Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: statue

This is a statue that stands in the gardens at the Blue Waters Inn, on the island of Tobago. I only saw it from a distance, but I thought it looked so peaceful among the tropical trees. Bear with me, everyone, as I think I am going to have to post 5 photos (I posted 6 the first two days) from my trip each day, otherwise it will take me many months (years?) to get them on to Flickr. Obviously, no comments expected, unless you happen to like one photo in particular. Actually, I am so disappointed with my photos - never have so many photos come out blurry, many totally blurry and no use at all. I'm not sure why, though the light was often really bad and maybe the humidity had some effect. For some species, I will be posting awful shots, just for the record. I might even post a pile of photos at a time this evening, when fewer people are on Flickr, and then post five better images tomorrow morning. Won't even stop and add descriptions, etc., just so that I can get my photos added here. It will take me forever to do much of a write-up about this trip, but I hope to add an extra bit of information about each photo to the very simple, basic description. Right now, I'm not quite sure where I was and when, lol! We arrived back in Calgary in the evening of 21 March 2017, and I have to get myself somewhat organized and should be seeing to all sorts of important things. Instead, of course, I have been stuck in front of my computer all day, each day : ) Totally dead beat after such a busy time away, dealing with extremely early mornings and hot, humid weather. Those of you who know me well, know that I am a dreadful night-owl, so getting up around 5:15 am was an absolute killer. Also, heat and humidity don't agree with my body, so each trip out was quite exhausting - but a thrill, of course! In the morning of 21 March, we had to get up around 2:00 am, as we had such an early flight (5 and a half hours) from Trinidad to Toronto - followed by a four-hour flight back to Calgary. On our very first day, we had three flights in a row, as we flew from Calgary to Toronto, then Toronto to Port of Spain on Trinidad, from where we had a short flight to the island of Tobago. This adventure was only the second holiday (or was it actually my third?) of any kind, anywhere, that I have had in something like 30 or 35 years! The other holiday was a wonderful, one-week holiday with my great friends from England, Linda and Tony, when we went down south to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in September 2012. I have had maybe half a dozen weekends away, including to Waterton National Park, which have helped keep me going. Six birding/photographer friends and I decided that we would take this exciting trip together (from 12-21 March 2017), spending the first two or three days on the island of Tobago and then the rest of the time at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on the nearby, much larger island of Trinidad. We decided to take a complete package, so everything was included - flights (we were so very lucky to get Black Friday prices, which were 50% off!), accommodation at both places, all our food, and the various walks and day trips that we could chose from. Two of my friends, Anne B. and Brenda, saw to all the planning of flights and accommodations, which was so very much appreciated by the rest of us. I could never have done all this myself! What a time we had, seeing so many beautiful and interesting things - and, of course, everything was a lifer for me. Some of these friends had visited Costa Rica before, so were familiar with quite a few of the birds. There was a lot more to see on Trinidad, so we were glad that we chose Tobago to visit first and then spend a longer time at Asa Wright. It was wonderful to be right by the sea, though, at the Blue Waters Inn on the island of Tobago. The Asa Wright Nature Centre, on the much larger island of Trinidad, is such an amazing place! We stayed in cabins up or down hill from the main building. Really, one doesn't need to travel away from the Centre for birding, as so many different species visit the Hummingbird feeders that are right by the huge, open veranda, and the trees of the rain forest high up a mountainous road. The drive up and down this narrow, twisting, pot-holed road was an adventure in itself! Never would I ever do this drive myself - we had a guide who drove us everywhere in a van/small bus. I had read many accounts of this road, lol! There was just enough room for two vehicles to squeeze past each other, and the honking of horns was almost continuous - either to warn any vehicle that might be coming fast around the next bend or as a sign that drivers knew each other. The drive along this road took just over an hour each way. I'm already missing the great food that was provided every single day at Asa Wright and the Rum Punch that appeared each evening. I never drink at all, so I wasn't sure if I would even try the Punch - glad I did, though, as it was delicious and refreshing.

