Once again, it's time to begin creating a 365 page journey!

The year began as a blank 365 page book 

beckoning to be filled with laughter, dreams, travels, hopes, adventures, happiness 

and lots of love of all kinds!     

With recently sharpened skates and a sun shining bright, I set off for an etching session on The Ice Trail.   

The majority of the eleven kilometres I covered was done on choppy ice as the groomer only began to work his magic over an hour into my skate. I peg this up to being the first Monday after the holidays where life for most is back to a normal schedule.  Nevertheless, the sights, the sounds and the feelings were all that I hoped they would be!  

My purpose on this day was to be dedicated to birding but that purpose fell short and it was the scenery  and other sights that captured my attention.  We recently celebrated the Wolf Moon, yet it was still full enough and high enough to create a pretty picture especially when given the opportunity to frame it.  What weather woes we have these days in the middle of winter are lots of ice and water.  I choose to find the beauty in those which came easily!

Beautiful sunrise after gorgeous sunrise after pretty sunrise, that's what they have been this past while!  I wanted to be caught up in the middle of the birth of a new day on this morning and I found it strolling through the Birth Forest.  The oranges turned to pinks! While working towards covering kilometres throughout the park, I came upon red flags which looked familiar and brought back memories.  The Calgary Roadrunners flags were lining pathways to show the cross country running route for the race later in the day.  During my running years, I ran this cross country race! What a difference a decade makes!  The Birth Forest sign shows the area in 2010 and in 2022.  

Today's urban hike route passed by the Zoo.    A walkway and two fences separated me from the moose.  It stared at me with the empty dish in its mouth!  It was early morning and I assumed it was breakfast time. I watched for a bit of time and then carried on.  It carried on too, following along the fence, watching me, all the while the dish was in its mouth.  While I did not go with intentions of birding, the opportunity was there so I took advantage.  That's a female Downy Woodpecker, a Black-Capped Chickadee and I was excited to see a Red-Breasted Nuthatch.  Something you don't normally see, is a groomed cross-country ski trail almost in city centre.  

My Conquer 2022 medal arrived!  It opens up and also the medallion on the back comes off if you want to make a necklace with it.  In the collage you can see the front, the inside when it is opened, the back and the back with the medallion off.  The Latin phrase "Ad Astra Per Aspera" is printed on the ribbon and engraved on the back of the medallion.  That phrase translates to "through hardships to the stars"!  That is a great moto which I will carry forward.