Hello September! September 1, 2026

from the rolling Southern Alberta Foothills to the Canadian Rocky Mountains

our view from Leighton Art Centre

My first and only visit to the Leighton Art Centre was back in late August of 2023.  It came back on my radar a little while ago, I was due for another country drive. This time my sister joined me.  She had never been there nor had she ever heard of it. The weather was forecasted to be perfect for today so it was go time.  This is the view of the main Centre from the parking lot.   

This is the view from the back side of the Leighton Art Centre.

This is where we would begin our hike up and down and around the rolling hills.

This is the perfect view to make for a welcoming hike. 

The pathway goes on forever, it looks like it would eventually meet the mountains.

If I don't move, they won't see me! I did not have to do much zooming at all to capture this Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel.  It is also known as a Striped Gopher or a Leopard Grand Squirrel.  All names are very fitting.  Looking closely, the strips and other makings are absolutely perfect in detail. 

The trails have painted Birdhouses scattered here and there along the way.  

This is one of the many we came across.

map showing the route and where the birdhouses are

As you can see, the views were incredibly perfect! 

There were many interesting sights to be seen. 

For those of you who are long time followers of my blog, 

you know how much I am into clouds.  

They were picture perfect the entire day.  

view towards a small lake 

another of the many birdhouses we spotted

We did not follow the entire route around the property.  Eventually we came upon this trail which we opted to follow.  It lead us back to the Centre where we checked out the gift shop, the art galleries and the museum.  After that, it was time for......

.....a picnic! My sister prepared a perfect feast and set up. 

We savoured every single sip and bite which was paired with a perfect view.  

A sweet desert of grapes and watermelon was made sweeter by 

the feast for our eyes towards the west and of course, 

the sweet company was the icing on the delicious dish!  

a perfect day in every way!

This view was in front of us as we loaded up the vehicle. It's such a messy looking sky, filled with clouds that don't know which direction to head, they go here, there, everywhere! I love everything about this messed up kind of look that Mother Nature created! 

While in the museum, I captured a panorama photo of the legend showing the mountains we witnessed to the west.  For your viewing pleasure, I enlarged the legend and broke it into four pieces. Those orange stars indicate hills and mountains I summited. 

I used the word "perfect" more times than I normally do in a blog post! 

That word best describes today!  

Good-Bye August August 31, 2026

August, how amazing you were!  Then again, amazing is in the eye and the mind and the heart and the soul of the beholder! It was on my shoulders to make it that way and I made it what it was.  

Before heading out this morning, I started this painting. The reference was a photo I took from Bighorn Lookout last week. My intentions are still to get out there again to do a plein air painting of this view.  For now though, I created an at home line and wash version.  I had the lines in place before leaving for the morning, then added the washes when I got home.  

my reference photograph

Warbler migration is surely coming to an end any day now. This morning I aimed for Carburn Park to focus on finding Warblers along with other small birds. The dense forests in the Park were bustling with birders and birds. As one guy said to me "everyone is here for the Warblers". For this last day of August, we were gifted with fresh clear air, a bright blue sky and warm temperatures.  The moon stood out against the beautiful bright blue.   

Am I seeing angel wings again in the clouds?

With a steady hand, the full zoom on my camera capture this!

Oh wow, look at that detail at the bottom of the moon.

Loads of small birds were heard and seen. Many were too fast for me to get photographs. For some of the small birds, it took a few of us to use our eagle eyes to spot them. I took well over two hundred photos of scenery, small birds and big birds too, plus ducks and shorebirds and raptors. I even saw tiny baby Cedar Waxwings still in the nest. I was told this is the second clutch in that nest this summer. I enjoyed the time I spent alone in the forest and just as much, I enjoyed the time I spent with the other birders. I am sharing just a few photographs. 

female American Goldfinch

Yellow Warbler

House Wren

young Cedar Waxwing

Warbling Vireo

Western Wood-pewee

Blue-headed Vireo 

a "lifer" for me

Some Warblers I saw but had no success in getting photos are Nashville Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Black and White Warbler, and Yellow-rumped Warbler. 

