Photos, videos and docs of Anne Elliott, with the keywords: "old barn"

Old, red barn

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 16:14:53 +0000

On 11 July 2019, it turned out to be such a great day, with some much-appreciated sightings. I must have spent about 9 hours driving and almost every inch of my body ached like crazy at the end of it. Total distance driven was 461 km, leaving home at 8:45 am and arriving back home 12 hours later, at 8:45 pm. Now, each summer, I try and do two or three longer (for me) drives, to make sure I don't lose the courage to do this.

Weather-wise, it was a beautiful, sunny day, with plenty of white clouds Unlike when I did this drive in August 2018, there was no smoke from any wildfires, thank goodness.

It was a good day for Hawks, seeing some on the way south and a few on the way home. I did spot one Ferruginous Hawk, but it was perched on a very distant fence post. I'm also wondering if one of the 'hawks' was actually an immature Golden Eagle - seen in photo #4 posted this morning. I saw it from a fair distance and I remember thinking what a large hawk it was. Stopping at an angle in the middle of the road, I managed to get one shot before it took off and a couple just as it was doing so.

A couple of Common Nighthawks also helped make my day. For several years, I had longed to see one of these unusual birds and, finally in 2017, I managed to find four of them. In 2018, I was able to find just one. These birds are 9½ inches from the tip of bill to the tip of tail. Very strange looking birds, and always a thrill to see one.

"On warm summer evenings, Common Nighthawks roam the skies over treetops, grasslands, and cities. Their sharp, electric peent call is often the first clue they’re overhead. In the dim half-light, these long-winged birds fly in graceful loops, flashing white patches out past the bend of each wing as they chase insects. These fairly common but declining birds make no nest. Their young are so well camouflaged that they’re hard to find, and even the adults seem to vanish as soon as they land." From AllABoutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id

"North America has 13 nighthawk populations. All but one are in decline and the species is considered threatened in Canada and several U.S. states."

www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-trac...

My actual destination on 11 July 2019 was the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge. I know some people feel that photographing birds that are not out in the wild is cheating. I kind of agree, though I think it's fine as long as someone says where a photo was taken.

This Centre is a wonderful place that rehabilitates and releases (whenever possible) various birds of prey - hawks, owls, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures,and Golden Eagles. Some of these birds act as Wildlife Ambassadors, too, including educating the public away from the Centre. Sometimes, a bird is used as a foster parent, too.

I love the changing scenery as one drives south, and my drive was timed perfectly to catch the golden Canola fields. Maybe half way, I pulled over to take a few photos of an old barn and there was a truck just pulling away. I thought the guy might have been taking photos, too. We got talking and one of the things we both said was that we had never seen a blue field of Flax Later in my drive, guess what I found : ) Looked beautiful, with blue on one side of the road and a field of yellow Canola on the opposite side.

This was definitely a rewarding day, full of sightings of all kinds. My favourite kind of day!

Treasures in the yellow strip

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Wed, 02 Aug 2017 17:09:08 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

"In the 1970s, canola was created through traditional plant cross-breeding by removing two things found in the rapeseed plant: glucosinolates and erucic acid. Erucic acid was removed because it was believed to be inedible or toxic in high doses. The newly developed plant was renamed "canola" – a combination of "Canadian" and "Oil" (or ola) to make this difference apparent." From the link below.

www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-canola-and...

I absolutely love the time of year when the fields turn bright yellow with the Canola flowers. Canada Day was the first day I had been out when I saw any fields with the crop fully in bloom. I have to admit that I don't like the smell of Canola, but the colour is so spectacular and pretty. In this shot, the sky is beginning to darken, ready to rain a little later.

This cluster of old, wooden buildings used to be part of a CPR Demonstration Farm. A while ago, I posted a photo taken at the same time, of just the two old barns on the right, but thought I would add this one, showing the complete farm.

"The home, the barn, everything seen in this yard once served a rather unique and special purpose. Operating as a fully functioning “demonstration farm”, near Vulcan Alberta, and tied to the Canadian Pacific Railway, it was a show piece of sorts a century ago, promoting the region’s agricultural potential. Prospective settlers would be told where to acquire land and of course similar farm buildings, what crops to grow and how to do it efficiently, what equipment to purchase, what techniques to use and so on.

The CPR had a vested interest, of course, in the success of this endeavour. They’d profit both on the sale of these kit farms and then again, many-fold, on the resultant business brought to the railway through the moving of inbound materials needed by all those new settlers; and outbound agricultural products the area would produce. And the transporting of people in and out, all the stuff needed for new towns that would spring up, and any industry established there, they too all moved by railway. It was win-win for the CPR!" From bigdoer website.

www.bigdoer.com/27596/exploring-history/cpr-demonstration...

On 1 July 2017, I had such a great day, spent with friend, Pam. I picked her up just after 8:00 am and did a long drive in Southern Alberta. We saw our target bird - a Common Nighthawk, and all sorts of other things including plants and old barns. It took a round trip of 414 km to get the Nighthawks, but it was so worth it! Much further than I normally drive.

Towards the end of our day, the rain arrived, accompanied by lightning streaks. This couldn't have been timed more perfectly, to wash off a lot of the dust that covered my car after 12 hours of driving hot, dusty roads! So welcome! Since this outing, it has been one long heatwave - till yesterday, 1 August 2017, when we finally had light rain and it was 'cold'. Felt absolutely wonderful.

It was such a thrill to see a Common Nighthawk / Chordeiles minor (a rather strange looking bird), as I had always wanted to see one actually lying on a fence post or wooden railing. People get such amazing photos of them like that, and that is what I was determined to find this summer. Last year, I had driven to this area in Southern Alberta, hoping to find one, but had been out of luck. Though most of my photos were of them lying on a hard, metal railing that lacked character, I'm still happy as can be. Not only did friend Pam and I see this one, but there were three other Nighthawks there, too. Two of the others were also on a metal rail, but the fourth was on a fence post - not the best angle, but it was still nice to see a fence post perch. How close we came to missing them! I said I wanted to just check the first part of a small side road first, before continuing on the road we were on - and there they were! I had seen a nighthawk on maybe five different occasions over the years, but most were in flight and one was perched very high up in a tree. For Pam, this was the first time she had ever seen one, and she was so happy to see this lifer.

