grasping onto these days..... October 11, 2025

.....and holding them tight !

My intentions were to stay home today!  When I woke this morning, I second guessed those intentions then squashed them.  For the better part of the day, it was forecasted to be absolutely beautiful and I could not let that go unappreciated.  The above panorama photo which I captured part way through the morning of the pond at Carburn Park proves my point! The photo below shows the trail I took upon arrival while the golden hour was at its peak.

The moon was still high!

view along the Bow River

I was moving around quickly to see many locations while the golden still glowed. 

Time came to shift focus! 

The last of the glow caught the bottom of the Canada Geese as they flew overhead.

a Wilsons Snipe

I knew that song I was hearing which was a surprise to me as we are almost at the middle of October.  This Song Sparrow was easy to hear but difficult to find as it blended in with its surroundings.  Finally I found it!  I hope it heads south soon, like today!

Maybe once a year or every two years, I take a photo of a Magpie.  There are so many and they are everywhere yet this morning this one caught my attention and I did a double take.  The colour and the length of its tail feathers were amazing.  

a bashful Black-capped Chickadee!  

Oh what a treat this was!  Two muskrats!  I wondered what their story was, is it a Mom and Child?  The one on the right was close to being twice as big as the one on the left.  I watched them for awhile.  They stayed where they were.....

.....then the big one began to groom the smaller one! 

I came away from today's outing being so 

thankful I squashed my original intentions for the day.  

current colours October 9, 2025

"What are you waiting for?"  That's what I asked myself this morning! "It's going to be too late if you don't go now!"  That's what I told myself!  So I listened and I went!  I went to admire the Siberian Larch Trees that grow within the city.  No doubt by the end of Sunday, given the forecast, they will be on their last legs if not beyond.  A great location is Baker Park just off the Bow River.  To get there I parked at Bowness Park, walked over to Baker Park then added Bowmont Park on top afterwards. 

It was a crisp start to the day!  I wore a pair of those $2.99 gloves (just last year they were $1.99 and not much before that they were $0.99) and a fleece.  A hat, heavier gloves plus another jacket would have been more appropriate.  What I could see around me as I began to walk, I knew there would be much to love about today!  

The Super Harvest Moon at a few days old now!

This is one of the many squirrels I saw! 

I heard it before I saw it as it blended in with the autumn shades. 

I like to look for frames designed by Mother Nature!

She has an artistic touch!

That's where I am aiming for and should be there in about forty-five minutes at the rate I'm going. 

These are just a few of the autumn shades I saw! 

The top left shows Siberian Larch needles. 

Did those leaves fall like that, did the wind blow them there or maybe park's people did that! 

I swished through them and made a mess!

I made it to Baker Park and headed right to where the Larch Trees are.  Some were in their prime, others are still green and some lost lots of needles.  I was happy to see some being "best in show".  The following four photos show the Siberian Larch Trees.

Feeling I go my fill of the Larch Trees, I moved on down the path towards Bowmont where I knew there would be an opportunity to see birds and ducks along with even more autumn shades.  It seemed like everything was blending in and I needed to look a little harder.  I know a Merlin when I see one!

two American Wigeons 

simply put, a pretty picture

looking back across to Baker after returning to Bowness

There was so much to love about today.....

.....it was the kind of day I like to frame!

A variety of seasonal sights is.....

.....the spice of life!

Did you see the Super Harvest Moon last night?  I did but I did not photograph it!  What I did though was paint it as I remembered seeing it.  For a bit of spice I added a variety of items that I only saw in my head when I envisioned what I wanted the watercolour painting to look like.  Package all that together and this is the outcome!  That reminds me, I have been enjoying the limited edition "Pumpkin Spice Bread" I recently purchased.

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

Which trail should I take? I had a variety to choose from! As I strolled along the path at Nose Creek, I pondered, are the sights seen during the autumn season my favourite! The variety of shades I saw while capturing this panorama shot brought a thought to mind, how beautiful this could be as a painting! There would be no spicing up necessary!

