South of Calgary, the grassland sweeps towards the sky. I watch the prairie as it sweeps by outside my car window. Unchecked by too much development, unaffected by the growth of the city. It is blessed with names that have history: High River, Okotoks, Nanton, Claresholm. So many stories to tell, and precious few to pass along the memories. Who will share the past glory of these towns when they fade away?

I am struck by the awesome sky, the wild vast beauty of the simple land. How someone must have loved this space more than I... enough to settle here and build a town, a family. 

Moments overheard in the local coffee shop, make me mourn silently. These once beloved towns are dwindling, dying, falling to decay.  Younger generations seek the wealth of the city.

Determined, I stay a night. I photograph the town, the surroundings. I eat at the coffee shop, the italian restauarant, the chinese place just up the road. The experience is larger than the town itself. I long to stay to prolong this friendliness. Can it survive?