ca/custom-deluxe-30-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1774447849 2026-03-25 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/custom-deluxe-30-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1774447849.jpg Custom Deluxe 30, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 A close-up of the badge on the fender of the <a href="https://pixhellated.ca/sset-retired-tow-truck-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773459226" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">tow truck</a> I photographed in Barons, AB. It's a third-generation Chevy pickup, I'd guestimate around 1978. Chevy sold a lot of these and it's a shame you don't see more of them on the road these days. https://pixhellated.ca/fungible-travel-trailer-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1774409846 2026-03-25 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/fungible-travel-trailer-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1774409846.jpg Fungible travel trailer, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 I have a fixation with late eighties and nineties travel trailers. I love them. Just modern enough to be comfy and just old enough to have been built better than the newer slop you get off an RV lot these days. Most important, they are affordable, especially if they lack slide-outs. Slide-outs are nice, but to me they are just another thing that leaks and breaks. Leaks are an issue for sure, my unit has a few and I spent a lot of time re-caulking the unit last spring. I have a bit of work left to do and it should be good for another decade. The trailer in this photo is a bit shorter and lighter than mine, thus the single axle. I think it would be comfy enough for one person or a couple, but cramped for a family. Looks to be in fairly good shape. I wish I had written down the name because I forgot it wouldn't be visible in the instant print for my toy camera. I'm still getting used to the ultra low-fi aspect of it. In any case, It's kind of fun for me to slide down back alleys https://pixhellated.ca/abandoned-building-exterior-03-rcaf-aerodrome-vulcan-ab-2026-03-07-1774372993 2026-03-24 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/abandoned-building-exterior-03-rcaf-aerodrome-vulcan-ab-2026-03-07-1774372993.jpg Abandoned building exterior 03, RCAF Aerodrome, Vulcan, AB, 2026-03-07 Yet another view of one of the dilapidated RCAF Aerodrome buildings outside Vulcan, AB. Not only are the sides starting to go in on some of the structures, but the roofs on them are in various stages of collapse. You don't need to see that most of the buildings are fenced off to understand that it is <em>a very bad idea</em> to try and go inside one. High odds of a remaining piece of timber falling on your noggin'. This is the point where I started to wonder if my friend James thinks I'm a complete moron. Because I am a parent who had a small child at one time and I never had to tell the three-year-old as many times as James told me not to do something dangerously dumb like don't go inside the building with the collapsing roof. Argh. https://pixhellated.ca/windswept-strathmore-high-strathmore-ab-2026-03-22-1774370023 2026-03-24 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/windswept-strathmore-high-strathmore-ab-2026-03-22-1774370023.jpg Windswept, Strathmore High, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-22 Here is a different view of the tree <a href="Windswept, Strathmore High, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-22" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">from yesterday</a>. The story is the part you can't see. You'll notice the image is a bit off-kilter, and that was not on purpose. In grade school (and I can't remember which grade) we had to deduce the existence of something we couldn't see: air. My idea was to blow up a balloon. I figured that there must be something holding the balloon open and making it firm to squeeze. I was proud of myself for being the first one with that idea and I got an attaboy from the teacher for being right. What I know now that I didn't know then is that taking pictures in a strong wind is also a good way to prove the existence of something you can't see. Because the goddamn wind is trying to knock your arse sideways and your photos are all akimbo because of it. That would have also gotten me an attaboy. The discovery, not the photo. The photo sucks. https://pixhellated.ca/blessed-be-this-tree-strathmore-high-strathmore-ab-2026-03-22-1774292960 2026-03-23 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/blessed-be-this-tree-strathmore-high-strathmore-ab-2026-03-22-1774292960.jpg Blessed be this tree, Strathmore High, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-22 There are ways to tell when you're in an area where trees are rare and unusual. The main one is to drive five minutes outside of town and you notice when looking around that there are no goddamn trees anywhere. I mean anywhere in between the places where people live. People plant some in their yard because they're desperate for that deciduous delight (or coniferous conniptions, as it were). Everywhere else? No bueno. This makes people who generally are bereft of trees extremely protective of the trees they do have. That is why this one tree in front of Strathmore High School literally has 30 metric tonnes of concrete poured around it to keep it safe. So now you know. Also, go plant a tree, the planet will thank you. The concrete is optional. https://pixhellated.ca/no-fishing-for-you-kinsmen-park-strathmore-ab-2026-03-19-1774283699 2026-03-23 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/no-fishing-for-you-kinsmen-park-strathmore-ab-2026-03-19-1774283699.jpg No fishing for you, Kinsmen Park, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-19 Here is a small town thing for you. There is a mistake in the bottom portion of this sign. It should tell people that you don't need a license to fish in Kinsmen Lake if you are under 16 or over 65 years of age. The person who designed the sign apparently messed up and understood the message as no fishing if you are between the ages of 15 and 65. So that's what's on there. Werps? Everyone who lives here is, like, "you need to change that." Everyone at the town office be like, "we really do need to change that." I have lived here since 2020 and no one has changed it yet. As well, the sign has become part of local lore and now the town CAN'T change the sign because more people love it the way it is than hate it for being wrong. If you've lived here long enough you know the sign is wrong, why it is wrong, and you can just buy a fishing license and fish in the verbotten age range. It's no big unless your name is Karen. I hope they don't fix the sign now. That would be more wron https://pixhellated.ca/ford-f350-with-dualies-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1774183390 2026-03-22 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/ford-f350-with-dualies-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1774183390.jpg Ford F350 with dualies, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 When you find older vehicles it's kind of fun to snoop them and see if they are still in service or not. I'm pretty sure this older Ford F350 is still being used, albeit rarely. A bit dusty