Poppies red and golden by Lake Louise

When as a child I first sang the song, I'd never seen the Rocky Mountains.
In my early years on the prairie, the only slope I knew was the coulee.

In school I learned to sing about "Lovely Alberta" long before I'd seen mountains, glaciers, or a jewel called Lake Louise:

"...and the golden poppies are blooming
round the banks of Lake Louise." They still bloom there.

The little gold ones are not native to the region. They're California poppies grown to beautify the gardens of the famed and venerable CPR hotel, the Chateau Lake Louise.

Photos: CT August 2012