Hey readers,

Last week, I lost my grandpa. It made the blogging a bit difficult over the weekend and I didn’t have anything queued up to go. In honour of my Grandpa Keith Anderson, I wanted take a moment away from Pride and focus on Saskatchewan.

My grandpa was born and raised in Briercrest, Saskatchewan. He also served in World War II with the Royal Canadian Air Force as a wireless electrical mechanic. He was 94 when he passed away last Wednesday and I wanted to take a moment to share a book that I think he would have liked.

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Living Skies by Craig Hilts is a coffee-table book filled with photography of the beautiful skies and landscapes in Saskatchewan. I actually stumbled upon this book while I was looking for Pride books at the library. I was planning to share it next month when I found my focus back on more local interest.

Part of the reason that I want to share this book is the absolute breath-taking photos that are contained within it. Craig is a storm chaser and he has taken incredible photos of storm clouds. He has captured lightning and braved tornadoes. He has basked under the Northern Lights and experienced sunrises.

This book roots me in my Saskatchewan history. The images found within its pages could just as well be memories from my own life, not that I have ever taken on a tornado. The photos are stunning and you can quickly see why Saskatchewan is the ‘land of the living skies.’

This book is feels like it holds the essence of Saskatchewan, something that I can definitely associate with my grandpa. Having served in the RCAF, the sky was not a foreign place for him. I feel closer to him having enjoyed this book.

Now, you wouldn’t think that a picture book could bring someone to tears, but this one did. Craig has a section of the book that is called ‘Dance Like No One’s Watching.’ Everything about that line is my Grandpa Keith. So many memories that we heard about him at the funeral were about his dance moves and his love of dancing.

At my wedding, he was the star of the party. Even at 92, he was always on the dance floor. Everyone remembers how much fun he had being out there. You never would have guessed that he was 92. So just reading the title, especially after using those exact words in my tribute to him at the funeral, shattered me a little bit more. It also brought me closer to his memory. Home is where the heart is and my grandpa holds a part of mine, even now that he is gone.

Craig is an extremely talented photographer and his work should be seen by people all over the world. Bringing Saskatchewan to your corner of the world can definitely be worth the experience.

And that is why I want to share this book with all of you.

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You can find Craig’s photography website here. You can find out more information about his book here and purchase it from McNally Robinson here.