2013 Saskatchewan Classics

Cover - taken near Saskatoon, SK

1971 Olds 442 (W30), 55 Chev PickUp, 68 Chevelle SS396

January - photo taken at Saskatoon, SK

1963 Chev Corvair Manza 900 Convertible

member of the Saskatoon Antique Auto Club

February - photo taken at Shell Lake, SK

1969 Plymouth Barracuda

March - taken at Saskatoon, SK

1972 Plymouth Cuda

member of the Saskatoon Antique Auto Club

April - photo taken at Warman, SK

1957 Chevrolet Nomad

May - photo taken near Saskatoon, SK

1969 Oldsmobile 442

June - taken at Shell Lake, SK

1956 Ford Truck F100

July - photo taken at Saskatoon, SK

1970 Mustang Boss 302

August - taken near Saskatoon, SK

1969 Chevelle SS396

September - photo taken in Saskatoon, SK

1961 Thunderbird

October - taken at Saskatoon, SK

1940 Ford Coupe

November - photo taken near Waldheim, SK

1959 Ford Galaxy

December - taken at Warman, SK

1966 Nova Chevrolet

Oh, what fun I had creating a black and white calendar for 2012 with the Hidden Treasures. :) That was so fun!! But, I also had numerous guys missing the color classics as well. Sooo...it's back for the 2013 lineup of SK Calendars!!

My hubby and I often enjoy walking through a car show on a warm summer day. It's always so interesting to meet the car owners and hearing their stories. At a Father's Day Show n Shine at Cornerstone Church in Saskatoon a couple summers ago, I heard a real interesting story that I'd like to share with you. "In the summer of 1961, Isabelle Kleckner won a '61 T-Bird through a contest she had entered, when their son Randy was 7 years old. The car was shipped from Toronto to Jubilee Ford and they picked up the the keys for it on a very cold day in November. Unfortunately the car had to be sold two years later but they were given the opportunity to buy it back 22 years later!! Randy loved that car as a 7 year old boy and now at the age of 58, it's still his pride and joy!" Isn't that a great story?? :) When I heard it, I knew I needed to share it with you too.

But every classic in this calendar has a story behind it. I love hearing them. Many of them have sentimental value and have often been in the family for years. Others have been found as a hidden treasure and built up and restored to what it is today. Hours of hard work have often been put into these classics.

Memories are built over the years with family and friends. Many of those memories happen because we've been able to drive somewhere. So often we take for granted the freedom that we have to drive a vehicle and the many roads we get to drive them on. I thank God each day that I am able to drive and now that my teenage kids are driving/learning to drive, I get to spend a lot of time praying for their safety on those same roads that we've been driving for years. We've had the privilege of driving numerous classics in years gone by and have built many wonderful memories of those times from when our kids were younger. I treasure them dearly....and yes, I've taken lots of photos as well. :)  Treasure the memories my friends. Enjoy the good things of life, thank God for them daily and remember to pray through the more challenging times.

I'm thankful to all the owners of the classics in this calendar who've allowed me to share these photos with you. If you have great classics that you'd like me to photograph for future calendars, please contact me through my email below.

Blessings to you all!!

Lisa Braun 

2013 Saskatchewan's Inspirational Living Skies

Cover - cross on Cornerstone Church - Saskatoon, SK

January - sunset Blaine Lake, SK

February - sunrise over Warman, SK

March - sunset near the Thickwood Hills of Martens Lake, SK

April - sunset over a large pond along the highway near Blaine Lake, SK

May - beautiful skies reflecting in this water along the road near Vanscoy, SK

June - beautiful captivating sunrise over Christopher Lake, SK

July - stormy skies over the fields near Swanson, SK

August - sunset behind the storm clouds coming over Emma Lake, SK

September - bright skies with storm clouds rolling in over Warman, SK

October - another breathtaking sunrise at Christopher Lake, SK

November - glorious sunrise over this farmyard near Warman, SK

December - incredible sunset skies over the fields near Big Shell Lake, SK

Saskatchewan truly is known for it's Living Skies. I've heard it said that Saskatoon is one of the sunniest cities...and I am so blessed to be living near this beautiful city to enjoy those wonderful sunny days. :)

I love Saskatchewan's skies!! Whether it's a bright sunny day, a storm brewing in the sky, the sunrise mornings or sunset evenings or even a clear night where the Northern Lights are dancing across the heavens....our skies are truly ALIVE!!!

I could just sit for hours watching the clouds in the sky or the sun setting across the lake. The beauty that our Creator God paints for us at times is absolutely breathtaking!! It's often in those moments where I feel His Presence the most and I just marvel at His Glorious Creation! Oooh the power that's displayed in the heavens on a stormy night when the heavens are lit up with lightning! Then... there's the night sky flooded with billions of twinkling stars, the sunsets that make magnificent portraits.....and the list goes on!! We really do have living skies.

It's been quite some time that I've wanted to create this Living Skies Calendar. Sometimes photographs just don't give justice to what the eye actually beholds in the heavens but I trust that what you've found in this calendar has given you a slight taste of the beauty God displays on this planet earth that we have the honor of living on. God bless you my friends!

