Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: back road

Has everyone seen (and read!) all about the new changes for Flickr? The following are a few links about these great -sounding improvements. blog.flickr.net/en/2018/12/17/important-service-updates-a... blog.flickr.net/en/2018/11/01/a-sharper-focus-for-flickr/ blog.flickr.net/en/2018/11/01/changing-flickr-free-accoun... blog.flickr.net/en/2018/10/31/putting-your-best-photo-for... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Finally managed to edit and upload three photos from today, after having to turn off and restart my computer half a dozen times this evening. A total of about 7 hours of driving east and northeast of the city resulted in three lucky sightings, with all three owls perched high on top of ugly utility poles. However, I will take anything I can get. The first time I drove east to look for Snowy Owls was on 5 January, which turned out to be a day of dreadul, dense fog. I quickly gave up on the idea of searching for these beautiful Snowies that day. Today, the sun was shining, so I reckoned I would try again. Not much snow to be seen in the fields - sort of a patchwork of stubble and snow, which would make finding distant owls rather difficult. I like my Snowies close, ha, so I tend not to search the fields, keeping my eyes on the road instead. The first two owls were on the same road, quite a distance apart. Couldn't believe my luck! Once I was back on a main road, I suddenly decided to take one of the back roads and was amazed to come across a third Snowy Owl. This one was skittish and took flight when I was stopped way, way down the road. The first owl simply stayed put on its insulator. The second owl stayed for a while, but then suddenly spotted movement way across the field. Off it flew and I could see it swoop down and then land on a distant fence post. From several highly zoomed-in photos, I could see strands of dried grass in its talons and it started preening, presumably after catching and eating some poor little Meadow Vole.

The trees at the very edge of the roads were quite visible, but practically everything else disappeared in a dense fog that caught me by surprise yesterday, 5 January 2019. I had hoped to finally drive east of the city on 4 January, after already waiting a couple of months to get out east and northeast. Then I saw in the weather forecast that it was going to be a very windy day on 4th January, so my plans changed. When I checked the forecast around midnight, we were supposedly going to have sun with some cloud yesterday morning, clearing to a nice sunny afternoon. Yeah, right!! The thick fog had developed way before I left the eastern edge of the city and, though I was so tempted to turn around and head for home, I kept going, hoping that the fog would clear further east. Just the opposite! Most of the drive was in very poor visibility, barely able to see the road I was on and not seeing cars in the distance. Once my eyes looked further than the fences along the road edges, I could barely see anything at all, just dense fog. A far cry from an ideal day for looking for Snowy Owls! Everything was a pale grey or white and I would never have been able to see a distant owl and would barely be able to see an owl perched high up on a power pole. After roughly almost five hours of dangerous driving conditions and 235 km travelled, I just had to give up and head for home. I did manage to find a few odds and ends to photograph, but nothing too inspiring. Post-processing turned some white photos into images that had some colour and detail - not at all how things looked in reality.

The trees at the very edge of the roads were quite visible, but practically everything else disappeared in a dense fog that caught me by surprise today, 5 January 2019. I had hoped to finally drive east of the city yesterday, after already waiting a couple of months. Then I saw in the weather forecast that it was going to be a very windy day, so my plans changed. When I checked the forecast around midnight last night, we were supposedly going to have sun with some cloud this morning, clearing to a nice sunny afternoon. Yeah, right!! The thick fog had developed way before I left the eastern edge of the city and, though I was so tempted to turn around and head for home, I kept going, hoping that the fog would clear further east. Just the opposite! Most of the drive was in very poor visibility, barely able to see the road I was on and not seeing cars in the distance. Once my eyes looked further than the fences along the road edges, I could barely see anything at all, just dense fog. A far cry from an ideal day for looking for Snowy Owls! Everything was a pale grey or white and I would never have been able to see a distant owl and would barely see an owl perched high up on a power pole. After roughly almost five hours of dangerous driving conditions and 235 km travelled, I just had to give up and head for home. I did manage to find a few odds and ends to photograph, but nothing too inspiring. Post-processing turned white photos into images that had some colour and detail - not at all how things looked in reality.

