Saturday, January 3, 2026

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I hope your New Year is starting off in the right direction
being cheerful & bright and full of what brings you joy!
In fact, I hope your whole year stays on that track!

On December 31st, I had my last trip of the year to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. It was cold, it was quiet, it was beautiful!  All was wintry white but not near as white as Banff was for those four nights I spent there over Christmas. I just read that during those Christmas days, Banff received 380% more snow that average for that time of year.  What a great gift that was!  Another great gift was..... 

.....being afforded the enjoyment of watching this Juvenile Bald Eagle, at The Sanctuary, for thirty minutes or so while it perched mid-way down a tree right beside the trail. Myself and two other regulars admired the young bird of prey, all of us taking an endless amount of photos.  One of the guys suggested it was probably drying as it perched with its wings spread for minutes at a time.  



After admiring this young one, it was time to move on down the trail.  I noticed two more Juvenile Bald Eagles and an Adult in the trees on the other side of the river. This could be an interesting winter at The Inglewood Bird Sanctuary if these three Juveniles stay in the area.  This interests me so I will be keeping my eyes open whenever I go there again!  

πŸ¦… πŸ¦… πŸ¦… πŸ¦… πŸ¦…

The fog rolled in later on the 31st and is still with us. This morning, I made the short drive to Confluence Park. I did not want another white knuckle drive with my hazard lights flashing like I had on January 1st driving Stoney and the 1A. For the short drive this morning, I could see the intersections well before I arrived at them which was not the case on New Years Day.  This was the view from inside my vehicle as I pulled into a parking spot this morning shortly after sunrise.   


Bright colours are my favourite but I certainly saw beauty in this whitish greyish tone.  
No one had been here yet so I got to break trail in the new soft fluffy snow.   


the only bright colours along the way 

This bench look inviting to me!  

❄ ❅ ❆ ❄ ❅ ❆

Instead of enjoying time on that bench, I opted for sitting on a chair at home and finding more cheerful colours.  I am participating in a 30 Day Watercolour Painting Challenge. It will last 60 days because prompts will be posted every second day.  I will be learning and practicing watercolour techniques.  The majority of participants will be doing the challenge in a journal.  Not me, I will be creating squares of various sizes, as needed, on the large pieces of paper from the pad I bought to paint the Advent Calendar.  

🎨 🎨 🎨 🎨 🎨




9 comments:

  1. It will beinteresting to see how ou grow further with your water colours after this challenge. Today's New year explosion is brilliant!I love those foggy scenes. The amount of snow in Banff is mindboggling, however in the far north, one town has had 850 ml of rain over 3 days!

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    1. Even after just two challenges, I know I need work! The flooding is unreal!

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  2. I do enjoy your posts!! What adventures you have!! Your photos are breathtaking!! Is that a hat you are wearing under your hood?? I love it!!!!
    Happy 2026! All good here.

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    1. Yes that is a hat, it is a night time winter scene of homes with smoke coming out of the chimneys. Happy New Year Marion!

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  3. Hello Alexandra,
    Your sketch for New Year's fireworks is pretty. You do have a winter wonderland there, we had only a little bit of snow here. Great photos of the juvenile eagle. I know you will have fun with the 30 day challenge, I will look forward to seeing your watercolors. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, enjoy your day and the week ahead. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

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    1. The winter wonderland continues and I am so happy about that!

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  4. Always in awe of your painting skills. Very envious too of all your beautiful snow. Banff looked stunning and the perfect place for the Christmas holidays. Take care on those roads. Not a snow flake to be seen here. B x

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    1. Between the wind, rain, snow, fog and ice, for now I am not venturing too far on the roadways.

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  5. Warmest wishes for a Happy New Year.
    I always enjoy seeing your photographs and your art.
    Take care ...

    All the best Jan

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