With our autumn colour pretty much gone, it feels good to be able to look back to photos from 1 October 2016. On that day, I finally had my very first visit to the Silver Springs Botanical Gardens, thanks to friend, Sandy. I first heard about this beautiful place from my daughter, but I had never been, because it is way out of my city driving comfort zone. In the morning, it was raining, at least in my part of the city, and I wondered if going would turn out to be a big mistake. However, the rain stopped and stayed away while we were there and, though the sky was overcast, I was still able to photograph to my heart's content. I was surprised at how many flowers were still in bloom on the first day of October and I was extremely impressed with how meticulously these gardens are kept - every inch of them. So many different kinds of trees and plants, and it was very obvious that each area had been planted with so much thought and care. Amazing that dedicated volunteers have been, and continue to be, the ones to thank for these gardens. Thanks so much, Sandy, for giving me the chance to spend an afternoon in such beauty and peace! We all knew that snow wasn't far away and about a week after this visit, Calgary had its first snowfall of the season, for the whole of the Thanksgiving weekend. At least I now have some bright, colourful photos that I will be able to post in between all the coming white, snowy images that will be taken during the long months of winter. "The Botanical Gardens of Silver Springs is without doubt one of the Seven Wonders of Calgary, Alberta. It boasts 1350 square meters (14 600 square feet) of gardens which includes a spectacular Wall Garden that runs an uninterrupted 1300 feet. In the gardens you will find an endless variety of annuals and perennials ranging from artemisias to zinnias. Here indeed is a place to stop and smell the roses and the peonies and the delphiniums and the chrysanthemums and the … What makes these gardens so very special is that they were created and continue to be maintained by a band of green-thumbed enthusiastic volunteers. These hale and hearty diggers, planters, seeders, weeders, mowers, waterers, pruners and community builders work two to three mornings a week to keep the gardens in primrose shape and their efforts are truly appreciated by the many walkers, joggers, and cyclists. On any given day, hundreds of people walk the wall garden with their families, friends and out-of-town visitors. It has become a treasured destination site for many. For anyone who has spent time in the gardens, it is hard to believe that they have only been here since 2006 when a humble ornamental garden (400 square feet) was developed within the existing BirthPlace Forest tree beds. The BPF, by the way, saw 7000 trees planted in the area. The project was accomplished through a partnership of BP Energy, Calgary Parks, Regional Health and Golden Acres." From the gardens' website. www.botanicalgardensofsilversprings.ca/

This photo was taken yesterday, 11 November 2016, when my daughter and I had a day out together. We started off at 9:00 am and drove straight to the Saskatoon Farm for breakfast - I had a delicious meal of quiche and sweet potato fries. On a quick wander round the grounds, several Ornamental Cabbage or Flowering Kale were the only plants with colour. The rest had all gone to seed. The Saskatoon Farm is an interesting place that is maybe a 25-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside green houses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They also have a restaurant that offers great food. www.saskatoonfarm.com/ We then drove west into Okotoks, to go to the antique store, All Around the House" and to the Christmas Market being held in the town. From here, for some insane reason, we drove as far as Millarville to go to their annual Christmas Market. I don't think I have ever seen as many cars anywhere, for anything! It was totally crazy, with endless vehicles lined up along various nearby roads, waiting to be able to park in the fields, as the market parking lot was full most of the time. Thankfully, they had arranged for two or three small school buses to transport people from the field to the Market. Some people chose to get a wagon ride instead, or walk. Later, when we were ready to leave, we had to wait for a bus again. More time (hours?) was spent waiting for buses than was spent actually walking around the huge Market. Once inside, it was absolutely packed, so you couldn't really get to any of the booths to look at things, anyway. I think we've both decided that this would be our last annual trip to this Market! We know that it would be much more relaxing and fun to be driving the back roads, looking for birds and other things to photograph : ) However, for me, the main reason for this day was to spend precious time with my daughter, so it was a good day. Thanks, Rachel!