"On warm summer evenings, Common Nighthawks roam the skies over treetops, grasslands, and cities. Their sharp, electric peent call is often the first clue they’re overhead. In the dim half-light, these long-winged birds fly in graceful loops, flashing white patches out past the bend of each wing as they chase insects. These fairly common but declining birds make no nest. Their young are so well camouflaged that they’re hard to find, and even the adults seem to vanish as soon as they land." From AllABoutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id

I was so tired after driving such a long distance and it was a hot day - the temperature got up to 30C. I so rarely do such a long drive, and I've barely driven all winter and spring. It felt so good to actually get out on a long drive like this, and we saw all sorts of interesting things that we just had to stop and photograph - of course!

I LOVE Canola

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Mon, 03 Jul 2017 14:56:05 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Just in case ipernity does not continue, I and all my photos can be found at www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott.

"In the 1970s, canola was created through traditional plant cross-breeding by removing two things found in the rapeseed plant: glucosinolates and erucic acid. Erucic acid was removed because it was believed to be inedible or toxic in high doses. The newly developed plant was renamed "canola" – a combination of "Canadian" and "Oil" (or ola) to make this difference apparent." From the link below.

www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-canola-and...

I absolutely love the time of year when the fields turn bright yellow with the Canola flowers. The day before yesterday was the first day I had been out when I saw any fields with the crop fully in bloom. I have to admit that I don't like the smell of Canola, but the colour is so spectacular and pretty.

These two old, wooden barns were part of a CPR Demonstration Farm. I have added a previously posted photo in a comment box below, showing the whole farm.

"The home, the barn, everything seen in this yard once served a rather unique and special purpose. Operating as a fully functioning “demonstration farm”, near Vulcan Alberta, and tied to the Canadian Pacific Railway, it was a show piece of sorts a century ago, promoting the region’s agricultural potential. Prospective settlers would be told where to acquire land and of course similar farm buildings, what crops to grow and how to do it efficiently, what equipment to purchase, what techniques to use and so on.

The CPR had a vested interest, of course, in the success of this endeavour. They’d profit both on the sale of these kit farms and then again, many-fold, on the resultant business brought to the railway through the moving of inbound materials needed by all those new settlers; and outbound agricultural products the area would produce. And the transporting of people in and out, all the stuff needed for new towns that would spring up, and any industry established there, they too all moved by railway. It was win-win for the CPR!" From bigdoer website.

www.bigdoer.com/27596/exploring-history/cpr-demonstration...

The day before yesterday, 1 July 2017, was a great day, spent with friend, Pam. I picked her up just after 8:00 am and did a long drive in Southern Alberta. We saw our target bird - a Common Nighthawk, and all sorts of other things including plants and old barns. It took a round trip of 414 km to get the Nighthawks, but it was so worth it! Much further than I normally drive and I am still tired as can be today. Towards the end of our day, the rain arrived, accompanied by lightning streaks. This couldn't have been timed more perfectly, to wash off a lot of the dust that covered my car after 12 hours of driving hot, dusty roads! So welcome! We have another hot day today and the forecast is for very hot days for at least the next week. So far, the forecast is 33C for Friday, 35C for Saturday and 31C for Sunday.

it was such a thrill to see a Common Nighthawk / Chordeiles minor (a rather strange looking bird), as I had always wanted to see one actually lying on a fence post or wooden railing. People get such amazing photos of them like that, and that is what I was determined to find this summer. Last year, I had driven to this area in Southern Alberta, hoping to find one, but had been out of luck. Though I ended up with the one in the photo I posted yesterday, lying on a hard, metal railing that lacked character, I'm still happy as can be. Not only did friend Pam and I see this one, but there were three other Nighthawks there, too. Two of the others were also on a metal rail, but the fourth was on a fence post - not the best angle, but it was still nice to see a fence post perch. How close we came to missing them. I said I wanted to just check the first part of a small side road first, before continuing on the road we were on - and there they were! I had seen a nighthawk on maybe five different occasions over the years, but most were in flight and one was perched very high up in a tree. For Pam, this was the first time she had ever seen one, and she was so happy to see this lifer.

"On warm summer evenings, Common Nighthawks roam the skies over treetops, grasslands, and cities. Their sharp, electric peent call is often the first clue they’re overhead. In the dim half-light, these long-winged birds fly in graceful loops, flashing white patches out past the bend of each wing as they chase insects. These fairly common but declining birds make no nest. Their young are so well camouflaged that they’re hard to find, and even the adults seem to vanish as soon as they land." From AllABoutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id

I was so tired after driving such a long distance and it was a hot day - the temperature got up to 30C. I so rarely do such a long drive, and I've barely driven all winter and spring. It felt so good to actually get out on a long drive like this, and we saw all sorts of interesting things that we just had to stop and photograph - of course!

Every single time I go out with my camera for a drive, I never forget to be SO thankful to live in a country where I have the freedom and safety to go where I want, and to see such beauty. Thank you, Alberta and Albertans - and Happy 150th Birthday, Canada! Such a young country.

Snow turns something ordinary into beautiful

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 17:05:44 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Two afternoons ago, on 3 January 2017, on the spur of the moment, I decided to drive SE of the city and see if I could find a Snowy Owl or possibly even a Short-eared Owl. The temperature was -11C, windchill -20C. The sun was shining, which makes all the difference.

I had no idea what the winter roads would be like and quickly found out that on the main highway south, there was enough snow left on the road, for much of the drive, to hide the lines showing the different lanes - something that I never like. Once I reached the area I wanted to start looking, each side road looked too snow-covered for my liking, so I ended up staying on two of the main roads - seeing nothing but a barn and a shed or two - and a Great Horned Owl (photo posted yesterday)!

I had seen and photographed the owl barn (not the one in this photo) before and I had also recently seen a photo of it with a Great Horned Owl perched on it, posted by a friend. I had not set out to drive quite that far, as Snowy Owls were what I had really wanted to search for. Also, experience told me that just because an owl (or any bird) is seen in a place by one person, it doesn't mean that it will be there again on a different day. I was certainly lucky this time! From that far away, to anyone driving by, the owl looked just like part of the barn.

