https://www.ipernity.com/tag/293827/keyword/16571 https://cdn.ipernity.com/p/101/C3/7B/293827.buddy.jpg https://www.ipernity.com/tag/293827/keyword/16571 Mon, 05 Oct 2026 21:18:40 +0000 Mon, 05 Oct 2026 21:18:40 +0000 https://www.ipernity.com https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/50585962 tag:ipernity.com,2019-09-02,doc-50585962 Mon, 02 Sep 2019 17:21:15 +0000 2019-08-27T13:20:53-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/50585962"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/59/62/50585962.930bb1c7.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">On 27 August, I finally made myself do a new drive that I hadn't had the courage to do before, going south of the city. This morning, I have just added another 8 photos taken that day.<br /> <br /> The trip down south was not a huge drive and many of the roads were familiar ones. Just the last part was what made me afraid to try. I am so glad I did this, as I had longed to go to this particular Ranch for years. A couple of years ago, a friend and I drove south from the city to get to Kananaskis. Somehow, he missed a turn-off and we ended up going some distance south instead of west. I loved the scenery that we were driving through and I noticed the Ranch off in the distance. I was determined that, one day, I would drive there myself. Done!<br /> <br /> The Ranch I wanted to see was the Bar U Ranch. I have seen so many photos online of the scattered sheds/barns and I was sure I would find plenty to photograph.<br /> <br /> "Bar U cattle literally fed the world. The ranch fed workers building the first transcontinental railway and waves of immigrants flooding to a new land.<br /> <br /> It fed Canada’s first Indian reservations, the first patrols of Northwest Mounted Police, our nation through the Great Depression and our soldiers through two World Wars. Bar U Percherons, “the work horses that powered North America,” built our cities and roads and pulled our trolleys and fire wagons, from New York City to Victoria, British Columbia. <br /> <br /> One of the first, most successful, most enduring large scale cattle ranching operations in Canada, the Bar U in its hay day ranged 30,000 head of cattle on 160,000 acres of grassland, and was world renowned for its stock of 1,000 purebred Percherons.<br /> <br /> Located deep in the southern Alberta foothills, on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, the Bar U, from 1882 to 1950, was a force to be reckoned with. While other large Alberta ranches succeeded for a time only to go out of business, especially after the killer winters of 1886 and 1906, the Mighty Bar U persevered to eventually become a kingpin in a business empire that included a variety of ranches and farming enterprises, as well as meat packing plants and flour mills."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.friendsofthebaru.com/bar_u_legacy.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.friendsofthebaru.com/bar_u_legacy.htm</a><br /> <br /> By the time three and a quarter hours had passed by at the Ranch, including sitting on a log around a camp fire, drinking hot coffee and chatting with a couple of ladies who were telling me about camp life in the old days, I felt it was time to start heading back home. I returned via the rough, gravel, very dusty backroad that I use when I drive to Kananaskis, hoping that I might just see something of interest, but out of luck. <br /> <br /> Thank goodness for Albums to keep photos together, and thank goodness Camera Roll is now finally back and working. Thank you, Flickr staff, for rebuilding this very useful tool for us.</div> Window reflections in the old Log Cabin <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/50585962"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/59/62/50585962.930bb1c7.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">On 27 August, I finally made myself do a new drive that I hadn't had the courage to do before, going south of the city. This morning, I have just added another 8 photos taken that day.<br /> <br /> The trip down south was not a huge drive and many of the roads were familiar ones. Just the last part was what made me afraid to try. I am so glad I did this, as I had longed to go to this particular Ranch for years. A couple of years ago, a friend and I drove south from the city to get to Kananaskis. Somehow, he missed a turn-off and we ended up going some distance south instead of west. I loved the scenery that we were driving through and I noticed the Ranch off in the distance. I was determined that, one day, I would drive there myself. Done!<br /> <br /> The Ranch I wanted to see was the Bar U Ranch. I have seen so many photos online of the scattered sheds/barns and I was sure I would find plenty to photograph.<br /> <br /> "Bar U cattle literally fed the world. The ranch fed workers building the first transcontinental railway and waves of immigrants flooding to a new land.<br /> <br /> It fed Canada’s first Indian reservations, the first patrols of Northwest Mounted Police, our nation through the Great Depression and our soldiers through two World Wars. Bar U Percherons, “the work horses that powered North America,” built our cities and roads and pulled our trolleys and fire wagons, from New York City to Victoria, British Columbia. <br /> <br /> One of the first, most successful, most enduring large scale cattle ranching operations in Canada, the Bar U in its hay day ranged 30,000 head of cattle on 160,000 acres of grassland, and was world renowned for its stock of 1,000 purebred Percherons.<br /> <br /> Located deep in the southern Alberta foothills, on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, the Bar U, from 1882 to 1950, was a force to be reckoned with. While other large Alberta ranches succeeded for a time only to go out of business, especially after the killer winters of 1886 and 1906, the Mighty Bar U persevered to eventually become a kingpin in a business empire that included a variety of ranches and farming enterprises, as well as meat packing plants and flour mills."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.friendsofthebaru.com/bar_u_legacy.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.friendsofthebaru.com/bar_u_legacy.htm</a><br /> <br /> By the time three and a quarter hours had passed by at the Ranch, including sitting on a log around a camp fire, drinking hot coffee and chatting with a couple of ladies who were telling me about camp life in the old days, I felt it was time to start heading back home. I returned via the rough, gravel, very dusty backroad that I use when I drive to Kananaskis, hoping that I might just see something of interest, but out of luck. <br /> <br /> Thank goodness for Albums to keep photos together, and thank goodness Camera Roll is now finally back and working. Thank you, Flickr staff, for rebuilding this very useful tool for us.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/50314744 tag:ipernity.com,2019-08-12,doc-50314744 Mon, 12 Aug 2019 17:10:09 +0000 2019-08-08T13:56:47-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/50314744"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/47/44/50314744.ef11c29d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Our few hot days have come to an end, at least for now, and we are back to cool, rainy days (the last two days and today, with more to come). This morning, 12 August 2019, the temperature is only 12C again.<br /> <br /> This beautifully weathered window belongs to the smaller red barn (the barn with the mule), seen in photo #5 posted this morning. I added a touch of filter in post-processing, to really bring out the grain of the wood.<br /> <br /> Four days ago, 8 August 2019, was definitely more of a barn day than a bird day. A while ago, another photographer had mentioned that a few barns in a certain area SE of Calgary had been removed and I was curious to see if any of the ones I had seen before were now missing. There is one huge barn in particular that I am always hoping still stands. I would love to be able to get photos from both sides of it, but it is way out in a farmer's field that is, of course, private property. Standing in the road, I can only get a distant shot and, as often happens, I had a problem with heat distortion on distant shots. There is an old, round, wooden grain bin and a partly hidden, smaller barn just near the barn, too. I think the first time I ever saw the barn was on 21 January 2015, when I took my daughter out for the day.<br /> <br /> My intention two days ago had been to leave early in the morning, but it was already 10:45 am when I climbed into my car. Seeing that the weather forecast for the next six days included rain on each day, I knew I just had to do this trip straight away. Some of the roads I drove to get to my destination(s) were familiar, but others less so. There are two or three highway intersections that are confusing to me and I usually end up taking the wrong turn. <br /> <br /> For a change, I turned off the main highway going south before my usual turn, in order to shorten the distance. My first sighting was a distant Red-tailed Hawk perched on a wooden fence at a wetland that used to be a great spot, but now is totally dried up.<br /> <br /> After a quick stop at a tiny church that I always photograph when I am out that way, I continued east till I came to the three old Mossleigh grain elevators - one of the places I always get confused about which way to drive. Ideally, a dramatic sky would have been great, but I have taken better photos in the past.<br /> <br /> From Mossleigh, I did my usual exploring, finding that a lovely old, wooden house was still standing. I believe this was built from a kit years ago, and it remains in reasonably good condition.<br /> <br /> Eventually, I found the large barn that I wanted to see again. It took me a while to work out which road it was on (thought I knew!), but I found it after some driving back and forth. It was good to see the smaller barn, in less then good condition, just down the road. The other two times that I have been standing in the road to take photos of this smaller barn, a lady has come along the road from a nearby farm and very kindly told me to on in and take any photos I'd like. No-one around yesterday, so I stayed on the road,of course. At one point, I happened to glance up the road and saw what I thought was someone's dog on the crest of the road. When I zoomed in on my camera, I realized it was a coyote, who started walking towards me. Unfortunately, it turned off into the field and disappeared. When I was at this smaller barn, it amused me to see a magnificent Mule near the barn, plus a horse. The Mule looked huge and was a real poser, wanting to be in almost every shot I took. Such a gorgeous creature, that I don't remember seeing there before.<br /> <br /> Once I had taken a few photos, I started on my homeward drive, not stopping anywhere as I could see that, if I hurried, I could get to the Saskatoon Farm in time to get a meal before the restaurant closed for the day. Yay, I just made it.<br /> <br /> Knowing that Frank Lake was only a short drive away, I couldn't resist driving back south to have a quick look. Found a couple of my friends there and spent some enjoyable time with them. Only took a few photos there, most to be deleted, before heading home. A fun day, though hot and hazy. Total distance covered was 275 km.</div> Weathered window from the smaller red barn <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/50314744"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/47/44/50314744.ef11c29d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Our few hot days have come to an end, at least for now, and we are back to cool, rainy days (the last two days and today, with more to come). This morning, 12 August 2019, the temperature is only 12C again.<br /> <br /> This beautifully weathered window belongs to the smaller red barn (the barn with the mule), seen in photo #5 posted this morning. I added a touch of filter in post-processing, to really bring out the grain of the wood.<br /> <br /> Four days ago, 8 August 2019, was definitely more of a barn day than a bird day. A while ago, another photographer had mentioned that a few barns in a certain area SE of Calgary had been removed and I was curious to see if any of the ones I had seen before were now missing. There is one huge barn in particular that I am always hoping still stands. I would love to be able to get photos from both sides of it, but it is way out in a farmer's field that is, of course, private property. Standing in the road, I can only get a distant shot and, as often happens, I had a problem with heat distortion on distant shots. There is an old, round, wooden grain bin and a partly hidden, smaller barn just near the barn, too. I think the first time I ever saw the barn was on 21 January 2015, when I took my daughter out for the day.<br /> <br /> My intention two days ago had been to leave early in the morning, but it was already 10:45 am when I climbed into my car. Seeing that the weather forecast for the next six days included rain on each day, I knew I just had to do this trip straight away. Some of the roads I drove to get to my destination(s) were familiar, but others less so. There are two or three highway intersections that are confusing to me and I usually end up taking the wrong turn. <br /> <br /> For a change, I turned off the main highway going south before my usual turn, in order to shorten the distance. My first sighting was a distant Red-tailed Hawk perched on a wooden fence at a wetland that used to be a great spot, but now is totally dried up.<br /> <br /> After a quick stop at a tiny church that I always photograph when I am out that way, I continued east till I came to the three old Mossleigh grain elevators - one of the places I always get confused about which way to drive. Ideally, a dramatic sky would have been great, but I have taken better photos in the past.<br /> <br /> From Mossleigh, I did my usual exploring, finding that a lovely old, wooden house was still standing. I believe this was built from a kit years ago, and it remains in reasonably good condition.<br /> <br /> Eventually, I found the large barn that I wanted to see again. It took me a while to work out which road it was on (thought I knew!), but I found it after some driving back and forth. It was good to see the smaller barn, in less then good condition, just down the road. The other two times that I have been standing in the road to take photos of this smaller barn, a lady has come along the road from a nearby farm and very kindly told me to on in and take any photos I'd like. No-one around yesterday, so I stayed on the road,of course. At one point, I happened to glance up the road and saw what I thought was someone's dog on the crest of the road. When I zoomed in on my camera, I realized it was a coyote, who started walking towards me. Unfortunately, it turned off into the field and disappeared. When I was at this smaller barn, it amused me to see a magnificent Mule near the barn, plus a horse. The Mule looked huge and was a real poser, wanting to be in almost every shot I took. Such a gorgeous creature, that I don't remember seeing there before.