navigating through a little hiccup in life

When a hiccup recently happened in life, I still could not just let life pass on by! September's shades are starting to show and I am, sure as the sun rises, going to see some.  In addition to actually being out there amongst the shades, I have visions of them, then placing those visions on watercolour paper to create a greeting, to You! 

The sunrises too have been sights to see. 

Through the trees, I saw the day was dawning beautifully!

Through the fog, another day dawned in a spectacular way! 

Do you see what I see?  

Yes, the shades are sweet but do you see something even sweeter?

On this day instead of the fog clearing soon as it was forecasted to do, it grew thicker.  While I was navigating my way through the fog, I watched a herd of deer navigate their way through the fog and the river. This was the last deer to cross. 

through it all,  I admired the reflections

Through it all, brightness appeared!

Orange-crowned Warbler

On the clear days, there was much in the way of bird migration activity to be seen!  A flock of White-throated Sparrows found a feast! This angle clearly shows why this Sparrow is called White-throated. They were sharing space with a flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers.

one of the many Yellow-rumped Warblers

Between the Sparrows and the Warblers, many Cedar Waxwings were feasting also!

The sweetest sight of all over the past few days was this Great Horned Owl. It was not that far up in the tree. We spoke softly while admiring it. The Owl needs its naps as it navigates migration. Sweet dreams!  I feel fortunate to have seen this Great Horned Owl and also a Long-eared Owl over the past few weeks. 

My favourite shades of summer's end are not only the Orange/Golden Larch Needles but moreso the Orange/Red Maple Leaves. Maple Trees do not thrive in Calgary's weather. They do better in eastern Canada and on the west coast.  The Maple Leaf is displayed on our Canadian Flag. I like what it represents!   

I find cheer and colour help get me through life's hiccups!  

When nature calls!

 I answer!

When nature called on this day to go for a walk in the woods, I answered loud and clear! It was to be nice for a couple of hours in the morning so it was best to get going early.  The trees are beginning to turn colour and leaves are slowing starting to fall.  I like the light pink shade in the sky which is all natural, no help from wildfire smoke.  

When nature called to go for a stroll by the pond, I answered loud and clear!  I even went as far as to paint a picture from one of my photographs, once I got home.  I like simplicity so made alterations to bring more clarity by using lighter shades and including fewer objects. The reference photo is at the bottom of this post.  

When nature called to look up, I answered loud and clear!  

I glanced upwards to see the Moon shining bright in its waning gibbous phase.    

When nature called I listened and heard "paint that Western Wood Pewee you saw the other day"!  

I answered loud and clear!  The reference photo is at the bottom of this post. 

When nature called to just go, just look, just listen, just enjoy...I answered loud and clear! The following five photos are a mere few showing the beauty of nature I saw while out and about over the past few days. I sometimes wonder if what I do is because I am addicted or because I am passionate.  I like to think maybe I am addicted to being passionate!  I hope that is a good thing!

the resident one-eared Deer at Inglewood

a female Mallard and her perfect reflection

Great Blue Heron 

Yellow-rumped Warbler

they are passing through on their way south

a Townsend's Warbler

This is a lifer for me!

I'm happy you were curious enough to learn how I answer nature's calls! 

the two reference photos

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!