So, a short, limited drive, but the owl was a highlight. More snow is forecast on quite a few of the coming days, so I'm not sure when I will be brave enough to try another drive, especially along any backroads. "Bitter cold ahead for Alberta in January" is what the weather network says. Getting stuck in the middle of nowhere in spring or summer is one thing, but to get stuck when the temperature is in the -20's is something very different.

Can you see what I see?

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 12:16:56 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Not the most exciting image until you finally spot what I found when I was editing this photo : ) I certainly didn't see the owl when I was actually taking the photo. Fortunately, I had zoomed in as far as I could, as the barn is on private property, so I couldn't get closer.

After two whole weeks of not getting a chance to go anywhere, including looking for Snowy Owls, I finally drove SE of the city on 13 December 2016, for a few hours. The weather had warmed up a little, after we had been getting windchills down as low as -34C. I just don't see the point of risking getting stuck along some country backroad during a deep-freeze. As it was, I did have a few minutes of panic when I couldn't get my car to start after getting out to take a few photos. The message on the start button said "Power is on", yet it would not do anything. When I pushed the button again, all the usual things came on, but the car still wouldn't drive. Eventually, after quite a few tries, I did get it to work, to my enormous relief.

My whole drive was along roads that I had driven before, some only once. Last winter, I had driven part of this area and saw several Snowy Owls, but they were no more than the tiniest white specks in the distance. In fact, during the winter of 2015/2016, I didn't see a single Snowy up close anywhere, though this was mainly because I wasn't able to get out there to look..

For most of this most recent drive, I didn't see any owls, but then my luck changed, and I ended up seeing two Snowies. After driving quite a few backroads, I spotted the first one along a main road. The second owl was along a backroad.and further away. My fully zoomed photos of both owls are still not close. Unfortunately, I was not the only one to find the first owl - a large flock of 50 or 60 Snow Buntings had also spotted it and were harassing it, making it fly off before I got the chance to get better photos.

After stopping to watch this first owl, I went back to the side roads, where I came across the second owl, perched on top of a tall power pole. Though it was a long way down the road, it flew a few seconds later, landing near the top of a huge, bare tree that was even further away. I've only ever seen a Snowy in a tree a few times.

Feeling happy to have found two of these gorgeous birds, I decided to drive to see two favourite old things - the little country church at Dinton, and Superman's old barn and homestead, used in the 1978 Superman movie. I love photographing these old structures. Actually, the tiny church in Dinton was also used in a movie - Brokeback Mountain.

"Although the tiny town of Dinton, AB does not appear on most maps, it now occupies a place in motion picture history. Locations Manager Darryl Solly was asked to find a “small unadorned church” for the del Mar wedding scene in the movie, Brokeback Mountain. The unassuming Anglican chapel at Dinton, built by prairie pioneers in 1906, shown here in these exclusive pre-production photos, was the perfect spot for Alma and Ennis to be married."

The movie stars Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams and depicts the complex romantic and sexual relationship between two men in the American West from 1963 to 1983.

www.findingbrokeback.com/Albums/StThomasChurch.html

www.ourroots.ca/e/roots/lh6/lh6b0057.jpg

Happy with my findings, it was time to start on my homeward journey, as I didn't want to be on the main highway in the dark. There was just time for me to call in quickly at the Saskatoon Farm, only to find that the restaurant had closed about 20 minutes early, so I was out of luck for my usual Quiche and Sweet Potato fries. Saskatoon Pie was still available, which nicely filled the void, having missed my lunch. A cup of coffee came in handy for my drive home, too.

One of my favourite barns

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 18:16:55 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

I think I first saw this barn in March 2014 and it was immediately one of my favourites. Unfortunately, it is way across a huge field, so I had to zoom right in from the road.

After two whole weeks of not getting a chance to go anywhere, including looking for Snowy Owls, I finally drove SE of the city six days ago, on 13 December 2016, for a few hours. The weather had warmed up a little, after we had been getting windchills down as low as -34C. I just don't see the point of risking getting stuck along some country backroad during a deep-freeze. As it was, I did have a few minutes of panic when I couldn't get my car to start after getting out to take a few photos. The message on the start button said "Power is on", yet it would not do anything. When I pushed the button again, all the usual things came on, but the car still wouldn't drive. Eventually, after quite a few tries, I did get it to work, to my enormous relief.

My whole drive was along roads that I had driven before, some only once. Last winter, I had driven part of this area and saw several Snowy Owls, but they were no more than the tiniest white specks in the distance. In fact, during the winter of 2015/2016, I didn't see a single Snowy up close anywhere.

For most of this most recent drive, I didn't see any, but then my luck changed, and I ended up seeing two owls. After driving quite a few backroads, I spotted the first one along a main road; the second owl was along a backroad.and further away. My fully zoomed photos of both owls are still not close. Unfortunately, I was not the only one to find the first owl - a large flock of 50 or 60 Snow Buntings had also spotted it and were harassing it, making it fly off before I got the chance to get better photos.

After stopping to watch this first owl, I went back to the side roads, where I came across the second owl, perched on top of a tall power pole. Though it was a long way down the road, it flew a few seconds later, landing near the top of a huge, bare tree that was even further away. I've only ever seen a Snowy in a tree a few times.

Feeling happy to have found two of these gorgeous birds, I decided to drive to see two favourite old things - the little country church at Dinton, and Superman's old barn and homestead, used in the 1978 Superman movie. I love photographing these old structures. Actually, the tiny church in Dinton was also used in a movie - Brokeback Mountain.

"Although the tiny town of Dinton, AB does not appear on most maps, it now occupies a place in motion picture history. Locations Manager Darryl Solly was asked to find a “small unadorned church” for the del Mar wedding scene in the movie, Brokeback Mountain. The unassuming Anglican chapel at Dinton, built by prairie pioneers in 1906, shown here in these exclusive pre-production photos, was the perfect spot for Alma and Ennis to be married."

