2022 So Long! Farewell.....

 .....Auf Wiedersehen!  Adios! 

Many, many moments stood out this year for all the good reasons and those are the memories I will hold on tight to.  I am grateful for the amazing opportunities where I got to see, to do then learn and grow!  I experienced a wealth of that this year which was reinforced when it came time to get ready to say so long to 2022.  I opted for a new way to present my yearly review.  

Skating season is short, lasting maybe three and a half to four months and over that time conditions are not always user friendly due to it being too cold, too warm, too snowy, too stormy or I am just too lazy.  During January, February, November and December I covered 105 kilometres of etching original designs on both wild ice and maintained ice.  Skating on Peyto Lake in November was the first time ever that I hiked into a mountain lake to skate, where my friend measured the depth of the ice for safety sake.  It was also the first time for wearing a self rescue device.  The skating I do at this point in my life feels easy to me with no physical effort yet my medical support told me otherwise, that there is great physical benefit.  While I may not necessarily feel the physical benefits, I sure do feel the mental benefits and there were times I felt I could use every ounce of that I could get.  These photos are from Lake Louise, Lake Minnewanka, Peyto Lake and Bowness Park.     

Many months have passed since I spent three weeks along the north eastern coast of Spain.  This little piece of paradise secured a spot in my heart and to this day when I close my eyes and let my thoughts wonder back there, I see, I hear, I feel, I touch, I taste the Costa Brava!  Looking back at the split seconds in time that I captured, it's the time spent close to the sea that I linger over for much more than a split second.  Spain's cities are beautiful and bustling, and the architecture is incredible.  Yet, it's the tiny villages on the water that took a strong hold and made me feel at home.  I attribute that to growing up in a small town minutes from the Atlantic Ocean that left an indelible imprint on my soul.  When the time came to review my pictures and pick out this baker's dozen, the task was enjoyable and easy.  It was being in places like these, seeing what I saw and making me feel the way I felt that created the most magical of memories of Spain!  

In mid December I opened a fortune cookie and I fully accepted what it said as an affirmation I was heading in the right direction!  That fortune cookie said "Continue to pursue the arts"!  I have been doing that all year! Because drawing and painting is bringing me much joy, I will definitely continue to pursue it.  Once I got the hang of working with watercolour brush pens, I then began to incorporate real water colour painting into my projects and that has taken hold and is now my main interest.  I enjoyed passing time during the early months of this year drawing with coloured pencils, working with India ink and also with graphite pencils.  My interests shifted from rendering mountain scenery, to food, to acknowledging what was happening in our world.  I learned many techniques such as washes, line & wash, wet on wet, using salt, using gouache, using masking fluid, splattering paint and working with negative space.  Watercolour painting was something I always wanted to do as far back as I can remember.  Decades ago, I took classes one night a week for three hours over a three month period yet came away not much further ahead. It took retirement and then the big change in our world to find the interest and the time to invest fully.   This collage of a few of my projects shows the outcome of that investment!  

Less time was spent this year hitting as many big hikes as I have done in past years.  I still enjoy being "out & about" in this way yet other interests are bringing me just as much enjoyment and fulfilment.  A few days at a "home away from home" numerous times throughout the year to where there are great hiking opportunities along with where I can enjoy other past times are becoming more of a thing for me.  More-so than ever, this year I took advantage of having the luxury to be flexible and spontaneous.  With these luxuries comes the ability to go when and be where there are not the crowds.  Each season has something wondrous to offer and this year I surely got to experience all that.  It's special seconds in time, seeing an unexpected sight, given reasons to express oooooh's and aaaaaw's, it's all this plus so much more that I truly cherish when I am out there!

Being a bird nerd has remained an interest yet to a different extent.  I did join a local nature club that is geared towards bird watching and participated in a few outings with them.  I completed two courses both of which I received certificates for.  For the first half of this year, I recorded my sightings with the intention of being able to brag about the number of species I identified by year end.  That chart remains empty after early July and will stay that way as my interest in keeping it up to date has dwindled.  With at least fifty outings to various locations over the year specifically for bird watching, I came away with a multitude of amazing sightings as you can see in this collage.  It's the songs and sightings of the smaller birds that capture my attention.  Gong forward I have another course to take which I will do in the new year.  The numbers no longer interest me but the activity of birding is an important part of my life for the joy it brings.  I will continue to be "out & about" throughout the coming year for the sheer pleasure of looking for and listening to those sweet songs & sightings!  

