living life lately looks like this

A tiny bit of panic set in for a split second or so when I turned the page to the last week of August!  Thankfully many of the things on my summer to-do list can be accomplished well into September.  It crossed my mind that maybe I have too many interests so I should focus on fewer.  I still want to learn, I need to be out in nature, crafting challenges my brain, it's important to collect kilometres on my soles, time with others is necessary. Multi-tasking fits the bill in some cases.    

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A lax in judgement found me at Forgetmenot Pond almost freezing. My light additional layer was too light yet thankfully the sleeves stretched long enough to keep my hands warm.  Plus four celsius with no wind was refreshing and afforded a beautiful reflection.  Mid photo, five guys are huddled around a fire, I considered questioning if I could crash their party for a few minutes but opted to carry on around The Pond and down the trail.  I put a few kilometres on my walking shoes.    

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In my last post, I shared this photo of a discarded book I picked up at a Little Library in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island a few weeks ago. I started making a watercolour sketchbook and was waiting on a few supplies.  The supplies arrived!  I decided to cover the whole book instead of just the inside covers which I have done with previous books I created.  

This is the front cover of the completed project.

The sunflower is a sticker. 

I used washi tape on the spine.

inside the front cover

I christened the new sketchbook with a whimsical watercolour painting on the first page. While the process of putting the book together took time, the painting did not. I had to do some googling to learn about covering a whole book.  The result from saving this book pleases me!  

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An item on my to-do list was to drive out to Sheep River Provincial Park to take a look at the scenery from the Bighorn Lookout. I was wondering if this could be a nice place to experience a plein air painting session. The answer is a definite YES! Now that I know that, I have added another item to my to-do list.  Whether I will get to do that this year remains to be seen.  I exited my vehicle with camera in hand and bear spray at my waist. No one else was in the parking lot nor on the trails in the area.  A tree-lined trail led to.........

.....this!  The trail makes a loop around the meadow then leads back to the parking lot.

A lone sparse tree sits in the middle of the meadow.  On it sat this Red-tailed Hawk.  The Hawk perched in this stance for the entire time I was on the trail. It appeared to me that it was ready to fly off at any second but it never did while I was out in the open. After I headed back into the trees, I looked back and it was gone.  I learned later this is a Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk and maybe its behaviour is related to that.  I have seen numerous Red-tailed Hawks over the past couple of weeks, this sighting out in a beautiful nature setting was the best ever!  

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Almost an hour south of the city is a lovely privately owned farm that is open to the public. It has loads to offer, one could easily spend hours there if you were to partake in everything.  I walked the main drag, checked out the barnyard, looked in the grocery store, checked out the mercantile and also the bakery.  Spent time in the produce barn, admiring the structures, listening to and watching the birds, snapped many photographs, smelled flowers and watched the ginger cat follow me that you can see in the middle of the photo.  It has been decades since I visited this place. I know I need to not wait so long and return sometime this September. They will have much more to offer!   

My purchases: sourdough bread, pie, apples, potatoes, zucchini.

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While out & about last week, I saw this Long-eared Owl!  This is a "lifer" for me!  I was deep in amongst bushes and trees, swatting at bugs, listening to many bird species, ducking under branches and stepping over roots.  I heard a rustle then saw a big brown thing fly into the tree in front of me.  Long-eared Owls are not rare but it is rare to see one.  I treasure the few minutes I had with this Owl. It stayed in place while I captured many special seconds in time.  I have been reading about this Owl species and learning lots.  Now I need to learn how to do a watercolour painting of my special photo! Stay tuned for that!

Over the past number of days I have learned lots, added many kilometres to my soles, been creative in numerous ways, dined with others and filled my heart and soul with the joys of being out in nature. I am thoroughly enjoying what living life lately looks like!