Yesterday, 1 October 2016, I finally had my very first visit to the Silver Springs Botanical Gardens, thanks to friend, Sandy. I first heard about this beautiful place from my daughter, but I had never been, because it is way out of my driving comfort zone. In the morning, it was raining, at least in my part of the city, and I wondered if going would turn out to be a big mistake. However, the rain stayed away while we were there and, though the sky was overcast, I was still able to photograph to my heart's content. I was surprised at how many flowers were still in bloom on the first day of October and I was extremely impressed with how meticulously these gardens are kept - every inch of them. So many different kinds of trees and plants, and it was very obvious that each area had been planted with so much thought and care. Amazing that dedicated volunteers have been, and continue to be, the ones to thank for these gardens. Thanks so much, Sandy, for giving me the chance to spend an afternoon in such beauty and peace! We all know that snow isn't far away - it has fallen in parts of the mountains, but not yet in the city - so I am trying to get out as much as I can before having to deal with the long, dreaded months of winter. Apologies to everyone for not much commenting at the moment!! "The Botanical Gardens of Silver Springs is without doubt one of the Seven Wonders of Calgary, Alberta. It boasts 1350 square meters (14 600 square feet) of gardens which includes a spectacular Wall Garden that runs an uninterrupted 1300 feet. In the gardens you will find an endless variety of annuals and perennials ranging from artemisias to zinnias. Here indeed is a place to stop and smell the roses and the peonies and the delphiniums and the chrysanthemums and the … What makes these gardens so very special is that they were created and continue to be maintained by a band of green-thumbed enthusiastic volunteers. These hale and hearty diggers, planters, seeders, weeders, mowers, waterers, pruners and community builders work two to three mornings a week to keep the gardens in primrose shape and their efforts are truly appreciated by the many walkers, joggers, and cyclists. On any given day, hundreds of people walk the wall garden with their families, friends and out-of-town visitors. It has become a treasured destination site for many. For anyone who has spent time in the gardens, it is hard to believe that they have only been here since 2006 when a humble ornamental garden (400 square feet) was developed within the existing BirthPlace Forest tree beds. The BPF, by the way, saw 7000 trees planted in the area. The project was accomplished through a partnership of BP Energy, Calgary Parks, Regional Health and Golden Acres." From the gardens' website. www.botanicalgardensofsilversprings.ca/

In the morning of 25 September 2015, six of us were lucky enough to explore a tiny part of the land belonging to Frances and David Dover. For two of us (myself and our leader), this was our second visit - for the rest, it was a first time there. I will copy and paste the description I posted on Flickr from our first visit to the Dover's acreage, on 7 August 2015: "Yesterday, 7 August 2015, four of us were extremely fortunate to have the chance to visit the home and highly varied topographic 62-acre property belonging to Frances and David Dover. We felt honoured and privileged to meet and spend time with Frances and David, and also their daughter Carolyn and her husband Clair. A delightful family who welcomed us so warmly into their home and land. This acreage of grassland, forest, rolling hills - and special gardens - is not far from Millarville, SW of Calgary. In fact, it's in an area that I often drive through when I only have time for, or only feel like doing, a short drive. Amazing what little gems exist out there. This is not just a beautiful property, but is very special for various reasons. For one thing, read any history of Alberta and you will find the Dover family, including David's mother, Mary Dover. Second, among the trees and open "lawns", there are Peony flower beds, containing 100-150 heritage Peonies, each one different, that have now multiplied to more than 300 plants. Unfortunately, they bloomed a couple of weeks early this year, and all the flowers had gone to seed. Another open area had a different kind of ground cover - Thyme, which smelled wonderful. If I remember correctly, this was the open space where the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra performed on one occasion! There are two large ponds on the property and another smaller area of water that they hope to turn into a Japanese Garden. It was while walking around the latter that a large brown 'shape' could be seen through the dense trees - a handsome Moose buck. I will look properly at the four or so photos I just managed to get and will slip one of them into my photostream sometime soon, just for the record, definitely not for the photo quality : ) This was also where a Great Horned Owl was seen flying through the trees by some of us (not me, ha!). There are grassy paths winding through the acreage, up and down hill, that take David seven hours to mow. They are not pristine, velvety paths, but instead, they seem to take nothing away from the wildness of the whole area. One of the animals that have passed through is the Cougar. In fact, several years ago, I saw a video taken on a nearby (or adjacent?) property, where a 'kill' and night-time camera had been set up and a total of six different Cougar individuals were seen! Even the Dover's home is unique and beautiful. It is completely built of concrete - floors, walls, ceilings, roof, deck, and so on. A Hummingbird feeder and regular bird feeders, set up on the patio, attract a variety of birds. We sat on the patio after our walk to eat our packed lunches - and to enjoy a delicious Orange Pound Cake that Frances had made for us, along with refreshing Iced Tea - thank you so much for this, Frances! Yesterday, while I was waiting for one of three tiny Calliope Hummingbirds to come back, I was lucky enough to see a little Mountain Chickadee, along with many Pine Siskins. We could also hear a Red-tailed Hawk in the area. There is just so much I could write about this visit and family. Instead, or for now, I will add several links to more information on the Internet. This was a memorable day for us. Thank you so much, Frances and David, Carolyn and Clair, for being so kind and welcoming us into your home and gardens. books.google.ca/books?id=Tr36Tq_gadcC&pg=PA290&lp... www.westernwheel.com/article/20110727/WHE06/307279983/-1/... David's mother, Mary Dover (her father was A. E. Cross), was "a dynamic and distinguished Calgarian, particularly known for her work with the military during World War II." As well as being an army officer, and an alderman, she was also a preservationist. See the following link. www.albertachampions.org/champions-mary_dover.htm#.VcY1KP... ww2.glenbow.org/search/archivesMainResults.aspx?XC=/searc... glencoe.org/documents/10184/637479/The-History-of-Elbow-P... page 44-45 ." After our visit to the Dover's on 25 September 2015, I decided to drive eastwards along a road that I'd never driven before, until I reached the main road going south. From there, it was a fairly short drive to the Saskatoon Farm. As usual, I wandered round the grounds with my camera and then, when I was ready to leave, I ordered a pizza to take home with me. The inside of the gift shop has recently been renovated and they now have a pizza oven and area.

