Tour of Sylvan Lake Alberta

I've been in Canada a few days now. Tonight with the interns, we watched session one of Mike Bickle's Omega Course. We had a great discussion time, which went until about 1 am, and since we started at 7:30, that's saying a lot. Now I can't wait for session two. I led worship a yesterday, and although I personally felt like a piece of burnt toast, I think maybe the Lord actually met some people, which I am so grateful for.

All in all, the pace is much slower than I have been accustomed too, but I'm trying to slow down and listen to what the Lord is saying. I've taken some pictures around town and finally got the film developed tonight. I so enjoy taking pictures, especially when traveling. I love the way pictures can tell the story sometimes far better than my words. I hope to be taking more soon.

Sylvan Lake, Alberta is a small town of around 8,000 people, about 12 miles from Red Deer. For more on Red Deer, I have referred to it's wikipedia definition:

Red Deer is a city in central Alberta, Canada, located almost midway between Calgary and Edmonton. It is Alberta's third largest city by population after Calgary and Edmonton. Red Deer is located in the Parkland, a region of rolling hills focused on oil, grain and cattle production. According to the 2006 city census, the population of Red Deer is 82,971. The city is a centre for oil and agriculture distribution, and the surrounding region is a major centre for petrochemical production.

Here you can see the Lighthouse, which is a hallmark of Sylvan Lake. I've actually never been here in the summer, but apparently things just get absolutely crazy with tourists and such. As if they've never seen water before hey. Around here, you make a statement with a "hey" and lo, it's a question. I'm catching myself doing it ALL the time.

The Bayside Cafe is a little place in Sylvan Lake that looks right out onto the water where I occasionally stop for some quiche lorraine and a latte. I thought I'd take a picture while I was there, also this day they were playing some terrible country music. Hopefully not the next time I go heh?

In Canada, everyone plays hockey, everyone. This first hockey game of the season took place in an indoor arena. Young men and old men, dreams and visions. But oh my! It was so cold. Even in the pictures, you can see their breath in the air. I was lucky enough to be able to witness first-hand the pre-game preparations. From the purchasing of the perfect hockey stick, to the momentous taping of the stick. I'm sure you're probably never thought much about hockey, if you're anything like me, and may not have even noticed that they have tape on them. Well they do; on the top and bottom, for lack of better terminology, and the process is quite precise. Then there's waxing after taping! The care and anticipation of this amateur game was incredible! They love this sport, and it was worth sitting in the freezing cold and snapping a few pictures just to be apart of it all.

Every winter Sylvan Lake freezes solid and becomes the town's giant skating rink and ice fishing hole. It is so frozen, that people feel confident in driving there Dodge trucks to the middle of the lake to PARK for some ice fishing. The rules of the lake are brutal though. If for some reason, your truck does fall through the ice and sink to the bottom, not only does insurance not cover such damage, but you must pay to have it pulled out come spring! Although I've been up here 3 times now, this is the first time I've actually seen the water in liquid form since I'm usually here over winter.