Evening Stroll Through Modern-Day Blumenort

EAST RESERVE

This is yet another weird post of mine. Who visits nearby towns and villages just to walk around them? Oh hi, I do!

I spend a great deal of time walking around Steinbach, and while I haven’t yet walked all the streets (strange, right?) I’ve gotten “itchy feet” and have trotted off to nearby destinations to see what it’s like to go for a walk there.

It’s a weird thing to do because everyone knows you’re not from there. But once you get over that, it’s not so bad!

I was interested in walking around Blumenort because, well, I’ve been to the first two Blumenort cemeteries — the ones in fields — but not the current LUD (is that what they call these places these days? Local Urban Districts?)… and I feel like that’s kind of dumb because it’s very near to where I live in Steinbach, so why not explore a bit!

About those first two Blumenort cemeteries… the first was established at the site of the original Blumenort village which disbanded in 1909, I think. Then folks shifted a bit northeast, and that’s where the second cemetery is. And then after that, a new business center emerged, and that is present-day Blumenort. (I’m still in the midst of reading Royden Loewen’s book Blumenort: A Community in Transition, so I don’t know everything yet. That is my disclaimer.)

This is Junior Diggers Park. I know this because that’s what the plaque on that rock (bottom right corner of the below picture) says. It’s a lovely little park, built in honour of Cornie and Dora Fast. According to the write-up, Mr. Fast founded Fast Brothers Ltd. which worked on projects like the Winnipeg Floodway and the Trans Canada Highway… hence the “digger” theme of this park. I think that’s pretty cool and I really want to bring my nieces and nephews here. I think they’d love it. Maybe that would weird the local kids out. I have no idea how that works.

I took pictures of strange stuff while we walked. I can be a very embarrassing wife for Andrew, but I appreciate that he still joins me for my bizarre outings.

This walk was a while ago, by now I’m sure all these trees are green! So, we clearly need to go back 😀

While we walked, Andrew did become more enthusiastic about my destination of choice. That’s because his grandparents used to live in Blumenort, right on the hill (now it is the location of a trucking company) so he has a lot of memories visiting Blumenort as a child and hanging out here with his cousins. It was neat to reminisce.

It was an evening stroll and the sun set on us, so we had to leave. But first I drove to the very edge of the Blumenort Park (I think it has a different name, but you know what I mean) and there at the back of the baseball diamonds is a cow pasture and being there, I found it all very restful and serene. We had a lovely visit and I personally am looking forward to going back!