PUBLISHED STORIES
"Urban Sketchers in the Sun" is the title of my 22nd feature story with photographs for the Kerby News. I followed members of Calgary Urban Sketchers to three locations to see what they like to record and how they go about making sketches of places in their own locale. The paper used one big picture on the front page and four large images with the two page spread inside. Several more accompany the story here on my website.
"Doug Lansdell's Farm Tractors of the Past" is about a rancher out near Turner Valley who has collected and restored a significant number of antique farm tractors. This is my 21st feature story with the Kerby News. The story can be found below titled .
"Threshing Bee a nod to farm life of old" was the title given to a photo story of mine that ran in the October 2020 issue of Alberta Prime Times. The paper published six of my pictures along with a short that accompanied them but there are several more here on my site. A spectacular day to photograph, with the prairie sky alive and giving its impression of daytime Northern Lights.
The July-September issue of Westword, the publication of the Writers Guild of Alberta, includes a story of mine about why I like to find and write about historical details and interesting people in my area. My unedited version of the story is included here, along with some of the photographs that were included in the Westword publicaiton.
The May, 2020 issue of the Kerby News contained the 20th feature article that I have written for that publication and it's entitled "Calgary's Rail Line to the Past". It's great fun having my stories and photographs appear in this monthly Calgary newspaper, its 35,000 copies distributed freely across the city and surrounding communities. All of these stories are here along with a few others that were published elsewhere.
"Calgary's Rail Line to the Past" features photographs of Canadian National locomotives and crew switching out freight cars in the Highfield Industrial Area. The story starts in the present but winds its way into Calgary's early railroad history and the stations and train yards at the turn of the last century operated by two of Canadian Pacific's rival national railway companies.
"A Carmen Red Jaguar" is the title of a story about Martyn Izod and his automobile restoration business, "Mulsanne Motorcars", located in Blackie, Alberta. Martyn is mainly known for his fabulous rebuilds of exotic Jaguar XK-E sports cars. This, my 19th feature story for the Kerby News, appeared in the January 2020 issue.
"Alberta's Bessonneau Hangar" tells the story of a World War I portable hangar that was constructed to serve the Royal Flying Corp in France. After the war, the hangar found its way to Morley, Alberta where it was used by No. 2 Operations Squadron, RCAF to house aircraft utilized on fire patrols over the foothills. Read more of the hangar's history in the story. Published in the February 2019 issue of the Kerby News.
"A barrel of fun in retirement for Maureen Marston" is the title of the 19th story in the
Kerby News. Upon retiring from a highly successful career as an elementary teacher, Maureen took up senior barrel racing. She and her quarter horse Lethal are doing very well. Published in the November 2018 issue of the Kerby News.
"Clark Seaborn's Airplanes", included in the September 2018 issue, is the 18th story printed in the Kerby News. Seaborn is a restorer and pilot of historic flying machines.
"2442: Calgary Transit's Newest C-Train Car" describes the arrival and unloading of a new light rail vehicle for Calgary's C-Train system. Published in the July 2018 issue of the Kerby News.
"No. 31 EFTS De Winton" contains the complete program celebrating the 75th anniversary of the first training flight at this World War II Royal Air Force flying school.
"Dave Richards at Heritage Park" is an account of a retired civil engineer and current docent at Heritage Park. Dave works in both the blacksmith shop and in the automobile collection at the park. The story appeared in the August 2017 issue of the Kerby News.
"Off the beaten path with Charley, a roadtrip to Empress, Alberta" appeared in the August 2017 edition of the Kerby News. The story tells about visiting vanishing villages in eastern Alberta in company with my miniature pinser dog.
"You Oughta Be In Pictures" is about my very limited experience as an extra or background actor on some television productions made recently around Calgary. This story was included, in a very poorly edited version, in the January, 2017 issue of the Kerby News.
"In the War Skies of Calgary", included in the November 2016 issue of the Kerby News, relates details of a mid-air collision of two military aircraft over downtown Calgary on Saturday, August 28, 1943.
"Calgary's National Music Centre" was featured in the September, 2016 issue of the
Kerby News.
A story about volunteers at the Calgary Animal Shelter was included in the April, 2016 Kerby News.
"The Polar Express" is a story printed in the December, 2015 issue of the Kerby News. A small tourist railway has been established at Mossleigh, Alberta and this Holiday Season it has run its version of The Polar Express in cooperation with Warner Brothers Films for the first time. I write about my visit to the train and a lucky ride on the diesel engine.