<br /> <br /> Once I had taken a few photos, I started on my homeward drive, not stopping anywhere as I could see that, if I hurried, I could get to the Saskatoon Farm in time to get a meal before the restaurant closed for the day. Yay, I just made it.<br /> <br /> Knowing that Frank Lake was only a short drive away, I couldn't resist driving back south to have a quick look. Found a couple of my friends there and spent some enjoyable time with them. Only took a few photos there, most to be deleted, before heading home. A fun day, though hot and hazy. Total distance covered was 275 km.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/50114452 tag:ipernity.com,2019-08-10,doc-50114452 Sat, 10 Aug 2019 16:32:35 +0000 2019-08-08T11:56:34-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/50114452"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/44/52/50114452.dc37c5eb.240.jpg?r2" width="180" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This window belongs to the little country church in photo #5 this morning. This little church is open for services on the first and third Sunday of the month, at 9;00 am.. Nice that it is still being used. <br /> <br /> "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."<br /> <br /> 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.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.findingbrokeback.com/Albums/StThomasChurch.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.findingbrokeback.com/Albums/StThomasChurch.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.ourroots.ca/e/roots/lh6/lh6b0057.jpg" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.ourroots.ca/e/roots/lh6/lh6b0057.jpg</a><br /> <br /> The day before yesterday, 8 August 2019, was more of a barn day than a bird day. A while ago, another photographer had mentioned that a few barns in a certain area SE of Calgary had been removed and I was curious to see if I could tell which ones were missing. There is one huge barn in particular that I am always hoping still stands. I would love to be able to get photos from both sides of it, but it is way out in a farmer's field that is, of course, private property. Standing in the road, I can only get a distant shot and, as often happens, I had a problem with heat distortion on distant shots. There is an old, round, wooden grain bin and a partly hidden, smaller barn just near the barn, too. I think the first time I ever saw the barn was on 21 January 2015, when I took my daughter out for the day.<br /> <br /> My intention two days ago had been to leave early in the morning, but it was already 10:45 am when I climbed into my car. Seeing that the weather forecast for the next six days included rain on each day, I knew I just had to do this trip straight away. Some of the roads I drove to get to my destination(s) were familiar, but others less so. There are two or three highway intersections that are confusing to me and I usually end up taking the wrong turn. <br /> <br /> For a change, I turned off the main highway going south before my usual turn, in order to shorten the distance. My first sighting was a distant Red-tailed Hawk perched on a wooden fence at a wetland that used to be a great spot, but now is totally dried up.<br /> <br /> After a quick stop at a tiny church that I always photograph when I am out that way, I continued east till I came to the three old Mossleigh grain elevators - one of the places I always get confused about which way to drive. Ideally, a dramatic sky would have been great, but I have taken better photos in the past.<br /> <br /> From Mossleigh, I did my usual exploring, finding that a lovely old, wooden house was still standing. I believe this was built from a kit years ago, and it remains in reasonably good condition.<br /> <br /> Eventually, I found the large barn that I wanted to see again. It took me a while to work out which road it was on (thought I knew!), but I found it after some driving back and forth. It was good to see the smaller barn, in less then good condition, just down the road. The other two times that I have been standing in the road to take photos of this smaller barn, a lady has come along the road from a nearby farm and very kindly told me to on in and take any photos I'd like. No-one around yesterday, so I stayed on the road,of course. At one point, I happened to glance up the road and saw what I thought was someone's dog on the crest of the road. When I zoomed in on my camera, I realized it was a coyote, who started walking towards me. Unfortunately, it turned off into the field and disappeared. When I was at this smaller barn, it amused me to see a magnificent Mule near the barn, plus a horse. The Mule looked huge and was a real poser, wanting to be in almost every shot I took. Such a gorgeous creature, that I don't remember seeing there before.<br /> <br /> Once I had taken a few photos, I started on my homeward drive, not stopping anywhere as I could see that, if I hurried, I could get to the Saskatoon Farm in time to get a meal before the restaurant closed for the day. Yay, I just made it.<br /> <br /> Knowing that Frank Lake was only a short drive away, I couldn't resist driving back south to have a quick look. Found a couple of my friends there and spent some enjoyable time with them. Only took a few photos there, most to be deleted, before heading home. A fun day, though hot and hazy. Total distance covered was 305 km.</div> Weathered by the passing years <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/50114452"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/44/52/50114452.dc37c5eb.240.jpg?r2" width="180" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This window belongs to the little country church in photo #5 this morning. This little church is open for services on the first and third Sunday of the month, at 9;00 am.. Nice that it is still being used. <br /> <br /> "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."<br /> <br /> 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.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.findingbrokeback.com/Albums/StThomasChurch.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.findingbrokeback.com/Albums/StThomasChurch.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.ourroots.ca/e/roots/lh6/lh6b0057.jpg" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.ourroots.ca/e/roots/lh6/lh6b0057.jpg</a><br /> <br /> The day before yesterday, 8 August 2019, was more of a barn day than a bird day. A while ago, another photographer had mentioned that a few barns in a certain area SE of Calgary had been removed and I was curious to see if I could tell which ones were missing. There is one huge barn in particular that I am always hoping still stands. I would love to be able to get photos from both sides of it, but it is way out in a farmer's field that is, of course, private property. Standing in the road, I can only get a distant shot and, as often happens, I had a problem with heat distortion on distant shots. There is an old, round, wooden grain bin and a partly hidden, smaller barn just near the barn, too. I think the first time I ever saw the barn was on 21 January 2015, when I took my daughter out for the day.<br /> <br /> My intention two days ago had been to leave early in the morning, but it was already 10:45 am when I climbed into my car. Seeing that the weather forecast for the next six days included rain on each day, I knew I just had to do this trip straight away. Some of the roads I drove to get to my destination(s) were familiar, but others less so. There are two or three highway intersections that are confusing to me and I usually end up taking the wrong turn. <br /> <br /> For a change, I turned off the main highway going south before my usual turn, in order to shorten the distance. My first sighting was a distant Red-tailed Hawk perched on a wooden fence at a wetland that used to be a great spot, but now is totally dried up.<br /> <br /> After a quick stop at a tiny church that I always photograph when I am out that way, I continued east till I came to the three old Mossleigh grain elevators - one of the places I always get confused about which way to drive. Ideally, a dramatic sky would have been great, but I have taken better photos in the past.<br /> <br /> From Mossleigh, I did my usual exploring, finding that a lovely old, wooden house was still standing. I believe this was built from a kit years ago, and it remains in reasonably good condition.<br /> <br /> Eventually, I found the large barn that I wanted to see again. It took me a while to work out which road it was on (thought I knew!), but I found it after some driving back and forth. It was good to see the smaller barn, in less then good condition, just down the road. The other two times that I have been standing in the road to take photos of this smaller barn, a lady has come along the road from a nearby farm and very kindly told me to on in and take any photos I'd like. No-one around yesterday, so I stayed on the road,of course. At one point, I happened to glance up the road and saw what I thought was someone's dog on the crest of the road. When I zoomed in on my camera, I realized it was a coyote, who started walking towards me. Unfortunately, it turned off into the field and disappeared. When I was at this smaller barn, it amused me to see a magnificent Mule near the barn, plus a horse. The Mule looked huge and was a real poser, wanting to be in almost every shot I took. Such a gorgeous creature, that I don't remember seeing there before.<br /> <br /> Once I had taken a few photos, I started on my homeward drive, not stopping anywhere as I could see that, if I hurried, I could get to the Saskatoon Farm in time to get a meal before the restaurant closed for the day. Yay, I just made it.<br /> <br /> Knowing that Frank Lake was only a short drive away, I couldn't resist driving back south to have a quick look. Found a couple of my friends there and spent some enjoyable time with them. Only took a few photos there, most to be deleted, before heading home. A fun day, though hot and hazy. Total distance covered was 305 km.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/49676922 tag:ipernity.com,2019-07-20,doc-49676922 Sat, 20 Jul 2019 17:16:30 +0000 2019-07-18T16:09:16-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/49676922"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/69/22/49676922.c999bcaf.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">"July 20, 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the first humans landing on the Moon on July 20, 1969 as part of NASA's Apollo 11 lunar mission." People are remembering this exciting, successful event this week. I was trying to remember where I was when this all took place, so I checked. In the week before, we flew from Seria, Brunei, Borneo, back to England for a short while. On the journey from Borneo, we spent 6th - 13th July in Hong Kong, then in Rome, Italy, from 14th - 18th July, arriving in Birmingham, England, at my parents' house on 18th July. We ended up in Holland in October 1969 and returned to Borneo about a week before Christmas 1969. So, I am guessing that we were with my parents when the Moon Landing took place. My parents never had a TV, and I can't remember watching it at any friend's house. So much packing, travelling and chaos : )<br /> <br /> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> <br /> Saturday, 20 July 2019 - our temperature is 13C (windchill 11C) around noon. Risk of a thunderstorm this afternoon. This is summer?? <br /> <br /> A couple of days ago, after seven or so long, brutal months of winter (coldest on record?) and now endless weeks of rain and cloud, I finally decided, enough is enough. I have become a fair-weather photographer, and we don't get that much fair weather, especially this year. So, on 18 July 2019, despite the weather forecast for a thunderstorm, I decided to drive SE of the city mid-afternoon. A few more days, and I will be spending the day with my daughter, though I'm not sure yet where she will choose to go. She (me, too) loves the Saskatoon Farm, but also wants to get out to a few golden Canola fields. Thought I would scout around beforehand. My plan had been to go to the Farm first and have a meal, and then continue on to Frank Lake. Seeing the beautiful storm clouds on my drive south, I was torn as to whether to go to Frank Lake first and catch a few photos. Then it occurred to me that I could also get a few sky shots once I had turned off the main highway and on to the country road leading to the Farm.<br /> <br /> The Farm was pretty busy. So much wonderful colour everywhere that I almost forgot about the weather. That is, until I was eating outside under the open shelter. It was so cold, I had goosebumps, and the wind increased, sending a huge picnic table umbrella flying fast through the air. Just a short bit of rain and all returned to normal. <br /> <br /> As usual, I wandered around the grounds, shooting flowers, rabbits, landscape, clouds, and old tractors. One barn stood out to me and had me puzzled. I have visited the farm many times before, but I don't remember seeing this particular barn before. It looked so pretty, with its colourful flower border.<br /> <br /> Eventually, I continued my drive to Frank Lake. The storm clouds stayed with me. One side road has a small wetland on either side of the road and I pulled over to check what birds might be there. I was about to turn off my car when a loud buzzer sounded and a tornado alert was announced - to take shelter and if there was no shelter nearby, to get into a ditch or ravine. Then I heard that the area covered was further SE - in fact, where I had been a week earlier.<br /> <br /> "Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) confirmed a weak EF0 tornado touched down two kilometres northeast of Crossfield at around 2:15 p.m. Sunday, 14 July 2019, marking the 12th confirmed twister of the season." (This was roughly 50 km north of Calgary.)<br /> <br /> According to the weather agency, Alberta typically sees an average of 15 tornadoes per year with the peak season starting mid-to-late June and ending early-to-mid August.<br /> <br /> So far in 2019, there have been 12 confirmed tornadoes in Alberta and three probable ones. There have also been many reports of funnel clouds." From Global News.