Best of September 2025

Although I have posted a couple of times in September, I don't want to repeat any of those photographs, so a few new photographs will be highlighted here. One of the joys of living in the inner city in Calgary is access to the Bow River and the extensive walking paths that bring Calgarians into and around downtown. The first picture was taken on the walkway to the LRT station in Bridgeland. I was on my way to catch pictures of the sunrise on the Bow River. 

 A few days later I was headed to the LRT to go across town and was caught without my camera as the sun peeked down the street by the Mari Bakeshop. It is good to always have a camera on your phone. 

Following are three pictures of the George C. King bridge that crosses the Bow River to East Village. The first picture is from the South side of the bridge during sunrise. Note the very top of the bridge. The second picture is from directly underneath that centre, looking up. The second picture is becoming a favourite. The last picture is a monochrome image of the sunrise with part of the bridge in the foreground. 

To finish off with something a little more unusual, I am including this monochrome image of a Black Meadowhawk on a park bench at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary  -- bad place for an insect to hang out.

Bike Racks of Calgary

Perhaps the bike racks in Calgary don't catch every person's imagination, but some of them are quite unique. I thought I would like to highlight a few of them. The first picture is from the East end of Saint Patrick's Island, just by the Zoo bridge.

 Staying on the island, the next two images are close to the playground. 

The next bike rack is in Bridgeland on 9th Street, just across from the Community Centre.

This example of our unusual bike racks is this picture from by the Calgary Zoo.

Recently near the south end of the Skipping Stone Bridge I found these bike racks.

Considering I wasn't out to take pictures of bike racks, our Calgary examples certainly caught my eye.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

On Maria's birthday we celebrated her life by the sibblings and spouses traveling to Linden, Alberta and having lunch at the High Seas Cafe. We spent our last three years camping in Linden and spent the entire of Maria's last summer there. It was one of her favourite places and a suitable spot to visit and share memories. It would have been her 70th birthday. 

Looking north from the lower pond, the view looked as beautiful as ever.

 

Looking south from the common bridge between the upper and lower pond, the view was not a beautiful. The lower pond was drained, the fountain removed, and the dam on thew lower end was being repaired. The entire campground was closed. The lower pond smelled swampy!! :-(

It was a beautiful day, a day of memories and a thought that Maria would want us to return to see how the ponds look when all the work is done. I hope we can make it back next year.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Walking the Neighbourhood

You don't always have to go a long way from home. Here I live in almost the heart of downtown, and the opportunities for pictures Saturday were many. Probably the most fun were these pictures from Saint Patrick's Island; first of an Osprey. This was perched along the South side of the island, and then flew off after being mobbed by a bunch of American Magpies.

There was also a Canada Goose eating in the lagoon. Yes and common bird, but I love the contrast between the extreme detail on the goose and the ethereal background. The subject also seems perfect for a monochrome presentation. 

Also a pretty common bird in Alberta, this Common Merganser was snorkelling along the pond looking for aquatic insects and minnows. 

Also on the island was this Drone Fly, which looks remarkably like a bee.

And finally on my way home, it seemed the colour of the day was red; lovely flowers. It was fun talking to the owners of the house about their pride in the garden.

Best of August 2025

August 2025 was a good month for photographs. The weather was good and there were some good opportunities to be outside.  There were many favourite pictures, and I will share some in categories. The first category is scenic. 

The first weekend of August was spent at the Nipika Mountain Resort. The first day there we walked to the Kootenay River. On the second day we walked to the Cross River.

On the second week I was lucky enough to be taken by a friend to Forget Me Not Pond in Kananaskis. I have never been there before and although we were birding, I did take my full frame camera for scenic pictures.

The last scenic picture of the month is of St. Ignatius Russian Orthodox Church from across the river in East Village in Calgary.

My favourite wildlife picture category is of this Chipmunk at Forget Me Not Pond.

For wildlife, I also love the picture of a Mallard hen taken on a morning walk on the Bow River and a Chickadee picture. 

And finally for the month, in a miscellaneous category, this flower struggling through the sidewalk in Bridgeland. Life always finds a way. Also in this category are some Asters at Nipika and a bee at Forget Me Not Pond. 

 

Best of July 2025

July started off with a celebration of Canada Day. I went down to the Bow River, by the Skip-stone bridge and Saint Patrick's Island. It was a hot day, and lots of people were floating the Bow. The first picture is of a couple floating the Bow and the second is of the Calgary Fire Service water rescue crew - trying to keep everyone safe. The third and last picture from that day is of a young woman taking a selfie down by the water.

 

Later in the month the canola fields were in bloom and I went back out to the canola field of which I took a picture last month. So different now! I took quite a few pictures, but I think this one is the best. The power lines down the left give the field some depth.

Sticking with the no bird theme this month, I would like to finish off with a picture of a Police Car moth (which only makes sense if the police cars in your area are black and white) and a monochrome picture of some flowers in the back alley in Bridgeland.

Okay, three  birds from the middle of the month. The Gray Catbird is an unusual photo because you can see the red coverts under the tail. The Bald Eagle because it is what it is, and the pretty little Song Sparrow are also both worth some recycled electrons.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photoraw 2025

Calgary Stampede Week 2025

On the morning of the Calgary Stampeded Parade I went for a walk to peer through the fences at the horses as they were being prepared for the parade. I was lucky enough to find the spot where the tack and harnesses were checked before the horses and their riders or wagons were allowed into the parade. I was the only person on the sidewalk and it was a great opportunity to view the horses in a quiet spot. This heavy horse picture is my favourite of the day. I love the 'feathers' of the fetlock and the hoof struck the pavemet.

This picture of the Rodeo Queens is also a favourite.  It is fun to note the attitude of the four horses. Two look like this is their first parade (eyes open, ears up and forward) and two look like they have been here many times (necks out, heads down, catching a few more winks). If you enlarge the picture, the queen on the front right is the Rodeo Queen of Australia; how about that!

The night before we had also walked by the holding area for the horses, checking them out. On the way home, the sun was streaming through the clouds and I took this picture from the zoo bridge.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photoraw 2025