The trees at the very edge of the roads were quite visible, but practically everything else disappeared in a dense fog that caught me by surprise today, 5 January 2019. I had hoped to finally drive east and northeast of the city yesterday, after already waiting a couple of months. Then I saw in the weather forecast that it was going to be a very windy day, so my plans changed. When I checked the forecast around midnight last night, we were supposedly going to have sun with some cloud this morning, clearing to a nice sunny afternoon. Yeah, right!! The thick fog had developed way before I left the eastern edge of the city and, though I was so tempted to turn around and head for home, I kept going, hoping that the fog would clear further east. Just the opposite! Most of the drive was in very poor visibility, barely able to see the road I was on and not seeing cars in the distance. Once my eyes looked further than the fences along the road edges, I could barely see anything at all, just dense fog. A far cry from an ideal day for looking for Snowy Owls! Everything was a pale grey or white and I would never have been able to see a distant owl and would barely see an owl perched high up on a power pole. After roughly almost five hours of dangerous driving conditions and 235 km travelled, I just had to give up and head for home. I did manage to find a few odds and ends to photograph, but nothing too inspiring. Post-processing turned white photos into images that had some colour and detail - not at all how things looked in reality.

The trees at the very edge of the roads were quite visible, but practically everything else disappeared in a dense fog that caught me by surprise today, 5 January 2019. I had hoped to finally drive east of the city yesterday, after already waiting a couple of months. Then I saw in the weather forecast that it was going to be a very windy day, so my plans changed. When I checked the forecast around midnight last night, we were supposedly going to have sun with some cloud this morning, clearing to a nice sunny afternoon. Yeah, right!! The thick fog had developed way before I left the eastern edge of the city and, though I was so tempted to turn around and head for home, I kept going, hoping that the fog would clear further east. Just the opposite! Most of the drive was in very poor visibility, barely able to see the road I was on and not seeing cars in the distance. Once my eyes looked further than the fences along the road edges, I could barely see anything at all, just dense fog. A far cry from an ideal day for looking for Snowy Owls! Everything was a pale grey or white and I would never have been able to see a distant owl and would barely see an owl perched high up on a power pole. After roughly almost five hours of dangerous driving conditions and 235 km travelled, I just had to give up and head for home. I did manage to find a few odds and ends to photograph, but nothing too inspiring. Post-processing turned white photos into images that had some colour and detail - not at all how things looked in reality.

Thought I'd better post three more local photos today, instead of more green rainforest shots, before I lose all my Contacts : ) As far as my Trinidad & Tobago trip is concerned, I have more or less finished with photos of mangrove trees and other greenery, and will be posting a few (distant) bird images. On 13 December 2017, I was out on the road by 9:20 am, which is a miracle in itself. I find it almost impossible to get out early when I am going for a drive by myself. I didn't have any photos edited ready to post, which helped. Seeing snowflake icons in the forecast for too many of the days in the coming week, I thought I had better take a drive SE of the city while the roads were clear. I was lucky with the clouds in the morning, as you can see in this photo. I absolutely love driving this kind of road - at least, in good weather. My hope was to maybe find a Snowy Owl in this whole area, like I had done in previous years. I knew I would probably have more luck if I drove the back roads NE of the city, but I didn't feel like driving that far. No luck finding a Snowy Owl and, in fact, there were barely any birds of any kind to be seen - just a small flock of Common Redpolls and two or three Magpies. At least I knew that I would pass several old barns that I have photographed on previous occasions. It just felt good to be in such scenery on a beautiful, sunny day. That is, until I somehow got lost on the way back home. I think I know where I may have gone wrong. Seeing a huge road sign that said North Calgary, I wasn't sure if I would end up on the dreaded Deerfoot Trail, like happened last time I was out in that area. So, I kept driving straight and found myself in a fairly built-up area that I had never been in before. Ended up driving back the way I had come until I was on familiar ground. A long way and a lot of wasted time!

