Gophers galore

Camera Critters

A few shots of our local gophers, which some consider a nuisance but others like me just think they are cute! 

 

 

Venturing out of his hole, he can see us but keeps close to his home for an easy escape. Just in case i decide to come to close, he has an escape. 

 

After deciding I am not posing any threats to him, he gets a little brave and ventures out to find some food. 

 

Farmers think these are a nuisance and a pest and actively wage war on them in the spring/summer months because of their homes and the holes they create in the fields. Cows and horses can trip into one of their holes and break a bone. 

They hunt them regularly and with a passion. 

Scenic Weekends 

A Walk in my Park

Sunlit Sunday

Shadow Shot Sunday

Sundays in my City

 

We have had unseasonably nice weather this past winter, and today, the start of Daylight Savings has been an amazing day. 

My sister and I went to Strathcona Park, which is one of my favorite parks in the city. There are walking trails all along the Saskatchewan River to follow as well as inner playgrounds and picnic areas to enjoy. 

 

The temperatures have been very warm lately. Today was 11 degrees celcius. They say it will be 16 degrees tomorrow, which for winter on the prairies is pretty warm. 

Most of the snow has melted, just the odd patch of ice here and there. 

 

It won't be green for a long while. Lots of browns around now. 

My sister says that it will always snow sometime in April, so we will enjoy this early spring now! 

 

 

An empty bird house just waiting for spring birds to take up residence.

 

This city we live in has the distinction of being the sunniest city in Canada, with an average of 300 sunny days each year We get a lot of warm Chinooks coming through and seem to miss the stormy weather systems that pass by on either side of the city.

So we get lots of bright sunny days and blue skies.  Lots of shadow shots to be had!!!

 

Resting spot on the retreating ice for the Geese.

 

Another nest in the bare trees for some bird to take over and live. 

Hope you enjoyed my walk in the park with me as much as I did. 

Blue Monday

Blue Monday

Here is another photo from a series I have posted for the past few weeks. 

Even though its pretty, I'm ready for some Spring!

 

What about a blue High Heeled shoe slide! 

The parks are a quiet and alone place to wander through in the winter, it will be good to hear the sound of children's voices enjoying the playgrounds when Spring decides to return!

Frosty Fences

Good Fences

When the trees are all dressed in crystal ice, and sparkling with their shiny coats.

Remember me

Seriously, it has been so long since I last posted anything on my blog, I was not even sure if I remembered how to go about it. How sad is that. 

This was a spot I loved to share my photos on, and loved taking my camera out to find those photos that spoke to me and that I knew I'd bring here to share. Its been so long.

Somewhere along the way I lost that mojo, no matter that along the way things happened to give me a push to pick up my camera and get out there. I've even shown some of my photos in a recent gallery show and sold one of them there. I also just recently sold another photo that will be used as the front cover of a book. Shouldn't that tell me something? 

Hubby and I joined the local photography club here with the hope of meeting some like minded folks to share photography with. We've been to meetings, learned some things, met some nice people and gone on a field trip which I really enjoyed. Still didn't find the passion though I left in B.C. when we moved from there to here. 

At least by being here, I am trying to find some of it. Really want it back. 

Outdoor Wednesday

 

This was taken at one of our local parks after a night of Fog, which caused all the trees to be covered with a thick coating of Hoar Frost. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. The frost lasted for a few days and each day was a bright and sunny day which just made the frost sparkle like a million diamonds. The pictures I took can't even do it justice.

I'll see if I can keep it up here!

Eggs Easy Under

Macro Monday 2

This tiny little Quail puffed out her feathers so she looked a lot bigger and wider than she actually was so that she could completely cover all the eggs she was sitting on.

 

She was so tiny that when she did get up and take a break we were so surprised that she was sitting on 7eggs. 

I mean, they took up more space than she did! 

It was such a surprise!

 

P52 Sweet Shot Tuesday

Fallen Flower

Today's Flowers

Its been three months since my last blog entry and honestly, I didn't realize that much time had passed. I have been having such a hard time with my photo mojo, so to speak. I feel like this flower, fallen, gathering dust in a strange way.

My hubby and I recently found and joined our town's Photography club. We went to our first meeting and are going this coming week to one of their photo outings. I am so hoping it re-ignites my fire for photography. I really miss it and have almost felt like I am mourning its loss. 

I'm not making any promises, just going to try  again and hope to find my love and passion for this craft!

Sunny Day at Strathcona Park

Weekend Reflections

Silent Sunday 

Straight out of the Camera  

Sunday Snapshot 

Sunlit Sunday 

 

Cold Winter's Day

Scenic Weekends

Oh and do I mean cold!! It is -26 Celcius with a windchill that brings down the temperature to -33 degrees.

 

These photos come from one of our local parks, called Strathcona Park. It is located along the Saskatchewan River and has beautiful walking trails that follow along the river. It is only about 5 kilometers from our house too, what could be better than that!