"In 1989, the book "In A Canadian Garden" was written by Nicole Eaton and Hilary Weston. They chose to include Mary Dover's (David Dover's mother's) garden. They wrote: "This garden deserves particular mention here because, to more traditional gardeners, it may not seem at first glance to be a garden at all. Mary cherishes the wilderness of the landscape in which she lives, and she has chosen to "edit" it rather than tame it. With the exception of one extravagant planting of peonies, she has added only small traces of herself - a fruit tree here, a clump of flowers there - to the land. Among other plants, she brought in "a triple line of 100 peonies." These heritage peonies have happily seeded over the past decades and now number nearly 300 plants. They thrive on the land in the Canadian Foothills and produce offspring each Spring as the snow melts and the ground thaws. There is a growing interest in the Dover Gardens in Millarville, Alberta and Mary's son (David) and his wife (Frances) are working to maintain that wildness "edited" not tamed. At a time when development attempts to move into the "emerald valley", Dover Gardens is being seen increasingly as an oasis, providing tranquility to the land and for its visitors. Today, the 300 plants range from single blooms, like Scarlet O'Hara, to the semi-doubles, such as Buckeye Belle, to the double blooms in soft pink, including Pink Chiffon, to the Japanese orchid pink petals, with narrow shredded darker pink petals of the peony identified as Do Tell. This year, several of the majestic deep red single blooms in plants grew taller than the pink varieties, with the stems stretching out and upward." From a reprint from the Canadian Peony Society • November 2014: Peonies Bring Majesty to the Canadian Foothills, by Frances Jackson Dover. This photo shows one of the Peony flower beds, with a stone statue of Buddha that travelled here from the Far East. Unfortunately, they bloomed a couple of weeks early this year, and all the flowers had gone to seed by the time of our visit on 7 August 2015. For more information about the wonderful day we spent with Frances and David Dover (his mother was Mary Dover), their daughter Carolyn and her husband Clair, check the Hummingbird photo I posted today, at the following link. flic.kr/p/xbAikB

Eight days ago, on 23 July 2015, five of us spent the day botanizing the land belonging to Darryl Teskey, SW of Calgary and W of Millarville (maybe a 40-minute drive from Calgary). This was the first time I had been there and I'm so glad I was invited to go - I would have missed all sorts of things, including a family of Ruffed Grouse and several fungi. These Grouse were the rare rufous-morph, and we startled them when we were walking through the forest in their direction. Usually, you don't see Grouse because they are so well-hidden. When you get fairly close (sometimes very close) to them, they suddenly "explode" from the tangle of shrubs and plants of the forest floor, making ones heart beat fast! We were taken by surprise when we came across Saint. Francis of Assisi, who is known as the patron saint of animals and the environment. A nice idea, I thought. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_of_Assisi Our walk took us over grassland and through forest, most places treacherous with so many fallen logs which were often barely visible. I have never, ever seen so many tiny Skipper butterflies - there must have been hundreds or even thousands of these bright orange beauties that were flying or perched on flowers of every colour. Fortunately, the rain stayed away until we started driving back to Calgary. Quite a lot of black clouds, reminding me of the tornado that passed through Calgary just the day before (22 July 2015). Our purpose, as always, was to find and list everything that we saw - wildflowers, trees, grasses, birds, insects, fungi, etc.. Our leader then compiles an extensive list of our finds and this is later sent to the landowner, along with any photos that we might take. Always a win/win situation, as the landowner then has a much better idea of just what is on his property, and we have a most enjoyable day. This summer, with quite a few botanizing outings like this, plus two 3-day trips to Waterton Lakes National Park, I am so far behind with the photos that I need to edit and e-mail!