Thought I'd better post three more local photos today, instead of more green rainforest shots, before I lose all my Contacts : ) As far as my Trinidad & Tobago trip is concerned, I have more or less finished with photos of mangrove trees and other greenery, and will be posting a few (distant) bird images. On 13 December 2017, I was out on the road by 9:20 am, which is a miracle in itself. I find it almost impossible to get out early when I am going for a drive by myself. I didn't have any photos edited ready to post, which helped. Seeing snowflake icons in the forecast for too many of the days in the coming week, I thought I had better take a drive SE of the city while the roads were clear. I was lucky with the clouds in the morning, as you can see in this photo. I absolutely love driving this kind of road - at least, in good weather. My hope was to maybe find a Snowy Owl in this whole area, like I had done in previous years. I knew I would probably have more luck if I drove the back roads NE of the city, but I didn't feel like driving that far. No luck finding a Snowy Owl and, in fact, there were barely any birds of any kind to be seen - just a small flock of Common Redpolls and two or three Magpies. At least I knew that I would pass several old barns that I have photographed on previous occasions. It just felt good to be in such scenery on a beautiful, sunny day. That is, until I somehow got lost on the way back home. I think I know where I may have gone wrong. Seeing a huge road sign that said North Calgary, I wasn't sure if I would end up on the dreaded Deerfoot Trail, like happened last time I was out in that area. So, I kept driving straight and found myself in a fairly built-up area that I had never been in before. Ended up driving back the way I had come until I was on familiar ground. A long way and a lot of wasted time!

Yesterday, 13 December 2017, I was out on the road by 9:20 am, which is a miracle in itself. I find it almost impossible to get out early when I am going for a drive by myself. I didn't have any photos edited ready to post yesterday morning, which helped. Seeing snowflake icons in the forecast for too many of the days this coming week, I thought I had better take a drive SE of the city while the roads were clear. I was lucky with the clouds in the morning, as you can see in this photo. I absolutely love driving this kind of road - at least, in good weather. My hope was to maybe find a Snowy Owl in this whole area, like I had done in previous years. I knew I would probably have more luck if I drove the back roads NE of the city, but I didn't feel like driving that far. No luck finding a Snowy Owl and, in fact, there were barely any birds of any kind to be seen - just a small flock of Common Redpolls and two or three Magpies. At least I knew that I would pass several old barns that I have photographed on previous occasions. It just felt good to be in such scenery on a beautiful, sunny day. That is, until I somehow got lost on the way back home. I think I know where I may have gone wrong. Seeing a huge road sign that said North Calgary, I wasn't sure if I would end up on the dreaded Deerfoot Trail, like happened last time I was out in that area. So, I kept driving straight and found myself in a fairly built-up area that I had never been in before. Ended up driving back the way I had come until I was on familiar ground. A long way and a lot of wasted time! Our temperature this morning is -2C, much cooler than what we have been having the last while. Tomorrow, we may be getting snow-rain showers and then, a couple of days later, the snow returns, just in time for the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Counts. Looks like we may be getting a white Christmas after all.

A week ago, on 17 September 2017, after noticing snowflake icons in the weather forecast for Calgary this week, I decided I would do a drive east and north-east of the city. In 2016, I had done a similar drive with my daughter, but this time I did not go as far as Drumheller. Actually, I still drove quite a bit further than I had intended - 346 km, 215 miles. If I had had enough self-discipline, I would have left home much earlier, as it was 11:20 am when I finally got into my car. My intention was to drive a few back roads, searching for old barns. Most of my drive was on highways, simply for the purpose of saving time, so it wasn't till I was more or less at the furthest point that I actually saw a barn. I think my first stop was at Sharples - I couldn't see a sign pointing to this old grain elevator, so it took me a while to find the hilly, gravel road leading to it. By this time, unfortunately, there was a haze over the landscape and the light was far from good. Having driven so far, I was determined to take photos. As with any beautiful old elevator or barn, it will be a sad day when this one finally collapses. It certainly does not look in good condition, with its outer layer (fire retardant?) peeling badly. "The Elevator is marked P&H. This company, Parrish & Heimbecker, was one of the smaller players in the Canadian grain industry with a fewer number of elevators seen when compared to the big boys like UGG (United Grain Growers), Pioneer and the Alberta Wheat Pool (“The Pool”). Interestingly, each elevator company used specific colours on their structures making identifying them a fairly easy task. P&H mostly used either silver like what’s seen here, or a light yellow-ish colour – most other companies stuck to one colour. The elevator here was built just after the rail line was opened (early 1920s) and the large annex attached was added some twenty years later. An annex like this was a quick and easy way to increase capacity and a large elevator allowed for more efficient loading of rail cars. While solid looking, the building is succumbing to the elements. The siding in particular is starting to peeling away. There used to be a second elevator here, an AWP, Alberta Wheat Pool built late 1920s, that was torn down in the 1980s." From the link below that leads to an excellent site by Chris and Connie "bigdoer". www.bigdoer.com/461/exploring-history/sharples-alberta-gh... While I was standing there, taking photos of the grain elevator and the old barn that isn't seen in this photo, a farmer came down to the gravel road on his tractor and stopped to have a pleasant chat. I guess I could have asked for permission to walk closer to the barn, but it is not on his property. Anyway, I never go close to barns or go inside, as I never ask for permission. That doesn't stop a lot of photographers, but I can't do it. I told this pleasant man that I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere, and he said that we WERE in the middle of nowhere, ha. I was planning to go back the same way I had come, but he told me that there was an old house the other way, that people photograph. That changed my mind, though I knew I would continue to feel in the middle of nowhere. Definitely worth it, as I also came across a site of old, abandoned miners' cabins before reaching the old house. When coal was no longer mined, the area was left and the railway lines were torn up at a later date. One other abandoned house I passed was one that my daughter and I had found last year. It was built among the rolling hills, far, far away from any road, and is a very impressive sight. This year, they were doing road work repair by a bridge just a matter of feet away from the only possible place to pull over and stop. Thankfully, I was still able to stop and take photos. The last place I stopped on the way home was to take a few shots of this row of five old granaries. They are quite popular with photographers. Thought I'd add a black and white version, for a change. Altogether, a good few hours out. Though I didn't see a lot, the things I did see were most welcome and appreciated. I was glad to get in one more long drive before 'the white stuff' arrives and keeps me close to home. It has already fallen to the west of us.

