Good Morning!

 Good Morning!

Some of my favourite early mornings are when the sky becomes cheerful while the new day is dawning!  Watching the sky's shades shift, dance and blend together seems effortless. Mother Nature has rhythm!  Getting the watercolour paints to behave in the same manner when laid on paper to create this atmospheric sunrise scene was another story. Soaking the paper with water, brushing on very wet paint, holding the paper and moving it in different directions, then doing that again on top of what was already there is what it took to create the luminous sky and background.  The same was done for the bushes in the middle, the lake and for the foreground at bottom and right.  All of the above had to be done quite quickly. Once that was complete, it took some time to fully dry naturally.  Finally the trees, bullrushes, grasses, leaves and splatters came easily.  If a morning is moody in an atmospheric way like in my painting then I would definitely declare it a "Good Morning"! 

a "Good Morning" at Nose Hill

Crocus season has passed and now the hills are alive with carpets of yellow! The morning offered up the most perfect weather paired with little surprises here and there, for me and for what I shared the area with.  I covered roughly ten kilometres and these Shooting Stars were the only ones I saw.  Never before have I been able to get so close to Grey Partridges. I believe I surprised them! As I got within five feet they suddenly flew off. The coyote was slowly sauntering along. I may have surprised it because it sped off once it spotted me. In the peace of the morning, this White-crowned Sparrow was a sweet surprise for me! Receiving these surprises plus many more, I would definitely have to declare it a "Good Morning"!

a "Good Morning" at Dale Hodges Park

I needed to take care of an errand close by this park this morning so incorporated a visit for beforehand.  It's a good thing the errand was not for a specific time because I lost track of time getting caught up in all the sights and sounds.  The ponds and waterways were full to the brim.  The vegetation was blooming and vibrant.  I have never seen as many Red-winged Blackbirds as I did this morning.  While they were so vocally loud, the Osprey sat so quietly in her nest. The Yellow-headed Blackbirds regularly belted out  breaking any kind of sweet silence there may have been. Hold your head high little gosling!  A "lifer" for me this morning was spotting this Marsh Wren.  With so much to see causing me to loose track of time,  I would definitely have to declare it a "Good Morning"!

a "Good Morning" at Inglewood

All the local parks are full of life of all kinds these days! Greens are becoming greener and trees are filling out. Wildlife are busy bustling about. While I may be busy I am certainly not bustling. I would not want to miss a thing so that takes time and patience. I spotted this muskrat and smiled when I saw the stem on its snout instead of in its mouth.  The Swainson's Thrush blended in and I would have missed it if I was not slowly and methodically moving along.  Be patient I said, the House Wren will appear again, and it did.  The male House Finch shades are like a cheerful sunrise. Being in a place that felt so alive, I would definitely have to declare it a "Good Morning"!

Good Morning to you!