Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: relaxing

You may have already suspected that I was desperate for photo opportunities yesterday, 4 October 2019, lol! If so, how right you were. I just couldn't get it out of my head that maybe, just maybe, the snow had melted in a few places enough to let a few fungi grow. Here, in Calgary, a lot of the snow has melted, though I don't know if the local parks and natural areas still have much snow cover. However, as I discovered yesterday, closer to the mountains, there are still a few inches of the white stuff on the ground. My intention had been to just drive west to the Bragg Creek area, to calm my mind one way or the other. Disappointment came quickly and, on the spur of the moment, I decided to drive west along Elbow Falls Trail in search of a few scenic shots. Though the landscape is always beautiful, there are only two or three places that I usually stop at, until I finally reach Forgetmenot Pond. The highway was beautifully clear of snow, but for walking, there were a few inches of snow and ice to slip and slide through. Once at the Pond, I only trudged as far as the main path that overlooks the water. At other times of the year, I walk around the pond, but not yesterday. I do not like winter walking! Forgetmenot Pond is actually a man-made pond, left over from the excavation of a gravel pit. The water is crystal clear. It's just a short walk around the pond, but enjoyable to do. The main road this far into Kananaskis only opens in June each year, as a winter gate at Elbow Falls closes in December for the winter months, to protect the wildlife in the area. I found the following 4-minute video on YouTube, taken by Kenneth Lori using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional quadcopter and taken on 16 June 2016. It travels over Forgetmenot Pond and the surrounding river and mountains. youtu.be/fEamf0nDXt4 The eight photos I posted this morning are the only ones to post from yesterday's quick trip. It was getting on for 3:00 pm when I left home to drive westwards and, anyway, I didn't find much to shoot.

You may have already suspected that I was desperate for photo opportunities yesterday, 4 October 2019, lol! If so, how right you were. I just couldn't get it out of my head that maybe, just maybe, the snow had melted in a few places enough to let a few fungi grow. Here, in Calgary, a lot of the snow has melted, though I don't know if the local parks and natural areas still have much snow cover. However, as I discovered yesterday, closer to the mountains, there are still a few inches of the white stuff on the ground. My intention had been to just drive west to the Bragg Creek area, to calm my mind one way or the other. Disappointment came quickly and, on the spur of the moment, I decided to drive west along Elbow Falls Trail in search of a few scenic shots. Though the landscape is always beautiful, there are only two or three places that I usually stop at, until I finally reach Forgetmenot Pond. The highway was beautifully clear of snow, but for walking, there were a few inches of snow and ice to slip and slide through. Once at the Pond, I only trudged as far as the main path that overlooks the water. At other times of the year, I walk around the pond, but not yesterday. I do not like winter walking! Forgetmenot Pond is actually a man-made pond, left over from the excavation of a gravel pit. The water is crystal clear. It's just a short walk around the pond, but enjoyable to do. The main road this far into Kananaskis only opens in June each year, as a winter gate at Elbow Falls closes in December for the winter months, to protect the wildlife in the area. I found the following 4-minute video on YouTube, taken by Kenneth Lori using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional quadcopter and taken on 16 June 2016. It travels over Forgetmenot Pond and the surrounding river and mountains. youtu.be/fEamf0nDXt4 The eight photos I posted this morning are the only ones to post from yesterday's quick trip. It was getting on for 3:00 pm when I left home to drive westwards and, anyway, I didn't find much to shoot.

Back to Alberta for these four photos! I haven't even started going through all my photos from Day 3 of our trip to Ontario and Quebec in May. This was just a short, spur-of-the-moment drive (like most of my outings seem to be) yesterday, 24 October 2018. My destination was Forgetmenot Pond, along the eastern edge of the Rockies. I also called in at Elbow Falls to take a few photos on the way home. I had been hoping to get out to this area all year, and finally made it. Forgetmenot Pond is actually a man-made pond, left over from the excavation of a gravel pit. The water is crystal clear. It's just a short walk around the pond, but enjoyable to do. The main road this far into Kananaskis only opens in June each year, as a winter gate at Elbow Falls closes in December for the winter months, to protect the wildlife in the area. I found the following 4-minute video on YouTube, taken by Kenneth Lori using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional quadcopter and taken on 16 June 2016. It travels over Forgetmenot Pond and the surrounding river and mountains. youtu.be/fEamf0nDXt4 I was glad that I had put my winter boots in my car, as when I reached my destination, i needed them. There was snow on the ground, which had partly melted and then frozen. The narrow path was just too icy to walk on in many places, so I only took a few photos at Forgetmenot Pond. Also, the light was awful, as there was no sign of the sun - not what the weather forecast had said. As I was leaving the city, the cloud formation was beautiful, but that quickly changed to solid, dreary cloud, which lasted all afternoon. I almost turned around and came home, as the distant mountains were far from clear. However, I had spent too much time the previous day, editing photos, and the constant mouse clicking had made my arm and shoulder more painful, so I really needed a break from my computer.