Lisa Braun

2013 Bridges of Saskatchewan

Cover photo - Victoria Bridge at dusk - Saskatoon, SK

January - old red bridge no longer in use - near Outlook, SK

February - golf bridge over the Shell River - Shell Lake, SK

March - train bridge and traffic bridge beside it - Prince Albert, SK

April - train bridge - St. Louis, SK

May - Idylwyld Drive Bridge at dusk - Saskatoon, SK

June - the old Borden Bridge no longer in use - near Borden, SK

July - famous Skytrail - Canada's longest pedestrian bridge - Outlook, SK

August - an old bridge by a field - near Krydor, SK

September - College Drive Bridge at dusk - Saskatoon, SK

(yes I enjoyed capturing these bridges at dusk - it was a beautiful evening  :)

October - the old abandoned Trestle Bridge over McCloy Creek - Meskanaw, SK

November - Muskoday Bridge - Muskoday First Nations, SK

December - College Drive Bridge - Saskatoon, SK

photo taken from the top floor of the Sheraton Cavalier Hotel

I love bridges and our province is filled with them. They are numerous and have all been built by strong dedicated people. Many have even risked their lives to complete these difficult tasks so that our worlds could be joined across the rivers. It was such a joy to put this calendar together in a unique way so that each photo is interesting to look at and wants the eye to go beyond it. :)

The purpose of bridges is to bring us from one point to another, often crossing a deep rushing river or a railroad. As a child I have good memories of having picnics by the Borden Bridge. When I go golfing with my husband, the golf course will often have a bridge going over a stream or lake. Bridges add beauty and structure to the areas they're in. I love some of the older bridges like the Victoria Bridge in Saskatoon or the train bridge in Prince Albert. It was so fun coming across the old train bridge on the Melfort highway...I had taken a wrong turn and a very long detour to Prince Albert but was blessed by being able to take photographs of that old trestle bridge. :) I was too busy seeing what I could take pictures of rather than watching the highway signs.

Bridges also remind me of my relationship with God. Had Jesus Christ not died on the cross about 2,000 years ago, we wouldn't have been given the opportunity to have eternal life in Heaven with Him. God provided the "bridge" through Jesus Christ so that we could be given the gift of salvation and receive God's forgiveness for the wrong things that we do when we confess our sins to Him. I am deeply grateful for that otherwise life on this earth would be completely meaningless without that "bridge".

I sincerely hope you enjoy this unique calendar. Printing it in black and white just adds character to them, don't ya think? 

Be blessed my friends!!

Lisa Braun

2013 Birds of Saskatchewan

This is the 2nd year that I've invited well-known SK photographer Wayne Shiels to bless us with his amazing photos. We both have a love for the beautiful birds God has created so we thought a Birds of Saskatchewan Calendar for 2013 would be very fitting. Wayne was my Grade 6 teacher many years ago in Warman Elementary School and since I've become more serious with my camera and especially since creating SK calendars since 2007, he has been a mentor to me and a huge encouragement in this journey. I am so blessed to have him join me once again, in this venture to bless you with another great lineup of SK calendars.

"I (Wayne) really appreciate the opportunity Lisa has given me to be a part of this outstanding line of SK calendars. Growing up on a farm in SK, I developed a love for nature. It is a beautiful world that God has created and I've always enjoyed taking pictures of wildlife. Lisa has been an inspiration to me and we both share an incredible passion for God, His Creation and His Love for us all, and of course photography...as well as a passion for Camp Kadesh."

Camp Kadesh at Christopher Lake, SK is a great family ministry that is so dear to my heart, as well as to Wayne's heart. A percentage of the sales of this Birds Calendar will be donated to the camp in recognition of the incredible passion they have of sharing God's love with kids, both young & old...even seniors. We trust this calendar will be a blessing to you!

Lisa Braun    and    Wayne Shiels

Cover - Mallard - Saskatoon, SK

January - Common Redpoll- Beaver Creek Conservation Area, SK

February - Bohemian Waxwings - Warman, SK

March - Sharp-tailed Grouse - Danielson Provincial Park, SK

April - Tundra Swans - Neuhorst, SK

May - Yellow-headed Blackbird - Osler, SK

June - Horned Grebe - Saskatoon, SK

July - Mallard Ducklings - Saskatoon, SK

August - Mourning Dove - Saskatoon, SK

September - Marbled Godwit - Dundurn, SK

October - Swainson's Hawk - Saskatoon, SK

November - Canada Geese - Saskatoon, SK

December - White-breasted Nuthatch - Pike Lake Provincial Park, SK

Wayne Shiels grew up on a farm near Bjorkdale, Sk. Most of his spare time was spent exploring the woods and waters where he developed a love for nature. It was the desire to share the marvels of nature that led him to photography. Recently retired from teaching he feels truly blessed that he and his wife Tanis can spend time together observing and photographing God's creation. Much of their time is spent photographing the birds in the Warman-Saskatoon area. For seeing the intricacy and beauty of a bird one can only stand in awe of the One who created it.

He was baptized at Camp Kadesh on Christopher Lake in June of 2008, and counts as his greatest joy in loving and living for Jesus. He thanks God for the passion of photography, and desires to use this photography to bless others.