inside, but not full of garbage in the way that most unused vehicles seem to be, and the dust around the drivers cockpit has been disturbed. This was a very high-end unit back when it is new, so it's nice to see it is still appreciated. https://pixhellated.ca/mallory-and-carnegie-booty-shot-general-merchants-vulcan-county-ab-2026-03-07-1773856005 2026-03-18 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/mallory-and-carnegie-booty-shot-general-merchants-vulcan-county-ab-2026-03-07-1773856005.jpg Mallory and Carnegie (Booty Shot), General Merchants, Vulcan County, AB, 2026-03-07 This is the end of the images of the Mallory and Carnegie General Merchants store. The ass end. -- ba dum tss -- https://pixhellated.ca/to-boldly-go-vulcan-ab-2026-03-07-1774119442 2026-03-21 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/to-boldly-go-vulcan-ab-2026-03-07-1774119442.jpg To boldly go, Vulcan, AB, 2026-03-07 I got my first VCR (video cassette recorder for you young snots reading this) when I was thirteen years old. I mowed a lot of lawns and delivered a lot of flyers to earn that bit of kit. It was a Sears (Sanyo) Beta player. Beta was a technically superior format with inferior marketing and it wasn't long after I bought it I learned I was on the losing side of a war I hadn't intended to be conscripted into. Not that I didn't enjoy the hell out of the machine. I mostly used it for taping and re-watching my favourite shows. I had a good collection of them and they were all on yellow and black Kodak brand blank Beta cassette tapes. (Kodak now, Kodak then. This is THE WAY.) The prize of my collection was that I managed to get ALL of the original Star Trek episodes off of television, with the commercials neatly paused out, and all recorded at normal speed for best quality. Lots of good memories of sitting on the couch with my mom on a weekday evening after school re-watching The Doomsda https://pixhellated.ca/mallory-and-overgrowntree-general-merchants-vulcan-county-ab-2026-03-07-1773855925 2026-03-18 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/mallory-and-overgrowntree-general-merchants-vulcan-county-ab-2026-03-07-1773855925.jpg Mallory and Overgrowntree, General Merchants, Vulcan County, AB, 2026-03-07 Did you see what I did with the name of <a href="https://pixhellated.ca/mallory-and-carnegie-full-frontal-general-merchants-vulcan-county-ab-2026-03-07-1773854248">the building</a><a href="https://"></a>? Did you? Huh? Did you? I am just so darned clever. https://pixhellated.ca/to-the-birds-again-gray-park-strathmore-ab-2026-03-19-1774111070 2026-03-21 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/to-the-birds-again-gray-park-strathmore-ab-2026-03-19-1774111070.jpg To the birds, again, Gray Park, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-19 Taken during a brief lunch hour sojourn from my home to Gray Park and back again yesterday afteroon. Notably, it was mid-March and it was t-shirt weather. So lovely. Now, as I'm posting this I'm looking out the window at a "snow flurry" that hs been happning since 7 am and has dumped at least an inch of the white crap. Looking forward to seeing green and hearing birds (other than those goddamn magpies) on a walk through Gray Park soon. https://pixhellated.ca/mallory-and-carnegie-sexy-shot-general-merchants-vulcan-county-ab-2026-03-07-1773854319 2026-03-18 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/mallory-and-carnegie-sexy-shot-general-merchants-vulcan-county-ab-2026-03-07-1773854319.jpg Mallory and Carnegie (Sexy Shot), General Merchants, Vulcan County, AB, 2026-03-07 Another view of the same building, but perhaps sexier? I know, I'm stretching it. I am happy the sky had character that day. It helped. https://pixhellated.ca/car-wash-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773972926 2026-03-20 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/car-wash-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773972926.jpg Car Wash, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 It's funny that, no matter how depressed a town is in rural Alberta, you can usually count on it to have a nice car wash. The car wash in Barons is definitely decent. https://pixhellated.ca/mallory-and-carnegie-full-frontal-general-merchants-vulcan-county-ab-2026-03-07-1773854248 2026-03-18 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/mallory-and-carnegie-full-frontal-general-merchants-vulcan-county-ab-2026-03-07-1773854248.jpg Mallory and Carnegie (Full Frontal), General Merchants, Vulcan County, AB, 2026-03-07 The old Mallory and Carnegie general store, found sort of north and east of the Vulcan RCAF Aerodrome, I believe. Wonderful old building and a complete shame it is not still in use. https://pixhellated.ca/three-out-of-four-ain-t-bad-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773853666 2026-03-18 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/three-out-of-four-ain-t-bad-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773853666.jpg Three out of four ain't bad, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 This image is from the Mopar vehicle compound we discovered in town. Shot through a chainlink fence. It's a thought experiment for me. I have trouble cutting off parts of vehicles or not showing them symetrically, like, with all four headlights. Here are 2.5, rounded up to 3 headlights. You have no idea how much of a mental itch this gave me. https://pixhellated.ca/mci-coach-with-greyhoud-livery-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773853474 2026-03-18 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/mci-coach-with-greyhoud-livery-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773853474.jpg MCI coach with Greyhoud livery, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 There are three MCI coaches parked in Barons, AB. Two still have their Greyhound Canada livery and one does not. They are all of the same vintage. Another vehicle I'd love to have to kit out as a motorhome. These are getting harder to find and the price is rising accordingly. I've repeatedly mentioned that I was raised by a single, blind parent, and I'll mention it again. That's because when you have one parent who can't drive, the bus is a big deal. It is how we got around the province. I have no idea how anyone does that now since some schizophrenic piece of crap cut off an innocent guys head and spent the afternoon chewing on it on a Greyhound bus while the police waited around instead of doing the proper thing and just shooting him like they should have. Anyhow, that was it for Greyhound bus service in Canada outside of Ontario and Quebec. I have no idea how poor families cope without it. I know we could not have. So unfortunate. p.s. Before anyone goes off on my opinio https://pixhellated.ca/the-eagle-has-blanded-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773853140 2026-03-18 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/the-eagle-has-blanded-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773853140.jpg The Eagle has blanded, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 Here's the full view of the AMC Eagle I posted just the grill of <a href="https://pixhellated.ca/amc-eagle-grill-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773254321">last week</a>. It's hard to tell from a grotty half-tone