<br /> <br /> While i was standing by this wetland a White-faced Ibis flew in. I believe this was the first one I had really seen and photographed this year. Further on, when I was at the blind, there were so many Ruddy Ducks. The Barn Swallow pair flew back and forth to their nest that is just out of sight. I had checked to see if I could spot the Red Knot (bird), but without binoculars, it was pretty much impossible to check the very distant water birds.<br /> <br /> A very enjoyable afternoon/evening. Mid-evening, the main highway wasn't very busy, and the rain only started when I arrived home and had to get out of the car.</div> A great use for old teapots <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/49676922"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/69/22/49676922.c999bcaf.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">"July 20, 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the first humans landing on the Moon on July 20, 1969 as part of NASA's Apollo 11 lunar mission." People are remembering this exciting, successful event this week. I was trying to remember where I was when this all took place, so I checked. In the week before, we flew from Seria, Brunei, Borneo, back to England for a short while. On the journey from Borneo, we spent 6th - 13th July in Hong Kong, then in Rome, Italy, from 14th - 18th July, arriving in Birmingham, England, at my parents' house on 18th July. We ended up in Holland in October 1969 and returned to Borneo about a week before Christmas 1969. So, I am guessing that we were with my parents when the Moon Landing took place. My parents never had a TV, and I can't remember watching it at any friend's house. So much packing, travelling and chaos : )<br /> <br /> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> <br /> Saturday, 20 July 2019 - our temperature is 13C (windchill 11C) around noon. Risk of a thunderstorm this afternoon. This is summer?? <br /> <br /> A couple of days ago, after seven or so long, brutal months of winter (coldest on record?) and now endless weeks of rain and cloud, I finally decided, enough is enough. I have become a fair-weather photographer, and we don't get that much fair weather, especially this year. So, on 18 July 2019, despite the weather forecast for a thunderstorm, I decided to drive SE of the city mid-afternoon. A few more days, and I will be spending the day with my daughter, though I'm not sure yet where she will choose to go. She (me, too) loves the Saskatoon Farm, but also wants to get out to a few golden Canola fields. Thought I would scout around beforehand. My plan had been to go to the Farm first and have a meal, and then continue on to Frank Lake. Seeing the beautiful storm clouds on my drive south, I was torn as to whether to go to Frank Lake first and catch a few photos. Then it occurred to me that I could also get a few sky shots once I had turned off the main highway and on to the country road leading to the Farm.<br /> <br /> The Farm was pretty busy. So much wonderful colour everywhere that I almost forgot about the weather. That is, until I was eating outside under the open shelter. It was so cold, I had goosebumps, and the wind increased, sending a huge picnic table umbrella flying fast through the air. Just a short bit of rain and all returned to normal. <br /> <br /> As usual, I wandered around the grounds, shooting flowers, rabbits, landscape, clouds, and old tractors. One barn stood out to me and had me puzzled. I have visited the farm many times before, but I don't remember seeing this particular barn before. It looked so pretty, with its colourful flower border.<br /> <br /> Eventually, I continued my drive to Frank Lake. The storm clouds stayed with me. One side road has a small wetland on either side of the road and I pulled over to check what birds might be there. I was about to turn off my car when a loud buzzer sounded and a tornado alert was announced - to take shelter and if there was no shelter nearby, to get into a ditch or ravine. Then I heard that the area covered was further SE - in fact, where I had been a week earlier.<br /> <br /> "Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) confirmed a weak EF0 tornado touched down two kilometres northeast of Crossfield at around 2:15 p.m. Sunday, 14 July 2019, marking the 12th confirmed twister of the season." (This was roughly 50 km north of Calgary.)<br /> <br /> According to the weather agency, Alberta typically sees an average of 15 tornadoes per year with the peak season starting mid-to-late June and ending early-to-mid August.<br /> <br /> So far in 2019, there have been 12 confirmed tornadoes in Alberta and three probable ones. There have also been many reports of funnel clouds." From Global News.<br /> <br /> While i was standing by this wetland a White-faced Ibis flew in. I believe this was the first one I had really seen and photographed this year. Further on, when I was at the blind, there were so many Ruddy Ducks. The Barn Swallow pair flew back and forth to their nest that is just out of sight. I had checked to see if I could spot the Red Knot (bird), but without binoculars, it was pretty much impossible to check the very distant water birds.<br /> <br /> A very enjoyable afternoon/evening. Mid-evening, the main highway wasn't very busy, and the rain only started when I arrived home and had to get out of the car.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47922986 tag:ipernity.com,2018-12-30,doc-47922986 Sun, 30 Dec 2018 16:24:57 +0000 2018-12-29T12:58:58-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47922986"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/29/86/47922986.6aa8cde8.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.<br /> <br /> One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms.. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them. The light-coloured one is so regal. <br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Andolesian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them yesterday. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native species, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions - pigs. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious gourds. Apparently, babies are striped. <br /> <br /> "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-kobe-beef-pork/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica</a><br /> <br /> Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm</a><br /> <br /> The neighbouring farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )<br /> <br /> The weather was so beautiful yesterday, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C. Today, 30 December 2018, it is -9C (windchill -20C) and it has been snowing.<br /> <br /> A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated : ) <br /> <br /> Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.</div> A favourite old barn <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47922986"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/29/86/47922986.6aa8cde8.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.<br /> <br /> One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms.. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them. The light-coloured one is so regal. <br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Andolesian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them yesterday. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native species, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions - pigs. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious gourds. Apparently, babies are striped. <br /> <br /> "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-kobe-beef-pork/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica</a><br /> <br /> Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm</a><br /> <br /> The neighbouring farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )<br /> <br /> The weather was so beautiful yesterday, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C. Today, 30 December 2018, it is -9C (windchill -20C) and it has been snowing.<br /> <br /> A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated : ) <br /> <br /> Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47888578 tag:ipernity.com,2018-12-22,doc-47888578 Sat, 22 Dec 2018 04:17:12 +0000 2018-12-18T12:38:36-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47888578"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/85/78/47888578.ef76530c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Collected my computer from the store this evening, after two days without it. The technician was unable to duplicate the problem I was having, so I have to keep an eye on it and see if I can give him more info on when the issue happens - the issue being that my computer freezes, my photo stays on the screen, but the mouse disappears and stops working, as does the tiny blinking light on the front face off the computer tower. Couldn't turn the computer off or make anything work, each time it happened. Now I have to hurry and get everything ready for an early start tomorrow morning, for another long-day Christmas Bird Count, west of the city.<br /> <br /> The three photos that I posted this evening were all taken on 18 December 2018, when I took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the town of High River, south of Calgary. As usual, my lens turned to anything else that caught my eye, Including old barns, old cars, and farm cats. <br /> <br /> The weather was beautiful for us, which makes the difference. No snow on the ground either, which makes our searches so much easier. The Count last year had awful weather with a dreadful snow storm blowing in while we were having a Potluck supper. I was just so thankful that I wasn't the one driving back to Calgary in the dark and the blowing snow. What we birding people do for the sake of citizen science, ha!<br /> <br /> This year, we were unable to book the usual community centre for a Potluck supper afterwards, which was such a shame. It always makes a great ending to a long day of birding when we can get together afterwards and eat and chat.</div> Searching for a Great Horned Owl - with permission <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47888578"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/85/78/47888578.ef76530c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Collected my computer from the store this evening, after two days without it. The technician was unable to duplicate the problem I was having, so I have to keep an eye on it and see if I can give him more info on when the issue happens - the issue being that my computer freezes, my photo stays on the screen, but the mouse disappears and stops working, as does the tiny blinking light on the front face off the computer tower. Couldn't turn the computer off or make anything work, each time it happened. Now I have to hurry and get everything ready for an early start tomorrow morning, for another long-day Christmas Bird Count, west of the city.<br /> <br /> The three photos that I posted this evening were all taken on 18 December 2018, when I took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the town of High River, south of Calgary. As usual, my lens turned to anything else that caught my eye, Including old barns, old cars, and farm cats. <br /> <br /> The weather was beautiful for us, which makes the difference. No snow on the ground either, which makes our searches so much easier. The Count last year had awful weather with a dreadful snow storm blowing in while we were having a Potluck supper. I was just so thankful that I wasn't the one driving back to Calgary in the dark and the blowing snow. What we birding people do for the sake of citizen science, ha!<br /> <br /> This year, we were unable to book the usual community centre for a Potluck supper afterwards, which was such a shame. It always makes a great ending to a long day of birding when we can get together afterwards and eat and chat.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47805686 tag:ipernity.com,2018-12-08,doc-47805686 Sat, 08 Dec 2018 08:44:16 +0000 2018-05-12T13:46:06-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47805686"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/56/86/47805686.f00b93cc.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Late tonight, I decided to finish off the photos from Day 6 of our two-week holiday in May 2018. This photo was taken near the end of our fairly short afternoon drive (60 km), following the coast NE from Tadoussac as far as Grandes-Bergeronnes. I think the highlight down by the river was seeing Common Eiders. We were also lucky enough to have a Ruffed Grouse cross the road in front of our car on our drive back towards Tadoussac. Almost 2:00 am, so I will have to leave all the descriptions, maps, etc. till tomorrow.<br /> <br /> Once I have caught up a bit, including getting all the same photos from the last few days on to the Smugmug and ipernity websites, I can start on Day 7 of our trip. That morning, we went for a birding walk along the top of the cliff near our friend's cabin. After lunch, we went on our first boat excursion, which was a whaling trip in a Zodiak, starting from Tadoussac.<br /> <br /> A few days ago, I started on photos taken during the week four friends and I spent in Quebec, 12-18 May 2018. Some photos were taken in the small, coastal village of Tadoussac itself, others were taken in the wonderful garden of the home in which we stayed all week, and the rest were taken on several drives we made further along the coast. <br /> <br /> At the end of our 4-day stay at Point Pelee, we had to drive all the way back to Toronto, from where we flew to Quebec City airport. From there, we had a four-hour drive to Tadoussac on the coast of the St. Lawrence Seaway. This is such a delightful, small place and in a beautiful setting. One of our friends, Anne B, and her husband have a summer cabin further along the cliff from the few stores and port. She had invited the four of us to go with her from Pelee to spend a week at her beautiful home. What an absolute treat this was! We were able to meet some of her relatives, too, who also have built cabins out there. We were looked after so well, and we were able to see and photograph all sorts of birds and other things. <br /> <br /> "Tadoussac is quite rightly listed as one of the 50 most beautiful bays in the world.<br /> <br /> Tadoussac is also the oldest village in Canada. In fact, the village celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2000.<br /> <br /> But above all, Tadoussac is an internationally-renowned whale-watching site." From the link below.