My motivation for being "out & about" in the mountains has been lacking and my excuses are the excessive heat & smoke. Since returning from my Waterton Lakes National Park get-away the week before last, I have stayed local and enjoyed the beauty in nature that is up close and near my home. Even to accomplish that, I had to find motivation.
My medal for completing the Cote D'Azur Virtual Challenge on July 4th arrived. It's the prettiest thing! I passed on immediately joining in on another challenge. I let my get-aways to Lake Louise and to Waterton be my motivators and they were. This medal now hangs with the other three and they are reminders each day that in some way to "make every mile count"!
Believe it or not, motivation to be "out & about" came from the purchase of new footwear. I call these my "nature walkers". I finally found a home for the laces I purchased in Iceland back in 2017. I tested the "nature walkers" a few times and they have become tried & true.
Paired with my new "nature walkers" as motivation, it was time to join in on another virtual challenge. I am virtually off to The Netherlands to trek the "Flower Route" which is 66 kilometres in length and runs from Haarlem south to Naaldwijk. The Conqueror People say the medal for this challenge was inspired by the famous Dutch artist Piet Mondrian.
location of this route
The green flag marks the start line. I am very early on into this trek. So far I am sharing it with many others as my race bid number is 04388. There is promise of lovely virtual views and I look forward to those.
While keeping my eye partially on TV watching the Olympics, I also had my eyes focused on getting it right with the colours and blending in my recent bird sketch. I eyed this Lazuli Bunting (in the photo under the sketch) along the Dipper Trail off the Akamina Parkway in Waterton Lakes National Park. This little bundle of colour stayed in place long enough so I was able to capture a good shot. For references to get it right, I used my photo along with that chart I shared in my last "sketching is for the birds" blog post and a couple of other photos from websites. This sketch brings a smile to my face because it reminds of the second I spotted it, I knew I was seeing something special!
When I found some motivation this past week and hauled myself out the door in search of sweet nature, I headed to Fish Creek Park, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Nose Creek and Nose Hill. It was hot, there was smoke, I could see nothing in the distance, I sneezed lots and my eyes watered too. Through all that, I had success with getting my nature fix.
I wish for fresh clear air and comfortable temperatures for Western Canada!
Sadness for the smoke and heat still lingering. Congratulation on your choice of the Netherland hike, gorgeous new shoes, finding so much beauty in nature and your awesome drawing of the Lazuli Bunting. Beautiful.
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