I was looking for a specific shot for the 52 project tonight when a weak aurora appeared over the the hill, in no time at all it developed into a crazy wave with spikes reaching to the heavens, I only managed a few shots before it disappeared again faster than it came. I make no apology for posting 'yet another' aurora as it is simply too wonderful not to share.
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These native birds have been visiting the feeder for a while now but have proven to be more elusive to shoot than the goldfinch was, but today, as the rain poured down again this one finally 'sat' for his portrait. Worth the wait I think.
We took a walk along the river pathway today to get an overview of our town with the autumn colours scattered throughout. It was absolutely stunning and certainly worth what little effort was required to reach the river bend hill that provided the overview. Cochrane really is a beautiful little place to live and we sure will miss it when we move on.
With Stuart and Fi over from Scotland, saturday saw us all heading out to enjoy the early autumn colours in the mountains. We decided to take a circular tour beginning down highway 40 to Elbow Lake and returning to the TransCanada via highway 742 (gravel road). All was well with stops at Barrier Lake, The Wedge Pond, Elbow Lake and others but late in the day on highway 742 we got a puncture that saw Stuart and I grovelling around in more dust than you could possibly imagine underneath the truck digging out the spare. Though we were soon fixed and underway again we were filthy and our plans to have dinner in Canmore were scuppered as a result. The day wasn't spoiled by the puncture and subsequent dust bowl grovelling, in fact some might say it was enhanced by the experience. The gallery below represents a small selection of captioned images from the day.
It was great to have our friends return to spend a few days with us this week. Stuart and Fi brought us gifts from home and filled the house with the melodic tones of those wonderful Scottish accents. They were only here for three nights as part of a two week trip through the rockies but we squeezed in as much as we could in the time available. Day one saw us up early and heading down to 'Humptys' cafe for breakfast (as seems traditional now) then on to Nihahi Ridge where the very best of the Elbow Valley is laid bare on all sides. It was a fantastic first day as the sun put in an appearance at last. Though there is no full write up this time, the gallery below has captioned shots of the hike. Those seeking detailed information on access to, and ascent of, Nihahi Ridge can click this link to review an earlier post.
The Labour Day Parade is a long standing tradition in both Canada and the US, it is held on the first Monday of September each year and provides a great long weekend close to the summer. Today Sarah and I went down into our local town of Cochrane to watch the festivities. Below shows a selection of shots from the day or you can click here for the full eclectic gallery and more detail about Labour Day itself.
Just a couple of nights ago we got a glimpse of a faint aurora on the horizon, our first for a while. Tonight it returned and for a short time we got a great display of movement and multi coloured flares, best of all it came early so we could watch it together.
Me and the bees sucked the last of summer up today as the mercury hit 25C once again. I took a short 8km wander on the local trail at West Bragg Creek with the macro lens in hand looking for another shot for my 52 project. I got a nice one for the project and a few more besides so thought I'd share some here. I did discover one thing today, if you shine an ultra bright LED torch/flashlight into the entrance to a wasps nest they will pour out in large numbers in a very short time, my guess is they think the entrance has been breached as light is pouring in so they come to investigate, suffice to say I got only one shot of the wasps within before beating a hasty (sting free) retreat.
Last night at midnight there was a familiar green glow of auroral activity on the horizon over Cochrane. It wasn't a full display of dancing shards of light that twist and turn across the night sky it was more of a suggestion, but I couldn't resist at least one shot. In summer it's hardly dark at midnight, so with the days shortening toward winter these 'lesser' auroras are now visible again and it feels like the return of an old friend. I will never tire of this phenomenon no matter how often or how faint it might be when I see it
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AuthorWe arrived in Calgary, Canada on 29th December 2011 to continue our journey. This blog is intended to keep our family and friends informed whilst we explore Canada.You can use the RSS feed below to stay updated. Categories
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January 2024
The Shaman, West Texas
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