Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: weather

It's snowing - again! Our temperature is -3C (windchill -9C). So far, the forecast for the coming week looks amazing! Temperatures between 12C and 19C (for Wednesday). What a difference and finally, it looks like we might actually be going to get a fall season after all. Hopefully, there will still be enough leaves left on the trees to give at least a bit of fall colour. This morning, I am returning to local photos instead of continuing with images from our Pt Pelee and Tadoussac trip back in May of this year. You can't tell from this photo, taken on 12 October 2018, but I was barely able to hold my camera, or open my car door to get in and out, the wind was so strong yesterday afternoon! Seeing sunshine all morning, I reckoned it might be a good time to dash east of the city and visit a couple of old wooden barns and sheds that I enjoy photographing. When I stepped out of my front door, I could feel the wind, but as I knew I would not be trying to take photos of flowers that would blow in and out of the viewfinder, I thought it would be OK. Well, was I wrong! It was definitely not fun driving the highway and, little did I know, the wind would become stronger and the dark clouds and rain would move in. Needless to say, in the end, I just had to give up and return home. Fortunately, I was able to get the main photos I was hoping for, straight away, before the storm worsened.

This photo was taken using one of the special settings on my camera, hence the graininess. From 26 to 28 August 2014, I was lucky enough to go with friends down to Waterton Lakes National Park and then further east on the third day. Fantastic scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including Burrowing Owls and a family of Dusky Grouse (uncommon in the park, so we were very lucky), a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), and a few different insect species. I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators. The weather forecast that I saw before we left Calgary said that we were in for three beautiful days of sunshine. So, luck was on our side, giving us warm, sunny days - until the BIG STORM hit! We had driven eastwards from the park, hoping to see Yellow-bellied Marmots and, if we were really lucky, a Burrowing Owl. The storm was approaching very fast, around 5:00 p.m. just before we started our return trip to Calgary. It was like nothing we had ever seen before - a menacing cloud that was travelling fast and furious. Despite trying our best to get away from it, it eventually engulfed our car, surrounding us with more or less zero visibility, pounding hail, thunder and lightning, and tremendously strong winds. There was nothing to do but stop the car and sit tight, hoping that the hail would not break the car windows and that this severe thunderstorm would not develop into a tornado! This storm was very scary, but at the same time, exciting (only because all turned out OK in the end!). Fortunately, we weren't caught in the very centre of it. Our road trip sure went out with a bang! Later, I contacted the Alberta Tornado Watch and posted a photo for them to see. They said the storm that happened that day was a mesocyclone.

All three photos posted today were taken yesterday, 19 October 2017, when I joined birding friends for a walk in South Glenmore Park. The setting is beautiful, but usually the birds are out in the middle of the Glenmore Reservoir or near the far side. The main reasons I go for a walk there is just to enjoy the views over the water and to catch up with friends. If I'm lucky, I might come home with a couple of bird photos. Couldn't resist taking a photo of this sun halo.

HAPPY CANADA DAY! Just had an email from a lady in England, so that she could confirm my address before sending me a DVD that had been made from a very old cine film that my Father had taken of the Liverpool Dock area, possibly just post war, around September 1946. In a previous email, this lady (Anne Gleave, Curator of Photographic Archives, National Museums Liverpool), said that the film "is full of maritime references and clearly identifiable as Liverpool. There is a strong focus on shipping and docks along with some lovely shots of a carter and the Liverpool Overhead Railway. Obviously a much clearer image could be obtained if it was projected using the correct spool; also if it were copied to CD or DVD more detail could be viewed." So, this cine film was sent to be transferred to DVD and now it is completed. The film has been deposited with the North West Film Archive (NWFA). Anne told me: "We now have a high definition version of your father’s film which means that we can use it for display in exhibitions (it has already been included in one exhibition, On the Waterfront, which featured your father’s film on a television screen), it really is an excellent addition to our collections." So, thank you so much, Anne (and everyone involved)! And thank you to my wonderful friends, Linda and Tony, for saving all my parents' personal belongings after my brother died in England a few years ago and shipping them out to me here in Canada. Also travelling to various places in England to personally deliver various films and photos that were lovingly taken by my father many years ago. It means so much to me and I will forever be grateful for all you did for us. Yesterday, 30 June 2016, was a rather weird day : ) In the morning, I just made it in time for a botany visit to our naturalist leader's home and garden. He and his wife have an amazing garden, full of so many kinds of flowers, including a good variety of native plants. One of my favourites is Showy Milkweed - love the cluster of individual flowers growing on a rounded head. These plants have spread over a lot of the front garden. All they need now is for Monarch butterflies to fly a bit further north than they usually do and discover this little bit of butterfly heaven. In 2012, though, it was very unusual, as people were seeing a few of these amazing butterflies in Alberta, including in Calgary. I even got to see and photograph a few Monarch caterpillars in this garden, for the very first and last time. Our leader also has a large vegetable garden. One thing that always fascinates me is the Egyptian Walking Onion. Each one seems to take on its own artistic shape and I love to photograph these - will add a photo or two, eventually. After this enjoyable visit, which included a welcome cup of coffee at the end, I went home, spent some time on the computer,. This is when a storm blew in, bringing winds and hail! At least this time I did see the storm. Two days earlier, there was apparently a terrible storm, with masses of hail and flooding in the city and its surrounding areas. Not sure if my area missed this storm or maybe it was less severe right where I live, but I heard nothing and saw no evidence of it! For once, I fell into bed around 5:00 pm, unable to stay awake one minute longer. Maybe I was in such a deep sleep that I slept right through the storm. Thankfully, the hail had ended and the weather brightened up by early evening, when I headed out for the annual Bluebird route trip led by Don Stiles. I always look forward to going with Don on his nest box route, checking on a few of the boxes and finding either Bluebird or Tree Swallow eggs or babies. Don records all the information about numbers and dates, and also demonstrates how he carefully bands the young birds. Thanks, as always, Don, for an enjoyable evening outing and thank you for all the many, many years (must be somewhere around 35?) you have spent helping to preserve our beautiful Bluebirds. We all enjoyed seeing the various other bird species during the evening, too.