The movie stars Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams and depicts the complex romantic and sexual relationship between two men in the American West from 1963 to 1983.

www.findingbrokeback.com/Albums/StThomasChurch.html

www.ourroots.ca/e/roots/lh6/lh6b0057.jpg

Happy with my findings, it was time to start on my homeward journey, as I didn't want to be on the main highway in the dark. There was just time for me to call in quickly at the Saskatoon Farm, only to find that the restaurant had closed about 20 minutes early, so I was out of luck for my usual Quiche and Sweet Potato fries. Saskatoon Pie was still available, which nicely filled the void, having missed my lunch. A cup of coffee came in handy for my drive home, too.

Hanging on till the final fall

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 17:28:39 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

JELLYFIELDS - warning!

A few days ago, I did a Google search to see what blogs have used my photos. Many of them asked permission before hand, but, needless to say, others did not. If you post photos anywhere on the Internet, that is unfortunately just a fact of life. I just scrolled down, clicking on each one in turn. When I clicked on one website in the search result list, I discovered that not only were a lot of my photos being displayed, but they were also mixed in with a pile of pornographic videos and photos. According to someone on the Flickr Help Forum, these photos were probably taken from the Jellyfields website before they disabled right-click. Not impressed one bit, I contacted Jellyfields and asked for all my photos to be removed from their site. James was in touch with me immediately and, after getting me to confirm that the displayed photos were mine, said they will remove my photos as requested. He was surprised that nature/wildlife photos would be stolen and added to a porn site, but that is exactly what has happened. Haven't yet found a way to contact the porn site, Tumview.com to demand my photos be removed. I should add that Jellyfields does refer photos back to Flickr, saying to check what the copyright is for each photo.

Who needs all this hassle?!!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have photographed this old barn a few times before. I always wonder how much longer it will remain standing. Took a few shots using several different "effects" settings and thought this black and white version was a bit different from my usual photos.

Wednesday, 20 July 2016, was a day of adventure for me. I drove further than I have ever driven before (way, way SE of the city) - it must have been somewhere between 400 and 500 km total. No big deal for many of you, but for me (and as someone with a driving phobia), it WAS a big deal : ) I was totally exhausted and my poor shoulder rotator cuffs were complaining like crazy, BUT, I had a great time - just a couple of moments of 'panic', when I thought I was lost, and when I noticed that I was seeing different species of wildflowers and definitely a different landscape.

I eventually left home at 11:00 am, a good couple of hours later than I had intended. I wasn't sure how long it was going to take me to get to where I wanted to get, so I had wanted to allow plenty of hours for this journey. I had been on the road for about three hours by the time I got there, but did stop at various places en route. The first part of my drive was along familiar roads - called in at Frank Lake just to check along the gravel road leading to the gate. An Eastern Kingbird was the only species I saw.

From there, I kept driving east on h'way 23, stopping briefly to photograph one of my favourite old houses. This highway eventually bends southwards and leads to Vulcan. I had only ever once driven as far as Vulcan, and that was on 30 March 2015. I had to stop again, like last year, and take a few photos of the cluster of old sheds, barn (not the one in this photo) and house, before continuing on my way.

From here until I reached my destination, was all new to me. Exciting and anxiety-causing, all at the same time. I drove further east and then turned south and found myself in a different kind of landscape, with a few interesting birds and plants to see and photograph, including a Ferruginous Hawk (three, actually) and wild sunflowers. I was in tall wind turbine country - which told me how far south I had come. The colours of some of the fields were unusual, too. Along one road, I had a Swainson's Hawk who perched nicely on a fence post at first and then circled overhead and followed my vehicle further down the road. Think it may have been a juvenile, screeching for its parents to come and feed it. Also saw a Mourning Dove on a fence post and what turned out to be a juvenile Horned Lark. Actually, there were a lot of Horned Larks that day. I tend to forget that we can see them in summer time.

After travelling westwards and then north and west again, I found myself heading towards Frank Lake. It was along this road that I spotted some kind of shorebird perched on a fence post. Too late to stop, so I turned around and then slowly drove back to the bird - a Marbled Godwit, giving me a nice, sideways pose. It was still daylight, so I decided to try one more time along the gravel road leading to the gate at Frank Lake. Here, I had another nice sighting - friend, Debbie : ) A great day with an enjoyable ending.

Bright and cheery in its old age

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 17:43:34 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

On 18 July 2016, I had a wonderful day out NE of the city with my daughter. The last time I actually drove eastwards was about six months ago, when I was shooting Short-eared Owls near the end of January. The last time (also the first time) I had ever driven out as far as Drumheller was on 29 September 2014. A few times, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, my daughter and I had a great time exploring some of the roads between Calgary and Drumheller.

There were a handful of things or places we wanted to check out, but many things were total surprises. We knew we wanted to see fields, yellow fields full of canola as far as the eye could see. No disappointment there as we took in the gorgeous colour and the perhaps not so pleasant smell of this crop. When we were driving through regular, green landscapes, it all seemed so 'ordinary' after being treated to vibrant gold.

As well as canola fields, we also knew of a particular grain elevator and nearby old barn that we were keen to see. There was also an old, two-storey house in a hilly setting that we knew would have to be photographed from a great distance, but we were curious about it. There was also a small wetland that I wanted to drive by, just in case there was something to see. How glad we were that we went, as a magnificent Black-crowned Night-heron was posing nicely on a post, out in the open. This was the first time I had ever seen one close, so it made my day. At least, an adult - in October 2015, I had seen a gorgeous juvenile in Fish Creek Park.

Continuing on our way, we stopped to take a couple of quick shots of an Eastern Kingbird and then my daughter spotted a dark patch just above ground level, hidden in the bushes. It turned out to be an Eastern Kingbird's nest, with what looked like three large babies in it. No idea how she caught sight of this, but it was a treat to see.

Soon after this, we stopped to photograph two beautiful red barns (one of them seen in this photo, the other hidden behind it on the right hand side of photo) and then stopped again to photograph a Western Kingbird. This is not a bird I normally see, so i was very happy to catch sight of this one.

A short drive further, we spotted a distant shorebird standing on a fence post - and then a second one a few posts away. At first, we thought maybe they were Wilson's Snipe, but then realized that they were something different - two beautiful Upland Sandpipers! I had seen one a number of years ago, but it was too far away for a photo. These are uncommon in Alberta. So, another very lucky find.