This was a test! I bent down and pointed my camera upwards hoping to get this wildflower in the frame.  I did not look through the viewfinder nor did I look at the photo after snapping it.  After downloading my photos once I got home, I was happy to see what the outcome of the test was!

When I think of my favourite spices, the variety of colours in this photo hint at them.  Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Cinnamon, Ginger.  The shades of this season spice up life a little!  While walking through Confluence Park, it was the trails that meandered through the shades of autumn that drew me in.    

By the way, creating a watercolour painting of that panorama photograph was such a joy to work on.  I did it as a spread over two pages.  In hindsight, I wish I had done the painting in a different journal that did not have such a defined break between the pages.  

🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲

I own a very large collection of beach glass that comes in a variety of shades.  It was collected over the years from numerous beaches, far and wide, where I had the good fortune to walk.  My Valley Girl Friend shared a photo of a beach glass creation she saw and which I fell in love with. I passed the photo onto my crafty sister and asked would she be able to make it for me.  This is the outcome of my query!  

I placed a string of battery operated tiny lights inside. It is quite the sight to see as it shines bright in the dark while sitting on my kitchen table. It is probably meant for Christmas season being a tree with a star on top but for me it is a sight for all seasons. 

🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌

These spring babies are growing so quickly. Their spots are gone and they are venturing further away from Mom.  Their home is the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary.  Watching them living their best life brought me sheer joy.  They hopped around, strolled through the water, chased each other and took a sip every now and then.  I look forward to watching them find their way throughout the coming winter.  

How pretty is a seasonal sight like this!

This is one of two Yellow-rumped Warblers I saw.  

There are not many little birds left and I do hope these two warblers leave for the south soon.  

into the forest I go

🛫🛫🛫🛫🛫

It's soon time to chase a variety of seasonal sights somewhere else!

Stay Tuned!

 

Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park October 5, 2025

When I crested Stoney where I then had an unobstructed view to the west "WOW" was all I could muster up!  The entire mountain range was covered in new white gold which fell overnight. What fell as snow in the mountains fell as a few sprinkles of rain in the city. I knew there were great vantage points along the trails at Glenbow Ranch where I would have wide open views of the white peaks.  Now long after sunrise, I arrived at the parking lot to this view.  

After gearing up which included a hat, gloves and extra jacket 

to brace against the shocking cold, 

I hit the trail. 

icy autumn designs

I looked up lots as I descended along Tiger Lily.

The gate leading to the platform over the pond had been removed, probably because it was always broken.  The last time I was here, the broken gate was locked. This time the wooded walkway was open right to the fence around the platform. That's where I went to capture this photo. 

When I drove down the few kilometres of dirt road to the parking lot, I could see the fog hanging over the river.  I hoped it would hoover around until I got to where I could see it up closer.  In fact, it hung around for quite some time and I could see it off and on throughout my hike. 

After spending much time admiring the reflections in the pond and then the fog over the river, it was time to look forward and begin ascending the winding dirt trail.  While winding around one corner, this is what I saw!  This was the closest I have ever been to a moose! It had been walking along the same trail coming in my direction.  When it saw me, it moved off to the side and then trotted along into the woods.  Before it did that, it stopped and looked back at me, that is when I snapped this shot which I zoomed in a little bit for.  I was relieved it moved off and took off.  I was debating turning around and heading back to where I came from. 

While I was watching the moose this deer was watching me.  

Can you spot the heart?

A little later on, the coyote watched me too.  It stopped periodically to check me out.  I let it have its space and never did decrease the distance between us.  Eventually it stopped looking back and went about its day.

That mountain range I talked about being covered in new white gold, here you go!  

zoomed in shot

The colours were gorgeous everywhere at Glenbow Ranch.  

The wind had picked up slightly and leaves began to fall from the trees. 

While ascending from the valley bottom, I took one last look back!

Oh, did you spot the heart?

These early October days have been wonderful gifts to unwrap!