"Siren Sounds of Cold War Silence Can Still be Heard" (not my choice of title) tells of coming across two of Calgary's air raid sirens from the cold war years. A bit of research at Calgary City Archives added interesting facts to the story that appeared in the November 2015 issue of the Kerby News.
"At Nick's Barbershop" ran in the September 2015 issue of the Kerby News. I wrote about Nick Corea, the barber, and an old acquaintance, Grant Dustin, who I worked with in my social studies days. My photograph of Grant and Nick featured on the front page of the paper.
"A Visit to the Calgary Stampede Ranch" was printed in the July, 2015 issue of the Kerby News.
"Tulips Colour Lives" was included in the May, 2015 issue of the Kerby News.
"A Pony Named Midget" was previously published in the Amhearst Daily News. It was published again in two parts in the feature section of the December 2014 and January 2015 issues of Calgary's Kerby News. I'm happy that this Calgary story was finally able to be shared with a Calgary audience.
"Take a bow, Mr Jackson" is a play on words concerning Bert Jackson of Acme whom I visited in the summer of 2014. Bert makes and repairs bows for stringed instruments. The story and photographs ran in the October, 2014 issue of the Kerby News. Along with the story, one of my photos of Bert took up most of the front page.
"Down Highway 12 and Home" was published in the August 2013 issue of Calgary's Kerby Centre Kerby News as a two page centre spread with photographs.
"A Field Trip to Lake Nyasa" ran as a two page spread in the April 2013 issue of the Kerby News. The story is based on travel journal notes and photographs from my visit to Mozambique in August 2012.
"Remembering the Air Base that Time Forgot" was run with photographs as a two-page special feature in the November 2011 issue of the Kerby News. This story and the accompanying photographs can also be found on the website of Nanton's Bomber Command Museum <www.bombercommandmuseum.ca>.
"A Daily Diary History of RCAF Station Pearce" was a periodic publication for the Lethbridge Historical Society.
"Constructing the Aerodrome of Democracy" was published in Proceedings, the digest of professional articles prepared for the 1997 annual conference of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering.
"Stubb Ross: One Man's Recollections" was published in the January 1988 issue of Canadian Aviation and recalls some of my memories about flying with the founder of Lethbridge's Time Air.
"Urban Sketchers in the Sun" is the title of my 22nd feature story with photographs for the Kerby News. I followed members of Calgary Urban Sketchers to three locations to see what they like to record and how they go about making sketches of places in their own locale. The paper used one big picture on the front page and four large images with the two page spread inside. Several more accompany the story here on my website.
"Doug Lansdell's Farm Tractors of the Past" is about a rancher out near Turner Valley who has collected and restored a significant number of antique farm tractors. This is my 21st feature story with the Kerby News. The story can be found below titled .
"Threshing Bee a nod to farm life of old" was the title given to a photo story of mine that ran in the October 2020 issue of Alberta Prime Times. The paper published six of my pictures along with a short that accompanied them but there are several more here on my site. A spectacular day to photograph, with the prairie sky alive and giving its impression of daytime Northern Lights.
The July-September issue of Westword, the publication of the Writers Guild of Alberta, includes a story of mine about why I like to find and write about historical details and interesting people in my area. My unedited version of the story is included here, along with some of the photographs that were included in the Westword publicaiton.
The May, 2020 issue of the Kerby News contained the 20th feature article that I have written for that publication and it's entitled "Calgary's Rail Line to the Past". It's great fun having my stories and photographs appear in this monthly Calgary newspaper, its 35,000 copies distributed freely across the city and surrounding communities. All of these stories are here along with a few others that were published elsewhere.
"Calgary's Rail Line to the Past" features photographs of Canadian National locomotives and crew switching out freight cars in the Highfield Industrial Area. The story starts in the present but winds its way into Calgary's early railroad history and the stations and train yards at the turn of the last century operated by two of Canadian Pacific's rival national railway companies.
"A Carmen Red Jaguar" is the title of a story about Martyn Izod and his automobile restoration business, "Mulsanne Motorcars", located in Blackie, Alberta. Martyn is mainly known for his fabulous rebuilds of exotic Jaguar XK-E sports cars. This, my 19th feature story for the Kerby News, appeared in the January 2020 issue.
"Alberta's Bessonneau Hangar" tells the story of a World War I portable hangar that was constructed to serve the Royal Flying Corp in France. After the war, the hangar found its way to Morley, Alberta where it was used by No. 2 Operations Squadron, RCAF to house aircraft utilized on fire patrols over the foothills. Read more of the hangar's history in the story. Published in the February 2019 issue of the Kerby News.