It was a pretty good day for hawks, too - so much so, that I got a gentle reminder form my daughter that I didn't need to photograph EVERY hawk we saw, lol. We had other places and other things that we wanted to get to.

As well as birds and beautiful scenery, we saw several old barns, including a special small shed/granary. Each year, the farmer allows the graduating class from the local high school to decorate this old building in any way they wish. A fun idea and it certainly adds a splash of colour. I was absolutely fascinated to read a little bit of history from someone who was a contact of mine on Flickr two or three years ago. Her Grandmother was apparently born in this house/shed. It was later converted to a granary and now, of course, has become the canvas for local students.

One of our main goals was to visit the old grain elevator at Sharples. I had wanted to visit there for quite a while and finally, we made it. Unfortunately, the elevator and nearby barn were in shadow, but it was great to see both old structures. We also passed another old elevator when we were driving along the road north of the river, on the way to Drumheller. This, needless to say, meant another stop for photos.

A great day of fun, seeing and photographing such a variety of things. Beautiful weather and, best of all, a day spent with my daughter. Thanks so much, Rachel - glad you felt up to a day out, but sorry you got so many mosquito bites!

Total driving distance, round-trip: approximately 397 km, 247 miles.

Still standing

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Tue, 10 May 2016 14:55:15 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

As so often happens, I had a real problem with heat haze distortion on this trip. Adding a filter in post-processing helps add sharpness and detail and can 'save' an image that might otherwise be deleted.

Hard to believe that this was WINTER! What a wonderfully mild winter we had, 2015/2016. Though this photo was taken on 19 February 2016, many of the fields outside Calgary were completely bare, while others still had snow cover.

I came across this very old barn when I was exploring some backroads SE of Calgary. The reason I wanted to make this drive was that friend Phil S. had posted a few photos of a beautiful little white country church; one that I hadn’t seen before. He told me where to find it and this was enough motivation for me to drive some roads that were new to me. Thanks so much, Phil! The church was the Davisburg Community Church, SE of Calgary.

From this location, I drove further SE and covered some of the same roads and backroads that I drove on 15 February. It turned out to be more of a barn day than a birding trip, as the only birds I saw were several Pigeons and a number of Magpies. I really wasn’t looking for birds, though, as my attention was on the road and which direction I was going, trying not to get lost.

The sun was shining early on, but more and more clouds gradually moved in, making quite a beautiful sight over the distant mountains.

After a while, I realized that I could perhaps just make it as far as the Saskatoon Farm in time to order a home-made pizza to take home with me. However, when I got there, I was told that they had stopped making these several months ago. Instead, I decided to stay and have a meal there - quiche and sweet potato fries. Made a very pleasant ending to an enjoyable afternoon.

An old barn in winter

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 05 May 2016 16:59:49 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

This old barn was seen on 12 February 2015, which was spent SE of the city, with friends Cathy and Terry. They picked me up around 7:00 am and I think I was home somewhere around 7:30 pm, after a great day of searching for owls, barns, and anything else that caught our eye. The weather was beautiful, though cloudy part of the day. The temperature reached a brief high of +13C around 1:00 and 2:00 pm, which felt so good, especially for mid-winter.

Many of the roads we travelled along were roads that I had driven on myself, some of them many times. A few of the roads were new to me, which was a treat, including a "trail" that was so deeply rutted and snow-covered that I'm amazed that we ever got out of there! This track and another backroad that was new to me led to a few old barns that I really appreciated being shown. I can't remember where I took this particular barn. It's strange how some fields in the whole area were more or less bare and yet others had a lot of snow covering the stubble, with piles of snow lining the edges of the road.

As far as wildlife was concerned, we saw 11 owls - 8 Snowy Owls and 3 Great Horned Owls. The Snowies, other than one perched on a "Wrong Way" sign, were all extremely distant, so my photos are of white specks in a nice setting, ha. If I hadn't been with two people who can spot "everything", I'm sure that I would never have found most of these owls!

Other birds included a flock of Snow Buntings plus two individuals that were actually perched on a fence. Another bird we saw was a beautiful Prairie Falcon perched on an electricity pylon. Also a group of Grey Partridge that suddenly flew before we had noticed them.

Roof shingles galore

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 14:48:43 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Hard to believe that this was WINTER! What a wonderfully mild winter we had, 2015/2016. Though this photo was taken on 19 February 2016, many of the fields outside Calgary were completely bare, while others still had snow cover.

I came across this beautiful old barn on 19th February, when I was exploring some backroads SE of Calgary. I think I first saw this barn in March 2014 and it was immediately one of my favourites, but I hadn't been able to find it again. Unfortunately, it is way across a huge field on private land, so I had to zoom right in from the road.

The reason I wanted to make this drive was that friend Phil S. had posted a few photos of a beautiful little white country church; one that I hadn’t seen before. He told me where to find it and this was enough motivation for me to drive some roads that were new to me. Thanks so much, Phil! The church was the Davisburg Community Church, SE of Calgary.

From this location, I drove further SE and covered some of the same roads and backroads that I drove on 15 February. It turned out to be more of a barn day than a birding trip, as the only birds I saw were several Pigeons and a number of Magpies. I really wasn’t looking for birds, though, as my attention was on the road and which direction I was going, trying not to get lost.

The sun was shining early on, but more and more clouds gradually moved in, making quite a beautiful sight over the distant mountains.

After a while, I realized that I could perhaps just make it as far as the Saskatoon Farm in time to order a home-made pizza to take home with me. However, when I got there, I was told that they had stopped making these several months ago. Instead, I decided to stay and have a meal there - quiche and sweet potato fries. Made a very pleasant ending to an enjoyable afternoon.

A white barn from yesterday

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Wed, 06 Apr 2016 15:29:07 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

William J. Bagnall Wilderness Park is named after Mountain View County’s first reeve, who served in the position from 1961 to 1981 and also served as a councillor until 1985. The William J. Bagnall Wilderness Park is located seven kilometres west of Water Valley just off Highway 579.

