Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: interestingness#484

I'm using the description I added to a few previous photos from this trip, to lessen the amount I use my painful shoulders, so just skip if you happen to have read it before. On 22 June 2014, I was up at 4:00 a.m., to get ready for a long day trip east of Calgary, to Dinosaur Provincial Park. I had only ever once been there before, that I can remember, and it must have been 30+ years ago, so yesterday's bus trip was an absolute treat. 46 people went on this annual outing and when we arrived, we split into two groups. One half went on a mini bus tour in the morning to an area of the park that is kept closed to people, in order to protect the landscape. The other half took this tour in the afternoon. The rest of the day, we could go on a walk along one of the trails in the park that are open to the public. I was in the group that walked in the morning. We went on the Cottonwoods Trail, that eventually led to the river - a long walk that was much further than I had expected! We saw very few birds, the main one being a Yellow Warbler that had its beak full of soft, white "seed fluff" from a Cottonwood tree. When we were almost back at the starting point, a Nighthawk was spotted lying on a very high branch. Well done, Shirley, for spotting this bird that was very difficult to see! A real thrill for me, as I had always wanted to see a perched Nighthawk! I saw three of them flying over the Bow River and over our heads in Bow Valley Provincial Park a few years ago, but no chance for a photo back then. Our mini bus tour in one of the Park's buses in the afternoon took us to some spectacular scenery. This photo, taken at one of the stops we made, is an example of the fascinating eroded hills that we saw. As you can see, we had great weather, which was very lucky, as we had had rain for quite a few days before. When wet, the Bentonite clay becomes treacherously slippery, so we did not have to experience that, though in just a few places we could feel our feet slipping. I got back home around 6:30 p.m., barely able to move an inch, but it was definitely worth it. Thanks so much, Lynne, for organizing such an enjoyable trip to this fascinating area! A lot of work goes into organizing an event like this and it was much appreciated! Thanks, too, to friends Val and Wendy who took turns to sit by me for the long 2 1/2 hour journey out there and back! Great to catch up with both of you! Video (4.25 minutes in length) about Dinosaur Provincial Park, by Alberta Parks: youtu.be/lww6Y4hlQR4 "Dinosaur Provincial Park is world famous for its dinosaur fossil finds. So much so that UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in 1979. A mind-boggling number of species have been found here - 40 and counting - but what really puts it over the top is that the bonebeds have yielded more than 300 specimens, which grace museums around the world. The park has also been designated a Natural Preserve to protect the extensive fossil fields and the valley’s fragile environment, an complicated mix of badlands and cottonwood river habitat." travelalberta.com/Places%20to%20Go/Parks/Dinosaur%20Provi...

Not sure that I've ever taken a photo of "the Famous Five" from this spot before - usually, I turn up the road you can see and park along there. Every once in a while, I can't resist taking yet another photo if I happen to be driving in this area. This land has had a For Sale sign for a long time. When it does eventually get new owners, hopefully they will leave this well known row of five red granaries standing. Feels a little strange to be looking at bright, summer colours, knowing that we are part way through fall already and some of the trees have already lost their golden leaves. Yesterday evening, 19 October 2013, I went to the annual "Banquet" for our local nature group, held in a church hall across the city. I had only ever been to one of these, a number of years ago, and found it was a very formal affair, with some ladies even dressed in long gowns - not my kind of thing at all! However, friends persuaded me to go this year and so I went : ) Turned out to be a far more casual thing, with good food and many familiar faces that I hadn't seen for ages. It was most enjoyable, marred only by my right eye that wouldn't stop watering the whole time. By the time I went to bed last night, it was painful and still watering and this morning is half swollen shut, so I guess I'm going to have to make a doctor's appointment. I don't think I'm going to be able to be on my computer much today, at all, as it's difficult to see properly and really unpleasant. We were very honoured to have Jon Turk as our guest speaker. He came to talk to us about some of his travels, including his circumnavigation, on foot and by kayak, of Ellesmere Island, which earned him (along with Erik Booner) one of the National Geographic's ten top "Adventurers of the Year" awards for 2012. Jon was a most entertaining speaker, with never a dull moment, inspirational and motivating. His underlying message really was to forget the material world and go out and do what you really want to do. He is 66 years old! jonturk.net/

A few Forget-me-nots from a hike along the Marston Creek Trail, W of Longview. I always like to see the tiny, pink buds of these flowers. Am late posting again this evening. Have been out on a trip all morning, seeing about 30 of the largest or most unusual tree species in the city. Straight afterwards, I was on a walk in Fish Creek Park all afternoon, ending with a lovely BBQ at a friend's house. Thanks so much, Dorothy and Stephen, for this delightful treat. A most enjoyable walk first and then a delicious meal to finish off the day!

Yikes, too many dark images on this front page - no time to look for different photos, though. Just got home from food shopping after my afternoon volunteer shift. Tiny flower petals using my macro lens back in mid-October.

This beautiful Bald Eagle was taking a long, long bath just the other side of the wire mesh fence from where I was standing. I was SO lucky that day, as these birds are usually up in one of the tall trees when I visit!