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.authentikcanada.com/holidays/tourist-office-tadoussac" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.authentikcanada.com/holidays/tourist-office-tadoussac</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadoussac" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadoussac</a><br /> <br /> Several trips were made to see different places along the coast, including the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, where we were able to see endless thousands of Snow Geese, in flight and also up close. Breathtaking! <br /> <br /> We also had two boat trips from Tadoussac - one was a whaling trip in a Zodiac, where we saw very, very distant Beluga and Minke Whales. The Belugas looked almost like the white wave crests - but they were Belugas. The other boat trip was to the Brandy Pot Islands, inhabited by thousands of Razorbills and Common Murres, which were new birds for us, and Double-crested Cormorants that were nesting in tree tops. That long boat trip (in a tiny boat named Juno) started off in the rain and dark clouds and it was soooo cold! Thermal underwear, layers of fleece and toque and gloves were needed. This day was arranged through a contact of Anne's and it was so much enjoyed! Of course, we anchored a distance away from the island and sat there and ate our sandwiches and took endless photos - difficult when bobbing up and down on the rough water! It is forbidden to land on the island at nesting time. <br /> <br /> Anne B, I can't thank you enough for organizing this holiday for us all and for inviting us to spend a week at your cabin. You worked so hard and it was so much appreciated by each and every one of us. Thank you for doing all the many hours of driving, too! Janet and Anne, thank you so much for compiling the lists of birds seen each day at various locations, and posted to ebird. These entries will be a huge help while I try and sort out where we were and when, and what species we saw. Miss your cookies and muffins, Janet, that you kindly made for us in Tadoussac, to go along with the wonderful meals that Anne planned and made for us : )<br /> <br /> Link to my album (358 images) about Point Pelee and area, Ontario: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157667191771677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157667191771677</a></div> Day 6, and so ends another day, Tadoussac <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47805686"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/56/86/47805686.f00b93cc.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Late tonight, I decided to finish off the photos from Day 6 of our two-week holiday in May 2018. This photo was taken near the end of our fairly short afternoon drive (60 km), following the coast NE from Tadoussac as far as Grandes-Bergeronnes. I think the highlight down by the river was seeing Common Eiders. We were also lucky enough to have a Ruffed Grouse cross the road in front of our car on our drive back towards Tadoussac. Almost 2:00 am, so I will have to leave all the descriptions, maps, etc. till tomorrow.<br /> <br /> Once I have caught up a bit, including getting all the same photos from the last few days on to the Smugmug and ipernity websites, I can start on Day 7 of our trip. That morning, we went for a birding walk along the top of the cliff near our friend's cabin. After lunch, we went on our first boat excursion, which was a whaling trip in a Zodiak, starting from Tadoussac.<br /> <br /> A few days ago, I started on photos taken during the week four friends and I spent in Quebec, 12-18 May 2018. Some photos were taken in the small, coastal village of Tadoussac itself, others were taken in the wonderful garden of the home in which we stayed all week, and the rest were taken on several drives we made further along the coast. <br /> <br /> At the end of our 4-day stay at Point Pelee, we had to drive all the way back to Toronto, from where we flew to Quebec City airport. From there, we had a four-hour drive to Tadoussac on the coast of the St. Lawrence Seaway. This is such a delightful, small place and in a beautiful setting. One of our friends, Anne B, and her husband have a summer cabin further along the cliff from the few stores and port. She had invited the four of us to go with her from Pelee to spend a week at her beautiful home. What an absolute treat this was! We were able to meet some of her relatives, too, who also have built cabins out there. We were looked after so well, and we were able to see and photograph all sorts of birds and other things. <br /> <br /> "Tadoussac is quite rightly listed as one of the 50 most beautiful bays in the world.<br /> <br /> Tadoussac is also the oldest village in Canada. In fact, the village celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2000.<br /> <br /> But above all, Tadoussac is an internationally-renowned whale-watching site." From the link below.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.authentikcanada.com/holidays/tourist-office-tadoussac" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.authentikcanada.com/holidays/tourist-office-tadoussac</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadoussac" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadoussac</a><br /> <br /> Several trips were made to see different places along the coast, including the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, where we were able to see endless thousands of Snow Geese, in flight and also up close. Breathtaking! <br /> <br /> We also had two boat trips from Tadoussac - one was a whaling trip in a Zodiac, where we saw very, very distant Beluga and Minke Whales. The Belugas looked almost like the white wave crests - but they were Belugas. The other boat trip was to the Brandy Pot Islands, inhabited by thousands of Razorbills and Common Murres, which were new birds for us, and Double-crested Cormorants that were nesting in tree tops. That long boat trip (in a tiny boat named Juno) started off in the rain and dark clouds and it was soooo cold! Thermal underwear, layers of fleece and toque and gloves were needed. This day was arranged through a contact of Anne's and it was so much enjoyed! Of course, we anchored a distance away from the island and sat there and ate our sandwiches and took endless photos - difficult when bobbing up and down on the rough water! It is forbidden to land on the island at nesting time. <br /> <br /> Anne B, I can't thank you enough for organizing this holiday for us all and for inviting us to spend a week at your cabin. You worked so hard and it was so much appreciated by each and every one of us. Thank you for doing all the many hours of driving, too! Janet and Anne, thank you so much for compiling the lists of birds seen each day at various locations, and posted to ebird. These entries will be a huge help while I try and sort out where we were and when, and what species we saw. Miss your cookies and muffins, Janet, that you kindly made for us in Tadoussac, to go along with the wonderful meals that Anne planned and made for us : )<br /> <br /> Link to my album (358 images) about Point Pelee and area, Ontario: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157667191771677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157667191771677</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47579746 tag:ipernity.com,2018-11-01,doc-47579746 Thu, 01 Nov 2018 16:29:10 +0000 2018-10-25T14:26:18-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47579746"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/97/46/47579746.062aae30.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">A week ago, on 25 October 2018, I dashed down to a place that I had been curious about for the last few years. Every time I drove the highway, I would pass a sign that said Kayben Farms. My daughter had posted photos from a visit there with friends a while ago and there were a few things that I wanted to see sometime. A spur-of-the-moment visit gave me the chance to do so. Actually, I suspect it may also have been a delaying tactic for all the endless things that I knew I should be seeing to.<br /> <br /> There were a few sheds/barns scattered around the grounds. Most were a pretty basic, simple shape and not old. However, I loved this little barn and absolutely loved the wonderfully bright and colourful door of two other buildings. The barn in this photo had an assortment of ducks, chickens, pigs - and a rabbit that I only noticed when I was editing this image. There were several different kinds of domestic duck and two in particular caught my eye. A female domestic Turkey had two babies, one black and the other was a tan colour, and what a good mother she was. <br /> <br /> Wandering near the corn maze - now closed till next year - I came across a dead Sunflower hanging its head. One of my favourite things to photograph, at any stage of their life. As for a corn maze, nothing would make me enter .... nothing, unless the corn plants were no higher than my waist and if I was with someone who has an excellent sense of direction!<br /> <br /> Various pieces of old farm equipment dotted the area. I always enjoy coming across such things on any of my travels.<br /> <br /> In a nearby area, there was a variety of farm animals, including a large Pot-bellied (?) Pig that was fast asleep and snoring loudly, and horses, sheep and goats were entertaining. All made for a very pleasant visit, just in time before the farm closed to the public for the winter season.</div> Barn with ducks, chickens and rabbit <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47579746"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/97/46/47579746.062aae30.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">A week ago, on 25 October 2018, I dashed down to a place that I had been curious about for the last few years. Every time I drove the highway, I would pass a sign that said Kayben Farms. My daughter had posted photos from a visit there with friends a while ago and there were a few things that I wanted to see sometime. A spur-of-the-moment visit gave me the chance to do so. Actually, I suspect it may also have been a delaying tactic for all the endless things that I knew I should be seeing to.<br /> <br /> There were a few sheds/barns scattered around the grounds. Most were a pretty basic, simple shape and not old. However, I loved this little barn and absolutely loved the wonderfully bright and colourful door of two other buildings. The barn in this photo had an assortment of ducks, chickens, pigs - and a rabbit that I only noticed when I was editing this image. There were several different kinds of domestic duck and two in particular caught my eye. A female domestic Turkey had two babies, one black and the other was a tan colour, and what a good mother she was. <br /> <br /> Wandering near the corn maze - now closed till next year - I came across a dead Sunflower hanging its head. One of my favourite things to photograph, at any stage of their life. As for a corn maze, nothing would make me enter .... nothing, unless the corn plants were no higher than my waist and if I was with someone who has an excellent sense of direction!<br /> <br /> Various pieces of old farm equipment dotted the area. I always enjoy coming across such things on any of my travels.<br /> <br /> In a nearby area, there was a variety of farm animals, including a large Pot-bellied (?) Pig that was fast asleep and snoring loudly, and horses, sheep and goats were entertaining. All made for a very pleasant visit, just in time before the farm closed to the public for the winter season.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47030408 tag:ipernity.com,2018-07-20,doc-47030408 Fri, 20 Jul 2018 16:55:32 +0000 2018-06-26T13:10:20-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47030408"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/04/08/47030408.d2aa07c6.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The last but one time that I visited the Calgary Zoo was on 6 October 2015. I used to go fairly often, but my usual parking lot and Zoo entrance then closed for the winter. Since then, road construction and bridge replacement have been going on, but have now been completed. The drive to the north entrance of the Zoo is definitely out of my driving comfort zone, so I had been waiting for this day for a long time. June 26th 2018 was THE day - for me and for half the people in the city!! It was packed! I had decided to go before schools close for the summer. However, I suspect some schools had end-of-term Zoo visits on this day. Also, when I checked the weather forecast, rain was in the forecast for the next six days, so I knew i needed to go straight away. <br /> <br /> My visit only covered about half the Zoo, as I usually spend a lot of time in the Conservatory, enjoying the plants and tropical butterflies. My daughter had taken a photo of a gigantic lily pad, Victoria Water Lily / Victoria amazonica, and I really wanted to see it. There were three or four of these in a tiny pool. I love the pattern on the underside of the upturned edge of each lily pad, I didn't see a huge variety of butterfly species that day, but there were enough to keep me happily clicking for a while. They vary from day to day, as new butterflies emerge from their chrysalises..<br /> <br /> My intention had not been to visit the newly arrived Panda family, as I was sure there would be an extremely long line-up. However, I could see that there was no line-up at all and I was able to just walk in, which was great. How lucky we are to have these four amazing animals visit our Zoo. They were in an inside enclosure, full of plants - and Bamboo, of course. I'm not sure how many hours a day these animals sleep, but two of the three that could be seen slept for part of the time I was there. Had to smile at the very uncomfortable positions in which they slept. Part of the enclosure has glass, which made it almost impossible to get photos without the reflections of the crowds of people. <br /> <br /> The Bactrian Camel had recently given birth to a baby, named Gobi - such a cute little thing. No sign of the Red Pandas when I passed their enclosure. One of the birds I love to see - though these birds tend to hide! - is the amazing Himalayan Monal. The male, especially, takes my breath away each time I see it.<br /> <br /> A few hours well spent happily clicking. Hopefully, it won't be almost three years before my next visit, though the west entrance does close each winter. It felt so good to once again be back in a place full of colour and interest.</div> Resting on a window <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47030408"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/04/08/47030408.d2aa07c6.