2014 Saskatchewan Prairie Scenes Calendar

I hope you enjoy this edition of the Prairie Scenes Calendar that I've loved putting together for you.

cover photo taken near Lac la Peche, SK

January photo taken near Iroquois Lake, SK

February photo taken near Donovan, SK

March photo taken near Neuhorst, SK

April photo taken near Livelong, SK

May photo taken at Turtle Lake, SK

June photo taken near Outlook, SK

July photo taken at Shell Lake, SK

August photo taken near Broderick, SK

September photo taken near Hague Ferry, Hague, SK

October photo taken near Mennon,  SK

November photo taken near Senate, SK

December photo taken near Dalmeny, SK

inside calendar sample

I love driving through the prairies and over the hills and valleys of our beautiful province of Saskatchewan. My family is ever so patient with me when I have my camera along and anyone else going for a drive with me knows there may be stops along the way.  :)  We've been so blessed with such diversity of the land. Growing up in the Warman/Saskatoon area, I thought all of Saskatchewan was flat prairie land because for many years I did not venture out farther than 30 or so kilometers from the area. As a young adult, the first time I drove farther north and east past Prince Albert or out towards Humboldt, I was amazed at the difference between the flatland and the lakeland and hills. I've loved going to different parts of our province ever since, but I still have so many places to venture out to. I love all the thousands of lakes we have, the forests and the beauty of the prairies. God has blessed our land with an abundance of resources and much beauty...I am so thankful for that!

Driving over or by the big old ornate bridges that connect communities together, or stopping at an old church to drink in the serenity and peace of its surroundings, are definitely some of the great aspects of a drive I love. Enjoying a picnic along the shores of one of the beautiful lakes or daring to trespass 'a wee bit' to walk or drive down a lane where the trees wrap up around you to hide the sky....I just love it!! :) Taking a ride with a team of horses through rolling hills past abandoned buildings or relaxing along the shores of the riverbed to enjoy the quietness, just make our hectic lives come to a halt for a time. I love allowing my mind to go back and imagine how the people built those big old barns and I love walking through a historic farmhouse where the wood is all polished and the walls tell of the rich history of days gone by. Taking the time to talk to the people and to hear their stories of these places is such a blessing! And...one day...one day, I'm trusting that I will have the courage to go up in one of those big balloons and see this great province from a bit of a higher vantage point. :)

It was an amazing opportunity in 2012 to be one of the photographers to capture the record breaking harvest in Saskatchewan for Harvest for Kids. Wow! What an amazing day! Thousands of photos were taken by a great team of people. The excitement of the event spread throughout our land. I was told about 10,000 folks came out to witness the record breaking harvest. It was so incredible to see the community spirit, the excitement for 'lil ole SK' to accomplish such a feat and to see all those combines rolling in to line up on the field. What a site to behold! I am so thankful that I got to experience that great day and to run around the fields in front of the combines taking pictures to capture the moment for a lifetime. If you'd like to read up on it or see more photographs, check out their website www.harvestforkids.com/2012 It made me very proud of the people of Saskatchewan!! Go Team SK!!

I hope and pray that you'll enjoy this edition of the SK Prairies Calendar for 2014 as much or even more as I had taking the photos for you and placing them in this calendar. It brings me such joy to receive a phone call or a letter in the mail or a message on Facebook from one of you, telling me how much a photo in this calendar has meant to you. Thank you so much for being such a blessing in my life! I thank God for you and I pray that this year will bring you peace, joy and strength as you journey through this beautiful land on the earth God created for us.

God bless you all!