🖌🦉

I shared in an earlier post that I recently saw a Long-eared Owl which was a "lifer" for me. I returned to the area twice where I saw it with hopes it might still be there but no luck. They are so elusive. It could have been there watching me but my eagle eyes failed me. I also mentioned that I wanted to learn to paint it. I followed a couple tutorials and looked at some other paintings. I then put paint to paper and this is the outcome! The more I look at the painting, the more it grows on me! 

my reference photo

So now I say "Good-bye" August! 

the ECLIPSE the MOON the SUN the CLOUDS

The stars aligned last night and into this morning to create a photographer’s dream!  Between the Partial Lunar Eclipse, a full moon, an amazing sunrise, clouds that danced like there was no tomorrow, I was snap happy for hours on end. There were forecasts for fabulous views of the Aurora Borealis but those never transpired. Sleep came when all was said and done! 

The Partial Lunar Eclipse

Even with a moderate level of wildlife smoke, the Partial Lunar Eclipse was still visible. Clouds covered parts of the moon when I first looked out but they eventually cleared. I had my eyes on the sky from the steps at my front door.  The Full Partial Lunar Eclipse occurred at 10:12 PM. For that I did not capture a good photo. 

9:12 PM

9:31 PM

10:05 PM

The Full Moon 

With the Partial Lunar Eclipse over, I headed to my deck out my back door to monitor the sky for the forecasted Aurora Borealis show.  I thought I saw something but it disappeared as quickly as it came.  The App was not giving positive hope yet I had hope.  It was a gorgeous night temperature wise, no need for a multitude of layers.  I sat out! I hoped! I watched! When I looked in the other direction, there was the Full Sturgeon Moon. It was high in the sky and seemed so far away.  I gave up on the Northern Lights and focused on the Moon. 

As it worked its way lower in the sky, it appeared much closer. My zoom lens brought it in even closer. About thirty minutes after capturing this photo, the bottom part became covered by the tops of trees.  I had a thought!  I had a very early cup of coffee and a quick bit to eat.  Then.....

.....drove to Nose Hill Environmental Park!  In my rush to get out the door, I forgot my headlamp so found my way up the Hill in the dark. I saw nothing but a blackish sky.  Where was the Moon I wondered!  Then I saw it looking at me!  That's the Moon starting to peek through the clouds.  I called it "cat eyes".

more and more of the Moon began to appear

with clouds in front

the clouds made it look like the Moon was on fire

I believe some of this colour is due to the moderate level of wildfire smoke.

While watching the Moon, especially as time was going on, I began to turn to the east to watch for the Sun. This is the last photo I took of the Full Sturgeon Moon. Very soon afterwards, more smoke along with clouds rolled in and I could no longer see it. That was fine because now I was shifting focus to the Sun and the Sunrise. 

The Sun

I missed seeing the Sun first peek above the horizon.  I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. By now the way was clear and it was light enough that I could  move swiftly to get to a higher place where I had views forever.  Once again, the colour of the Sun is due to the wildfire smoke.  It's so pretty in pink! I was not alone for this sunrise, a very large group of people were a bit lower on the Hill admiring it just like me.

The Sun & The Clouds 

By now the Sun was fully up. The after glow went on for some time creating an incredibly dreamy sky!  While my focus was mainly still the Sun, the Clouds could not be denied! The Sun and the Clouds were perfectly paired.  It had become a "pinch me is this for real" morning.  

The Clouds

These are a few photos where the focus was on the Clouds from shortly after sunrise to when I was ready to head on home.  Some of the clouds made me think of cotton candy.  Other clouds played a number on my mind when the formations looked like things. In the second cloud photo, I see angel wings!  Do you see them? I am sharing only a few of the dozens and dozens and dozens of beautiful clouds that I photographed. Clouds have always captured my attention and they did tenfold this morning. 

I arrived home mid morning which was bedtime for me!