Just Over In the Badlands

Have you been up and out and about at 4:30am lately? If not, your missing out as there is no other time of the day that is more beautiful than it is on a morning such as this morning was here in southern Alberta. With clear skies and a crescent moon that hung over the eastern horizon in the early morning dawn, it erased any of the doubts I may have had getting out of bed at such a early hour. I had left home just after 4:30am and after a quick stop for a coffee to go, I was soon leaving the city limits behind. I picked up Highway 564 eastbound with plans to cut over to Rockyford and from there I planned on driving the road that borders Rosebud Creek through the very scenic Rosebud valley over to Rosebud. If you have never been to Rosebud, you are missing out on this very picturesque village located on the edge of the badlands of eastern Alberta.
Rosebud sits in a sheltered river valley in a area that was called Akokiniskway by the Blackfoot people, which translates roughly to "by the river of many roses".
The beauty of the valley has attracted many people throughout the years, from nature lovers to artists and actors of course. Rosebud is a destination for many people from Calgary and the surrounding areas, as the Rosebud Theatre, Alberta's only rural professional theatre is located here. Performances are staged at the Opera House and Studio Stage by an acting company made up of resident ensemble members, student apprentices (from Rosebud School of the Arts) and guest artists from around the world. Guests of the theatre are also treated to a delicious buffet and live music in the historic Mercantile Dining Room.
It has been some years since we last attended the theatre in Rosebud, but I will have to change that, and as I passed through Rosebud, I noticed that "Oliver" is playing throughout the summer ahead.