Shadow Shot Sunday 

 

Sunday Bridges 

Quite a few of the walking paths have cute little bridges to go over. 

 

A bit of a reflection! 

Weekend Reflections 

Hazy Shades of Winter

Camera Critters

Song-ography

Scenic Weekends

Sunday Snapshot

I'm ready for the coming of Spring. This winter has been long and cold, and I am looking forward to sunnier warmer temps. 

And Daylight Savings, just two and a half weeks away. Longer days, lighter evenings. 

Passing Testament

Skywatch Friday 

Weekend in Black and White

1440 

 

An old abandoned church off the road leading to Etzicom in Alberta. It looks like patches of water around the church, its actually frozen patches of ice, so I did not venture around to the back to take photos from behind. 

 

 

Beaded Bokeh

Project 52 Sweet Shot Tuesday

Texture Tuesday

A bracelet on a craft table that caught my eye. 

It's not something that I would buy to wear, its really not my style of jewelry, but I liked the colors and the way the light played on the beads. 

 

Photography makes it possible for me to see the things that I normally would not even pause to see. It opens my world a little bit more!

 

Ice Pickles

Project 52 - Sweet Shot Tuesday

I have been struggling lately with my photography so its cool to see something in my travels that captivates my attention. 

 

 

My hubby and I were out the other day and happened to take a wrong turn which brought us to the back of a large store. As we were passing by the back storage area I saw all these icicles attached to a shelving unit.

 It caught my eye and I asked my hubby to stop so I could capture a few photos. 

 

That doesn't happen often for me with my photo slump, so he was very happy to stop to let me take these few photos. 

He told me that he used to call icicles Ice Pickles! Hence the name of this post!

 

I liked the textures of the chain link, the metal shelving, the silver shelves and the sparkly ice pickles. 

 

Hopefully when you see some icicles you will remember this post and call them Ice Pickles too!

Its a Wonderful World

Shadow Shot Sunday

Straight out of the Camera Sunday

Song-ography Sunday

Simple Things Sunday

Sunday Snapshots

Do these pictures look as cold as it was when they were taken? It snowed tiny little flakes all day yesterday and this is what accumulated from the snowfall. The snow is powdery and light, and did I mention cold!! 

 

You can't make a snowball out of it to throw.

 

When you walk in it, the footsteps make a crunching sound.

 

It just compacts it down when you drive on it. And if you spun your wheels enough you could make a thin layer of ice.

 

This is our favorite park to visit in Medicine Hat. To get down to it you have to go down a steep winding long hill, with a drop off if you were so inclined to slide over the side on your way down. 

 

You can see it is quite deserted out here because most people are too scared or is that too smart to attempt the hill down and then back up again! 

 

The Sand cliffs across the water from Echodale park. The geese flying over the river.

 

One thing about snow on a sunny day, its so bright it almost hurts to really open your eyes.

 

Love the shadows.

 

The temperature today is -8Celcius, in other words Cold!

 

I think these winter pics of Echodale are just one example of What a Wonderful World it is we live in!!

Blurred Perspective.

Project 52 - Sweet Shot Tuesday

 

I have been loving the colors of Autumn that are on display right now. The yellows, the oranges and especially the reds. I loved the way the light shone on the leaves. It was golden light, that hour of the evening where the magic happens. My shutter speed was high and caught the leaves so that the huge wind we were having this day was not blowing at all. 

I kind of missed the wind though and the effect of movement and the blur that comes with that, so I put the blur back! Kind of like it! 

Ruby Tuesday

Outdoor Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

A Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Shadow Shot Sunday

Watching

Meet Molly, my sister's Maltese dog. She is constantly watching me, I think wanting to be picked up!

 

Leafy

We spent the day at Echodale, shuffling through the leaves that have fallen. It's one of my favorite things to do in the Fall. When we lived in BC it was very hard to do that as it rained all the time, the leaves were wet and soggy all the time. Here they are dry and crisp and so fun to shuffle through!

 

First World Problem

The problem here is the car parked in the parking area somehow made itself invisible when I took this photo. Somehow the rule of checking out the background for annoying things that ruin your otherwise perfect shot didn't happen this time!

 

Mellow Yellow Monday 

Still

And peaceful, Love visiting this Park. It is always different and always the same. If you know what I mean!

 

I love this shot of the shadows falling gently over the leafy carpet. 

Blue Monday 

Just waiting for picnic time. 

 

Song-ography 

A Good Day

A great day is shuffling through crisp crunching leaves, throwing handfuls of dry leaves into the breeze and watching them fly through the air! A good day is going for a walk along paths by the lake, seeing the gorgeous yellows, oranges and reds of colour, feeling the breeze through your hair, visiting with family while walking. 

 

Everyday is a good day, you could say the best day of my life, it is what I have right this moment, the only day and its the best!!