Sunny! Snowy!

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On this morning I went in search of what snow there is left in the city.  From various locations close to home, I could see some snow up on Nose Hill so made that my objective. I tried to pair that with catching the sunrise but I was a little lax getting out the door which made me late. Yet, I caught the afterglow as I started walking up the Hill.  

Where does the trail lead?

I followed it to find out! 

Along the way, I found snow formations!  

This was a hard crust of snow.

Along the way, I found a flock of crows!

This crow is calling out orders to its crew.

Along the way, I found a Northern Shrike!

See that bill?  This is a tiny bird of prey! 

I like following trails that have much to offer!

Many other sights were spotted along the way.  

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After my last post where I shared about the sketchbook I made from an old book, I returned to the basement to see what other books I had taking up space on the shelf.  This book was also one my Mother had.  It was published in 1924.  While doing homework on making sketchbooks from old books, I learned the paper that was made back then was great for applying watercolour paint to without it soaking through. That is the case even though the paper is thinner than today's watercolour paper.  Soooo.....

.....I flipped through the book and found this page! It's about a buttercup and a violet wondering whether they should go outside in the cold and snow and wind!  It is a sunny day and spring is in the air.  So.....

.....I carefully removed the page then painted a violet and a buttercup with watercolour!  

This is the back of the page! The paint does not show through nor did the paper ripple.  I am finding out that painting on old pages is a big thing in the artist community.  Even making new paper look like old pages is a popular pastime. 

I like the size of this story book!

I will work some magic with the cover, binding and pages!

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With the sun out along with a little snow still on the ground, I wandered around Carburn Park to see if the wildlife would be enjoying the conditions as much as I knew I would. It was a happening place on this morning. Between the geese, the ducks, the birds, the deer, the people, and of course the Bald Eagles, there was loads of entertainment.  Here are four of my favourite photos.

male and female Common Goldeneye 

male Common Merganser

male Redhead

The Carburn Bald Eagles were both very, very busy collecting material to build their nest.

I like when the sun shines on snowy days!

It brings out the best in everything and everyone!  

Shakespeare & Sunflowers March 4, 2026

📗 🌻 📗 🌻 📗 🌻

 

After completing the thirty day watercolour painting challenge, I had a leftover pad almost full of large papers.  They were a size that I would not be painting individual projects on.  For now I thought just put the pad in the basement and deal with it later.  Well, as I was placing the pad on a basement shelf, the books above caught my eye.  Hmmm!  I have four of these books. They are the Comedies and Tragedies by William Shakespeare with a published date of 1944.  They belonged to my Mom. They were taking up space on the shelf.  Hmmm, how about they take up space in my heart!  This is the front of one of the books. The circle in the centre has the letters W and S with his portrait between them.  

This is the inside of the book.  I removed the pages from the book binding.

After cutting all the pages from the large watercolour pad to the size of the Shakespeare book, I glued them inside the covers.  Next came attaching contact paper to the inside cover and the first page.  I also did this to the back.  I glued a ribbon to the back of the book to use as a tie. 

This is the backside and front side of the first and second pages.  I used a page from the book along with sunflower stickers.I wanted a nature theme so went with these flowers and the green leafy contact paper. 

side view of the finished watercolour sketchbook I made

This is the back view of the book.  

It was now that I realized I made the sketchbook backwards.  

That emblem is on the front of the book. 

This is the front view!

Once the sketchbook was complete, I placed a few heavy objects on top and let it set and dry for a few hours.  Then time came to christian it with a first water-colour painting. I thought a sunflower would be the most fitting painting to do.  

A few decades ago,  I took a bookbinding course.  I remember enjoying the process but not having the time later to invest in carrying on with the craft.  Now the time is right!  I learned lots while putting together this "Shakespeare & Sunflowers" sketchbook.  My many mistakes are very obvious to me and I know I can do better and I want to do better.  There were many more steps along this process that I have not included in the above photos.  There are also additional steps that I can add to make the sketchbook more like a sketchbook.  I have three more of these Shakespeare books that I could use to make sketchbooks, yet I think I want to search for an old book of another size and colour and title.  

the stories I follow March 1, 2026

The stories and sites that I like to follow are typically related to nature, the outdoors, adventure travel, wildlife or anything else along these lines. It's those kinds of news stories that I like to start my day with.  