Lisa Braun

2014 Saskatchewan Inspirational Calendar

Putting together an Inspirational Calendar each year is a definitely one thing I love! :)  Hope you enjoy it!

cover photo taken at Elk Ridge, SK

January photo taken near Big Shell, SK

February photo taken near Morin Lake, SK

March photo taken at Moose Jaw, SK

April photo taken at Camp Kadesh at Christopher Lake, SK

May photo taken at Hague, SK

June photo taken near Waskesui, SK

July photo taken at Emma Lake, SK

August photo taken at Shell Lake, SK

September photo taken near Mennon, SK

October photo taken at Saskatoon, SK

November photo taken near Victoire, SK

December photo taken at Meath Park, SK

inside cover sample

Putting together an Inspirational Calendar for you each year has been such a blessing to me. It is my favorite calendar every time because it's so much of what is at the core of my being. God's Inspiration through His Word the Bible, and through His Creation and through life's experiences with people in general are so very important to me. Each day I am inspired...by people, by God's Creation - in the sunsets or the animals I see - the Scriptures that I read, by the experiences I have....each day is an inspiration. I love living and I love every day that I have breath.

This year I thought I would try something a little different by having different types of photos in the calendar for you with the Scripture verse on the side and then surrounding it with black. The black in the background just heightens the intensity of the photo and brings if to life! It reminds me of the evil and darkness in this world and how when life/light are brought into it, the darkness fades. That inspires me! Amidst all the pain and suffering, there is hope and love! Oh how we need that! Humankind would be utterly lost without the Hope that Jesus brings.

A couple things I'd like to highlight in this calendar that inspire me:

one of them being churches; the diversity of their buildings, the rich history behind them and the uniqueness of each person who attends those churches. We all come from different walks of life and each have a life story to tell.... I love listening to those stories. :)

Another inspiration is the meaning behind the September photo: I had an incredible opportunity to be one of the photographers for the Harvest for Kids event in 2012. What an amazing feat for Saskatchewan to break the world record for the most combines harvesting a field at once! It was a super day! Check out their website to find out more www.harvestforkids.com/2012

One more inspiration would be in the October photo and the couple of times that I've had the opportunity to photograph at the Ride for Refuge event in Saskatoon. This event runs every year and the riders raise money for charities of their choice. Our kids had been involved in the past for raising funds for Hands On Street Ministries in Saskatoon and it's been a joy to photograph the riders out on the course along the beautiful riverbanks in the city. If you'd like more information, go on their website at www.rideforrefuge.org/canada

So, I pray this calendar - the photos and the Scriptures and this writeup - have been an inspiration to you! :)  I'm always encouraged to hear from you via email, phone call or Facebook telling me what these calendars have meant to you. That inspires me! Thank you for allowing me to share this calendar with you!

God bless you!

Lisa Braun

* King James Version (KJV) by Public Domain

* New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

* New English Translation (NET) NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved

* Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.

* New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

* Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

* English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

2014 Saskatchewan Classics Calendar

I've enjoyed putting together another great Classics calendar for you.....hope you enjoy it! :)

Cover taken near Dalmeny, SK

1955 Chev Bel Air
January photo taken near Dalmeny, SK

2008 Dodge Challenger
February photo taken at Grasswood, SK 

1959 Chev Bel Air
March photo taken at Shell Lake, SK

1969 Camero
April photo taken near Dalmeny, SK

1973 Dodge Charger S.E.
May photo taken at the Legends at Warman, SK

1972 Chev El Camino SS
June photo taken near Dalmeny, SK

1972 Pontiac Grand Prix Model J
July photo taken at Memorial Lake, SK

1946 Ford Business Coupe
August photo taken at Saskatoon, SK

1971 Chev Chevelle SS
September photo taken near Dalmeny, SK

1923 Ford Touring Model T
October photo taken at Warman, SK

1968 Plymouth GTX
November photo taken at Warman, SK

sample of the inside calendar opened

1946 Mercury Convertible
December photo taken at Saskatoon, SK

It's been another enjoyable year of having guys with these great 'old' classics to pass through my life so that I can photograph their vehicles. They have such a pride and joy to place them in a photogenic area for me to snap a few shots. I love meeting the people and hearing the stories behind these vehicle and why they have them. I love hearing the stories! It takes shooting the photos to a whole new level. Getting a brief glimpse into their lives and hearing how they've come to purchase or inherit the automobile is wonderful. That's what I love even more than taking the pictures. :)

