menacing May 31, 2026

It was dark and dreary, cold and windy! It was a menacing morning my friends who are near and far! The weather warnings were out and I was out! I knew today (Saturday) could be the last day to enjoyably be "out & about" until mid week. When I arrived at the parking lot for Dale Hodges Environmental Park and looked at the sky then looked at the river, it was the word "menacing" that came to mind.  Yes my friends, Mother Nature was showing her dark side!  

Today (Sunday), I tried to transpire that menacing look into a watercolour painting of a photo I captured while at Dale's park. The photo is under the painting. This was my third try! I first went with a straight interpretation, then I went the atmospheric route, yet it was a third try using the line & wash technique that I felt I had to be happy with.  Maybe I don't have "menace" in me, but it is a dark and dreary rendition.  I'm hopeless, I still included a heart! Can you spot it?   

Yes my friends, this is what faced me while I faced it head on!

The Bow River overflowed the rocky shore.  

menacing is overtaking the blue

view to the west

Well my friends, through all the dark and dreary, I found that yellow optimism, lots of it! The Yellow Warblers have been difficult to spot when the sun shines bright on the green leaves, today was a different story, all yellows stood out! 

more yellow 

 a Yellow-headed Blackbird

yellow shining brightly

Goldfinch

yellow is golden

Mallard Mom and her Ducklings

yellow galore

these two Canada Geese parents have their wings full

Through all that bright yellow my friends, there appeared some menacing looks!

male Common Grackle

I had to chuckle at what my bird book said about Common Grackles.  While strolling through Dale's Park, I was sneezing, wheezing, whipping my eyes and nose. It was the perfect location for allergy symptoms to kick in. 

Killdeer

the name alone sounds menacing

female & male Ring-necked Ducks

the  males will bite and wing strike during mating season

I came away with much more than I shared here but I have to draw the line somewhere.  I hope through all of Mother Nature's menacing, the wildlife can find shelter and be safe.  And you my local friends, be safe!

optimism May 28, 2026

 

In every which way, I like to look on the bright side!  At times being optimistic takes work yet worth it to get to that state of mind.  It can be a mind game getting to that state, that's a game I will always choose to play. The Yellow Warblers have migrated to the city in full force.  When I hear them and then see them, I can't help but smile. When googling to learn a little more about the Yellow Warbler, I found out they symbolize "bright optimism". 

On this morning, I ventured to Nose Creek at Confluence Park with hopes of seeing Yellow Warblers.  Once again I went early to beat the heat and was joined on the pathways by many others. Right at the get-go, I forgot I was also supposed to put lots of kilometres on my walking shoes. The chorus this morning was a distraction, a distraction I was happy to get caught up in. 

male House Finch

male Red-winged Blackbird

Common Grackle

Goldfinch

Grey Catbird

Barn Swallow

I was already in a state of being cheer-filled, 

when I saw the Yellow Warbler, my happiness was magnified! 

out of curiosity, this is a Chipping Sparrow, being curious

As I write this post, night is falling and we are still in the midst of a heat wave. It is due to be gone by the morning, being replaced with a rainfall and flood warning over the next few days. This was the earliest ever I arrived at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, once again to beat the heat. How early do I have to go to these parks to be the first these days! I joined many others already walking the trails.    

Family swims were in full swing!  I knew I would see Goslings yet I was optimistic I would see other ducklings of some sort.  These Canada Geese parents and their Goslings were looking for a grassy area, they swam towards where I was standing, so I snapped my shots then moved on to give them the space.

This female Mallard and her Ducklings were swimming in a very tight group. For the first time ever, I saw a male Mallard continuously grab at the Ducklings. I was not sure what that was all about so did some homework when I got home.  There are a few reasons the male was displaying that behaviour.   

The female Wood Duck was in the reeds with about eight Ducklings. I watched for awhile while she watched her babies swim about.  Every now and then one ventured out far enough that I could get a somewhat clear shot. 

The female Common Goldeneye and her Ducklings swam for quite a distance.  

The waterways are running fast and high and lagoons are full. Water was released from the local reservoir to make room for the rain, snow melt and water which will come from the mountain areas, which is also under a rainfall/flood warning, over the next few days.  I stood on the bridge and watched the Goslings and Parents navigate the area.  I have never seen so many Goslings all together. They came in all different sizes, how do they even know which Adult they belong to.  They kept coming and coming and coming.  Even though the video ends at sixteen seconds, the Goslings kept coming. 

the water running high and fast

the Lagoon is full

When I got home and looked at my photos, I thought about how will all these Babies whether the weather over the next few days. I am optimistic their Parents have been teaching them well and will take great care of them. The Babies:  Goldeneye Duckling, Mallard Duckling, Gosling, Wood Duck Duckling.

passion May 25, 2026

If you read my blog posts about my visit to Waterton Lakes National Park last week then you would have seen a few photos of Paintbrushes which I saw along hiking trails.  I used my photos as a reference for this watercolour painting. I googled the Paintbrush flower from which I learned many more things about it. The Paintbrush flower symbolizes courage, passion, and the beauty of the wild! After finding out that, it led me to read more about the word "passion". 

My days are filled with passion! I embrace the days I put kilometres on my hiking boots or walking shoes, photographing nature in all its forms, transforming photos into watercolour paintings, creating a collection of photographs to share then putting my experience into words. I take joy in the final product but it is truly all about the journey. 

Since returning from Waterton, I have been "out & about" catching up on the comings & goings at two of my favourite locations for becoming immersed in nature. On this morning, I arrived at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary very early to wonderful sights and sounds. These days being somewhere early does not mean I get to own the place, many others are living out their passions along with me.

These two do not belong together! 

female Common Goldeneye and male Mallard

This is a proper couple!

male & female Blue-winged Teal

male Common Merganser in a flap about something 

House Wren

Yellow Warbler

Baltimore Oriole

Cedar Waxwing

female Common Merganser

a sweet family of Canada Geese

an even sweeter family of Bald Eagles

Today, I arrived at Carburn Park not long after all the birds woke, as I was up with them this morning. I was not the first in the parking lot. There were walkers, birders, fishermen, runners and dog walkers.  We were all out starting our day with living our passions. The park was alive with everything that makes nature a joy to be "out & about" in.    

Baltimore Oriole 

a stern looking Chipping Sparrow

While walking by where I saw the Robin sitting on the nest a week or so ago, I could see an egg sitting on top of the edge of the nest, not where it should be.  You can see it top left.  I zoomed in closer and saw the egg was damaged.  Another birder told me some other bird species probably got to the egg. 

two of the eight Common Goldeneye ducklings

a Cooper's Hawk with breakfast

Yellow Warbler

Adult Bald Eagle to the left, two Eaglets in the nest

After putting numerous kilometres on my walking shoes, snapping many special seconds in time, there was more passion yet to be enjoyed.  With the loads of Norwegian yarn left after knitting the mittens, I started the next project which was not planned to be started until autumn.  This is what I have to share with you so far.  Knitting pairs nicely with watching the French Open tennis matches.     

Passion 🧡 having an enthusiastic devotion to what brings joy into our lives