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!

living life lately looks like this

A tiny bit of panic set in for a split second or so when I turned the page to the last week of August!  Thankfully many of the things on my summer to-do list can be accomplished well into September.  It crossed my mind that maybe I have too many interests so I should focus on fewer.  I still want to learn, I need to be out in nature, crafting challenges my brain, it's important to collect kilometres on my soles, time with others is necessary. Multi-tasking fits the bill in some cases.    

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A lax in judgement found me at Forgetmenot Pond almost freezing. My light additional layer was too light yet thankfully the sleeves stretched long enough to keep my hands warm.  Plus four celsius with no wind was refreshing and afforded a beautiful reflection.  Mid photo, five guys are huddled around a fire, I considered questioning if I could crash their party for a few minutes but opted to carry on around The Pond and down the trail.  I put a few kilometres on my walking shoes.    

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In my last post, I shared this photo of a discarded book I picked up at a Little Library in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island a few weeks ago. I started making a watercolour sketchbook and was waiting on a few supplies.  The supplies arrived!  I decided to cover the whole book instead of just the inside covers which I have done with previous books I created.  

This is the front cover of the completed project.

The sunflower is a sticker. 

I used washi tape on the spine.

inside the front cover

I christened the new sketchbook with a whimsical watercolour painting on the first page. While the process of putting the book together took time, the painting did not. I had to do some googling to learn about covering a whole book.  The result from saving this book pleases me!  

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An item on my to-do list was to drive out to Sheep River Provincial Park to take a look at the scenery from the Bighorn Lookout. I was wondering if this could be a nice place to experience a plein air painting session. The answer is a definite YES! Now that I know that, I have added another item to my to-do list.  Whether I will get to do that this year remains to be seen.  I exited my vehicle with camera in hand and bear spray at my waist. No one else was in the parking lot nor on the trails in the area.  A tree-lined trail led to.........

.....this!  The trail makes a loop around the meadow then leads back to the parking lot.

A lone sparse tree sits in the middle of the meadow.  On it sat this Red-tailed Hawk.  The Hawk perched in this stance for the entire time I was on the trail. It appeared to me that it was ready to fly off at any second but it never did while I was out in the open. After I headed back into the trees, I looked back and it was gone.  I learned later this is a Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk and maybe its behaviour is related to that.  I have seen numerous Red-tailed Hawks over the past couple of weeks, this sighting out in a beautiful nature setting was the best ever!  

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Almost an hour south of the city is a lovely privately owned farm that is open to the public. It has loads to offer, one could easily spend hours there if you were to partake in everything.  I walked the main drag, checked out the barnyard, looked in the grocery store, checked out the mercantile and also the bakery.  Spent time in the produce barn, admiring the structures, listening to and watching the birds, snapped many photographs, smelled flowers and watched the ginger cat follow me that you can see in the middle of the photo.  It has been decades since I visited this place. I know I need to not wait so long and return sometime this September. They will have much more to offer!   

My purchases: sourdough bread, pie, apples, potatoes, zucchini.

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While out & about last week, I saw this Long-eared Owl!  This is a "lifer" for me!  I was deep in amongst bushes and trees, swatting at bugs, listening to many bird species, ducking under branches and stepping over roots.  I heard a rustle then saw a big brown thing fly into the tree in front of me.  Long-eared Owls are not rare but it is rare to see one.  I treasure the few minutes I had with this Owl. It stayed in place while I captured many special seconds in time.  I have been reading about this Owl species and learning lots.  Now I need to learn how to do a watercolour painting of my special photo! Stay tuned for that!

Over the past number of days I have learned lots, added many kilometres to my soles, been creative in numerous ways, dined with others and filled my heart and soul with the joys of being out in nature. I am thoroughly enjoying what living life lately looks like! 

story time

Once upon a time…..

Since returning from vacation just over a week ago, I took one day of downtime, my preference was to get back to my reality which truly is quite nice. Between painting, walking, lunching, birding, crafting and choring, the week flew by.  Due to wanting to tell a few stories, I have limited attaching my usual large number of photos. A few photos can go a long way if you let your imagination run with it!

Prince Edward Island & Seaglass 

It has been such a pleasure to put the wraps on my Prince Edward Island trip by creating this Seaglass project. All pieces of glass used to form the map of the Island were collected from Cape Traverse Beach.  The blue piece represents Charlottetown, the capital. The seaglass used for the letters  P E I  were collected from previous trips elsewhere.  I painted them to match the well known Prince Edward Island bright red sand and mud. The canvas panel measures eight inches by ten inches. I painted it with blue watercolour to represent the Gulf of St Lawrence and the Northumberland Straight. The red star on the google map shows where I collected the Seaglass. This project sits where I will see it daily.  

Sketch Book Making

George saved the day! I saved the book!  I found this hard-covered child’s book behind the doors of a Little Library on a residential street in Charlottetown.  I had to walk off the fish feast I ate and the local craft beer I paired with it. The quaint streets were inviting and thoroughly enjoyable to stroll along.  Finding this book was a bonus.  It had a tag on it that said “discard”.  After reading it, I removed the pages.  I cut a dozen sheets of watercolour paper in half to match the size of the book. Right now, the binding glue has been added and I am waiting for it to set. A few other supplies are needed then I will complete creating this watercolour sketch book.  It will be a perfect book for whimsical scenes and also cute line & wash paintings. 

Favourite Scenes 

From the loads of scenes I shot this week, these three are my favourites. The wildfire smoke comes and goes. The third photo looks that pink because the smoke level was moderate. I do have mixed emotions about photos like that when I know the devastation that has occurred. My favourites are not necessarily the prettiest but stand out to me for one reason or another.  

Favourite Wildlife Sightings

With end of summer bird migration in full swing, the popular birding areas are busy, busy, busy.  There is so much to see and hear. I have been to a few of the places and saw a multitude of sweet sights. If I had hours, I could share dozens of wonderful photographs with you. But, I share these three only!  As the Osprey flew overhead, then aimed in my direction, I ducked and squealed thinking it was coming for me.  It landed on a branch just above my head. Mom House Finch on the right is feeding her Big Baby. When Mom flew away, the Big Baby fussed and fluttered.  It is that time of year when Deer antlers are almost fully grown back.  Just like last year, this young Buck’s antler once again grew back bent.   

The End!

Prince Edward Island August 14, 2026

After a night of rain and wind, this morning felt quite refreshing. 

The tide was at its lowest so I got to wander far and wide.  

I was able to go beyond where I previously wandered to.

Last night’s weather left lots of treasures behind.

During that one and a half hour walk, this is the beach glass I collected. 

I know I could have easily found more. 

This will be enough to make something some day.