There's always time to fit in anything that interests me enough and brings along with it enjoyment, health benefits and fulfillment.  Kayaking comes with all those!  Our day spent at Phyllis Lake was the defining day for me that confirmed this sport needed to be a part of my life.  On that day, Adventure Designer loaned me her packraft which she built from scratch (top right photo).  It was not long after stepping into it and paddling away, I knew I wanted my own but building one was not for me. I purchased the whole packraft kayak kit and caboodle!  I knew it was a keeper after testing it out on Forgetmenot Pond! I savoured many outings with my new toy and look forward to growing as a paddler when the season starts again in 2023!

With a fewer number of big elevation gain hikes this year, that resulted in the least amount of vertical kilometres covered since I started keeping track in 2010.  As the year was going on and the realization set in that it was looking like that would be the outcome, I performed loads of self talk to be OK with it.  I am not feeling going forward that I need to improve upon these numbers, I just know that I love it when I am high up there.  Being "out & about" in general, getting there one way or another gave me what I was looking for and I savoured every of those seconds. The 2022 numbers are from hiking (mountain & urban), skating and kayaking. 

The Surreal & The Real

When I looked outside for the first time after waking this morning, what I saw, or I mean what I could not see, appeared surreal and I knew I wanted to be "out & about" to see if there was something to see in amongst where I could not see!  You got that?  A very thick fog hung over the city giving a visibility distance to the tips of your fingers at the end of your outstretched arm!  Well almost!  

My intentions for today fell by the wayside and I played it safe sticking closer to home where I could see where I was driving and the road was not quite a skating rink.  I arrived at a high point on Nose Hill just as the sun peaked above the layer of fog.   You can barely see the city centre towers at the middle right in the photo.  

When I arrived at "Nose Hill Lake" there was a sudden drop in temperature.  It was frozen and covered in snow with a dense layer of fog hovering over top.  That's it in the middle.  There was nothing to see there so I skirted the Lake and picked up a trail heading away from the area.  

When the sun shone through, oh did it shine through!  The rays emanating from the sun were amazing and presented a photographers' dream.  I made that plural as I was not the only one up here taking all of this in!   

a layer of hoar frost coated just about everything

This was the closest I ever got to wild life up on The Hill!  They surprised me and I surprised them!  I know that's not a good thing but we only became visible to each other at the last second.  As it turned out there were seven coyotes but I only captured a photo of one of them as I became flustered at the sight of then seeing such a big pack and got out of there quickly.  See the deer in the bottom photo?  See the frost buildup on their chins?

My plan was to spend a couple of hours savouring the sights and time was approaching to begin the trek back to where I started the day.  This trail leads somewhere but I know it is not the direction I need to be going.  Let's see, what direction is the sun shining from, OK I need to make a right somewhere along here!  

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Sometimes I felt a sense of surrealism when I was at Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park, British Columbia, just a forty minute drive west of Lake Louise which is in Banff National Park, Alberta.  I call it a "jewel of a place" because it glows, it is special and because it is called Emerald!  I have been to Emerald Lake in all seasons but being here in winter can be an outstanding experience.  I know that for a fact!  I was looking to do a winter watercolour painting scene and I wanted it to be based one on my visits somewhere.  A photo from my most recent visit to Emerald Lake in February of this year became my muse and this is my painting. 

This is the photo from that February 2022 day that I used as a reference for my painting.

I had the good fortune to visit Emerald Lake many times over the decades and these are photos I captured during the winter visits.  November of 2010 was the first time I saw this jewel during winter conditions. For the December 2019 visit, I spent three nights in a cabin over looking Emerald Lake.   