Of course, I jumped on the "Punch" bandwagon!  I did not expect to learn lessons while seeing what the monkey was up to daily. I found it interesting to realize the true reason why he was given a stuffed animal. While his story easily touched my heart, it was not easy to do a watercolour painting of him and his stuffed monkey. My third try was true at painting faces that everyone could love! I used numerous online photos as references. 

Of course, I jumped on the "Shadow & Jackie" bandwagon! This is my second year for following this pair of Bald Eagles.  Between following my own Bald Eagles here in Calgary and also this pair, I have learned lots about everything and anything related to this species. I have painted numerous Bald Eagles, I even wrote and illustrated a book about an Eaglet.  This is my watercolour painting of "Jackie" as she takes her turn to sit on the two eggs. Their nest overlooks Big Bear Lake in California.  I snapped a screen shot mid day yesterday from the live webcam so I could use it as my reference.  

Of course, I follow eBird! I like to see what people are seeing at the many local birding locations.  I checked the site this morning and when I saw what people were seeing at Griffith Woods I jumped on the bandwagon deciding that's where I would go today!  Well, I did not have the luck others had.  I even stopped to chat with a guy who showed me what he saw so far this morning.  He printed what he saw in a little black book, he had ten different species sightings.  These are the three sightings I had:

a female Mallard Duck

a male Common Goldeneye

one of many Black-Capped Chickadees

The wonderful scenery sights were numerous so I feel lucky in the sense I saw those!

Lake Louise February 26, 2026

 

As I was getting ready to drive to the Great Divide trailhead to cross-country ski, I saw a few snow flakes fall.  I became excited believing I would get to ski while it was snowing.  Those were the only flakes that fell, it never did snow anytime throughout the day even though it was forecasted to.  It stayed grey all day.  

ready to ski

off I go

The track had been recently groomed, 

that’s the reason I picked this location for today.  

Last year the Great Divide was closed as the Lake Louise Community Fire Guard project was underway. The area opened at the end of last year and today was my first time seeing the area since the work was done.  There are wide open sections now. That line of grey in the middle shows the tips of mountain peaks.  The ski tracks along sections like this had snow drifts over them from the recent wind.  I was the first skiing there today so I created skier set tracks.

that’s Mount Fairview 

on a not so grey day, these open sections would offer amazing views

I did not ski all the way to the border, I did not want the long ski uphill on the way back. As I was skiing back, along came the dog sled teams, there were four teams. They were on their groomed track and I was on mine, we had about two feet between us.  This was the first team.

This was the third team.

After skiing, I drove to Lake Louise to have another look around. This time I noticed another ice sculpture.  This one is called “The Podium” it’s three Mountain Sheep.

I decided my afternoon project would be to add bright colours to the day.  Recently I purchased a new paint palette and sketch book.  I like the pre-made paint pans rather than making my own from tubes of paint.  I brought this setup with me, with hopes I would have time to put them to use.  Well, I did put them to use and…..

…..this is the outcome!  While googling, I came across a tutorial of how to paint crocuses in snow.  An actual sight like this is far out of reach right now which I am OK with, I still want more winter!  

Lake Louise February 25, 2026

This morning I returned to the cross country skiing trail head parking lot that I checked out on Monday. The Bow River Loop was track set late Monday after the big snowfall.  Skiing here would be ideal for me with gentle terrain, wide open spaces, along tree lined trails with gorgeous views all around.

ready to go

just need to get over this snowbank

off I cross country ski

the forecast was for cloud and snow

yet this is what I got

It is easier to point with my ski and snap a shot rather than point with my pole and take a photo. The narrow trail winds through the forest ahead.

gliding through a section of the soft side campground 

for those that camp without vehicles, this is where you store your food

the wind from yesterday blew most of the snow off the trees

This was the only section of open water.  There was no blue ice nor any other ice to see as there normally is.  The whole river was covered in snow except along here.

a very narrow snowy bridge to ski across

time to ski through the hard-side campground which was surprisingly busy with campers

As I was nearing the end of the loop, I met two other skiers just starting out.  While Monday was very busy around Lake Louise and the Village, yesterday and today were pleasingly quiet.  Before heading back to my home away from home, I picked up some storm food just in case.  Now it was time to settle in!