"Remediation efforts for the wilderness park were undertaken after the area was made inaccessible following the flood of 2005. Included in the upgrades is a new entry and parking lot on the south side (just off Highway 579); two walking trails that will form a 1.2-kilometre loop; a historical sign detailing the history of the site as a coal mining area; a small picnic area, including outhouses, tables and pest-proof containers; along with several stairways for steep-grade accessibility." From an article in the Mountainview Gazette on 14 June 2011.

www.mountainviewgazette.ca/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201...

This was my very first visit to this wilderness park. A couple of friends had mentioned it a few days ago and I finally decided to go and explore part of the area.

Yesterday, 5 April 2016, I had to remove my car from my parking lot so that it could be cleaned. I don't have a current street pass, so I knew that I had a few hours to kill before I could get back home. The notice said that cleaning would start at 12:00 noon, so at 11:40 am, I was on my way, heading NW of the city. There was no way I was going to set my alarm clocks for 5:00 am again, so I thought I would do an afternoon/evening drive for a change. I was hoping that I might just see one of the Great Gray Owls, but there was nothing in sight, other than a couple of Ravens and a pair of distant Mountain Bluebirds. It was kind of amusing, as there was one other car up there, moving very slowly. Turned out to be a man who told me that he had never once been there without seeing a Great Grey Owl. Well, I jokingly told him that maybe I would end up changing that for him - and sure enough, not a single owl. He's probably hoping that he never runs into me again, lol!

After calling in at the little store in Water Valley, I drove westwards, a road I had never driven before, and eventually reached the William J. Bagnall WIlderness Park. I can't remember exactly where the park began, but I think this farm and old barn were just before the park started.

The scenery was beautiful, with many treed ridges with small creeks in between (see the third photo I posted today). There were still patches of ice in places - something I hadn't seen for quite a while. I didn't look for birds, as I was so focused on the road ahead. A wide road, but slightly muddy gravel which made the car 'slide' a little. I'm not quite sure just where the road goes in the park, but I turned around when I came to a fork in the road and the roads became very narrow. I wasn't sure if I was allowed to drive in either direction. Oh, yes, I had forgotten, early on, I had come to a sign telling drivers that they would be driving at their own risk! I never like seeing these signs, ha, including knowing that my car is now 17 years old.

After the long drive back to the city, I was tired and just wanted to go straight home. However, I knew I just had to go and wash my absolutely filthy vehicle that was caked in so much dried mud from so many back road drives recently. Didn't want the mud falling on to a newly cleaned parking space. Took forever to wash,, but now simply gleams (temporarily!). Guess what I discovered when I did reach home - the parking lot had NOT been cleaned after all ... sigh.

One of my favourite barns

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 13 Mar 2016 12:11:01 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Hard to believe that this was WINTER! What a wonderfully mild winter we have been having. Though this photo was taken on 19 February 2016, many of the fileds outside Calgary were bare, while others still had snow cover.

I came across this beautiful old barn on 19th February, when I was exploring some backroads SE of Calgary. I think I first saw this barn in March 2014 and it was immediately one of my favourites. Unfortunately, it is way across a huge field, so I had to zoom right in from the road.

The reason I wanted to make this drive was that friend Phil S. had posted a few photos of a beautiful little white country church; one that I hadn’t seen before. He told me where to find it and this was enough motivation for me to drive some roads that were new to me. Thanks so much, Phil! The church was the Davisburg Community Church, SE of Calgary.

From this location, I drove further SE and covered some of the same roads and backroads that I drove on 15 February. It turned out to be more of a barn day than a birding trip, as the only birds I saw were several Pigeons and a number of Magpies. I really wasn’t looking for birds, though, as my attention was on the road and which direction I was going, trying not to get lost.

The sun was shining early on, but more and more clouds gradually moved in, making quite a beautiful sight over the distant mountains.

After a while, I realized that I could perhaps just make it as far as the Saskatoon Farm in time to order a home-made pizza to take home with me. However, when I got there, I was told that they had stopped making these several months ago. Instead, I decided to stay and have a meal there - quiche and sweet potato fries. Made a very pleasant ending to an enjoyable afternoon.

Farmyard scene on the prairie

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 12 Mar 2016 14:51:24 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Hard to believe that this is WINTER! What a wonderfully mild winter we have been having. However, I looked at the weather forecast for the next little while and saw snowflake icons on far too many days!

I came across this beautiful red barn and old windmill on 19th February 2016, when I was exploring some new backroads SE of Calgary. The reason I wanted to make this drive was that friend Phil S. had posted a few photos of a beautiful little white country church; one that I hadn’t seen before. He told me where to find it and this was enough motivation for me to drive some roads that were new to me. Thanks so much, Phil! The church was the Davisburg Community Church.

From this location, I drove SE towards the Blackie area and covered some of the same roads and backroads that I drove on 15 February. It turned out to be more of a barn day than a birding trip, as all I saw were several Pigeons and a number of Magpies. I really wasn’t looking for birds, though, as my attention was on the road and which direction I was going, trying not to get lost.

The sun was shining early on, but more and more clouds gradually moved in, making quite a beautiful sight over the distant mountains.

After a while, I realized that I could perhaps just make it as far as the Saskatoon Farm in time to order a home-made pizza to take home with me. However, when I got there, I was told that they had stopped making these several months ago. Instead, I decided to stay and have a meal there - quiche and sweet potato fries. Made a very pleasant ending to an enjoyable afternoon.

A cluster of red barns

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 12:37:20 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Hard to believe that this is WINTER! Many fields outside the city are completely bare of snow; others still have some lingering snow.

I came across this group of red barns on 19th February 2016, when I was exploring some new backroads SE of Calgary. The reason I wanted to make this drive was that friend Phil S. had posted a few photos of a beautiful little white country church; one that I hadn’t seen before. He told me where to find it and this was enough motivation for me to drive some roads that were new to me. Thanks so much, Phil! The church is the Davisburg Community Church, SE of Calgary.

From this location, I drove SE towards the Blackie area and covered some of the same roads and backroads that I drove on 15 February. It turned out to be more of a barn day than a birding trip, as all I saw were several Pigeons and a number of Magpies. I really wasn’t looking for birds, though, as my attention was on the road and which direction I was going, trying not to get lost.