The first time I saw this old barn was last year, on 18 July 2016, when my daughter and I did a bit of exploring north-east of Calgary. Yesterday, 17 September 2017, after noticing snowflake icons in the weather forecast for Calgary this week (which have now disappeared), I decided I would do a similar drive, but not as far as Drumheller this time. Actually, I still drove quite a bit further than I had intended - 346 km, 215 miles. If I had had enough self-discipline, I would have left home much earlier, as it was 11:20 am when I finally got into my car. My intention was to drive a few back roads, searching for old barns. Most of my drive was on highways, simply for the purpose of saving time, so it wasn't till I was more or less at the furthest point that I actually saw a barn. I couldn't see a sign pointing to this place, so it took me a while to find the hilly, gravel road leading to it. By this time, unfortunately, there was a haze over the landscape and the light was very poor - as you can tell by the white sky. Having driven so far, I was determine to take photos. Though this photo was OK in the original shot, I added a touch of filter in post-processing, to really bring out more detail in the wood. I love this barn, but was saddened to see that the roof at the back of the sloping part on the right had collapsed a lot more than when I had seen it in 2016. As with any beautiful old barn, it will be a sad day when this one finally collapses. While I was standing there, taking photos of the grain elevator that stands nearby, a farmer came down to the gravel road on his tractor (?) and stopped to have a pleasant chat. I guess I could have asked for permission to walk closer to the barn, but it is not on his property. Anyway, I never go close to barns or go inside, as I never ask for permission. That doesn't stop a lot of photographers, but I can't do it. This barn is next to the road. I told this pleasant man that I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere, and he said that we WERE in the middle of nowhere, ha. I was planning to go back the same way I had come, but he told me that there was an old house the other way, that people photograph. That changed my mind, though I knew I would continue to feel in the middle of nowhere. Definitely worth it, as I also came across a site of old, abandoned miners' cabins before reaching the old house. When coal was no longer mined, the area was left and the railway lines were torn up at a later date. One other abandoned house I passed yesterday was one that my daughter and I had found last year. It was built among the rolling hills, far, far away from any road, and is a very impressive sight. This year, they were doing road work repair by a bridge just a matter of feet away from the only possible place to pull over and stop. Thankfully, I was still able to stop and take photos. Heat haze/distortion didn't help when I zoomed in fully, but I should be able to rescue one or two of my photos later. Altogether, a good few hours out. Though I didn't see a lot, the things I did see were most welcome and appreciated. I was glad to get in one more long drive before 'the white stuff' arrives and keeps me close to home. Still tired out a full day later - these drives knock me out!