I look forward to another visit to Emerald Lake in the near future!   

finding merry & bright

My Christmas Tree has been up since early December and each day since, that I was in the city, it brought merry to my day!  These are just a few of my decorations and each one has a story to tell.  The newest addition to my collection is the one at bottom right, the birds at the front door with a welcome sign.  

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

It has been some time since we had a significant snowfall in the city.  Many I am sure are happy about that, yet I prefer when it is a bit brighter. While I am not getting out the door to add kilometres to a challenge, I am still getting out the door.  The cold snap was dwindling so it was time to be back outside for a lengthy period.  On this day at Confluence Park,  there was more brown than white but I did find bright!  The double sundog lasted mere minutes!

late day light made the creek area look bright

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A glass of white paired with my fairy tree lights made me feel merry while painting bright sights!  I am learning to lay backgrounds before painting the subjects.  The first watercolour painting has a wash background with the two Black-Capped Chickadees as the subjects.  The birds were roughly outlined on top of the wash and then painted. In hindsight, there should have been more blue wash at the top for the sky and more green around the needles on the branch.   For the second painting background I used the Bokeh effect.  First, I did a very wet wash with various levels of thickness of paint. This time I cut pieces of a sponge into various circle sizes then used the sponge pieces to remove the paint to give the Bokeh look.  I also added salt to give the snowy, flowery look.  Then I painted the fence and lastly the bird.  That's a Robin sitting on the snow covered fence which is not a sight you would normally see around here at this time of year!  

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The stars aligned on Christmas Day to experience an amazing time skating at Bowness!  Between the Ice Trail, the Lagoon and the Canal, there was lots of ice to etch designs on.  The ice by the Boat House was cleaned of snow and waiting to be flooded.  It was still good to go though and it was nice to loop in around here from the Lagoon. 

The Ice Bikes are locked up yet will be ready to rent later.  

These are just two of the few available. 

The Lagoon!

This is a ten second video of a section of The Canal.  I skated the whole length as it winds it way through the trees.  If it looks familiar from being a regular follower of mine, that's because I kayaked here in the summer.

a kayaking view from along the same area

Before skating on The Lagoon and The Canal, I spent an hour skating the Ice Trail which had just been flooded.  It was divine!  What I noticed this time was there are black arrows in the ice where I began to skate to show which direction to head.  This time for the first time since they built the Ice Trail, the direction to start skating from the benches by the parking lot is west.   

This is a short video while skating west along the Ice Trail.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

Little did I think, while painting the Robin on the snow covered fence which is a sight I have never seen at this time of year, today I would change that narrative!  It has been awhile since I stopped by the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary and I was curious as to what birds might be hanging around there at Christmas time.  It was a welcoming sight crossing the bridge!

All the trails were open as construction workers were on break for today.  As I approached The Lagoon, I could hear the Starlings, Ravens and Magpies.  There were plenty of Black-Capped Chickadees, Woodpeckers and Nuthatches.  Then what to my wondering eyes should appear but a Robin, then two, then three!  As the minutes passed more appeared on the scene.  They slid on the ice and sipped from the water sitting on top of it, they looked in wonderment at me, at the snow and they frolicked like it was spring time!   They were entertaining to watch and brought much merry and bright to my visit!   

actively inactive

I am thankful for the timing of my escape to Banff last week when I could be outside and active.  I also feel thankful for completing my conquer challenge before the cold took hold.  With weather conditions being the coldest I have ever experienced in my life, my mind wanders actively not my body.  

It's visions like this that are dancing in my head this week, not sugar plums!  I rendered this fireplace scene from a free picture website rather than from a tutorial.  It's done with watercolour paints in a 9" x 12" watercolour coiled book.  Recently, I have been painting more scenes without following directions but rather taking a guess on how it gets to looking like it looks.  There is lots going on behind the finished project.  I enjoyed the real wood fire place in Banff last week, this week it is painting one that adds warmth!

Each morning when I woke, I checked the forecast to see what we were in for. 