The sun was shining early on, but more and more clouds gradually moved in, making quite a beautiful sight over the distant mountains.

After a while, I realized that I could perhaps just make it as far as the Saskatoon Farm in time to order a home-made pizza to take home with me. However, when I got there, I was told that they had stopped making these several months ago. Instead, I decided to stay and have a meal there - quiche and sweet potato fries. Made a very pleasant ending to an enjoyable afternoon.

Old barn with a different style

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 15:56:22 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Hard to believe that this is WINTER! Some fields outside the city are completely bare of snow; others still look pretty white.

I came across this old, wooden barn on 19th February 2016, when I was exploring some new backroads SE of Calgary. The reason I wanted to make this drive was that friend Phil S. had posted a few photos of a beautiful little white country church; one that I hadn’t seen before. He told me where to find it and this was enough motivation for me to drive some roads that were new to me. Thanks so much, Phil! The church is the Davisburg Community Church, SE of Calgary. I could find nothing online about this church, but then Phil sent me the link to a wedding that was held there, showing the inside and outside.

greenweddingshoes.com/tiny-white-church-in-a-field-wedding/

The church and small cemetery are fenced off, though I did notice one small section of fence along the road had been destroyed – hopefully not by photographers wanting to get a different angle! There is also a No Trespassing sign there. I was able to get two or three angles from the ditch along the road.

From this location, I drove SE towards the Blackie area and covered some of the same roads and backroads that I drove on 15 February. It turned out to be more of a barn day than a birding trip, as all I saw were several Pigeons and a number of Magpies. I really wasn’t looking for birds, though, as my attention was on the road and which direction I was going, trying not to get lost.

The sun was shining early on, but more and more clouds gradually moved in, making quite a beautiful sight over the distant mountains.

After a while, I realized that I could perhaps just make it as far as the Saskatoon Farm in time to order a home-made pizza to take home with me. However, when I got there, I was told that they had stopped making these several months ago. Instead, I decided to stay and have a meal there - quiche and sweet potato fries. Made a very pleasant ending to an enjoyable afternoon.

The best colour to see in winter

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 16:29:48 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

On 25 January 2016, after staying away from the Short-eared Owls for a week, I decided I would go back and see if one of them might just happen to land on something a little bit closer. Also, the weather forecast for the day was for sunshine and cloud, but the forecast for later in the week was for more snow.

I had somewhat better luck, but the owls were still some distance away, so I had to fully zoom (48x), which resulted in less than sharp photos. Needless to say, though, I was thrilled to get a few better looks at these beautiful owls. This does seem to be a good winter for this species, which is exciting. Even so, a tremendous amount of patience is needed.

While on my travels, I photographed this lovely old barn again. I love seeing red barns, especially in winter, contrasting with the surrounding snow. Always so sad to see beautiful structures falling into a bad state of repair, but I'm sure many farmers have more urgent things on which to spend their money and time.

An interesting link, with the information below, that answers the question: "WHY ARE BARNS USUALLY PAINTED RED?"

home.howstuffworks.com/question635.htm

"If you've ever driven through a rural area, it's likely that you've seen the red barns that speckle the farming landscape. There are several theories as to why barns are painted red.

Centuries ago, European farmers would seal the wood on their barns with an oil, often linseed oil -- a tawny-colored oil derived from the seed of the flax plant. They would paint their barns with a linseed-oil mixture, often consisting of additions such as milk and lime. The combination produced a long-lasting paint that dried and hardened quickly. (Today, linseed oil is sold in most home-improvement stores as a wood sealant). Now, where does the red come from?

In historically accurate terms, "barn red" is not the bright, fire-engine red that we often see today, but more of a burnt-orange red. As to how the oil mixture became traditionally red, there are two predominant theories. One is that wealthy farmers added blood from a recent slaughter to the oil mixture. As the paint dried, it turned from a bright red to a darker, burnt red. The other is that farmers added ferrous oxide, otherwise known as rust, to the oil mixture. Rust was plentiful on farms and is a poison to many fungi, including mold and moss, which were known to grown on barns. These fungi would trap moisture in the wood, increasing decay.

Regardless of how the farmer tinted his paint, having a red barn became a fashionable thing. They were a sharp contrast to the traditional white farmhouse. As European settlers crossed over to America, they brought with them the tradition of red barns. In the mid to late 1800s, as paints began to be produced with chemical pigments, red paint was the most inexpensive to buy. Red was the color of favor until whitewash became cheaper, at which point white barns began to spring up. Today, the color of barns can vary, often depending on how the barns are used."

Fenced in

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 16:42:47 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

I put this photo through a filter in post-processing and preferred this somewhat more detailed result than the original. Unfortunately, the light was fading when I started my drive back to the city and stopped to take a quick couple of shots. This old barn was in the same farmyard as the collapsing barn posted yesterday. Always so sad to see beautiful structures falling into such a bad state of repair, but I'm sure many farmers have more urgent things on which to spend their money.

Two days ago, on 17 January 2016, I finally got out for a much-needed drive out of the city. It seems ages since I did this, but I had some time, the sun was making its way through the clouds, and I had plucked up the courage to go east from the city. Recently, I was out that way on a birding trip with a group and we had seen a total of 6 extremely distant Short-eared Owls (3 pairs) at different locations. So, I was really hoping that my courage would be rewarded by spotting at least one owl : )

I was so fortunate to see several beautiful Short-eared Owls. They were way across a field and didn't once come close and perch on a fence post. However, I can't believe that I was lucky enough to see three of them perched together just before it was time to drag myself away and return home. How beautiful they are. This does seem to be a good winter for this species, which is exciting.

Standing in -15C (windchill -22C) weather is NOT fun, trust me! It was SO cold. Fortunately, people were standing right by their cars and could climb back in when the pain became too unbearable. Five minutes occasionally of running the engine was barely enough to keep me going, plus a handwarmer inside my right glove. My feet finally thawed out once I arrived back home. It was all worth it, though, just for the chance to see these beautiful owls. I will keep hoping, though, for the chance to see one close up on a fence post.

