The untold number of treasures hidden by the city lights are revealed in all their glory in Manitoba's Valleys and Vistas region. A clear dark night unveils the wondrous depths of our universe. Like glowing diamonds floating in a sea of black, the endless starry sky offers a visual feast that truly makes one ponder their place in life and appreciate family, friends, health, and love for what it truly is. So begins life in the Valleys and Vistas.

Days are filled with the classic prairie lifecycles that rotate and change along with the seasons. With deep, penetrating warmth, the spring sun melts a heavy blanket of prairie snow, washing winter away while delivering a warm sense of vibrant renewal . . . an air of country purity fills the lungs to capacity after a fresh spring rainfall. Everywhere you go you'll find budding leaves, singing birds, and trickling creeks that flow into roaring rivers. Hockey sticks and skates are put away, to be replaced with baseball gloves and bats, while winter's snow shovels and mittens are hidden in the back of the garden shed in exchange for rakes, hoes, and garden gloves. Windows open to catch spring's refreshing breezes, and everyone talks about how great the weather is. Romance fills the air. Later in the spring, the distant sounds of farm machinery are everywhere as prairie giants work the land sewing the seeds of hope in autumn's future bounty.. . it's a great time to be alive in the Valleys and Vistas.

Our warm summers are a buzzing fervor of happenings with both work and leisure endeavours. No one can argue about a shortage of things to do during the growing season. People come for hundreds (some thousands) of miles to take in the numerous summer fairs and festivals celebrating art, culture, and music in the Valleys and Vistas.

On any given summer Saturday you can hear the honking of horns as another wedding party cruises the local boulevards announcing the matrimony of more friends. The air fills with laughter music, and friendly shouts of congratulations as people smile at the happy couple.

Locals and visitors alike take advantage of the fresh, crisp garden vegetables available at our farmer's markets. Large white RV's fill the friendly campgrounds, and the mouth-watering smell of hot dogs and barbequed hamburgers wafts gently through the air. The sounds of splashing and the laughter of children are heard by the swimming pools and beaches while people of all ages relax on their beach towels, soaking up the warm summer rays of sunshine.

Cruising the dusty backroads, a bouquet of fresh-cut alfalfa tickles the nostrils, while across the horizon in every direction, large round bales of hay appear almost from nowhere.

Autumn begins in the Valleys and Vistas with an incredible splash of glorious colour throughout the region, as hundreds of thousands of deciduous trees and shrubs exchange their deep green foliage for the rich shades of gold, yellow, and brown. The sound of heavy machinery can once again be heard in the distance, as the season of harvest gets into full swing. An aroma of fresh grain dust fills the air from dawn to well past dusk. Brilliant yellow school busses are once again lumbering up and down the backroads twice daily, and kids sporting their shiny new backpacks and school supplies are hooking up with their friends to boast of their summer adventures.

Sharing in the pleasure of the fall harvest, communities congregate at their respective community centers and dance halls to eat, drink, and laugh with friends and neighbours at the local fall supper. Overhead, large flocks of ducks and geese are both seen and heard crossing the cooling prairiescape. The air takes on a whole new life as breath becomes visible. It refreshes the lungs, and makes one want to inhale deeply.

The nights once again start to become longer, and that huge, deep universe reveals itself more and more. Soon, the wind falls silent, and a deadly calm will fill the air as the first small flakes of snow fall gently from the sky. In glorious hexagonal detail, their crystalline beauty of individuality blankets the earth, and soon the excited shouts of kids are noticed as snowforts and snowman start dotting the landscape. Skis, toboggans, skates, snowmobiles, and old inner-tubes are pulled from storage, and put to work mobilizing the recreational minded. The whining of two-stroke engines, and the glowing of headlights fill the night air and winter enjoyment is in full swing.. . and thus starts the cycle of life in the Valleys and Vistas once again.