image, but the car is in good nick. I searched to see if any are for sale near me. Nothing. Probably a good thing as the wife will whack me with something if I show up with one for camping in. Would still be cool to have, though. https://pixhellated.ca/memorial-united-church-of-canada-landscape-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773841048 2026-03-18 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/memorial-united-church-of-canada-landscape-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773841048.jpg Memorial United Church of Canada (Landscape), Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 The United Church of Canada is the place where left-footers go to church. Or would go to church if we did go to church, which we don't. Which is the ideal kind of church for me. One that you don't go to unless they have a weekly 12 Step meeting**. Or your wife makes you go to once because you're marrying her in it. The Memorial Church of Canada in Barons also looks like the kind of church you belong to but don't go to. Perfection. ** I no longer attend those meetings in person since covid because I discovered the online meetings have better coffee, more comfortable seating, and you can always mute the audio when the Bleeding Deacon starts yapping. https://pixhellated.ca/abandoned-building-exterior-02-rcaf-aerodrome-vulcan-ab-2026-03-07-1773810088 2026-03-18 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/abandoned-building-exterior-02-rcaf-aerodrome-vulcan-ab-2026-03-07-1773810088.jpg Abandoned building exterior 02, RCAF Aerodrome, Vulcan, AB, 2026-03-07 This is one of three images of the old RCAF Aerodrome hangars outside of Vulcan, AB, that I photographed a couple of weekends back with my friend James. I'm posting this image out of order because it has what I think is the funniest story associated with it. I had not been out to this place before. James has a few times and he was excited to show it to me, which suited me fine. On the way out he mentioned several times how impressively the buildings had been constructed and the massive fortification of the outside walls against projectiles, bombing, etc. I was imagining the walls were concrete and several feet thick. We got there, and... Yeah. You can see from this image that one good sneeze and that door is going in. James belatedly admitted to some embellishment. https://pixhellated.ca/village-square-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773805166 2026-03-18 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/village-square-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773805166.jpg Village Square, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 The village square in Barons, AB, is more like the village gazebo erected in an empty lot on the main street, but it's nicely done. Even better, the town clock is well placed so Doc Brown won't have to climb as high as he did in Hill Valley if he needs to juice up the DeLorean while passing through rural Alberta. All jokes aside, I'm giving Barons full props for putting in a solid effort to keep the town from looking like it's down and out as businesses close on the main drag. It's not a bad thing to have a few extra spots to relax and enjoy your afternoon tea. https://pixhellated.ca/studio-4-pilates-strathmore-ab-2026-03-13-1773804072 2026-03-18 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/studio-4-pilates-strathmore-ab-2026-03-13-1773804072.jpg Studio 4 Pilates, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-13 It occured to me last week as I walked past the local Pilates studio that I'm over half a century old and I don't really know what Pilates is. Well, okay, I know it has something to do with exercise. You know how I know? I watch a lot of horror movies. Whenever it turns out that the serial killer is freaky strong and he can carry the bodies of three expired cheerleaders uphill, backwards, through the mud, in the rain, after dark, it's always because he does Pilates. So, really, what I should have known was to cross the street and put some distance between myself and the Pilates studio. https://pixhellated.ca/happy-cat-adoption-center-strathmore-ab-2026-03-13-1773786814 2026-03-17 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/happy-cat-adoption-center-strathmore-ab-2026-03-13-1773786814.jpg Happy Cat Adoption Center, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-13 <a href="https://www.happycatsanctuary.net/">Happy Cat Sanctuary</a> is the local kitty adoption society here in my town of Strathmore. They're good people doing good work. My daughter's cat, <a href="https://baddaywithacamera.ca/2024/12/26/lady-hesita/">Lady</a>, came from them. My own cat, <a href="https://baddaywithacamera.ca/2024/03/30/aristaeus/">Aristaeus</a>, also came from them. I am giving them a shout out because they have earned it. Please check out Happy Cat if you're considering getting a new kitty. https://pixhellated.ca/all-the-news-that-s-fit-to-ignore-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773786305 2026-03-17 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/all-the-news-that-s-fit-to-ignore-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773786305.jpg All the news that's fit to ignore, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 Newspaper boxes - the self serve variety - are something I don't recall running across for years. Upon inspection it looks like it hasn't been serviced in years, either. The paper in the front is mostly faded and the box itself is full of junk and dead bugs. Kind of funny how the town is carefully updating some of the worn parts of main street yet completely overlooked this relic. https://pixhellated.ca/when-albertans-use-foreign-languages-vulcan-ab-2026-03-07-1773783497 2026-03-17 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/when-albertans-use-foreign-languages-vulcan-ab-2026-03-07-1773783497.jpg When Albertans use foreign languages, Vulcan, AB, 2026-03-07 This is just a personal guess, but I posit that this extremely lacklustre plaque written in Klingon and placed carefully on the base of the Faux Enterprise, no less, is a product of decision by committee. I further posit that the committee was mostly or entirely composed of non Trekkies. Genuine Klingon speech is both foreign and scary to an Albertan farmer or Townie. What does the plaque say in Kligon? It says: WHAT DO YOU WANT IN VULCAN? What real Klingon would ever say something like that? I imagine the Trekkie on the committee gave some good actual examples like: <ul> <li>Choose to fight, not negotiate.</li> <li>To understand life, endure pain.</li> <li>Great deeds, great songs.</li> <li>Klingons are born, live as warriors, then die.