This is sort of a history of the Province of Alberta in Canada. The book discusses in a cursory way the creation of the geological formations, the ancient native population, settlement and displacement of native aboriginals in the 1800's in the first third of the book. Another third or so describes the settlement of the prairies in early days of the 1900's, relating this time to his own family history in this respect and ending with his own personal diary of raising a family on a mountain ranch.

The book has a casual, very pleasant voice, almost as though you are sitting by a fire listening to someone telling stories of their past. Other than chronologically moving to more modern times as the book progresses, there is little thread of a plot or direction to the book, the author talks about the past, plunges to the present then falls back to the past with ease.

A wistful environmental sentiment regarding life away from the big city, permeates the book. A desire for this life to continue is there too, though you know it has to change sometime soon.

A pleasant page turner and interesting glimpse into life in rural Alberta...without gory detail...a collection of fact and memory. ( )