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The last but one time that I visited the Calgary Zoo was on 6 October 2015. I used to go fairly often, but my usual parking lot and Zoo entrance then closed for the winter. Since then, road construction and bridge replacement have been going on, but have now been completed. The drive to the north entrance of the Zoo is definitely out of my driving comfort zone, so I had been waiting for this day for a long time. June 26th 2018 was THE day - for me and for half the people in the city!! It was packed! I had decided to go before schools close for the summer. However, I suspect some schools had end-of-term Zoo visits on this day. Also, when I checked the weather forecast, rain was in the forecast for the next six days, so I knew i needed to go straight away. <br /> <br /> My visit only covered about half the Zoo, as I usually spend a lot of time in the Conservatory, enjoying the plants and tropical butterflies. My daughter had taken a photo of a gigantic lily pad, Victoria Water Lily / Victoria amazonica, and I really wanted to see it. There were three or four of these in a tiny pool. I love the pattern on the underside of the upturned edge of each lily pad, I didn't see a huge variety of butterfly species that day, but there were enough to keep me happily clicking for a while. They vary from day to day, as new butterflies emerge from their chrysalises..<br /> <br /> My intention had not been to visit the newly arrived Panda family, as I was sure there would be an extremely long line-up. However, I could see that there was no line-up at all and I was able to just walk in, which was great. How lucky we are to have these four amazing animals visit our Zoo. They were in an inside enclosure, full of plants - and Bamboo, of course. I'm not sure how many hours a day these animals sleep, but two of the three that could be seen slept for part of the time I was there. Had to smile at the very uncomfortable positions in which they slept. Part of the enclosure has glass, which made it almost impossible to get photos without the reflections of the crowds of people. <br /> <br /> The Bactrian Camel had recently given birth to a baby, named Gobi - such a cute little thing. No sign of the Red Pandas when I passed their enclosure. One of the birds I love to see - though these birds tend to hide! - is the amazing Himalayan Monal. The male, especially, takes my breath away each time I see it.<br /> <br /> A few hours well spent happily clicking. Hopefully, it won't be almost three years before my next visit, though the west entrance does close each winter. It felt so good to once again be back in a place full of colour and interest.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46765558 tag:ipernity.com,2018-05-26,doc-46765558 Sat, 26 May 2018 12:33:01 +0000 2018-05-25T11:30:43-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46765558"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/55/58/46765558.3aed7513.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Thought I would add a few photos this morning that were taken yesterday, 25 May 2018. Exactly why did I position the Tree Swallow right in the centre of the shot, with no room to crop to a much better composition? No idea, other than that the little focus rectangle was in the centre of my viewfinder, lol! Annoyed with myself when I do this. Anyway, this male Tree Swallow was looking so beautiful in the sunshine yesterday, when I was out for the day with my daughter, to celebrate yet another birthday for me. I always look forward to a day like this - my favourite way to spend a day! I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did. It was the first time she had been out in a car since her surgery in something like five weeks, so she wasn't too sure how well she would do. Apart from a meeting I went to the evening before, it was the first time I had been out anywhere since getting back from my Pt Pelee trip a week ago, so I wasn't too sure how well I would do, too. Fortunately, the severe pain I have had the last few weeks due to inflamed shoulder rotator cuffs (again) and painful kneecaps being pulled out of place, that flared up just in time for my two-weeks away, is gradually improving, and all went just fine yesterday. Just glad that we saw Mountain Bluebirds, too. <br /> <br /> Our day started with breakfast at the Saskatoon Farm followed by wandering the grounds, taking photos, which we both love to do. Then we called in at the garden nursery, "Spruce it up" I think it's called. From there, we drove westwards till we reached a favourite area, finding Mountain Bluebirds and Tree Swallows, but no sign of any kind of owl. Not too surprising, as it was afternoon by then. Not even a Wilson's Snipe perched on a fence post. <br /> <br /> Up early this morning, as I made a last-minute decision to at least try a bit of the annual May Species Count walk in the city today. Very overcast and windy - where is the sun? Tomorrow's Count is driving (carpooling) out of the city in one of my favourite areas.</div> A new addition <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46765558"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/55/58/46765558.3aed7513.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Thought I would add a few photos this morning that were taken yesterday, 25 May 2018. Exactly why did I position the Tree Swallow right in the centre of the shot, with no room to crop to a much better composition? No idea, other than that the little focus rectangle was in the centre of my viewfinder, lol! Annoyed with myself when I do this. Anyway, this male Tree Swallow was looking so beautiful in the sunshine yesterday, when I was out for the day with my daughter, to celebrate yet another birthday for me. I always look forward to a day like this - my favourite way to spend a day! I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did. It was the first time she had been out in a car since her surgery in something like five weeks, so she wasn't too sure how well she would do. Apart from a meeting I went to the evening before, it was the first time I had been out anywhere since getting back from my Pt Pelee trip a week ago, so I wasn't too sure how well I would do, too. Fortunately, the severe pain I have had the last few weeks due to inflamed shoulder rotator cuffs (again) and painful kneecaps being pulled out of place, that flared up just in time for my two-weeks away, is gradually improving, and all went just fine yesterday. Just glad that we saw Mountain Bluebirds, too. <br /> <br /> Our day started with breakfast at the Saskatoon Farm followed by wandering the grounds, taking photos, which we both love to do. Then we called in at the garden nursery, "Spruce it up" I think it's called. From there, we drove westwards till we reached a favourite area, finding Mountain Bluebirds and Tree Swallows, but no sign of any kind of owl. Not too surprising, as it was afternoon by then. Not even a Wilson's Snipe perched on a fence post. <br /> <br /> Up early this morning, as I made a last-minute decision to at least try a bit of the annual May Species Count walk in the city today. Very overcast and windy - where is the sun? Tomorrow's Count is driving (carpooling) out of the city in one of my favourite areas.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46561168 tag:ipernity.com,2018-04-23,doc-46561168 Mon, 23 Apr 2018 16:50:25 +0000 2018-04-15T00:56:15-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46561168"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/11/68/46561168.97a25861.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I was so glad that I finally got out for a few hours on 15 April 2018, joining a group of friends on a birding trip SE of the city. It was a cloudy day, but beautiful. Deep snow everywhere - no one would ever think this was spring. Though plenty of species were seen, almost all were far, far away and totally out of camera range. However, we did find Great Horned Owls at three different locations, which was great - one in a tree, another on a nest, and this one in a barn. The inside of this structure was dark and the first car missed noticing the owl. Happily, the second car spotted it and caught our attention. I brightened the image so that the owl is more obvious. Any day when an owl is seen is a GOOD day : )<br /> <br /> Wow, has our weather taken a turn for the better! This afternoon, the temperature is supposed to get up to 14C and for the coming week, between 15C and 21C! This should get rid of any snow that is still on the ground. To the south of us, snow melt has caused flooding of fields and roads, unfortunately.</div> Almost missed, but gratefully seen <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46561168"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/11/68/46561168.97a25861.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I was so glad that I finally got out for a few hours on 15 April 2018, joining a group of friends on a birding trip SE of the city. It was a cloudy day, but beautiful. Deep snow everywhere - no one would ever think this was spring. Though plenty of species were seen, almost all were far, far away and totally out of camera range. However, we did find Great Horned Owls at three different locations, which was great - one in a tree, another on a nest, and this one in a barn. The inside of this structure was dark and the first car missed noticing the owl. Happily, the second car spotted it and caught our attention. I brightened the image so that the owl is more obvious. Any day when an owl is seen is a GOOD day : )<br /> <br /> Wow, has our weather taken a turn for the better! This afternoon, the temperature is supposed to get up to 14C and for the coming week, between 15C and 21C! This should get rid of any snow that is still on the ground. To the south of us, snow melt has caused flooding of fields and roads, unfortunately.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46482652 tag:ipernity.com,2018-04-03,doc-46482652 Tue, 03 Apr 2018 16:10:48 +0000 2018-04-01T15:38:59-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46482652"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/26/52/46482652.56838ff9.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday evening, 2 April 2018, I finally finishing backing up exactly one year's worth of my photos. Yes, I know, I should back up my images far more often than that!! My intention had been to see to it during the last few winter months. However, this winter has been one 'bad' thing after another, including someone hacking into my credit card and causing my card to be shut down and taking about five weeks to sort everything out; dealing with the hassle of a camera that is now in for "repair" a second time because it wasn't fixed the first time; worrying about my daughter's upcoming surgery; and going through a frightening cancer scare (which very thankfully turned out to be OK). Blink ... and the winter has almost gone! <br /> <br /> This photo was taken two days ago, on 1 April 2018 (Easter Sunday). I decided to join four friends for an afternoon walk in Fish Creek Park, despite the overcast sky, cold temperature and a forecast for yet more snow. We only had a few snowflakes and the following morning, there was just a light dusting over everything. The forecast for this week shows snow on several days.<br /> <br /> One of our stops was to see the male Great Horned Owl, perched where he was almost impossible to see, his camouflage was so good. From a distance, I could only shoot through the tangle of branches that was in front of him. His eyes looked tightly shut and he was no doubt getting some sleep after a busy night of hunting.<br /> <br /> We were also lucky to see two Coyotes together, at first way off in the distance and then they came somewhat closer. Beautiful animals, though we were concerned to see them in the area, having been asked by a family if we had seen their puppy that had run off from the parking lot. We kept our eyes open for the two and a half hours that we were walking, but we saw the family still searching. To spot a white dog against all the snow would have been difficult, and it wasn't answering to its name being called. I do hope this had a happy ending!<br /> <br /> Migrating birds are beginning to be seen in and around Calgary - but, let's face it, who in their right mind would want to come to a place where spring is still an ongoing time of cold and snow?!<br /> <br /> After braving the cold, coffee at Tim Horton's was the perfect ending to our afternoon of birding. On the way there, we stopped to look at a new birding blind that we had heard about. Made from rusty metal with several holes cut out of it, it was certainly a rather unusual sight. Thanks, Bernie and Janet, for leading the walk - always appreciated.</div> New birding blind in a local park <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46482652"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/26/52/46482652.56838ff9.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday evening, 2 April 2018, I finally finishing backing up exactly one year's worth of my photos. Yes, I know, I should back up my images far more often than that!! My intention had been to see to it during the last few winter months. However, this winter has been one 'bad' thing after another, including someone hacking into my credit card and causing my card to be shut down and taking about five weeks to sort everything out; dealing with the hassle of a camera that is now in for "repair" a second time because it wasn't fixed the first time; worrying about my daughter's upcoming surgery; and going through a frightening cancer scare (which very thankfully turned out to be OK). Blink ... and the winter has almost gone! <br /> <br /> This photo was taken two days ago, on 1 April 2018 (Easter Sunday). I decided to join four friends for an afternoon walk in Fish Creek Park, despite the overcast sky, cold temperature and a forecast for yet more snow. We only had a few snowflakes and the following morning, there was just a light dusting over everything. The forecast for this week shows snow on several days.<br /> <br /> One of our stops was to see the male Great Horned Owl, perched where he was almost impossible to see, his camouflage was so good. From a distance, I could only shoot through the tangle of branches that was in front of him. His eyes looked tightly shut and he was no doubt getting some sleep after a busy night of hunting.<br /> <br /> We were also lucky to see two Coyotes together, at first way off in the distance and then they came somewhat closer. Beautiful animals, though we were concerned to see them in the area, having been asked by a family if we had seen their puppy that had run off from the parking lot. We kept our eyes open for the two and a half hours that we were walking, but we saw the family still searching. To spot a white dog against all the snow would have been difficult, and it wasn't answering to its name being called. I do hope this had a happy ending!<br /> <br /> Migrating birds are beginning to be seen in and around Calgary - but, let's face it, who in their right mind would want to come to a place where spring is still an ongoing time of cold and snow?!<br /> <br /> After braving the cold, coffee at Tim Horton's was the perfect ending to our afternoon of birding. On the way there, we stopped to look at a new birding blind that we had heard about. Made from rusty metal with several holes cut out of it, it was certainly a rather unusual sight. Thanks, Bernie and Janet, for leading the walk - always appreciated.