</li> </ul> Then the rest of the committee felt it was too violent or too offensive in some way and, oh my goodness, not appropriate <em>for the children</em>. So we got the tepid translation instead. What a waste of granite. He https://pixhellated.ca/someone-threw-a-window-through-these-bricks-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773781890 2026-03-17 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/someone-threw-a-window-through-these-bricks-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773781890.jpg Someone threw a window through these bricks, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 This is one of those images that I had to take because I thought of the title first and then I had to make the image - that I wasn't really that interested in - try and work anyhow. Not sure if this one does. I originally took it a bit off centre. Notice how the chimney on top is off-kilter? I centered it in the frame, shot, and chimped the display. Realized the chimney was bang on, but the rest of the home AND the window now shifted to the right. People who say that, "my poor OCD" is overused never had to cope with an image like this. So now the house and window are centered in the following image, but the chimney is not. Arrrrgggh. https://pixhellated.ca/the-legendary-dick-cepek-trail-country-heavy-duty-tire-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773781663 2026-03-17 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/the-legendary-dick-cepek-trail-country-heavy-duty-tire-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773781663.jpg The legendary Dick Cepek Trail Country heavy duty tire, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 I had never heard of this brand of tire before. It turns out it was or is quite popular and I really know almost nothing of off-roading culture. Here is what I found online: "Founded in 1963 by off-road pioneer Dick Cepek, the company started in a California garage to solve a personal problem: existing tires were too narrow for desert exploration. Cepek collaborated with manufacturers to develop wider, more durable tires, effectively jumpstarting the modern off-road aftermarket industry. His deep involvement in the early days of the Baja 1000 and the founding of the National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA) cemented the brand’s "Baja Proven" reputation among enthusiasts. Over the decades, the brand introduced industry firsts like Kevlar-wrapped sidewalls and aggressive "Gumbo Mudder" treads. Following financial shifts in the late 1990s, the brand was acquired by Mickey Thompson in 2000 and eventually became part of the Goodyear family via the Cooper Tire acquisition in 2021. T https://pixhellated.ca/community-thrift-store-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773723100 2026-03-17 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/community-thrift-store-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773723100.jpg Community Thrift Store, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 Our timing was less than auspicious as we rolled into Barons, Alberta, just as the local thrift store on main street was closing for the day. Bit of a shame as we're both the type who enjoy touring the shelves looking for vintage items. No such luck in Barons. I'm hoping to camp there once the local campground opens in town and I'll take another run at it. https://pixhellated.ca/fx6-1995-a-vulcan-ab-2026-03-07-1773722305 2026-03-17 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/fx6-1995-a-vulcan-ab-2026-03-07-1773722305.jpg FX6-1995-A, Vulcan, AB, 2026-03-07 Pay attention because there will be a quiz on this after. This is not your mother's starship Enterprise. It is not the Entterprise at all. Why? FX6-1995-A is not a valid Federation registry number. Here are the ten ships recognized in official Star Trek canon: <ol> <li>USS Enterprise (NX-01): NX Class (2151)</li> <li>USS Enterprise (NCC-1701): Constitution Class (23rd Century)</li> <li>USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A): Constitution II Class (2286–2293)</li> <li>USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-B): Excelsior Class (2293)</li> <li>USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C): Ambassador Class (2344)</li> <li>USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D): Galaxy Class (2363–2371)</li> <li>USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E): Sovereign Class (2372–2379)</li> <li>USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-F): Odyssey Class (2401)</li> <li>USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G): Neo-Constitution Class (formerly USS Titan)</li> <li>USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-J): Universe Class (26th Century)</li> </ol> While the starship model in Vulcan, Al https://pixhellated.ca/movie-of-the-week-joyland-theatre-strathmore-ab-2026-03-13-1773698708 2026-03-16 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/movie-of-the-week-joyland-theatre-strathmore-ab-2026-03-13-1773698708.jpg Movie of the Week, Joyland Theatre, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-13 I have a love/hate relationship with movie theatres, mostly hate. Lost of childhood memories around them, and some teen memories. I used to enjoy the afternoon matinees at the old theatre in my hometown of Innisfail, Alberta. A dollar in 1974 got you in to the Saturday afternoon matinee and a kid's pop and kid sized popcorn, which was wonderful. It was usually some old Disney movie that had already been on TV (e.g. The Cat From Outer Space) but no one cared. The older lady who was married to the guy who ran the projector scared us, so we all slid down in our seats as she came past with her flashlight. Getting a seat in the front row was a big deal when you were short and couldn't see over the person in front of you. Another big deal was Star Wars. I was nine when it hit theatres in 1977 and wow. WOW. It rocked my world. I saw it thirty-three times in the theatre. It was where every spare penny I could muster went back in the day, and we were not rich, let me tell you. Mostly, no https://pixhellated.ca/morning-wood-hi-ho-gas-strathmore-ab-2026-03-15-1773684723 2026-03-16 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/morning-wood-hi-ho-gas-strathmore-ab-2026-03-15-1773684723.jpg Morning Wood, Hi-Ho Gas, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-15 Got wood? Yes. As much as I used to? Unfortunately, not. That's the thing about aging, less wood, less often. I do have more prostate these days as in it is enlarged. Ending my fifties in style, eh? Worth noting that this repurposed Greyhound sign is outside Hi-Ho Gas in Strathmore, Alberta. Getting older. Getting run down. Obviously not a place that does everything now it did in the past, or performs as well now as in the past. Like me. https://pixhellated.ca/old-rcmp-station-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773679626 2026-03-16 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/old-rcmp-station-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773679626.jpg Old RCMP station, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 I have fantasies about ridiculous things I would like to own and I think having an old, rural, red brick style RCMP station as my home makes the top ten list, but with one stipulation: The old cells would have to be intact with keys for locks, of course. I like the idea of using the cells as spare bedrooms if my wife's cousins come visit. Quirky and fun! Also good for making sure the wife's relatives don't snoop around the house while we're sleeping. https://pixhellated.ca/sset-retired-tow-truck-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773459226 2026-03-14 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/sset-retired-tow-truck-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773459226.jpg Retired tow truck, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 This retired