I thoroughly enjoyed each 'photo shoot' with these vehicles but I must say that my favorite this time was October. Last year we got a new neighbor across the street from us and he had this gem rolled into his garage. It is cool! It is a car much older than I and to hear it's history and what it meant to this dear older fellow, well it just warmed my heart listening to him. THEN, he took me for a ride on a beautiful sunny day! That was such a delight! Riding through my 'small home town' of Warman - which has now grown into a city - was a blast! :)  Of course Mr. Penner was in his glory giving this photographer a ride in his old car, knowing that we'd be taking some sweet shots of it for this 2014 SK Classics Calendar. What a fun hour that was!

So, I want to thank every one of you guys for sharing this piece of your life with me. I hope that these pics in here do your vehicles justice. It's an honor to have them in the calendar this year. Thank you for allowing me this privilege. To all the rest of you, I hope you've enjoyed this edition of yet another Classics Calendar....and if any of you have a classic that you'd like me to come photograph for you, please connect with me and I'd love to take those pics for you. :)

My friends, let's be thankful for the vehicles He's blessed us with to drive around in, it's so easy to take our daily drivers and our not so daily drivers for granted. We have much to be thankful for here in Saskatchewan!

God bless you all!!

Lisa Braun

2014 Saskatchewan Wildlife Calendar

I've had a great time putting together the photos for this unique, black and white SK Wildlife Calendar for you.  I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Cover photo - Whitetailed Deer at Shell Lake, SK

January - Hairy Woodpecker near Little Shell, SK

February - Blue Jay at Shell Lake, SK

March - Richardson's Ground Squirrel near Krydor, SK

April - American Robin at Shell Lake, SK

May - Black Bear in Prince Albert National Park, SK

June - Tiger Swallowtail at Shell Lake, SK

July - Red Fox at Memorial Lake, SK

August - Great Blue Heron at Memorial Lake, SK

September - Whitetailed Deer Fawn at Waskesui, SK

October - Wapiti (Elk) at Waskesui, SK

November - Bull Elk at Waskesui, SK

December - Whitetailed Deer at Memorial Lake, SK

sample of the inside

For the past 2 years, I've had Wayne Shiels share his amazing wildlife photographs with us in the SK Wildlife Calendars. I love his photography and he has always been such an inspiration to me, encouraging me in my photography journey. I've learned a lot from him and have always appreciated his knowledge when it comes to camera technology stuff. :)

People have often asked me why I don't create a wildlife calendar with my own photos. When I see some of the incredible work that's out there, I have often felt that my photographs aren't nearly as good, so I suppose that has held me back a bit. Photography has been a hobby to me, it's not something I've pursued on a real professional level and I know that there are many things I do not know about the business. I love to take photos. I love seeing God's creation and capturing it and I love sharing it with you. But I also know full well that there are many other amazing photographers, like Wayne, who take stunning photos. I love creating these calendars and sharing them with you but I do know that my work is not thee best work out there. I admire and honor those very talented photographers that do this as a profession and are extremely gifted at it. So...setting all that aside, I decided this was the year to take the plunge, push away the intimidated feelings I have of the incredible wildlife work out there and share some of my favorite photos with you of God's creatures.

Shell Lake is an area that I spend a fair amount of my time at to get away from the busy city life and to just escape for a bit. I love the drive there and I love the peaceful setting it has. It is in that area that I see a lot of the wildlife and so that is one of the common places in this calendar...and I guess my other calendars too. :)

I have created a black and white calendar with the Prairie Scenes, the Inspirational and also the Classics in a Hidden Treasures calendar, so for this year, I wanted to create a unique black and white Wildlife calendar. It totally brings out different aspects of the animals and the other details in the photograph. I like it and I hope you enjoy it as well. God has created all these unique creatures, and so many more of them, for our enjoyment, to display His glory but He's also created many of them for our food. I am thankful for that! I am also thankful for you my friends, for allowing me to share this calendar with you. Thank you!

God bless,
Lisa Braun