Day 185 - 23rd October 2018 - Waterfalls, Mountains and Bison

We made it to Fort McMurray last night after a very long drive. It's 8 1/2 - 9 hours to start with but when there are 4 women in the truck quite a few "pit" stops, snack stops etc  made so guaranteed to add a few minutes....or more onto the trip. But it was fun and lots of laughs. Before we left Banff we drove a loop through some of the mountains in search of Big Horn Sheep but they were not obliging us. We did see some spectacular views though. Then a great hike at Johnstone's Canyon to the see the Upper and Lower Falls. Very good idea before we made the trip to Fort Mac. Got all that energy used up. On the way we did find some Bison - they are farmed ones but doesn't matter, got them off that bucket list! And we picked up Bison burgers for supper tonight. Beautiful scenery as we drove along - but the mountains disappeared behind us and flat farmland was all around us. What a change in just a few hours. It appears my internal clock has adjusted to the time change as I'm up 3 hours before the rest of the house. No idea what's on the agenda for today, Justin is off and in charge of entertainment, Jenny is back to work.

 Been seeing lots of Grey Jays (Canada Jays)

Enjoy your day!

Day 184 - 22nd October 2018 - Lake Louise, The Gondola and Elk

Sunday was a once in a life time kind of day and we ticked stuff off of the bucket list like crazy. We had a great day - probably walked at least 20 miles (surely I'll lose weight on this trip), saw and experienced some great things. After breakfast we drove out to Lake Louise, a quick look around the village then walked to and down along the lake. Absolutely stunning with the mountains on three sides and a huge hotel on the other. From there we had a quick lunch and headed to Sulphur Mountain to bravely ride the Gondola up the Mountain (7864 feet above Banff). So yes it was like sitting in a little pop can but it was such an awesome experience. Being afraid of heights I wasn't sure if I could do it but it's enclosed and I didn't mind at all! We checked out all the sights from the observatory decks then went back down. Drove back into Banff to take a look at the famous big hotel - (can't remember the name) checked out Bow Falls and realized we had not seen any animals yet and Elk were on our to do/find list. Yup we found them - lots and lots. After a long and exciting day we headed back to the hotel, had supper and Jenny and I hit the hot pool again to ease our tire feet. Today we are going to do a hike on the trail at Johnson's Canyon and then head for Fort Mac.

Enjoy your day!

Day 183 - 21st October 2018 - Mountains and Banff

A couple days of catch up. The adventure begins in security - Mom has things beeping as does her checked in luggage. After she flaps like a duck, jumps up and down they finally decide it's metal in her new boots. They took her hair gel (missed the scissors) and off we went. I needed Big B for that episode.  Well the plane ride was long, mostly smooth but a few road bumps- maybe they call it sky bumps. Finally made it to Calgary, found our hotel and crashed for the night only to wake up early the next day. We are somewhere between NS time and Alberta but probably not in either. Maybe it was the excitement or the very warm hotel room. Justin picked us up and we headed off to meet Jenny and some of her family for breakfast and then on to Banff! The mountains are everything people say and more, just beautiful. We spent the afternoon roaming downtown Banff, hit a couple of museums and then walked back to the hotel. It's far easier to walk than to drive if it's not too far and after sitting all day Friday it was good to stretch our legs. Supper at Chili's in the hotel and then Jenny and I tried out the hot pool - another fabulous experience. Today we are off to Lake Louise and hopefully the Gondola ride. Might even see some wild life!

Enjoy your day!

Day 181 - 19th October 2018 - Fall Leaves and Wildflowers

Beautiful stars twinkling in the sky this morning - but cold...brrr. After yesterday's snow flurries it feels more like winter has set in and fall was just a blur. The yard has lots of "winter" birds - Juncos, Sparrows - Song and White Throated, Blue Jays, Goldfinches, Chickadees and Mourning Doves. Well today is the day, I've been busy the last few cooking, cleaning (minimal) and packing for my trip to Alberta and I'm pretty excited. I can't remember the last time I've actually been on vacation other than a weekend here or there. It will be a fun trip with good travelling companions - Mom and Ann. Surprisingly enough my suitcase is under weight - giving me a little room for some shopping. Cameras and lenses are all packed in my backpack and ready to take some mountain and wildlife shots that are new to me. Best of all, am looking forward to seeing my nephew and his girlfriend again. So for the next 11/12 days you can follow our adventures through the blog.

Fall colors

Still some blooms







Enjoy your day!

Day 177 - 15th October 2018 - A Dory Launch and A Carving

This is the last day of the season that the Museums are open. The Shelburne County Museum is open all winter but reduces it's hours. But for me this is my last day of work! Rah!! A couple of days at home to finish packing, bake, cook etc then I'm Alberta bound til the end of the month. Vacation - how I'm looking forward to you.  Temperatures have really been up and down - last week I work shorts, yesterday a wool sweater. Visitors are getting less and less, although each day we seem to get a few through. On Saturday the Dory was launched, it's always kind of cool to see them come out of the loft and onto the street. It was a beautiful morning to be on the harbour and she sure could go - smooth and fast. There was also an unveiling of art work by Ed Benham at the Secret Park, George Street on Saturday. If you've not seen it stop by - absolutely magnificent.

Larry insisted that I take his and Leona's pic next to the carving. The picture doesn't do it justice, go take a look.





Enjoy your day!

Daay 173 -11 October 2018 - Asters, Caterpillar and Hermit Thrush

Wednesday was a great day to be home - weather was perfect - temperature somewhere around +27. I buzzed around doing up some chores and crossing things off my list - a few at a time. Most will wait til next week. Think I've bruised or cracked a rib again - doing laundry is dangerous.  Some rain during the night lots more on the way for today and tomorrow.  Swamps, rivers and lakes are filling up. Today is Thelma & Louise day - will be glad when things return to normal and we can get back to our regular Friday outing. It helps me keep track of the days! I've still got a number of things to get done around here today so I best get my coffee into me and get started.

Wild Purple Asters

Woolly Caterpillar - seeing quite a few of these around

Hermit Thrush




Enjoy your day!

Day 172 - 10th October 2018- Leaves, Mushrooms and Fall Crocuses

It's warm this morning, almost a balmy feeling, but cooler in the house. Here it is the 10th of October and we haven't built a furnace fire, no complaints, we'll probably use the wood we save now on the other end of winter. May be a few showers this morning, definitely rain for Thursday and Friday. A few tourists still around, nice people who have time to chat from various places. Well I'm off for a couple of days with lots of work to do around here. Not long now, just 4 more days of work for me. Then I'll be westbound, still have lots of things that I need to get done before going. It's lovely walking through the hood these days with burst of colors  everywhere. This is my favourite time of year - warmer days, cooler nights and everything is in technicolor.

 Fall Colors

 Mushrooms pop up through the woods everywhere and all of them are just a little bit different

Fall Crocus





Enjoy your day!