tow truck is not in horrible shape and could probably be pressed back into service if need be. I remember being fascinated with them as a kid, especially the revolving amber safety lights. I always thought it would be cool to have one of those in my bedroom, but no luck on that front. Mom just wasn't getting it. I also wanted to be a tow truck operator at one time, I was maybe five when I told my mom that and was informed that I was reading well above my age level and I was going to university when I was older. She sure jinxed that one, but I have stayed a reader for most of my life. Partial win? Telling my mom I wanted to drive a tow truck and her amused annoyance was something I had forgotten until I saw the tow truck this past weekend. It's funny how the oddest, oldest thing can shake a forgotten memory loose, and it wasn't a bad one at all. I love how often carrying a camera in the present - any camera - can give me a bridge back to my childhood in unexpected mom https://pixhellated.ca/old-hotel-vulcan-ab-2026-03-07-1773449955 2026-03-14 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/old-hotel-vulcan-ab-2026-03-07-1773449955.jpg Old Hotel, Vulcan AB, 2026-03-07 This is the Vulcan Hotel in Vulcan, Alberta. It doesn't show up on Expedia, oddly enough. Not you'd want it to. They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but this book is covered in pigeon poop. I suspect any rooms in there are rented long-term to vulnerable individuals. https://pixhellated.ca/snow-day-strathmore-ab-2026-03-12-1773446372 2026-03-13 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/snow-day-strathmore-ab-2026-03-12-1773446372.jpg Snow day, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-12 You can't see it in a bad, halftone, thermal paper print from a children's camera, but it's snowing in this photo. A lot. As in I got up and started shoveling at 5:00 am and finally quit at 8:30 am to start work. Then I had to keep going out to shovel every hour or so to keep it from piling too high. At lunch I went out and shoveled out a couple of seniors on the Snow Angels list. At 5:30 pm I headed back out with a shovel and went until 8:00 pm. I would have gone longer, but I managed to snap my favourite shovel bucket in half on some hidden ice and I also gave myself the worst atrial fibrillation episdoe I have had in a couple of years. I could barely stand and my vision was blown to white around the outside, so I headed home. Yesterday was definitely a snow day. So much for March almost being the start of spring. https://pixhellated.ca/mo-mopar-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773444755 2026-03-13 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/mo-mopar-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773444755.jpg Mo Mopar, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 What's better than finding a fenced in lot of classic vehicles? Finding a fenced in lot of classic Chrysler vehicles. That's right, I got mo Mopar fo yo ass. The front gate was locked, sadly, so there was no getting into the yard for closeup shots. I'm going to try and find out who the owner is, go back, and love those old rusted honeys up with a bag of lenses. Count on it. https://pixhellated.ca/trees-past-the-trailer-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773438796 2026-03-13 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/trees-past-the-trailer-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773438796.jpg Trees past the trailer, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 Playing with two things here. First is light and shadow, obviously. Not sure if I accomplished much there. I'm also playing with photographing prints directly from my phone for posting here so I can see the quality versus flatbed scans. I would have to say the image quality of a phone photo of a thermal print is not as good as the quality of one scanned from my CanoScan LIDE400 flatbed. All of which is relatively and kind of silly to think about in the first place given these are crufty, low-res half tone prints from a children's toy cameras. But still. https://pixhellated.ca/sset-rule-of-turds-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773333604 2026-03-12 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/sset-rule-of-turds-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773333604.jpg Rule of Turds, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 So what exactly is the "rule of turds"? Well, it's when you take the Rule of Thirds and apply it to a <strong>shitty</strong> image that no one in their right mind should be posting to a photo blog, but you did anyway, because OCD is a thing. So now you know. https://pixhellated.ca/free-for-the-taking-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773330230 2026-03-12 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/free-for-the-taking-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773330230.jpg Free for the taking, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 A stack of furniture like this next to the back alley was considered a "prime score" when I was a young adult. No noticeable bad odor when standing close, not too stained (but stained enough) and comfortable for long gaming sessions on the Super Nintendo. Also not something you would feel bad about spilling your beer on, a problem that got worse as the evening wore on and the beer supply wore out. Normally you can help yourself when stuff is placed beside the back alley like this, but it's always best to show up with your friend with the truck at 2 am to take it anyhow. Also made it more fun. https://pixhellated.ca/all-bark-and-no-bite-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773330061 2026-03-12 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/all-bark-and-no-bite-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773330061.jpg All bark and no bite, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 Aging sign in the window of an aging shop in a town that is beyond aged. One look tells you either that the dog died a couple decades back or you're about to be bitten by its great grandpup. Or bitten by locals. No matter, that's what the bear spray in my pack is for. https://pixhellated.ca/someone-s-home-now-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773270812 2026-03-11 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/someone-s-home-now-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773270812.jpg Someone's home now, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 I've no idea what this building used to be. Perhaps a local telephone office? Dentist's office? Town doctor? Now it's someone's home. The bicycle outside and a quick glance at the interior furnishings through open curtains on a stroll past say it is a home with younger children, and one of modest means. There's nothing wrong with that, but seeing the condition of the building and its roof has me hoping the family is doing okay. We're still in the middle of a housing crising in this country and the smallest communities are not exempt. Lots of places that should be boarded up are being rented out instead. I hate it. https://pixhellated.ca/trees-in-the-municipal-campground-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773270456 2026-03-11 