three stories

These days are gifts to grab hold off to make the most of each one!  The ways to make the most of them are boundless. I am never at a loss for what to do. That alone is a gift. My preference is normally to get up and get going but recently the get going is not necessarily getting out the door due to darkness until shortly before nine.  Get going can now mean getting downstairs to my watercolour paints, to my book, to my journal making.  Today I have three stories to share with you on how I am making the most of my days!     

Story #1

On this morning, I was out the door in darkness, arrived at Forgetmenot Pond in darkness, waited in my car for a bit of light to see the way, then was on my way.  The snow you see is about all there was.  The Pond is wide open water but thankfully not at a low level.  The surrounding hills and ridges are quite bare.  

There was a warm breeze so reflections were not precise yet the colours in the Pond were pretty. The mountains have a dusting of white gold which took on the alpenglow shades after the sun came up.  

The Elbow River looks pretty in pink!

After hiking a few kilometres, I found a spot by the river to sit for awhile.  The plan was to sit but of course I had to let the child within come out to play first. At this time of year I do like to play with ice but there was none to be found.  So,  I spent time just throwing rocks in the water. 

finally time to sit for awhile

On my way back to the parking lot, I met many people in the early stages of their hike.  By now the wind was picking up and there was not as much blue in the sky.  The winds were bringing in warmer temperatures.  Being Remembrance Day many people were off work and also it was free for the day to enter Kananaskis Country.

Story #2

When get going means getting to my watercolour paints, I usually have an idea in mind of what I would like to create. Sometimes I search for a tutorial and lots of times I have my own photos to use as references. At times I pair the two which was the case for this project. My thoughts have turned to ice skating, the season is just around the corner. I used a tutorial that I found online to draw the bunny.  I incorporate colour from my reference photos. 

Note:  Before skating, my friend used her ice screw to measure the depth of the ice in various locations.  We had ice picks around our necks to use for rescue if we were to fall through. We had packs to the side of the ice with rope, poles and many extra layers of clothing.

Story #3

On this morning is was warm with no wind.  The sky was a most gorgeous blue with a few of those fluffy puffy clouds that I love so much. The pond and river at Carburn Park were wide open water and no doubt will be for weeks to come.  The reflection was perfection!  I was later arriving due to a very extra slow go on the Deerfoot.  A few large groups were already ahead of me which I tried to avoid. I veered off to where I saw no one.  

I am not that knowledgable on most ducks.  I thought this was a female Mallard until I saw it swim towards a female Mallard. This duck was much smaller in size.  This was the only Green-winged Teal I saw on this morning in the pond, it was socializing with a group of Mallards.  

Buffleheads numbered in the dozens and were hanging about in the river. 

They were frisky and appeared to be frolicking. 

When the sun hit their heads, they glowed 

I was told this was a Juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk.  The Magpies gave away its location yet it took time to spot what they were excited about. After snapping this shot, it was done with the harassment and flew off.   

It's been almost two months since I saw one of the Great Horned Owls at the Park. During a few of my past visits here, people told me the Owls moved on. On this morning, it did not cross my mind to even look for the Owls.  While scanning the trees for birds of any kind, this is what I saw!  The Great Horned Owl was already scanning me. It blended in with the branches so well.   

These are just three of the many ways I have been making the most of these days.  

Time to sign off and get going to make the most of today!