Souvenir Photo Studio, by Al Bourassa: Monday May 12, 2025 Germain's Wake

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Monday May 12, 2025

Saturday was spent packing in a daze and not getting much sleep.

Sunday morning I was up early and on the road outside Edmonton by 9:30am. I had gassed up and was concerned that my darn "Check Engine" light was on again and neither gas cap seemed to make any difference this time. But the engine was running at the right temperature so I made the decision to continue and gamble. When I gassed up at the border I reefed on the old gas cap and that warning light stopped again. Whew! What a load off my mind!

Traffic was light and I managed to concentrate enough to get to Saskatoon and find the Inn On College, across a bridge from the U of S, and unloaded.

I had contacted cousin Harvey and his wife Loretta and they picked me up after we all had short naps. We went to Tim Horton's nearby and yacked about family and relatives for 2 hours. It was a lovely visit, and they dropped me back at my motel and I read a book, watched a hockey game, Toronto lost, and I tried to get to bed early. The motel room was just that,... a bedroom with a desk and a TV. A shared bathroom was down the hall, smokers gathered outside my window, and the walls were paper thin and the other residents noisy at all hours.. Not good at all. Hardly worth a one-star rating!

Today, I was so happy to leave there, almost 2 hours earlier that I had originally planned, filled my Timmy's mug at Tim Horton's and headed south. Again traffic was exceedingly light, and Saskatchewan was still as flat as ever...

One thing that astounded me the whole trip in Saskatchewan was that I saw more Red-winged Blackbirds than any other bird, easily at least 2 I could see every single mile.

I had made arrangements to meet cousins Mac and Elaine in Regina and they took me to see Wascana Park and the Saskatchewan Legislature while waiting for Boston Pizza to open at 11am. I had an individual "Meateor" which was also my Mom's favourite there. Again, we reminisced and discussed family connections we share. Such nice people!

Then it was back on the road to get to the lovely Poplar Tree Hotel in Stoughton in time to get a perfect room, have an hour nap and shave and shower before heading to my brother's wake in Kisbey.

I made a tiny detour to the hamlet of Forget where I went to boarding school 65 years previously. Sadly the convent is no longer there.

When I got to the Kisbey Rec Centre exactly on time at 5 pm the wake ceremony had already begun. This was a native remembrance ceremony and the explanations of their customs were extremely interesting. A huge lunch had been prepared and it was amazing.

The centerpiece was the urn for my brother's ashes. It was fashioned by a native friend who did woodworking with my brother. Then it was stenciled by step-daughter Deanna, and then painted and burned by his son Josh, and the result is amazing, as you will see in the photos below.

Josh and his family were all there, myself, my brother Norm, his wife Lana (who read the amazing eulogy) and his daughter Kristina.

The rest of the crowd were from Germain's wife Billy's family and some former Regina neighbours. It was a very respectful group. The slideshow put together by Deanna was a big hit.

I am sure we will see may other relatives tomorrow for the interment in our home town of Radville, where he will be laid to rest next our parents..

I hope you enjoy the pictures. That was the day’s excitement.

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