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/trees-in-the-municipal-campground-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773270456.jpg Trees in the municipal campground, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 The municipal campground in Barons, AB, gets some bonus points for their nicely coiffed rows of trees. I'm sure they're nice in the summer. However the pull-through slots are a bit short for most modern rigs unless you want to park your truck out on the street. The provided power is also only 15 amp and that's not going to run the aircon on a hot summer day. The point of a powered site is running the aircon. Not that it matters these days. When we camped last summer we noticed that a large number of people staying at the campgrounds in Barrhead, AB, Dawson Creek, BC, etc., were homeless. Bet it's the same here now. James and I stopped here for a quick and wind-swept lunch at one of their picnic tables and then rolled on. https://pixhellated.ca/deanz-garage-portrait-highway-23-near-mossleigh-ab-2026-03-07-1773264016 2026-03-11 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/deanz-garage-portrait-highway-23-near-mossleigh-ab-2026-03-07-1773264016.jpg Deanz Garage (Portrait), Highway 23 near Mossleigh, AB, 2026-03-07 Another view of Deanz Garage on Highway 23 near Mossleigh, AB. Worth mentioning as that James and I were leaving, a bunch of flaming cunt muffins from the Alberta Prosperity Project were setting up in the parking lot there with their Alberta flags everywhere to collect signatures for their separation referendum they want. I've yet to meet one of these fucks who isn't a racist shit waffle and it was all I could do not to pick a fight. Two issues. One, my heart can't keep me going for more than fifteen seconds in a good rumble and James (my chauffeur) has an aging Pontiac Sunfire that I don't think can outrun much let alone run anything off the road after I piss off the local KKK chapter. I kept my thoughts to myself. https://pixhellated.ca/sally-ann-interior-02-strathmore-ab-2024-12-02-1773262301 2026-03-11 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/1773329936_SallyAnnInterior02StrathmoreAB20241202.jpg Sally Ann Interior 02, Strathmore, AB, 2024-12-02 Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. That's how thrift stores work. You'll see the same items over and over again in perpetuity. <ul> <li>Bread making machines for $10 mostly missing the mixing paddle that is $30 on eBay because they know exactly why you're looking for one (if you find a machine that does have a mixing paddle, steal it and sell it on eBay).</li> <li>T-Fal Actifry Air Fryers (only the grungy white and puke greens ones they mostly stock work - if it is any other colour it is there because it is broken so avoid)</li> <li>Toaster ovens, almost always a good deal unless it was donated because it nearly set a home on fire. Give it a good sniif before purchasing.</li> <li>Broken Keurigs (I have a theory that people buy one, it does't work, it is returned, sold again, returned again, and may have been sold 15x before YOU discover it is dodgy, too).</li> <li>Bookshelf stereos with the broken cassette player. If the cassette player works it means a toddle https://pixhellated.ca/now-it-s-a-party-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773260238 2026-03-11 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/now-it-s-a-party-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773260238.jpg Now it's a party, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 One of the things people are doing more these days is taking vintage trailers and building them into their yards as permanent little spare rooms or guest areas to use on cold or rainy days. Like the fellow in Barons, AB, is doing in this image. They're cheap and they're cute and oh so adorable if done right. I approve of this. It's something I'll consider doing for myself the next time I buy some land. https://pixhellated.ca/windows-with-a-view-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773258420 2026-03-11 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/windows-with-a-view-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773258420.jpg Doorway with a view, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 I found this door and window on and old garage about 2/3 of the way down the main street of Baron, AB. Kind of an unremarkable door on an unremarkable building in an unremarkable town. Trifecta. You find a trifecta, you have to take a picture of it. Those are the rules. https://pixhellated.ca/barons-historical-center-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773257247 2026-03-11 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/barons-historical-center-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773257247.jpg Barons Historical Center, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 I don't really know much about this historical center other than it used to be an old church with that sort of "das cinderblock" penal instution aesthetic. Which is entirely appropriate for a church. (Coughs.) ANYHOO. There was a cross on top of the building and there was a shadow from a tree making a cross on the front of the building and those repeating elements made me make a picture. Okay, we good now? https://pixhellated.ca/deanz-garage-landscape-highway-23-near-mossleigh-ab-2026-03-07-1773256200 2026-03-11 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/deanz-garage-landscape-highway-23-near-mossleigh-ab-2026-03-07-1773256200.jpg Deanz Garage (Landscape), Highway 23 near Mossleigh, AB, 2026-03-07 Deanz Garage is on Highway 23 south of Vulcan, a few minutes north of Mossleigh, AB. It's on the corner where you turn west to go to High River. I could tell you the name of that highway but the truth is that I'm too damn lazy. James, my chauffeur for the day, informed me that this wonderful service station I have been driving past for years, that is overflowing with old cars and trucks, is friendly to photographers. So of course we rolled in with cameras out and laid down our thang, smacked it around so to speak. I cleaned up on texture images and they will be appearing at <a href="foundtextures.ca">foundtextures.ca</a> as soon as I finish getting it running (link is dead for the next week, so be patient). I had fun! And I'll keep having fun there. https://pixhellated.ca/amc-eagle-grill-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773254321 2026-03-11 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/amc-eagle-grill-barons-ab-2026-03-07-1773254321.jpg AMC Eagle Grill, Barons, AB, 2026-03-07 The AMC Concorde was not the goddamn ugliest car ever made, but it was up there. It also had a habit of falling apart faster than you could tape it back together. Nearly everything made by AMC (American Motors Corp) in the late seventies had that issue. So for this POS company with their POS cars to launch the modern S.U.V. is quite something. I was in my tweens when the AMC Eagle crossover was released and suddenly owning an AMC went from being a joke to being my jam. A car with AWD! All Wheel Drive! Screw goddamn ugly, that's goddamn useful. As it warms up over the next few months it will become apparent that one of the things that is on my mind a lot - besides photography - is camping. The moment I first saw an AMC Eagle I knew it was a vehicle for people