On 7 June 2017, a group of eight of us spent a wonderful day exploring Elbow Falls and Forgetmenot Pond, in Kananaskis. We drove west of the city into the eastern edge of the mountains, stopping at three different places, including a stop along the edge of the main highway, where we found beautiful Shooting stars and a few little brown cup fungi. Forgetmenot Pond is actually a man-made pond, left over from the excavation of a gravel pit. The water is crystal clear. It's just a short walk around the pond, but enjoyable to do. The main road this far into Kananaskis only opens in June each year, as a winter gate at Elbow Falls closes in December for the winter months, to protect the wildlife in the area. I found the following 4-minute video on YouTube, taken by Kenneth Lori using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional quadcopter and taken on 16 June 2016. It travels over Forgetmenot Pond and the surrounding river and mountains. youtu.be/fEamf0nDXt4 What a great day we had! It was one beautiful find after another, and I think we all must have arrived back home at the end of the day, feeling happy and content. Dorothy and Stephen, as always, you planned a wonderful day for us and you even managed to arrange with the weatherman for beautiful sunshine and warmth, with an occasional welcome slight breeze. I still can't believe how lucky we were, seeing so many interesting things. In fact, I'm finding it difficult to decide what was the highlight for me. The Harlequin Duck, the distant Common Nighthawk flying high overhead, the two Morel mushrooms, the small cluster of beautiful brown cup fungi?? And so on .... Great to spend a day with such a pleasant group of keen, interested people. Thanks so much, Dorothy and Stephen, for such a great day - my favourite kind of day : ) Thank you, also, for the ride and for the donuts you brought along for everyone to enjoy. Nice to end our day with a stop at the Cinnamon Spoon cafe in Bragg Creek, for a very welcome coffee.

This morning, I am again posting four more photos taken a few days ago, on 7 June 2017, when a group of eight of us spent a wonderful day exploring Elbow Falls and Forgetmenot Pond, in Kananaskis. We drove west of the city into the eastern edge of the mountains, stopping at three different places, including a stop along the edge of the main highway, where we found beautiful Shooting stars and a few little brown cup fungi. Forgetmenot Pond is actually a man-made pond, left over from the excavation of a gravel pit. The water is crystal clear. It's just a short walk around the pond, but enjoyable to do. The main road this far into Kananaskis only opens in June each year, as a winter gate at Elbow Falls closes in December for the winter months, to protect the wildlife in the area. I found the following 4-minute video on YouTube, taken by Kenneth Lori using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional quadcopter and taken on 16 June 2016. It travels over Forgetmenot Pond and the surrounding river and mountains. youtu.be/fEamf0nDXt4 What a great day we had! It was one beautiful find after another, and I think we all must have arrived back home at the end of the day, feeling happy and content. Dorothy and Stephen, as always, you planned a wonderful day for us and you even managed to arrange with the weatherman for beautiful sunshine and warmth, with an occasional welcome slight breeze. I still can't believe how lucky we were, seeing so many interesting things. In fact, I'm finding it difficult to decide what was the highlight for me. The Harlequin Duck, the distant Common Nighthawk flying high overhead, the two Morel mushrooms, the small cluster of beautiful brown jelly cup fungi?? And so on .... Great to spend a day with such a pleasant group of keen, interested people. Thanks so much, Dorothy and Stephen, for such a great day - my favourite kind of day : ) Thank you, also, for the ride and for the donuts you brought along for everyone to enjoy. Nice to end our day with a stop at the Cinnamon Spoon cafe in Bragg Creek, for a very welcome coffee.