Eleven years ago today, I posted my very first photo on Flickr - of a Savannah Sparrow seen in Weaselhead/North Glenmore Park : ) Amazing how time flies! This photo was taken two days ago, on 25 August 2017, when I at last did a long-overdue drive east of the city. This is my least favourite direction in which to drive from the city and I have to say it stresses me out so much. Once I reach the back roads, I can relax a little, but I am always worried about getting lost. I added a bit of filter in post-processing, to get rid of some of the heat distortion. The best few minutes in the five and a half hours I was out were when I came across a beautiful Swainson's Hawk juvenile perched on a fence post. Finally, a hawk perched along a back road, where I could stop. Amazingly, not one single vehicle came along while I was there. It felt so good to get a few photos of a hawk in the wild, unlike the ones I photographed recently at the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre. I had really hoped I would see a perched hawk and, in fact, I had seen another one earlier in my drive, though that one was more distant. That's all I needed, to make me feel happy and that the drive was worthwhile. For the first time ever, and after having driven past the location other times, I stopped at Weed Lake (south end). Lots of birds, but most were really too far to photograph. Still, I was happy to see a Killdeer and what I think was a little Semipalmated Plover close enough to get a few shots. One disturbing thing I found on the path was a large dead, white bird with a long neck. There were two cylindrical canisters on top of the remains - looks like these were empty fireworks. No idea how long this body had been there, or if anyone else has seen it there. Added later: apparently, this dead Swan has been there since at least April of this year.

This summer, we have had practically no 'normal' summer days. They have been either too hot thanks to our endless heatwave, or too smoky thanks to all the wildfires in British Columbia and Alberta. The weather forecast for two days ago looked good; sunshine all day, with rain forecast on several of the coming days. I decided to finally do a drive all the way down south to near Lethbridge, so that I could again visit the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale. Last year, I did this drive for the very first time on my own and I wanted to make sure I didn't lose my courage to do it again. During the 511 kms that I drove, I had to ask for help with directions twice - both times in the same small hamlet! It was a hot day, with a temperature of 31C when I was at the Centre. The forecast was for sun all day, but there was no mention of the smoke haze that completely blocked out the mountains and pretty much the foothills, too. Very quickly, I was almost tempted to turn around and come home, but I had noticed rain in the forecast for some coming days. I reckoned I would still be able to photograph the fairly close birds at the Centre, which worked out fine. Amazingly, I managed to make myself get up early that morning, 3 August 2017, and set off just before 8:30 am. My intention was to drive straight to Coaldale without stopping anywhere en route. Not an easy thing for me to do, as I much prefer driving slowly along the backroads rather than the less interesting highways. However, I knew it would take me a few hours to get there and I wanted to have as much time as possible down there. On the way home, I drove one dusty, gravel road (seen in this photo), but saw nothing but a couple of Horned Larks perched on fence posts. A couple of old barns (that I had seen before) and a few scenic shots, were more or less all I took. Twelve hours later, I finally arrived home, at 8:30 pm, totally tired out, and my car was just about out of gas. For the first time in the year that I have had this vehicle, the gas level warning light came on. Also, it surprises me that the oil change light has never come on, as I have done 8,500 km in just under 12 months. I was given free oil changes for the life of the car, but was told that I can't get them done until the light comes on, on the dashboard. Think I'd better contact the dealership and ask about this. Almost a year sounds far too long to not have an oil change.

On 25 January 2017, I had such a great day, spent with friend, Phil. We drove the main roads and zig-zagged along the back roads SE of the city, hoping to find owls and any other birds that we might be lucky enough to see. I haven't been able to get out much this winter, and have had very little luck finding certain owls, including Snowies, Short-eared Owls and a Long-eared Owl. Phil has an unusual ability to see things that are almost invisible to the naked eye; things that I know I would never spot if I was driving on my own. Amazing how some people can do this - and, of course, the rest of us always benefit from their ability. I was confident that we would see a Snowy Owl, but had no idea that we would see 11 of them by the end of the day! In the morning, there were few birds of any kind to be found, but thankfully more gradually appeared as the day wore on. Birds for the day included the 11 Snowy Owls, 3 Rough-legged Hawks (one a very dark individual), 2 Prairie Falcons, quite a few Grey Partridge, and a beautiful, distant Bald Eagle down on the ground the far side of a field. It was bathed in beautiful sunset light, which showed the detail of each and every feather. Mammals for the day included a number of Mule Deer and White-tailed Deer, some of them surrounded by hoar-frosted stubble. We also saw a very distant Red Fox hunting, 3 Elk (which surprised both of us), and several Coyotes. Everywhere was covered in hoar frost, which lasted well into the day. The sky was amazing for a while, with just a narrow band of light between the earth and the thick cloud pattern above. I don't remember ever seeing greenish sky before, but part of the narrow band was green, as can be seen in this photo. No idea why. Thanks so much, Phil, for such a great day! A day of hoar frost and glorious cloud formation, beautiful landscape, and more than enough Snowy Owls to keep anyone happy. Perfect company, too, of course. Greatly appreciated!