Each day I picked a place where my mind could actively wander to.  In my search, I realized a majority of artists' painting projects are seasonly based.  I am a wanna-be, so, this is what 'tis the season looks like for me!  In each watercolour painting I used metallic paints.  These three projects gave me the opportunity to incorporate depth, washes, line & wash, gouache and negative space.  

There is promise in tomorrow's forecast for once again being "out & about" safely and enjoyably! 

"Aussie Coastal Bushwalk" Conquer 2022 Virtual Challenge COMPLETE December 17, 2022

When I woke this morning, one of the first things I did was check the weather forecast wondering was it user friendly enough to be "out & about" walking 7.3 kilometres.  You see, that is the distance I needed to cover to cross the finish line of my "Aussie Coastal Bushwalk" Conquer 2022 Virtual Challenge.  No pressure as I have until end of day December 31st to finish.  Yes pressure, I want it done, today!  After reviewing the hour by hour temperature forecast, I saw when the warmest time would be and I went for it!

Instead of walking 7.3 kms, I did 7.5 kms just to say, "I'll show you"!  I entered the distance on the program when I got home then updated my homemade map with fireworks and all!  

This is the google map that I updated periodically.  The distance I covered from South Stradbroke Island in Queensland to Yanakie in Victoria was 2022 kms.  That distance took 410 hours of hiking, walking, skating, and kayaking.  

no kilometres left

competed well before the time goal

This was the warmest part of the day with the light snow starting just as I arrived back home.  The -19C is not bad but the windchill of -31C is.  It only went down hill from here and is to continue plummeting over the next few days.

I dressed for it and went for it!  It was easy walking with not much snow.  

Yanakie which means "between waters" is a small coastal town with a population of 251 (2016 statistics).  It overlooks rolling farmlands. It's a two and a half hour drive to Melbourne or a 37 hour walk.  Yanakie is the closest town to Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park which is the main tourist attraction in the area.  Beauty abounds in this area!  These photos are from google maps.  What a stark difference between my reality today and where I was virtually.

Duck Point

Dunes of the Big Drift

Shallow Inlet

much to see and do at Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park

My medal is on its way!  

It's now time to enjoy having no last minute pressure to get out there especially given what we are facing weather-wise.  I enjoy being a part of the Conqueror Community.  Over the next couple of weeks, I will make a plan on how to remain being a participant in this community. I know I will not go for the "Conquer 2023 Challenge" but I will find another challenge somewhere in our world.    

Mountain Spirit December 16, 2022

My intentions were to cross country ski when I arrived at the Spray West Trail parking lot behind the Banff Springs Hotel.  The conditions, the weather, the scenery were all ideal but I felt a little on the lazy side.  Instead, I sported my spikes, strapped on my backpack and hiked instead. The first portion is a shared trail and I stayed on that until I reached the connector to take me to the east side where I could hike a good distance.

view crossing the connector bridge

It was an absolute winter wonderland along the trail that followed the Spray River.  

In previous years, I hiked and cross country skied in the area but this was my first time on this section of the trail.  The east side trail lead to the golf course, the Banff Springs Hotel and then on to Bow Falls.  You can see the top of The Hotel through the little tree on the left and that would be the club house and restaurant through the little tree on the right.  

arriving near Bow Falls which is that white space in the centre just below the mountain

The Bow River was open in many places and had lots of snow cover in others.  

I admired it from a distance.  

After seeing the sights in the Bow Falls area, I returned along the same trail.  There were areas where I could get a closer view of the River.  The colour was incredible.  This is mostly ice with a few small open areas.  The ice did not appear to be thick.  I stayed on the edge where I knew there was ground beneath the snow.

view towards Sulphur Mountain 

view of Spray River with the Banff Springs Hotel in the trees

When I arrived back at the connector bridge, I passed on by and continued south along the east trail.  

Up ahead the trail got close to the river and the colours looked amazing so the only thing to do was continue hiking in that direction.  

This view left me breathless and I think I will leave this as my lasting impression of this hike!  I did carry on further and it was gorgeous through the forest.  On the way back, I took it all in and made sure to "remember to breathe"!  It's days like this and views like this which make that mountain spirit such a thing!