who camped. First, because it could go off-road some. I mean very light off-roading through a greasy campsite, not the crazy stuff. The first one I also saw was a station wagon. You can sleep in the back of one of those - damn t https://pixhellated.ca/old-view-camera-casa-mccormick-strathmore-ab-2026-03-10-1773177341 2026-03-10 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/1773329864_OldViewCameraCasaMcCormickStrathmoreAB20260310.jpg Old View Camera, Casa McCormick, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-10 This may or may not be the oldest camera I own. I don't know for certain. I have a Kodak No. 2A <a href="https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co16171/no-2-folding-autographic-brownie">Folding Autographic Brownie</a> dating back to 1922. I have the <a href="https://pixhellated.ca/kodak-no-2-brownie-model-f-canada-1931-casa-mccormick-strathmore-ab-2026-03-10-1773165178">No. 2 Model F Brownie</a> that dates back to 1931. I think this camera is older. I can't see much in the way of info on it and it is now too fragile to play with because of - you guessed it - age. Here is what I do know: It belonged to my grandmother and grandfather. They bought it used and it was the main camera in their photography studio, McCormick Photography, in Innisfail, Alberta, Canada for many years after WWII. I know they took a picture of my mother with it when she was age six in 1953 and that my grandmother hand-coloured the portrait. I know that it is my third most prized possession https://pixhellated.ca/kodak-no-2-brownie-model-f-canada-1931-casa-mccormick-strathmore-ab-2026-03-10-1773165178 2026-03-10 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/1773329697_KodakNo2BrownieModelFCanada1931CasaMcCormickStrathmoreAB20260310.jpg Kodak No. 2 Brownie, Model F (Canada 1931), Casa McCormick, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-10 This is the one thing that started everything. As the title says, it is a 1931 Kodak No. 2 Brownie Box camera, Model F. The winding key differentiates it from the U.S. and U.K versions from that year. The U.S. model had a winding knob in 1931 as did the U.K. model. The Canadian model is basically the U.S. variant of the model F that was sold from 1929 to 1930 with a film winding key. It was my grandmother's. She bought it used when she was a twenty-something post office employee in High River, Alberta, in the Dirty Thirties. She photographed everything with it from her family to her dogs to the floods that happened over and over for that decade. About forty years later what was her first camera became my first camera on my fifth birthday. It was a magical thing and I took so many pictures with it that did not turn out at all. I have none of them left, however. I wound up homeless in my early twenties, which means I lost most of my stuff. I did manage to hang onto this camera, whi https://pixhellated.ca/polaroid-sun-600-casa-mccormick-strathmore-ab-2026-03-10-1773160714 2026-03-10 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/1773329716_PolaroidSun600CasaMcCormickStrathmoreAB20260310.jpg Polaroid Sun 600, Casa McCormick, Strathmore, AB, 2026-03-10 The Polaroid Sun 600 series of cameras launched in 1981 when I was twelve. and I wanted one oh-so-badly. I didn't get it because I had a single mom on assistance, and having food on the table and paying rent on time was problematic. Adding insult to injury, my mother had gone blind from diabetic retinopathy and didn't really care that much about my interest in photography. The Sun 600 LMS dropped in 1983 and I once again felt the pain of having a parent on assistance. This was one of those things that appeared in the Sears Catalogue (remember those?!?) that were not for me. Now, age fifty-seven, I own one. It's mine, my own, MY PRECIOUS. (Gollum. Gollum.) I have no idea if it works, it probably doesn't because these cameras were notorious for dying without warning and not being salvageable. I'll risk a pack of film anyhow. It's a Needful Thing and now it is mine to play with, or at least look at if it's DOA. $30 at an antique shop is worth the risk for the good feelings that https://pixhellated.ca/sally-ann-interior-01-strathmore-ab-2024-12-02-1773156373 2026-03-10 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/1773329735_SallyAnnInterior01StrathmoreAB20241202.jpg Sally Ann Interior 01, Strathmore, AB, 2024-12-02 A shot of some of the clutter inside the local Salvation Army thrift store. You can't see it in this image, but the store staff will often do displays at the aisle end caps that are organized by colour. This one was red. I remember it because of the CANADA mug that had a chip on the top and with permanent stains inside. Priced for $4.99. Who pays that much for a damaged, dirty mug? There was one item I wanted that day. It was at the other end of the aisle and it was done in green. There was a trout gravy boat. The top of the fish was open and the gravy poured out of its mouth. I took a picture of it, but it didn't come out (of course). I sort of wanted to buy El Fish the Gravy Boat because it was so horrible it came with its own bragging rights. My wife saw me holding it and said one word: "Divorce." I put it back. https://pixhellated.ca/little-caesar-s-strathmore-ab-2024-12-02-1773155279 2026-03-10 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/1773329773_LittleCaesarsStrathmoreAB20241202.jpg Little Caesar's, Strathmore, AB, 2024-12-02 Little Caesars is one of those pizza chains that I don't know how they stay in business except that they are forever involved in school fundraisers of some sort. Pizza making kits. Friends with kids in school always ask us if we want a pizza making kit and we also say no. I'm a trained chef so I don't need your grotty kit. I honestly can't even remember if I ate their pizza at some point. Maybe? If I did it was so unremarkable that I can't recall it. Mostly what I know about is the endless school fundraisers and I don't like the smell coming from their kitchen when I am near their restaurants, so I don't order from them. I also don't know anyone else who orders their pie, so I have no idea how they stay in business. Pizza 249 in town is legendary. You see Dominoes delivery vehicles zipping all over every evening. Little Caesars... Mystery. Maybe they sell other things in their boxes you can have delivered? Forbidden things? Imagine ordering a pizza and the box shows up loaded wi https://pixhellated.ca/no-frills-strathmore-ab-2024-12-02-1773154820 2026-03-10 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/1773329787_NoFrillsStrathmoreAB20241202.jpg No Frills, Strathmore, AB, 2024-12-02 Another humdrum shot taken while trying to figure out how the new toy kids camera worked. Grabbed this on the way in to get ass-raped. I mean, go shopping. The former is what it feels like. Ironically, this pic is almost a year and a half old and the horrible inflation we had then is looking pretty good compared to the catastrophic inflation we have now. Also worth mentioning: The main owner of this chain is the Weston family, who were caught fixing bread prices and fined for it. They self-reported, but only because they were going to get caught anyhow. Galen Weston is the biggest cunt of the bunch and likes to pass himself off as a nice guy. He's not. It always feels like he has