On 18 July 2016, I had a wonderful day out NE of the city with my daughter. The last time I actually drove eastwards was about seven months ago, when I was shooting Short-eared Owls near the end of January. The last time (also the first time) I had ever driven out as far as Drumheller was on 29 September 2014. So, my daughter and I had a great time exploring the roads between Calgary and Drumheller. There were a handful of things or places we wanted to check out, but many things were total surprises. We knew we wanted to see fields, yellow fields full of canola as far as the eye could see. No disappointment there, as we took in the gorgeous colour and the perhaps not so pleasant smell of this crop. When we were driving through regular, green landscapes, it all seemed so 'ordinary' after being treated to vibrant gold. As well as canola fields, we also knew of a particular grain elevator and nearby old barn (seen in this photo) that we were keen to see. There was also an old, two-storey house in a hilly setting that we knew would have to be photographed from a great distance, but we were curious about it. There was also a small wetland that I wanted to drive by, just in case there was something to see. How glad we were that we went to the latter, as a beautiful Black-crowned Night-heron was posing nicely on a post out in the open. This was the first time I had ever seen one close, so it made my day. At least, an adult - in October 2015, I had seen a gorgeous juvenile in Fish Creek Park. Continuing on our way, we stopped to take a couple of quick shots of an Eastern Kingbird and then my daughter spotted a dark patch just above ground level, hidden in the bushes. It turned out to be an Eastern Kingbird's nest, with what looked like three large babies in it. No idea how she caught sight of this, but it was a treat to see. Soon after this, we stopped to photograph a beautiful red barn and then stopped again to photograph a Western Kingbird. This is not a bird I normally see, so i was very happy to catch sight of this one. A short drive further, we spotted a shorebird standing on a fence post - and then a second one a few posts away. At first, we thought maybe they were Wilson's Snipe, but then realized that they were something different - two beautiful Upland Sandpipers. I had seen one a number of years ago, but it was too far away for a photo. These are uncommon in Alberta. It was a pretty good day for hawks, too - so much so, that I got a gentle reminder from my daughter that I didn't need to photograph EVERY hawk we saw, lol. We had other places and other things that we wanted to get to. As well as birds and beautiful scenery, we saw several old barns, including a special small shed/granary. Each year, the farmer allows the graduating class from the local high school to decorate this old building in any way they wish. A fun idea and it certainly adds a splash of colour. I was absolutely fascinated to read a little bit of history from someone who was a contact of mine on Flickr two or three years ago. Her Grandmother was apparently born in this house/shed. It was later converted to a granary and now, of course, has become the canvas for local students. One of our main goals was to visit the old grain elevator at Sharples. I had wanted to visit there for quite a while and finally, we made it. Unfortunately, the elevator and nearby barn (seen in this photo) were in shadow, but it was great to see both old structures. We also passed another old elevator when we were driving along the road north of the river, on the way to Drumheller. This, needless to say, meant another stop for photos. A great day of fun, seeing and photographing such a variety of things. Beautiful weather and, best of all, a day spent with my daughter. Thanks so much, Rachel - glad you felt up to a day out, but sorry you got so many mosquito bites!

Back to a hoar frost photo taken on 22nd January. There is just nothing that can compare to driving in a spectacular hoar frost - other than driving in a spectacular hoar frost WITH blue sky (which was definitely missing that day), LOL! This little backroad is just south of the city, with gentle hills and endless farmland. Everything, right down to the slimmest of stems and grasses, was covered in white crystals. "Calgary averages twenty days with fog each year. Half of these normally occur in the fall and half in the spring. Environment Canada does not list which month has the most days with fog." We seem to have had more days of fog and hoar frost this winter than what I remember from other winters, but maybe I just missed them before. I had asked my oldest daughter if she had any statistics for this - she didn't, so she e-mailed one of our Meteorologists, Paul Dunphy, and the info just above was in reply to her e-mail. Thanks, Fiona and Paul!