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46390394 tag:ipernity.com,2018-03-17,doc-46390394 Sat, 17 Mar 2018 14:56:41 +0000 2017-12-02T15:56:01-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46390394"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/03/94/46390394.25961dfe.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This photo was taken on 2 December 2017. I drove SE of the city to go to the very first Christmas Market held by the Saskatoon Farm, feeling that I should support it. When I arrived in the area, cars were parked so far along the road leading to the Farm, meaning a long walk. I kept driving and told the guy, who was keeping an eye on traffic, that I needed to turn around and go home, as it was too far for me to walk. He told me to keep going, as there was room much closer to the main building. Sure enough, I found a very handy parking spot. They obviously had a very successful turn-out for their first of two days' Market.<br /> <br /> After wandering around, including looking to see if there were any old sunflower seed heads or chickens to photograph, I left for home. I was still stressed out over trying to set up an iPad mini that I had just bought, that I didn't feel like driving a bit further south to the Frank Lake area. I'd never had a smart phone, iPad or any kind of tablet, and this was proving to be a huge learning curve, despite some help from the store from which I bought the gadget. <br /> <br /> On the way home, I made a last minute decision to turn off the highway and drive in search of this little old church, the Davisburg Community Church. I had seen it for the very first time in February 2016, thanks to the directions given me by friend, Phil..<br /> <br /> 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. 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.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://greenweddingshoes.com/tiny-white-church-in-a-field-wedding/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">greenweddingshoes.com/tiny-white-church-in-a-field-wedding/</a></div> Old country church <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46390394"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/03/94/46390394.25961dfe.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This photo was taken on 2 December 2017. I drove SE of the city to go to the very first Christmas Market held by the Saskatoon Farm, feeling that I should support it. When I arrived in the area, cars were parked so far along the road leading to the Farm, meaning a long walk. I kept driving and told the guy, who was keeping an eye on traffic, that I needed to turn around and go home, as it was too far for me to walk. He told me to keep going, as there was room much closer to the main building. Sure enough, I found a very handy parking spot. They obviously had a very successful turn-out for their first of two days' Market.<br /> <br /> After wandering around, including looking to see if there were any old sunflower seed heads or chickens to photograph, I left for home. I was still stressed out over trying to set up an iPad mini that I had just bought, that I didn't feel like driving a bit further south to the Frank Lake area. I'd never had a smart phone, iPad or any kind of tablet, and this was proving to be a huge learning curve, despite some help from the store from which I bought the gadget. <br /> <br /> On the way home, I made a last minute decision to turn off the highway and drive in search of this little old church, the Davisburg Community Church. I had seen it for the very first time in February 2016, thanks to the directions given me by friend, Phil..<br /> <br /> 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. 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.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://greenweddingshoes.com/tiny-white-church-in-a-field-wedding/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">greenweddingshoes.com/tiny-white-church-in-a-field-wedding/</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46006386 tag:ipernity.com,2017-12-12,doc-46006386 Tue, 12 Dec 2017 17:48:58 +0000 2017-12-09T12:41:55-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46006386"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/63/86/46006386.175ea105.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Friend, Gayle, made an appointment to go to the Cochrane Ecological Institute Centre tthree days ago, on 9 December 2017, and invited me to go along, too. I had longed to visit and, a few years ago, two friends and I were all set to go, but a major storm prevented us from going. It made an interesting morning, going on a tour of the grounds with our guide, Lisa Dahlseide. I know Lisa in connection with the Weaselhead Natural Area in Calgary and it was so nice to see that she was going to be our leader for this walk. She has such a wealth of knowledge and her personality is very much a "people person", including doing a lot of work with young children and nature. As well as being a busy mother of three young children, she is part time Naturalist with Weaselhead/Glenmore Park Preservation Society and the Education Director for the Cochrane Ecological Institute.<br /> <br /> Unfortunately, I was too busy being distracted by taking photos of things, that I missed a lot of the explanations for the animals/birds that we saw. I always think that I will be able to find information once I get home and get on the Internet, but that doesn't always happen. "Wildlife" that we saw including several (4?) Bison that had originally been brought up from Waterton years ago; deer; several Wild Turkeys; two Great Horned Owls; and a pair of birds that I have never seen before - White Pheasants. I missed the explanation for these Pheasants, unfortunately. <br /> <br /> After our visit to the Centre, we drove to Cochrane for an enjoyable lunch. Took a while to drive round looking for somewhere to eat - I had no idea that Cochrane had grown so much. Thanks so much, Gayle, for a different kind of day! Much enjoyed and appreciated.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://vimeo.com/225317099" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">vimeo.com/225317099</a><br /> <br /> "The CEI (Cochrane Ecological Institute) is a family founded, charitable organization devoted to breeding endangered species for reintroduction, wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and release, educating the public, monitoring habitat and species, and developing non intrusive wildlife survey methods. The CEI was founded (1971) by Miles and Beryl Smeeton and is now run by their daughter, Clio Smeeton. Miles and Beryl Smeeton were internationally known sailors, mountaineers, and explorers.<br /> <br /> The Smeetons initiated the swift fox reintroduction program in Canada in 1972, six years before the species was declared extirpated in Canada. All animals held at the CEI are destined for reintroduction. They are not maintained for public exhibit, trade, or sale. Over the 26 years of its existence the CEI has also been an integral part of the Canadian Wildlife Service's Trumpeter swan (Cygnus bucinnator) and wood bison (B.b.athabascae) reintroduction programs, as well as playing a key role in the Canadian swift fox reintroduction program. The CEI is unique in that it holds the world's longest established (1972), largest (20 pairs), and only captive breeding colony of swift fox. These animals are bred solely for reintroduction as part of the CEI's ecosystem restoration program. <br /> <br /> Internationally, as species and habitat vanish, the concept of ecosystem restoration through the reintroduction of indigenous flora and fauna, is gaining greater and greater prominence. The preservation of habitat without those species, which made that habitat a viable whole, is a sterile exercise." From the CEI's website.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.ceinst.org/about-us.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.ceinst.org/about-us.html</a><br /> <br /> "Cochrane Ecological Institute's Swift Fox Reintroduction programs began in 1972 under the direction of Beryl and Miles Smeeton. Since that time 0ver 800 Swift fox were reintroduced to the Canadian Prairie. This has resulted in the Species being downlisted by the Canadian Government from Extirpated to Endangered.<br /> <br /> In 1998 the CEI was invited by the Blackfeet Tribal Fish and Wildlife Department, Browning, Montana to join in a partnership to start the first swift fox re-introduction in the USA on the Blackfeet Tribal Lands. Defenders of Wildlife also became partners in this project and the first swift foxes were released on Blackfeet land in the fall of 1998.This program continued until 2003.<br /> <br /> The CEI was requested to design and implement a Swift Fox reintroduction program on Blood reserve lands in Alberta Canada in 2003. This resulted in only a 2 year program because of complications resulting from permitting problems and the new Species at Risk Act in Canada." From the CEI website.</div> Blacksmith at work, Cochrane Ecological Institute <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46006386"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/63/86/46006386.175ea105.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Friend, Gayle, made an appointment to go to the Cochrane Ecological Institute Centre tthree days ago, on 9 December 2017, and invited me to go along, too. I had longed to visit and, a few years ago, two friends and I were all set to go, but a major storm prevented us from going. It made an interesting morning, going on a tour of the grounds with our guide, Lisa Dahlseide. I know Lisa in connection with the Weaselhead Natural Area in Calgary and it was so nice to see that she was going to be our leader for this walk. She has such a wealth of knowledge and her personality is very much a "people person", including doing a lot of work with young children and nature. As well as being a busy mother of three young children, she is part time Naturalist with Weaselhead/Glenmore Park Preservation Society and the Education Director for the Cochrane Ecological Institute.<br /> <br /> Unfortunately, I was too busy being distracted by taking photos of things, that I missed a lot of the explanations for the animals/birds that we saw. I always think that I will be able to find information once I get home and get on the Internet, but that doesn't always happen. "Wildlife" that we saw including several (4?) Bison that had originally been brought up from Waterton years ago; deer; several Wild Turkeys; two Great Horned Owls; and a pair of birds that I have never seen before - White Pheasants. I missed the explanation for these Pheasants, unfortunately. <br /> <br /> After our visit to the Centre, we drove to Cochrane for an enjoyable lunch. Took a while to drive round looking for somewhere to eat - I had no idea that Cochrane had grown so much. Thanks so much, Gayle, for a different kind of day! Much enjoyed and appreciated.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://vimeo.com/225317099" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">vimeo.com/225317099</a><br /> <br /> "The CEI (Cochrane Ecological Institute) is a family founded, charitable organization devoted to breeding endangered species for reintroduction, wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and release, educating the public, monitoring habitat and species, and developing non intrusive wildlife survey methods. The CEI was founded (1971) by Miles and Beryl Smeeton and is now run by their daughter, Clio Smeeton. Miles and Beryl Smeeton were internationally known sailors, mountaineers, and explorers.<br /> <br /> The Smeetons initiated the swift fox reintroduction program in Canada in 1972, six years before the species was declared extirpated in Canada. All animals held at the CEI are destined for reintroduction. They are not maintained for public exhibit, trade, or sale. Over the 26 years of its existence the CEI has also been an integral part of the Canadian Wildlife Service's Trumpeter swan (Cygnus bucinnator) and wood bison (B.b.athabascae) reintroduction programs, as well as playing a key role in the Canadian swift fox reintroduction program. The CEI is unique in that it holds the world's longest established (1972), largest (20 pairs), and only captive breeding colony of swift fox. These animals are bred solely for reintroduction as part of the CEI's ecosystem restoration program. <br /> <br /> Internationally, as species and habitat vanish, the concept of ecosystem restoration through the reintroduction of indigenous flora and fauna, is gaining greater and greater prominence. The preservation of habitat without those species, which made that habitat a viable whole, is a sterile exercise." From the CEI's website.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.ceinst.org/about-us.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.ceinst.org/about-us.html</a><br /> <br /> "Cochrane Ecological Institute's Swift Fox Reintroduction programs began in 1972 under the direction of Beryl and Miles Smeeton. Since that time 0ver 800 Swift fox were reintroduced to the Canadian Prairie. This has resulted in the Species being downlisted by the Canadian Government from Extirpated to Endangered.<br /> <br /> In 1998 the CEI was invited by the Blackfeet Tribal Fish and Wildlife Department, Browning, Montana to join in a partnership to start the first swift fox re-introduction in the USA on the Blackfeet Tribal Lands. Defenders of Wildlife also became partners in this project and the first swift foxes were released on Blackfeet land in the fall of 1998.This program continued until 2003.<br /> <br /> The CEI was requested to design and implement a Swift Fox reintroduction program on Blood reserve lands in Alberta Canada in 2003. This resulted in only a 2 year program because of complications resulting from permitting problems and the new Species at Risk Act in Canada." From the CEI website.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/45946852 tag:ipernity.com,2017-12-04,doc-45946852 Mon, 04 Dec 2017 17:41:42 +0000 2017-12-02T15:52:32-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/45946852"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/68/52/45946852.d37a59da.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">All three photos posted this morning were taken two days ago, on 2 December 2017. I drove SE of the city to go to the very first Christmas Market held by the Saskatoon Farm, feeling that I should support it. When I arrived in the area, cars were parked so far along the road leading to the Farm, meaning a long walk. I kept driving and told the guy, who was keeping an eye on traffic, that I needed to turn around and go home, as it was too far for me to walk. He told me to keep going, as there was room much closer to the main building. Sure enough, I found a very handy parking spot. They obviously had a very successful turn-out for their first of two days' Market.