What a miserable, wet day we are having today, 10 June 2017. Continuous rain and much cooler. The day after this trip, Thursday, we had a really bad storm, with high winds and torrential rain. Lots of small branches were strewn all over my street and conditions were probably worse in many places. This morning, I am again posting four photos taken three days ago, on 7 June 2017, when I went out for the day with seven friends, to Kananaskis. We drove west of the city into the eastern edge of the mountains, stopping at a few different places, including Forgetmenot Pond and Elbow Falls. The devastating flood of 2013 destroyed the picnic area and trails at Elbow Falls. The area of gravel in the centre distance was deposited where the trees and day use area had been washed away. Elbow Falls is a very popular area, within easy reach of Calgary. The huge parking lot tends to fill up completely, especially at weekends. hikingwithbarry.com/2014/01/01/elbow-falls-flood-kananask... www.albertawow.com/hikes/Elbow_Falls/Elbow_Falls.htm Forgetmenot Pond is actually a man-made pond, left over from the excavation of a gravel pit. The water is crystal clear. It's just a short walk around the pond, but enjoyable to do. The main road this far into Kananaskis only opens in June each year, as a winter gate at Elbow Falls closes in December for the winter months, to protect the wildlife in the area. I found the following 4-minute video on YouTube, taken by Kenneth Lori using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional quadcopter and taken on 16 June 2016. It travels over Forgetmenot Pond and the surrounding river and mountains. youtu.be/fEamf0nDXt4 What a great day we had! It was one beautiful find after another, and I think we all must have arrived back home at the end of the day, feeling happy and content. Dorothy and Stephen, as always, you planned a wonderful day for us and you even managed to arrange with the weatherman for beautiful sunshine and warmth, with an occasional welcome slight breeze. I still can't believe how lucky we were, seeing so many interesting things. In fact, I'm finding it difficult to decide what was the highlight for me. The Harlequin Duck, the distant Common Nighthawk, the dried-up Morel mushrooms, the small cluster of beautiful brown jelly cup fungi?? And so on .... Great to spend a day with such a pleasant group of keen, interested people. Thanks so much, Dorothy and Stephen, for such a great day - my favourite kind of day : ) Thank you, also, for the ride and for the donuts you brought along for everyone to enjoy. Nice to end our day with a stop at the Cinnamon Spoon cafe in Bragg Creek, for a very welcome coffee.

This morning, I am posting four photos taken yesterday, 7 June 2017, when I went out for the day with seven friends, to Kananaskis. We drove west of the city into the eastern edge of the mountains, stopping at a few different places, including Elbow Falls and Forgetmenot Pond. This scenic shot is my main image - the remaining three are ones that I want for my albums, but are definitely not good shots. Actually, I was excited to see all three of the subjects photographed, as I so rarely see any of them. Forgetmenot Pond is actually a man-made pond, left over from the excavation of a gravel pit. The water is crystal clear. It's just a short walk around the pond, but enjoyable to do. The main road this far into Kananaskis only opens in June each year, as a winter gate at Elbow Falls closes in December for the winter months, to protect the wildlife in the area. A few minutes ago I found the following 4-minute video taken by Kenneth Lori using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional quadcopter and taken on 16 June 2016. It travels over the pond and the surrounding river and mountain scenery. youtu.be/fEamf0nDXt4 What a great day we had yesterday! It was one beautiful find after another, and I think we all must have arrived back home at the end of the day, feeling happy and content. Dorothy and Stephen, as always, you planned a wonderful day for us and you even managed to arrange with the weatherman for beautiful sunshine and warmth, with an occasional welcome slight breeze. I still can't believe how lucky we were, seeing so many interesting things. In fact, I'm finding it difficult to decide what was the highlight for me yesterday. The Harlequin Duck, the distant Common Nighthawk, the dried-up Morrel mushrooms, the small cluster of beautiful brown jelly cup fungi?? And so on .... Great to spend a day with such a pleasant group of keen, interested people. Thanks so much, Dorothy and Stephen, for such a great day - my favourite kind of day : ) Thank you, also, for the ride and for the donuts you brought along for everyone to enjoy. Nice to end our day with a stop at the Cinnamon Spoon cafe in Bragg Creek, for a very welcome coffee.

One month ago, on 1 October 2015, I finally managed, for the first time this year, to get out to the mountains as far as Forgetmenot Pond - really an on the spur of the moment decision. The weather called for some sun and some cloud, which sounded good. I knew I had better not leave it any longer to get out there - as it was, we had a light dusting of snow the following night. You really need good, clear reflections to get the best photos at the Pond, but it wasn't quite calm enough for that and it was quite hazy for much of the drive. Forgetmenot Pond is actually a man-made pond, left over from the excavation of a gravel pit. The water is crystal clear. It's just a short walk around the pond, but enjoyable to do. The main road this far into Kananaskis only opens in June each year, as a winter gate at Elbow Falls closes in December for the winter months, to protect the wildlife in the area. This is the only mountain drive I will do on my own and it's one of my favourite places. It only takes about 50 minutes to an hour to get from home to the Pond, so makes a very pleasant half-day trip. On the return drive, I called in at a place not far from Forgetmenot Pond, where I have found a few mushrooms in previous years, but found nothing this time. Actually, I didn't see a whole lot of anything during the few hours I was out, other than the spectacular mountain scenery. The fall colours were beautiful - a mix of Aspen yellows and the dark greens of the coniferous trees. I was comparing it with a photo I took on the same drive on 24 September 2007. The mountains above the tree line were all covered in snow, unlike this fall.