I'm posting my "daily three" around 2:00 am on 21 February 2015, as I'm not sure if I'll go for a day of birding. Depends partly on the weather (snow is forecast) and whether I end up sleeping right through two alarm clocks that play very loud music for an hour, and my kitchen timer, lol! Shortly after lunch today, I managed to get over to one of the local parks, where I bumped into a couple of friends. The forecast was for snow, and that's exactly what it did for part of the time I was there. Looked quite pretty when you were standing in it, but it was cold. Such a pity that this old barn is so neglected.

From 26 to 28 August, I was lucky enough to go with friends Cathy and Terry down to Waterton Lakes National Park and then further east on the third day. Fantastic scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including Burrowing Owls and a family of Dusky Grouse, a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), and a few different insect species. I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators. The weather forecast that I saw before we left Calgary said that we were in for three beautiful days of sunshine. So, luck was on our side, giving us warm, sunny days - until the BIG STORM hit! We had driven eastwards from the park, hoping to see Yellow-bellied Marmots and, if we were really lucky, a Burrowing Owl. The storm was approaching very fast, around 5:00 p.m. just before we started our return trip to Calgary. It was like nothing I had ever seen before - a menacing cloud that was travelling fast and furious. This photo was taken one minute after the photo in a comment box below. Despite trying our best to get away from it, it eventually engulfed our car, surrounding us with more or less zero visibility, pounding hail, thunder and lightning, and tremendously strong winds. There was nothing to do but stop the car and sit tight, hoping that the hail would not break the car windows and that this severe thunderstorm would not develop into a tornado! This storm was very scary, but at the same time, exciting (only because all turned out OK in the end!). Fortunately, we weren't caught in the very centre of it. Our road trip sure went out with a bang! Later, I contacted the Alberta Tornado Watch and posted a photo for them to see. They said the storm that happened that day was a mesocyclone.

Got back around 12:00 midnight last night (28 August) from a three-day trip down to Waterton Lakes National Park and have not yet been to bed. Falling asleep at the computer, so have no choice but to go to bed right now (8:30 a.m.). I will have to tell you about some of the things we did and what we saw, later. During my three days away (26, 27 and 28 August 2014) with friends Cathy and Terry, we saw so many things, I hardly know where to start. This always happens when I go anywhere with them - every day is a very long, fun-filled day, full of exciting finds. So many, that I'm only just starting to add a description under the six photos from our trip that I've posted so far. Perhaps I will simply list some of the things and then add more detail to each photo as I add them to my photostream. Of course, we couldn't have had a more beautiful area to explore! Waterton Lakes National Park has amazing scenery and wildlife. The weather forecast that I saw before we left Calgary said that we were in for three beautiful days of sunshine - too often, it can be rainy weather. So, luck was on our side, giving us warm, sunny days - until the BIG STORM hit! We had driven eastwards from the park, hoping to see Yellow-bellied Marmots and, if we were really lucky, a Burrowing Owl. The storm was approaching very fast, around 5:00 p.m. just before we started our return trip to Calgary. It was like nothing I had ever seen before - a menacing shelf (?) cloud that was travelling fast and furious. Despite trying our best to get away from it, it eventually engulfed our car, surrounding us with more or less zero visibility, pounding hail, thunder and lightning, and very strong winds. There was nothing to do but stop the car and sit tight, hoping that the hail would not break the car windows and that this severe thunderstorm would not develop into a tornado! This storm was very scary, but at the same time, exciting (only because all turned out OK in the end!). Our road trip sure went out with a bang! Someone from the Alberta Tornado Watch told me that this storm was a Mesocyclone! A good thing that we were not right in the very centre of the storm! Will briefly mention a few of the things we saw - fantastic scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer (including this one and several others that we saw in the town of Waterton, where we stayed for two nights at the clean and friendly Bear Mountain Motel), Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the Burrowing Owls, a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of some species of Grouse (still not sure what kind). I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators. Cathy and Terry, thanks so much for yet another wonderful trip with you! Can't thank you enough for inviting me along. You always do such a great job of finding so many interesting things for us to see and enjoy. Lots of fun! flic.kr/p/oVQ6T9

Not a very inspiring image, lol, but I wanted a record of some rather unusual looking clouds that we saw when a few of us went botanizing the Connop Estates area of The Nature Conservancy, near Bragg Creek on September 23rd. You really need a panorama of a wider expanse of the sky, which I never think about doing when I'm out somewhere. Luckily, this didn't turn into rain.

One of our famous "Chinook Arches" that bring a short period of warmer temperatures to Calgary. In the winter, the warm winds melt a lot of the snow. Then the temperature drops and the melting snow freezes, making everywhere treacherous!