<br /> <br /> After wandering around, including looking to see if there were any old sunflower seed heads or chickens to photograph, I left for home. I was still stressed out over trying to set up an iPad mini that I had just bought, that I didn't feel like driving a bit further south to the Frank Lake area. I've never had a smart phone, iPad or any kind of tablet, and this is proving to be a huge learning curve, despite some help from the store from which I bought the gadget. A friend told me to make an appointment at the Apple Store, for someone to set up the whole thing for me. Did that online last night and will be going in a few days' time, thank goodness.<br /> <br /> On the way home, I made a last minute decision to turn off the highway and drive in search of this little old church, the Davisburg Community Church. I had seen it for the very first time in February 2016, thanks to the directions given me by friend, Phil..<br /> <br /> 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. 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.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://greenweddingshoes.com/tiny-white-church-in-a-field-wedding/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">greenweddingshoes.com/tiny-white-church-in-a-field-wedding/</a></div> Old country church <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/45946852"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/68/52/45946852.d37a59da.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">All three photos posted this morning were taken two days ago, on 2 December 2017. I drove SE of the city to go to the very first Christmas Market held by the Saskatoon Farm, feeling that I should support it. When I arrived in the area, cars were parked so far along the road leading to the Farm, meaning a long walk. I kept driving and told the guy, who was keeping an eye on traffic, that I needed to turn around and go home, as it was too far for me to walk. He told me to keep going, as there was room much closer to the main building. Sure enough, I found a very handy parking spot. They obviously had a very successful turn-out for their first of two days' Market.<br /> <br /> After wandering around, including looking to see if there were any old sunflower seed heads or chickens to photograph, I left for home. I was still stressed out over trying to set up an iPad mini that I had just bought, that I didn't feel like driving a bit further south to the Frank Lake area. I've never had a smart phone, iPad or any kind of tablet, and this is proving to be a huge learning curve, despite some help from the store from which I bought the gadget. A friend told me to make an appointment at the Apple Store, for someone to set up the whole thing for me. Did that online last night and will be going in a few days' time, thank goodness.<br /> <br /> On the way home, I made a last minute decision to turn off the highway and drive in search of this little old church, the Davisburg Community Church. I had seen it for the very first time in February 2016, thanks to the directions given me by friend, Phil..<br /> <br /> 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. 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.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://greenweddingshoes.com/tiny-white-church-in-a-field-wedding/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">greenweddingshoes.com/tiny-white-church-in-a-field-wedding/</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/45852892 tag:ipernity.com,2017-11-17,doc-45852892 Fri, 17 Nov 2017 15:34:00 +0000 2017-10-30T13:38:49-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/45852892"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/28/92/45852892.bde15657.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">On 30 October 2017, I spent the day driving mostly roads that I had been along before (a round trip of 230 km). I still found a few roads so confusing! My destination was partly to check on two old barns that I have only seen and photographed once before. Having been there with my daughter in January 2015, I knew that there were several other old barns and homesteads en route. This day was definitely a barn day, not a bird or wildlife day. <br /> <br /> One large barn was one that I had been looking forward to finding and seeing for the first time, which I finally did in January 2015, with my daughter. I would love to have been able to get photos from both sides of it, but it was in a farmer's field that was, of course, private property. <br /> <br /> The second old barn that I saw in this area is in far worse condition, but I love it. It was funny, because I was standing in the road and had already taken a handful of photos of this crumbling, weathered structure, when I noticed someone walking towards me in the distance. Talk about deja vu! I started walking towards her and it turned out that she lived at the farm just down the road, but had previously lived in the house next to this decaying barn and it was her property. She told me to wander wherever I wished, take as many photos as I wanted. I laughed and said that in January 2015, when my daughter and I had been standing right there in the road, a lady came by on her horse and told us the very same story - it must have been the same person! Felt so good! This window belongs to this weathered barn.<br /> <br /> Another place I stopped at was a farmyard full of old barns, sheds and vehicles. I pulled over and got out to take a quick shot of an old, blue truck from across the road. A person happened to just appear, walking across his farmyard, so I called out to him and we had a delightful chat. I think he was very amused at my passion for old things and told me to walk around and take whatever photos I wanted. Which I did, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself! I told him what an amazing place he had, full of interesting things. I got the impression that he saw things very differently - lots of old things that needed fixing or tidying up : ) I told him to just leave everything as it is - a photographer's dream.<br /> <br /> On the way home, I called in at the Saskatoon Farm to see if the restaurant was still open, but it had just closed (3:30 pm). I realized I had been enjoying myself so much that I had totally forgotten to eat anything all day. Managed to get a much-needed cup of coffee, though, and I did buy a box of frozen, uncooked Saskatoon Berry and White Chocolate scones. I bought some of these last time I was there and they are so good, piping hot, straight out of the oven.</div> Weathered wood <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/45852892"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/28/92/45852892.bde15657.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">On 30 October 2017, I spent the day driving mostly roads that I had been along before (a round trip of 230 km). I still found a few roads so confusing! My destination was partly to check on two old barns that I have only seen and photographed once before. Having been there with my daughter in January 2015, I knew that there were several other old barns and homesteads en route. This day was definitely a barn day, not a bird or wildlife day. <br /> <br /> One large barn was one that I had been looking forward to finding and seeing for the first time, which I finally did in January 2015, with my daughter. I would love to have been able to get photos from both sides of it, but it was in a farmer's field that was, of course, private property. <br /> <br /> The second old barn that I saw in this area is in far worse condition, but I love it. It was funny, because I was standing in the road and had already taken a handful of photos of this crumbling, weathered structure, when I noticed someone walking towards me in the distance. Talk about deja vu! I started walking towards her and it turned out that she lived at the farm just down the road, but had previously lived in the house next to this decaying barn and it was her property. She told me to wander wherever I wished, take as many photos as I wanted. I laughed and said that in January 2015, when my daughter and I had been standing right there in the road, a lady came by on her horse and told us the very same story - it must have been the same person! Felt so good! This window belongs to this weathered barn.<br /> <br /> Another place I stopped at was a farmyard full of old barns, sheds and vehicles. I pulled over and got out to take a quick shot of an old, blue truck from across the road. A person happened to just appear, walking across his farmyard, so I called out to him and we had a delightful chat. I think he was very amused at my passion for old things and told me to walk around and take whatever photos I wanted. Which I did, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself! I told him what an amazing place he had, full of interesting things. I got the impression that he saw things very differently - lots of old things that needed fixing or tidying up : ) I told him to just leave everything as it is - a photographer's dream.<br /> <br /> On the way home, I called in at the Saskatoon Farm to see if the restaurant was still open, but it had just closed (3:30 pm). I realized I had been enjoying myself so much that I had totally forgotten to eat anything all day. Managed to get a much-needed cup of coffee, though, and I did buy a box of frozen, uncooked Saskatoon Berry and White Chocolate scones. I bought some of these last time I was there and they are so good, piping hot, straight out of the oven.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/45769914 tag:ipernity.com,2017-11-01,doc-45769914 Wed, 01 Nov 2017 17:28:07 +0000 2017-10-30T14:20:16-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/45769914"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/99/14/45769914.c1c49c3d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Snow, snow, go away - don't come back another day! The weather forecast was right - snow today (so far only very light), with more to come for four more days. Our temperature just before noon is -3C (windchill -10C). Yesterday, we had rain, which was a shame because it was time for kids to go out trick-or-treating. I didn't see or hear a single child.<br /> <br /> All three photos posted this morning were taken the day before yesterday, 30 October 2017. They show what a varied day I had - everything from Alpacas to Artichokes!<br /> <br /> I spent the day driving mostly roads that I had been along before (a round trip of 230 km). I still found a few roads so confusing! My destination was partly to check on two old barns that I have only seen and photographed once before. Having been there with my daughter in January 2015, I knew that there were several other old barns and homesteads en route. This day was definitely a barn day, not a bird or wildlife day. <br /> <br /> The large barn in a photo I posted yesterday was one that I had been looking forward to finding and seeing for the first time, which I finally did in January 2015, with my daughter. I would love to have been able to get photos from both sides of it, but it was in a farmer's field that was, of course, private property. <br /> <br /> The second old barn that I saw in this area is in far worse condition, but I love it. It was funny, because I was standing in the road two days ago and had already taken a handful of photos of this crumbling, weathered structure, when I noticed someone walking towards me in the distance. Talk about deja vu! I started walking towards her and it turned out that she lived at the farm just down the road, but had previously lived in the house next to this decaying barn and it was her property. She told me to wander wherever I wished, take as many photos as I wanted. I laughed and said that in January 2015, when my daughter and I had been standing right there in the road, a lady came by on her horse and told us the very same story - it must have been the same person! Felt so good!<br /> <br /> Another place I stopped at was a farmyard full of old barns, sheds and vehicles. I pulled over and got out to take a quick shot of an old, blue truck from across the road. A person happened to just appear, walking across his farmyard, so I called out to him and we had a delightful chat. I think he was very amused at my passion for old things and told me to walk around and take whatever photos I wanted. Which I did, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself! This old set of windows belonged to a quonset barn (never my favourite), but the turquoise colour was different, which I liked. The blue truck in a photo posted yesterday was just one of several old vehicles, mainly cars. I told him what an amazing place he had, full of interesting things. I got the impression that he saw things very differently - lots of old things that needed fixing or tidying up : ) I told him to just leave everything as it is - a photographer's dream : )<br /> <br /> On the way home, I called in at the Saskatoon Farm to see if the restaurant was still open, but it had just closed (3:30 pm). I realized I had been enjoying myself so much that I had totally forgotten to eat anything all day. Managed to get a much-needed cup of coffee, though, and I did buy a box of frozen, uncooked Saskatoon Berry and White Chocolate scones. I bought some of these last time I was there and they are SO good, piping hot, straight out of the oven.</div> Weathered <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/45769914"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/99/14/45769914.c1c49c3d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Snow, snow, go away - don't come back another day! The weather forecast was right - snow today (so far only very light), with more to come for four more days. Our temperature just before noon is -3C (windchill -10C). Yesterday, we had rain, which was a shame because it was time for kids to go out trick-or-treating. I didn't see or hear a single child.<br /> <br /> All three photos posted this morning were taken the day before yesterday, 30 October 2017. They show what a varied day I had - everything from Alpacas to Artichokes!