An interesting link, with the information below, that answers the question: "WHY ARE BARNS USUALLY PAINTED RED?"

home.howstuffworks.com/question635.htm

"If you've ever driven through a rural area, it's likely that you've seen the red barns that speckle the farming landscape. There are several theories as to why barns are painted red.

Centuries ago, European farmers would seal the wood on their barns with an oil, often linseed oil -- a tawny-colored oil derived from the seed of the flax plant. They would paint their barns with a linseed-oil mixture, often consisting of additions such as milk and lime. The combination produced a long-lasting paint that dried and hardened quickly. (Today, linseed oil is sold in most home-improvement stores as a wood sealant). Now, where does the red come from?

In historically accurate terms, "barn red" is not the bright, fire-engine red that we often see today, but more of a burnt-orange red. As to how the oil mixture became traditionally red, there are two predominant theories. One is that wealthy farmers added blood from a recent slaughter to the oil mixture. As the paint dried, it turned from a bright red to a darker, burnt red. The other is that farmers added ferrous oxide, otherwise known as rust, to the oil mixture. Rust was plentiful on farms and is a poison to many fungi, including mold and moss, which were known to grown on barns. These fungi would trap moisture in the wood, increasing decay.

Regardless of how the farmer tinted his paint, having a red barn became a fashionable thing. They were a sharp contrast to the traditional white farmhouse. As European settlers crossed over to America, they brought with them the tradition of red barns. In the mid to late 1800s, as paints began to be produced with chemical pigments, red paint was the most inexpensive to buy. Red was the color of favor until whitewash became cheaper, at which point white barns began to spring up. Today, the color of barns can vary, often depending on how the barns are used."

A new find on a bitterly cold day

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:38:29 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

This was such a 'blah' photo that I resorted to adding a 'snow texture" to it. There was no sign of snow yesterday, but the light was fading when I started my drive back to the city.

Yesterday, 17 January 2016, I finally got out for a much-needed drive out of the city. It seems ages since I did this, but I had some time, the sun was making its way through the clouds, and I had plucked up the courage to go east from the city. Recently, I was out that way on a birding trip with a group and we had seen a total of 6 extremely distant Short-eared Owls (3 pairs) at different locations. So, I was really hoping that my courage would be rewarded by spotting at least one owl : )

I was so fortunate to see several of these beautiful owls. They were way across a field and didn't once come close and perch on a fence post. However, I can't believe that I was lucky enough to see three of them perched together just before it was time to drag myself away and return home. How beautiful they are. This does seem to be a good winter for this species, which is exciting.

Standing in -15C (windchill -22C) weather is NOT fun, trust me! It was SO cold. Fortunately, people were standing right by their cars and could climb back in when the pain became too unbearable. Five minutes occasionally of running the engine was barely enough to keep me going, plus a handwarmer inside my right glove. My feet finally thawed out once I arrived back home. It was all worth it, though, just for the chance to see these beautiful owls.

When I left this area, I made a turn down a backroad, as i had noticed a red barn in the distance. Quite a nice old barn with a collapsing roof, with another barn next to it, off to the left of my photo.

Little red barn on the prairie

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 16:13:02 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Yesterday, 11 January 2015, my daughter went in for supposedly day surgery, but phoned me after she was moved from the recovery room, to say that they were keeping her in overnight. She wasn't able to give me any details, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it was all straight forward. Speedy recovery, Rachel! At least you are in the best place for the time being, but I hope it won't be too long before you can go home.

On 21 December 2015, my daughter and I had our Christmas get-together. Like the previous year, she asked if I wanted to spend the day out of the city, looking for Snowy Owls (and other things). We were both so happy to at least see a (very distant) Snowy Owl, which she cleverly spotted, even though we had hoped to find a much closer one. Thank goodness, last year, my daughter and I did see and photograph beautiful Snowies E and NE of the city that were nice and close.

Finding one of these magnificent birds of prey was not the only purpose in our minds, though. It was our Christmas get-together, and we had a great day, partly in beautiful sunshine, partly in cloud, and in one of my favourite areas to explore. We had first planned to go E and NE of the city, but my daughter, waiting for her surgery on 11 January 2016, didn't feel up to travelling that far. Once she has recovered from her surgery, maybe we can go E of the city and try for owls again.

So, plans changed and instead, we went to the Saskatoon Farm for breakfast. This interesting place is maybe a 20-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside green houses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They also have a restaurant that offers delicious food.

www.saskatoonfarm.com/

Afterwards, we then went a bit further, to drive some of the roads east of High River, hoping to possibly find a Snowy Owl. We went as far as Mossleigh, where we stopped to take a few quick photos of the three grain elevators and then found a group of an old homestead and several barns that I don't remember seeing before. They were off the main road, but fortunately the narrow gravel road had enough snow packed on it that the short drive was very smooth. I always enjoy seeing the little red barn in this photo - Gothic Arch style? Is the old windmill a wind-powered water pump? I love the way the pretty much flat, endless landscape of the prairies is dotted here and there with an old barn or an abandoned farmhouse. Makes one want to photograph them all before they eventually rot and tumble to the ground. From there, we also stopped at the little wooden church at Dinton.

Later in the afternoon, we couldn't resist the temptation to call in at Glamorgan Bakery on the way home and buy a few Christmas goodies, followed by a desperately needed food shopping trip. I just hadn't had a chance to go grocery shopping and had run out of even basic things. This was a huge relief, especially as I knew that I would be having a very long day on 23rd December, taking part in the Drumheller area Christmas Bird Count.

Thanks so much for a great day out, Rachel. The best kind of day, as far as I am concerned : ) Many thanks, too, for the beautiful, very carefully chosen (as always!) Christmas gifts. Love the owl that looks rather like a furry, stuffed children's toy, that is in fact a wonderful heat pad (that you warm in the microwave), full of lavender. I know it will feel so good on my neck and shoulders that are painful from whiplash, thanks to the woman driver who suddenly came out of a parking lot exit and tried to cut across my lane of moving traffic! Nothing I could do, as I couldn't stop in time to avoid impact. So, I'm looking forward to having an owl on my shoulder : )