And you thought that photographing birds was difficult! You should try catching this guy as it runs on top of a shelter and is about to jump off and disappear into the distance! Lol, couldn't resist taking a quick shot of this Dinosaur at Dinosaur Provincial Park, between the Concession area and the Park tour buses area.

Just a very quick shot to remind myself of an enjoyable evening with my youngest daughter yesterday, 15 November 2013. We took the Red Arrow Shuttlebus from south Calgary out to Spruce Meadows for their Christmas Market. I used to love going to Christmas fairs and markets many years ago, when the kids were young, but ever since they became adults and said they would prefer money or gift cards instead of "things", I no longer go to them. Spruce Meadows is the only one I go to, and that's only because I go with my daughter. Anyway, the Christmas lights were very pretty and I liked seeing this statue among the colourful trees. One of the highlights is the chance to see Santa's Reindeer - such beautiful animals. No sign of Santa, of course - he'll be busy preparing for Christmas Eve.

Taken on 4 January 2013, when four of us travelled a long way east of Calgary to take part in the Horseshoe Canyon/Drumheller Christmas Bird Count. This is part of the Badlands area of Alberta, land of the dinosaurs. Our territory was N of the Red Deer River, on the NE part of the count circle, and included the Tyrrell Museum. At noon, we stopped at the Museum to eat our lunch and I was able to catch this huge dinosaur. We had driven past a short while before, when the icicles were quite a bit longer, but I couldn't take any photos because my lens had a thin layer of ice on it. If you ever get the chance to visit this Museum, you will find it to be superb. www.google.com/search?num=10&hl=en&site=&tbm=...

There were several of these large, bronze figures on display at the Moose Visitor Centre, in the Grand Teton National Park, US. I really liked two of them, this boy with his pair of binoculars and a man holding an old camera. Taken on 15 September 2012, while on holiday for a week with dear friends from England, Linda and Tony.

There were several of these large, bronze figures on display at the Moose Visitor Centre (the Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center), in the Grand Teton National Park, US, 12 miles north of Jackson. I really liked two of them, this man holding an old camera and a boy with his pair of binoculars (previously posted). Taken on 15 September 2012, while on holiday for a week with amazing friends from England, Linda and Tony. www.gtnpf.org/projects.php

This is part of a life size bronze statue, “Children of Yesterday”, by artist Vilem Zach. I've just discovered the excellent webpage at the following link, showing the plans of the new Artisan Garden at the Bow Valley Ranche in Fish Creek Park. I had no idea at all that this was going to be such a special place! You can also see a photo of the complete statue on the link below. It's not covered in tiny ice crystals in that photo, either, lol. "The Artisan Garden, showcasing the work of Canadian Artists, will depict elements of nature and themes indigenous to the Fish Creek Valley, while honoring the First Nations people. The Artisan Garden nestled in the Native Species Gardens, will complete the Bow Valley Ranche Historical Society’s vision to honor the First Nations who were the first people to inhabit the area prior to the first settler, John Glen in 1890. It’s important to the Society to honor this connection on the site, a known provincial historic resource and visited by more than 1 million people each year. This project brings together celebrated Canadian artists and people interested in creating a lasting piece of art within a living piece of history. The $450,000 Artisan Garden is a completion of the 2.5 acre native species garden." www.bowvalleyranche.com/artisan-corner.html

When I look at this photo, taken about 40 years ago, I just feel peace. After living in the Middle East for six and a half years, many years ago, the whole region holds a huge place in my heart. It saddens me greatly to see TV footage of what is happening there at the moment, though at the same time, there is hope that positive changes can happen. May peace and harmony and all things good come to those who are living there in such troubled times. video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/places/countrie...

I know it's not a mushroom, flower or bird, but I keep coming across this photo and can't bring myself to delete it. I just thought it was such a sweet little angel keeping watch, seen in a cemetery a year ago. I seem to remember that we were doing a bio-assessment of the nearby area and walked through the cemetery.