<br /> <br /> I spent the day driving mostly roads that I had been along before (a round trip of 230 km). I still found a few roads so confusing! My destination was partly to check on two old barns that I have only seen and photographed once before. Having been there with my daughter in January 2015, I knew that there were several other old barns and homesteads en route. This day was definitely a barn day, not a bird or wildlife day. <br /> <br /> The large barn in a photo I posted yesterday was one that I had been looking forward to finding and seeing for the first time, which I finally did in January 2015, with my daughter. I would love to have been able to get photos from both sides of it, but it was in a farmer's field that was, of course, private property. <br /> <br /> The second old barn that I saw in this area is in far worse condition, but I love it. It was funny, because I was standing in the road two days ago and had already taken a handful of photos of this crumbling, weathered structure, when I noticed someone walking towards me in the distance. Talk about deja vu! I started walking towards her and it turned out that she lived at the farm just down the road, but had previously lived in the house next to this decaying barn and it was her property. She told me to wander wherever I wished, take as many photos as I wanted. I laughed and said that in January 2015, when my daughter and I had been standing right there in the road, a lady came by on her horse and told us the very same story - it must have been the same person! Felt so good!<br /> <br /> Another place I stopped at was a farmyard full of old barns, sheds and vehicles. I pulled over and got out to take a quick shot of an old, blue truck from across the road. A person happened to just appear, walking across his farmyard, so I called out to him and we had a delightful chat. I think he was very amused at my passion for old things and told me to walk around and take whatever photos I wanted. Which I did, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself! This old set of windows belonged to a quonset barn (never my favourite), but the turquoise colour was different, which I liked. The blue truck in a photo posted yesterday was just one of several old vehicles, mainly cars. I told him what an amazing place he had, full of interesting things. I got the impression that he saw things very differently - lots of old things that needed fixing or tidying up : ) I told him to just leave everything as it is - a photographer's dream : )<br /> <br /> On the way home, I called in at the Saskatoon Farm to see if the restaurant was still open, but it had just closed (3:30 pm). I realized I had been enjoying myself so much that I had totally forgotten to eat anything all day. Managed to get a much-needed cup of coffee, though, and I did buy a box of frozen, uncooked Saskatoon Berry and White Chocolate scones. I bought some of these last time I was there and they are SO good, piping hot, straight out of the oven.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/45566320 tag:ipernity.com,2017-09-25,doc-45566320 Mon, 25 Sep 2017 12:34:06 +0000 2017-09-24T14:54:17-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/45566320"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/63/20/45566320.bfe18604.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="181" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This morning, I am only posting one photo, as I have a very early start to the day. Will have to add a better description later. This photo was taken yesterday, 24 September 2017, when I ended up driving east of the city on my own. The meeting time for a trip east with other birders was given incorrectly in our newsletter, which said 9:30 am instead of 8:00 am that was given in a different place. Three of us arrived around 9:15 am, only to discover that no one else turned up. So, we went for a walk at the meeting place, Carburn Park, and afterwards, I decided that I would drive east of the city and wander around a few of the back roads. It was definitely a good decision as, though I didn't see many birds, two of them were beautiful Great Horned Owls.<br /> <br /> Continuing in the evening.... I ended up driving very different back roads to what I had thought of doing. They were all in the south area, and many were new roads to me. Old barns outnumbered birds photographed, with about five new barns and just two owls. The first owl I came across flew low across the road in front of me. At first, I thought it was a hawk of some kind, as Great Horned Owls aren't often seen flying in the daytime, It landed on a fence post in a field, where it sat for a minute or two, before flying to a distant old barn window on a farm property. Needed full zoom to get photos of it.<br /> <br /> Later on, after getting myself completely lost, I realized that I was not too far from an old grain elevator that I had discovered four years ago. On that day, I remember being so happy to have come across this elevator. When I got out of my car and walked a bit closer to get photos, I couldn't believe my eyes when I noticed a Great Horned Owl sitting in a window. I never expected that there would be an owl in the window again, yesterday, but there it was! Happy day!<br /> <br /> As for today, 25 September 2017, I spent the day with a friend, travelling south of the city to the Pine Coulee Reservoir and area. The rolling hills of this whole area are so beautiful. The birds we saw were all far away, needing Tony's spotting scope, except for a Eurasian Collared Dove and several small birds. Meanwhile, I was enjoying the scenery and anything else that caught my eye.<br /> <br /> We called in at the Pine Coulee campground and the Willow Creek Provincial Park campground and did a walk at each. Both were deserted and very peaceful. At the Willow Creek Provincial Park campground, the silence was broken by the call of a Belted Kingfisher. There was a bright yellow sign warning that there was a Bear in the area, but it was nowhere to be seen.<br /> <br /> The weather was perfect all day, starting off chilly, but getting up to about 20C in the afternoon, and a sky full of clouds. Thanks so much for the invite, Tony - much appreciated and thoroughly enjoyed! Pure luxury, too, not having to drive.</div> Three years later .... <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/45566320"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/63/20/45566320.bfe18604.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="181" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This morning, I am only posting one photo, as I have a very early start to the day. Will have to add a better description later. This photo was taken yesterday, 24 September 2017, when I ended up driving east of the city on my own. The meeting time for a trip east with other birders was given incorrectly in our newsletter, which said 9:30 am instead of 8:00 am that was given in a different place. Three of us arrived around 9:15 am, only to discover that no one else turned up. So, we went for a walk at the meeting place, Carburn Park, and afterwards, I decided that I would drive east of the city and wander around a few of the back roads. It was definitely a good decision as, though I didn't see many birds, two of them were beautiful Great Horned Owls.<br /> <br /> Continuing in the evening.... I ended up driving very different back roads to what I had thought of doing. They were all in the south area, and many were new roads to me. Old barns outnumbered birds photographed, with about five new barns and just two owls. The first owl I came across flew low across the road in front of me. At first, I thought it was a hawk of some kind, as Great Horned Owls aren't often seen flying in the daytime, It landed on a fence post in a field, where it sat for a minute or two, before flying to a distant old barn window on a farm property. Needed full zoom to get photos of it.<br /> <br /> Later on, after getting myself completely lost, I realized that I was not too far from an old grain elevator that I had discovered four years ago. On that day, I remember being so happy to have come across this elevator. When I got out of my car and walked a bit closer to get photos, I couldn't believe my eyes when I noticed a Great Horned Owl sitting in a window. I never expected that there would be an owl in the window again, yesterday, but there it was! Happy day!<br /> <br /> As for today, 25 September 2017, I spent the day with a friend, travelling south of the city to the Pine Coulee Reservoir and area. The rolling hills of this whole area are so beautiful. The birds we saw were all far away, needing Tony's spotting scope, except for a Eurasian Collared Dove and several small birds. Meanwhile, I was enjoying the scenery and anything else that caught my eye.<br /> <br /> We called in at the Pine Coulee campground and the Willow Creek Provincial Park campground and did a walk at each. Both were deserted and very peaceful. At the Willow Creek Provincial Park campground, the silence was broken by the call of a Belted Kingfisher. There was a bright yellow sign warning that there was a Bear in the area, but it was nowhere to be seen.<br /> <br /> The weather was perfect all day, starting off chilly, but getting up to about 20C in the afternoon, and a sky full of clouds. Thanks so much for the invite, Tony - much appreciated and thoroughly enjoyed! Pure luxury, too, not having to drive.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/45080364 tag:ipernity.com,2017-07-05,doc-45080364 Wed, 05 Jul 2017 15:52:55 +0000 2017-07-01T16:36:41-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/45080364"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/03/64/45080364.96de774f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This was one of the beautiful things that friend, Pam, and I saw on Canada Day, during a long, hot drive in Southern Alberta. As I was driving past this distant old barn, something caught my eye. I almost didn't reverse the car and check, but I'm so glad I did. No matter how many times I see a Great Horned Owl in a barn window, the thrill is the same with each one. For Pam, this was her very first time, a 'lifer'.<br /> <br /> Canada Day, 1 July 2017, was a great day. I picked up Pam 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! 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.<br /> <br /> 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. Most of the Nighthawk photos I took four days ago were of Nighthawks lying on metal railings, but I was still thrilled to bits. We saw four individuals, together, and one 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.<br /> <br /> 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! <br /> <br /> 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.</div> A lucky find <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/45080364"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/03/64/45080364.96de774f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This was one of the beautiful things that friend, Pam, and I saw on Canada Day, during a long, hot drive in Southern Alberta. As I was driving past this distant old barn, something caught my eye. I almost didn't reverse the car and check, but I'm so glad I did. No matter how many times I see a Great Horned Owl in a barn window, the thrill is the same with each one. For Pam, this was her very first time, a 'lifer'.<br /> <br /> Canada Day, 1 July 2017, was a great day. I picked up Pam 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! 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.<br /> <br /> 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. Most of the Nighthawk photos I took four days ago were of Nighthawks lying on metal railings, but I was still thrilled to bits. We saw four individuals, together, and one 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.<br /> <br /> 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! <br /> <br /> 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.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/43196654 tag:ipernity.com,2016-09-22,doc-43196654 Thu, 22 Sep 2016 16:13:34 +0000 2016-09-21T14:13:12-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/43196654"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/66/54/43196654.f764f1a5.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Interesting ... I never used to click on the word Flickr (right before the words You, Explore and Create. For maybe a week, I have been clicking on it and this evening I left a thank you comment under today's main image and noticed that this main photo is nowhere to be seen on the Flickr page - vanished. My second and third photos are there and all three of yesterday's images and all sorts of old photos from deeper in my photostream. I wonder if this has been happening on other days. If so, then this would be something that affects views and comments on a particular photo. I never leave comments on other people's photos by scrolling down the Flickr page - I always go to My Contacts page and usually open their photostream and have a browse while I'm there. Hmm .... interesting.<br /> <br /> HAPPY FIRST DAY OF FALL, everyone! This morning, the sky is somewhat overcast , and the temperature is 6°C (43°F), supposed to rise to 10°C (50°F) this afternoon. Rain is in the forecast.<br /> <br /> I love this idea for an outside wall, seen at the Saskatoon Farm yesterday, 21 September 2016. 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 great food - I had a delicious meal of quiche and sweet potato fries. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.saskatoonfarm.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.saskatoonfarm.com/</a></div> Tea, anyone? <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/43196654"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/66/54/43196654.f764f1a5.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Interesting ... I never used to click on the word Flickr (right before the words You, Explore and Create. For maybe a week, I have been clicking on it and this evening I left a thank you comment under today's main image and noticed that this main photo is nowhere to be seen on the Flickr page - vanished. My second and third photos are there and all three of yesterday's images and all sorts of old photos from deeper in my photostream. I wonder if this has been happening on other days. If so, then this would be something that affects views and comments on a particular photo. I never leave comments on other people's photos by scrolling down the Flickr page - I always go to My Contacts page and usually open their photostream and have a browse while I'm there. Hmm .... interesting.<br /> <br /> HAPPY FIRST DAY OF FALL, everyone! This morning, the sky is somewhat overcast , and the temperature is 6°C (43°F), supposed to rise to 10°C (50°F) this afternoon. Rain is in the forecast.<br /> <br /> I love this idea for an outside wall, seen at the Saskatoon Farm yesterday, 21 September 2016. 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 great food - I had a delicious meal of quiche and sweet potato fries. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.saskatoonfarm.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.saskatoonfarm.com/</a></div> Anne Elliott