thru my lens

the zoo

Hopefully soon Calgarians will once again be able to go and see the inhabitants of the zoo. So until then I thought a few photos may be in order to brighten the day.

I love big cats and little cats too!

I am not in favour of zoos, I believe that animals should be free in their natural habitat. So why do I go, my husband Jody loves the zoo.

We as humans should protect these beautiful creatures where they live and be more cognizant of our impact on this our one and only planet.

It has been a long week of online classes, lots of assignments to complete and way too much rain. Here’s a hope the sun will soon return and as we humans are cooped up in our homes we will think about our negative impact on nature, so when we do venture outdoors we change our polluting, consumeristic ways.

till next time……

day use only

Here we are, it’s the long weekend to celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday, and there is no camping. So will it still snow here in Alberta or rain in Ontario as it always does on this long weekend! Or because no one is out camping will the weather co-operate and be sunny with a warm breeze? Its kinda like if the a tree falls in the empty forest does it still make a sound?

As for our weekend, we still have to get our fishing license, the river we like is not open yet, and camping is not happening; so we took our chairs and sat next to the water to listen to and watch nature. It’s very calming even if it’s Day Use Only.

Some up close and personal shots of flora.

It was a nice afternoon, weather was good, a little windy at times but it is good to be outside and not just in the back yard. It is weird times with the virus and interesting to see how people react. I watch the news and just shake my head, what is the rush? I am glad to be able to still do my schooling and not have to brave the public spaces with people, I am an at risk person.

An added bonus for todays adventure is dedicated below a mom and her two clubs out and about as well as mountain sheep sunning themselves.

That is all for this week, talk soon.

out and about

During the break between semesters Jody and I went for a cruise to a place called Bassano. It is east of Calgary, not too long a drive and easy to find; just take the Trans Canada Highway and turn right. This was a totally random event to get out of the house, a chance to stretch our legs and enjoy being outside.

One of the sights to see is the Bassano Dam.

The dirt road to get there runs along Siksika land and as always the sun soaked prairie goes as far as the eye can see, beneath the big blue sky; I love Alberta.

The site was not deserted; there was a family was going fishing below the dam when we arrived. We chose to walk along the path that takes you to the dam and proceed across the roaring waters. The dam has been there since the early 1900s and has just gone through updates including a new spillway, which was prompted by the flood of the century in 2013.

Always nice to catch a rainbow even a tiny one. Turbulent Waters. View from the Dam.

So that was our “get out of the house” for the 25th of April. As we all know it is not fun to be housebound but lets be thankful for all we do have, a roof over our heads, food on our table and healthcare professionals who are on the job to help battle COVID-19.

Have a peaceful day, stay strong.

till next time…..

summer’s end…

For so many years, when I lived in Ontario, the summer meant taskings away from my normal place of duty to augment summer training in Meaford or Borden. Since being in Alberta this hasn’t been the case and I have had the great pleasure of being able to go camping in the mountains during the summer months.

Roadway to one of the areas we like to camp

Camping in Ontario is ok, it’s regulated and has no mountains. When I moved to Alberta I discovered random camping.

This, our last camping trip, was a most excellent way to wrap up our summer and test our new camping gear.

Both Jody and I love being outdoors, hiking and soaking in nature, I like fishing but don’t have to catch anything whereas Jody loves to hook the big ones and to hunt.

I am not into hunting.

For those of you that know me you may have guessed that I also had my knitting; no matter where I go I always have a project with me. And of course I have my camera because I never know what I will encounter especially in the mountains.

View up and down the river we were camped next to the river and Jody is fishing I am knitting.

Some flora and fauna of the area which is called Beehive Natural Area.

This area has random camping along with areas that are off limits which are untouched bee habitats. We had a great stay in the mountains, enjoyed the peace and quiet, sunny skies with some rain, toasty warm campfires and just chillaxing. I am looking forward to this years trip already.