On 1 October 2015, I finally managed, for the first time this year, to get out to the mountains as far as Forgetmenot Pond - really an on the spur of the moment decision. The weather called for some sun and some cloud, which sounded good. I knew I had better not leave it any longer to get out there - as it was, we had a light dusting of snow the following night. You really need good, clear reflections to get the best photos at the Pond, but it wasn't quite calm enough for that and it was quite hazy for much of the drive. Forgetmenot Pond is actually a man-made pond, left over from the excavation of a gravel pit. The water is crystal clear. It's just a short walk around the pond, but enjoyable to do. The main road this far into Kananaskis only opens in June each year, as a winter gate at Elbow Falls closes in December for the winter months, to protect the wildlife in the area. Forgetmenot Pond is the only mountain drive I will do on my own and it's one of my favourite places. It only takes about 50 minutes to an hour to get from home to the Pond, so makes a very pleasant half-day trip. On the return drive, I called in at a place not far from Forgetmenot Pond, where I have found a few mushrooms in previous years, but found nothing this time. I didn't see a whole lot of anything during the few hours I was out, other than the spectacular mountain scenery. The fall colours were beautiful - a mix of Aspen yellows and the dark greens of the coniferous trees. I was comparing it with a photo I took on the same drive on 24 September 2007. The mountains above the tree line were all covered in snow, unlike this fall.

Four days ago, on 1 October 2015, I finally managed, for the first time this year, to get out to the mountains as far as Forgetmenot Pond - really an on the spur of the moment decision. The weather called for some sun and some cloud, which sounded good. I knew I had better not leave it any later to get out there - as it was, we had a light dusting of snow the following night. You really need good, clear reflections to get the best photos at this location, but it wasn't quite calm enough for that and it was quite hazy for much of the drive. This is actually a man-made pond, left over from the excavation of a gravel pit. The water is crystal clear. It's just a short walk around the pond - this view is from part way round, looking back The road here only opens in June each year, as a winter gate at Elbow Falls closes in December for the winter months, to protect the wildlife in the area. I have added, in a comment box below, a previously posted photo taken from a different angle at Forgetmenot Pond on 12 October 2009, before the winter gate was closed for the winter months. Forgetmenot Pond is the only mountain drive I will do on my own and it's one of my favourite places. It only takes about 50 minutes to an hour to get from home to the Pond, so makes a very pleasant half-day drive. On the return drive, I called in at a place not far from Forgetmenot Pond, where I have found a few mushrooms in previous years, but found nothing. I didn't see a whole lot of anything during the few hours I was out, other than the spectacular mountain scenery. The fall colours were beautiful - a mix of Aspen yellows and the dark greens of the coniferous trees. I was just comparing it with a photo I took on the same drive on 24 September 2007. The mountains above the tree line were all covered in snow, unlike this fall.

This is one of the two river Hippos at the Calgary Zoo, photographed yesterday, 28 September 2014 . The other one was swimming nearby in their pool. Sparky, the female, was born on May 30, 1987 in Toronto and arrived in Calgary on September 22, 1988. The Zoo's male hippo, Lobi, was born on October 31, 2006 at the Granby Zoo in Quebec. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary_Zoo

Spent about three hours this afternoon, driving the backroads south east and south west of the city, to try out a small GPS unit that I bought yesterday - bought in desperation, hoping to give myself a little more confidence despite my driving phobia that I have battled for more than 30 years. I also have next to no sense of direction. This is a zoomed-in view towards the mountains south west of Calgary. The GPS was pretty good - I only got lost briefly once. The thing that complicates things is that some of the backroads have two numbers (street number as well as Range Road number, I think). At least the unit tells me just where I am at any given time, which is a huge concern of mine, LOL! Had to laugh - I had set the voice on British English, but soon changed it to American English, after the woman with the first accent completely mispronounced one of the city's main roads! And wildlife? WHAT wildlife??? And it was SO windy, I could barely hold my camera.

A very hazy photo (presumably caused by forest fires) of where I drove to yesterday afternoon. Reminds me that I keep on meaning to go and buy a polarizer filter, LOL. This little man-made pond/lake is at the far end of Elbow Falls Trail (Highway 66) in Kananaskis. Takes about 50-55 minutes to drive there with no stops on the way, but usually I stop at several places en route, to go for a short stroll and give my body a break. The views are so different in each direction - wasn't sure which one to post today, so just grabbed one. Had some lunch sitting at one of the picnic tables along that far shoreline. There were several other people there, enjoying themselves. My adrenalin always rises a little when I do this drive, as the mountain road is quite spectacular as you get closer and closer to this place. Often, there is no one else in sight.

A friend pointed out (as he does so many times - lucky me!) this Momma Red Squirrel when we were botanizing the Threepoint Creek Natural Area (Sheep River Natural Area) on 30th July. He thought she looked really cute with her little front legs folded under her chin and her chin resting on them. As I approached a little nearer, she turned to look at me. I hope she was enjoying her short break away from the "kids". I felt a little guilty, disturbing her during those precious few moments to herself.