"A barrel of fun in retirement for Maureen Marston" is the title of the 19th story in the
Kerby News. Upon retiring from a highly successful career as an elementary teacher, Maureen took up senior barrel racing. She and her quarter horse Lethal are doing very well. Published in the November 2018 issue of the Kerby News.
"Clark Seaborn's Airplanes", included in the September 2018 issue, is the 18th story printed in the Kerby News. Seaborn is a restorer and pilot of historic flying machines.
"2442: Calgary Transit's Newest C-Train Car" describes the arrival and unloading of a new light rail vehicle for Calgary's C-Train system. Published in the July 2018 issue of the Kerby News.
"No. 31 EFTS De Winton" contains the complete program celebrating the 75th anniversary of the first training flight at this World War II Royal Air Force flying school.
"Dave Richards at Heritage Park" is an account of a retired civil engineer and current docent at Heritage Park. Dave works in both the blacksmith shop and in the automobile collection at the park. The story appeared in the August 2017 issue of the Kerby News.
"Off the beaten path with Charley, a roadtrip to Empress, Alberta" appeared in the August 2017 edition of the Kerby News. The story tells about visiting vanishing villages in eastern Alberta in company with my miniature pinser dog.
"You Oughta Be In Pictures" is about my very limited experience as an extra or background actor on some television productions made recently around Calgary. This story was included, in a very poorly edited version, in the January, 2017 issue of the Kerby News.
"In the War Skies of Calgary", included in the November 2016 issue of the Kerby News, relates details of a mid-air collision of two military aircraft over downtown Calgary on Saturday, August 28, 1943.
"Calgary's National Music Centre" was featured in the September, 2016 issue of the
Kerby News.
A story about volunteers at the Calgary Animal Shelter was included in the April, 2016 Kerby News.
"The Polar Express" is a story printed in the December, 2015 issue of the Kerby News. A small tourist railway has been established at Mossleigh, Alberta and this Holiday Season it has run its version of The Polar Express in cooperation with Warner Brothers Films for the first time. I write about my visit to the train and a lucky ride on the diesel engine.
"Siren Sounds of Cold War Silence Can Still be Heard" (not my choice of title) tells of coming across two of Calgary's air raid sirens from the cold war years. A bit of research at Calgary City Archives added interesting facts to the story that appeared in the November 2015 issue of the Kerby News.
"At Nick's Barbershop" ran in the September 2015 issue of the Kerby News. I wrote about Nick Corea, the barber, and an old acquaintance, Grant Dustin, who I worked with in my social studies days. My photograph of Grant and Nick featured on the front page of the paper.
"A Visit to the Calgary Stampede Ranch" was printed in the July, 2015 issue of the Kerby News.
"Tulips Colour Lives" was included in the May, 2015 issue of the Kerby News.
"A Pony Named Midget" was previously published in the Amhearst Daily News. It was published again in two parts in the feature section of the December 2014 and January 2015 issues of Calgary's Kerby News. I'm happy that this Calgary story was finally able to be shared with a Calgary audience.
"Take a bow, Mr Jackson" is a play on words concerning Bert Jackson of Acme whom I visited in the summer of 2014. Bert makes and repairs bows for stringed instruments. The story and photographs ran in the October, 2014 issue of the Kerby News. Along with the story, one of my photos of Bert took up most of the front page.
"Down Highway 12 and Home" was published in the August 2013 issue of Calgary's Kerby Centre Kerby News as a two page centre spread with photographs.
"A Field Trip to Lake Nyasa" ran as a two page spread in the April 2013 issue of the Kerby News. The story is based on travel journal notes and photographs from my visit to Mozambique in August 2012.
"Remembering the Air Base that Time Forgot" was run with photographs as a two-page special feature in the November 2011 issue of the Kerby News. This story and the accompanying photographs can also be found on the website of Nanton's Bomber Command Museum <www.bombercommandmuseum.ca>.
"A Daily Diary History of RCAF Station Pearce" was a periodic publication for the Lethbridge Historical Society.
"Constructing the Aerodrome of Democracy" was published in Proceedings, the digest of professional articles prepared for the 1997 annual conference of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering.
"Stubb Ross: One Man's Recollections" was published in the January 1988 issue of Canadian Aviation and recalls some of my memories about flying with the founder of Lethbridge's Time Air.