dick up my ass when I shop there. Still, it's cheaper than most other places, except Walmart for some things. https://pixhellated.ca/lubitel-166b-tlr-casa-mccormick-strathmore-ab-2024-12-13-1773112061 2026-03-10 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/lubitel-166b-tlr-casa-mccormick-strathmore-ab-2024-12-13-1773112061.jpg Lubitel 166B TLR, Casa McCormick, Strathmore, AB, 2024-12-13 The Lubitel 166B is a wonderfully crappy Russian rip-off of the Rolliflex Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) camera. It basically does everything the Rolliflex does badly, is badly made, has bad optics, light leaks, and is prone to breaking. It uses 120 roll film and it's wonderful. Mine hasn't been used for over two decades, but I still enjoy looking at it. https://pixhellated.ca/light-and-shadow-study-casa-mccormick-strathmore-ab-2026-02-25-1773111214 2026-03-10 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/1773329804_LightandshadowstudyCasaMcCormickStrathmoreAB20260225.jpg Light and shadow study, Casa McCormick, Strathmore, AB, 2026-02-25 This is the first time I have ever tried to do a light and shadow study with a camera that has the dynamic range of a sheet of wet, black construction paper. And I think I just insulted construction paper. https://pixhellated.ca/mark-s-work-wearhouse-strathmore-ab-2024-12-02-1773097601 2026-03-09 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/1773329821_MarksWorkWearhouseStrathmoreAB20241202.jpg Mark's Work Wearhouse, Strathmore, AB, 2024-12-02 Mark's Work Wearhouse was the place to go for quality clothing when I was younger. Now it's the place to go for expensive, made-in-China clothing as an older adult. Some of the pricier stuff is good. Some. Like the high-end Helly Hansen. The lower end H/H isn't that great. Same for the stuff from Columbia. Columbia was a great company some years back, but these days you're mostly paying for a name. The name is important because the number one giveaway with TEMU clothing is that the brandnames all look like they were decided haphazardly using Boggle dice. So you're literally paying for a name in the sense that it doesn't sound too weird. That being said, I've got an Evil Wolf jacket from TEMU that only cost $35 shipped and it's better than a comparable $500 H/H item from Mark's. The Evil Wolf jacket even has active cooling via some oddly placed pit zips, which the H/H ski jacket doesn't have at all. I don't expect this store to be a going concern in another ten years. https://pixhellated.ca/lady-in-the-wrong-place-casa-mccormick-strathmore-ab-2026-02-28-1773087096 2026-03-09 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/1773329838_LadyinthewrongplaceCasaMcCormickStrathmoreAB20260228.jpg Lady in the wrong place, Casa McCormick, Strathmore, AB, 2026-02-28 Lady Hestia, my daughter's cranky elder kitty, has several preferred places to sleep around the house. They are places where Lady McCormick (my wife and The Boss) would prefer the other Lady does not sleep. Lady manages to snooze there when my wife is at work. She doesn't even look guilty when you catch her where she's not supposed to be. Note the look of defiance? https://pixhellated.ca/scotiabank-strathmore-ab-2024-12-02-1773085627 2026-03-09 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/1773328786_ScotiabankStrathmoreAB20241202.jpg Scotiabank, Strathmore, AB, 2024-12-02 This is a bank. They are in the business of ripping people off, which is all I can tell you about it. I had an account here as a kid (the chain, not this branch), no longer as an adult. That's it. As you were. https://pixhellated.ca/wherein-he-gets-hair-on-my-chair-casa-mccormick-strathmore-ab-2024-12-02-1773085067 2026-03-09 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/1773328761_WhereinhegetshaironmychairCasaMcCormickStrathmoreAB20241202.jpg Wherein he gets hair on my chair, Casa McCormick, Strathmore, AB, 2024-12-02 The joy of having a camera made for five year olds is you can toss all the composition rules out the window and shoot like a five year old. Because if holding a camera can't make you feel like you're a kid again, what is the point of the goddamned thing? Also, there's a cat in this picture. You can never have too much pussy. Cat. https://pixhellated.ca/boston-pizza-strathmore-ab-2024-12-02-1773083264 2026-03-09 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/1773328737_BostonPizzaStrathmoreAB20241202.jpg Boston Pizza, Strathmore, AB, 2024-12-02 Boston Pizza is one of those mediocre chain restaurants, except this one isn't mediocre. It is so much worse. Their pizza sauce tastes rank. The last pizza I had there, the crust was undercooked. Their pasta is overcooked. We got a dessert with mold on it. Do not eat at the BP in Strathmore, Alberta. It's that bad. https://pixhellated.ca/merry-ho-ho-casa-mccormick-strathmore-ab-2024-12-18-1773081335 2026-03-09 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/1773329898_MerryHoHoCasaMcCormickStrathmoreAB20241218.jpg Merry Ho Ho, Casa McCormick, Strathmore, AB, 2024-12-18 Just a quick grab shot of the Xmas decorations in our home. After I printed the image I realized I had left date imprinting turned on. Worse, it was the wrong date, wrong year even. I always do this with every new cheapie camera. Lollll. https://pixhellated.ca/sally-ann-thrift-store-strathmore-ab-2024-12-02-1773079311 2026-03-09 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/1773328500_SallyAnnThriftStoreStrathmoreAB20241202.jpg Sally Ann Thrift Store, Strathmore, AB, 2024-12-02 The Strathmore Salvation Army thrift store. I have mixed feelings about this place. There is entirely too much price gouging there these days. Yes, I realize they need the money to pay staff. Yes, I realize the money raised in this store supports the many worthy services offerered by the Sally Ann. The problem is that this store should also support the poor and downtrodden in this community and I feel what is often predatory pricing on their products achieves the exact opposite. For shame. https://pixhellated.ca/sir-farts-a-lot-strathmore-ab-2024-12-26-1773006197 2026-03-08 https://pixhellated.ca/img_uploads/2026/03/1773327922_SirFartsALotStrathmoreAB20241226.jpg Sir Farts A Lot, Strathmore, AB, 2024-12-26 Aristaeus was adopted through Happy Cat Sactuary Society of Alberta. He was originally named Bandit, but it lacked … panache. We like his new name better and I think so does he. We call him “Ari” for short and he answers to it now. He was a surrender because his previous family had to move and they couldn’t find a rental that would accept a pet. He’s a domestic short hair, a neutered male, and approximately two years old. He was doing a rotation through a Petsmart in Calgary when we adopted him and the poor guy was obviously miserable there. He has really come back to life in our home. One thing that I didn't realize at the time that I know now... At PetSmart, every time someone walked past his space, Aristaeus would flop on his back and wave his legs up in the air at them. He does that when he wants affection from someone and is trying to get their attention. He was asking for someone to take him home and love him. It broke my heart when I realized that. I always make time for h https://pixhellated.ca/page.php?slug=about 2026-03-08 https://pixhellated.ca/page.php?slug=cameras 2026-03-08