I hope everyone, everywhere is well, staying home and staying safe. Have a great day Canada!

every picture tells a story… every window has a life

Imagine stepping back in time and experiencing the hot sun on your face as you cruise the road in a 1950s convertible and going to places Ernest Hemingway went, who just happens to be one of my favourite authors. One is the Floridita which has Hemingways life-size bronze statue at the end of the bar and serves ice cold daiquiris.

I journeyed to this place stuck in time the year before the government legalized the buying and selling of private property. I have not been back but I have heard that Cuba is a very different place now.

On this, my second trip to Cuba , I stayed at Santa María del Mar, Cuba. Although the hotel sucked, the beach was beautiful. Havana was fairly close, and transport was these amazing cars from the 50s.

I walked all over Havana visiting El Morro, a Bacardi Rum bar, the Artists Market on the harbour, the now decrepit train station (because I love trains), walking along the seawall basically covering as much of the city as I could; all the time clicking away.

One group of pictures I took was of people’s windows in what is called Old Havana. These were buildings that were once beautiful, opulent and for the rich. But with the rise of the Communist Government these icons of Western living have been allowed to fall into disrepair and decay. From the outside each window looks different and each one tells its own story of who may be living just beyond the shutters and glass.

It’s another day of sun outside here in Canada, so get out, breathe in the fresh Calgary air, keep the recommended distance from your fellow city dwellers, and stay safe.

bicycle power

One of my favourite things to do when I lived in Toronto was to bike along the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail. The last place I lived was close to Lake Ontario in Etobicoke.

Photos that I shot at the lake are mostly of birds and scenery so to change it up a bit I did some cartoon photos.

Any sunny day would find me on my bike heading to the lake from my apt. The ride to the lake was only five minutes and I always had my camera in hand; eager with anticipation at what I might be able to capture with a click of my Canon.

me and my bike!

I also would bike to work; it was a 13 kilometre ride and again I had my camera, ready to shoot any thing interesting I may come across.

My bike ride to work was just over six kilometres of road riding on Lakeshore Blvd, sometimes quite a harrowing experience. Fortunately the bike path was the last half so I got to enjoy riding along the lake, taking in nature; especially beautiful at 6:30 am on a bright sunny day. Following the path along I would encounter geese, swans, the odd blue heron, and lots of bees flying among the beautiful flowers. Closer to work I rode past Ontario Place and then through the CNE grounds to Fort York Armoury.

Fort York Armoury

I still love to bike; my red Peugeot mountain bike was retired a few years ago and I now enjoy a Trek Hybrid. I am looking forward to racking up lots of kilometres this year as the weather changes from these snowy winter days to less snowy spring days.

Till next time, stay home and stay safe.

let’s have some sunshine today

I have been going over the photos from my journeys abroad for inspiration and I am having difficulty choosing what to write about today. As everyone in Canada, I too am at home and continuing my studies here at my desk while my hubby is working in our den; both of us communicating with the world, via the internet. So I think something bright and sunny is the order for the day and this post is a peek at that trip to Florida in September of 2009.

It was not my first trip to Florida, I lived in Fort Lauderdale for a short while in 1978-79 with my boyfriend David, who later become my first husband. We honeymooned there in 1983 and from then to 2009 I hadn’t take taken any trips unless it was with the military.

Crandon Beach Park

Travelling for me was always off the beaten path and not always to major touristy spots however in Florida this was hard to do as everywhere seems to be a tourist destination. I love swimming in the ocean, walking the sunny streets of South Beach and exploring the beauty of familiar places.

Its mid-week and I have the beach to myself!

There is nothing better than enjoying the hot sunny weather of those places closer to the equator. I have been a sun-worshipper since I was a little girl and that is one of the reasons I have ended up in Calgary; it is touted as the sunniest place in Canada.

I hope these snapshots have brightened your day, I certainly enjoyed looking at them again.

Until next time, stay home and stay safe.