Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: happy

Wishing all my fellow Canadians a really happy and SAFE Canada Day Take great care on the roads if you are going to be driving! How lucky we all are to live in a country that provides us with amazing freedom to do what we want to do and to be who we hope to be. Something to be remembered and thankful for, each and every day! A special wish and thank-you for all those Canadians who are serving our country, especially overseas! Now, if only the winters weren't so cold : ) "Canada Day (French: Fête du Canada) is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act, 1867 (today called the Constitution Act, 1867), which united three colonies into a single country called Canada within the British Empire. Originally called Dominion Day (French: Le Jour de la Confédération), the holiday was renamed in 1982, the year the Canada Act was passed. Canada Day observances take place throughout Canada as well as among Canadians internationally." From Wikipedia. This photo was taken on 27 June 2018, when I was at the Reader Rock Garden, looking across to the Stampede Grounds. The wind helped the flag stay unfurled, but was not helpful at all when trying to photograph the flowers.

This photo was taken five days ago, on 6 August 2016, when I went on a mushroom foray at Rod Handfield's acreage. Though this was a fungi day (well, morning), we also came across a few wildflower species, too. I found the whole day physically and mentally exhausting (a mix of stress and excitement). It was a great day, too, thanks to friend, Sandy! She very kindly picked me up around 8:15 am and we drove SW of the city and SW of Millarville to Rod Handfield's acreage. For a number of years, this has been one of my favourite places to explore, as Rod's forest tends to be full of all sorts of beautiful treasures. It is one of the two best places that I know for mushrooms, the other being Brown-Lowery Provincial Park. This year has turned out to be great for fungi, thanks to all the endless, torrential rain we have been getting the last few weeks, and are still getting, apart from the scattering of sunny days. This year has so far had such weird weather - a very mild, dry winter, a spring that was as dry and hot as a summer, and now a wet, thundery summer. We were expecting this year to not be good for mushrooms. We met up with a group of other interested people, most of whom we didn't know, and we searched the land for fungi. Right at the start, I was telling Sandy that on the last visit there (or one of the last), maybe four years ago (17 August 2010, so six years ago - how time flies!), we had seen a beautiful Amanita muscaria / Fly agaric mushroom growing just a few feet from the start of the hike. Sure enough, there were several growing in exactly the same spot on Saturday, which was so exciting. Later in the walk, we saw two other patches of absolute beauties of this hallucinogenic, poisonous species. The rain was spitting during our walk, and the forest was so dark, but amazingly, some of my photos came out well enough. Thanks so much, Karel (holding a beautiful Bolete mushroom to make into soup or sauce), for organizing and leading this trip and for sharing your knowledge with us! I have to admit that I always find a walk like this rather frustrating. It doesn't work too well when you have people who are photographers and people who are interested in picking mushrooms to eat : ) The latter tend to always be ahead and by the time you catch up to them, you can't see what has already quickly been picked and of course it is usually difficult or impossible to get a photo. This was private land and some of us know the owner, Rod Handfield. In places like the national or provincial parks, one is not allowed to remove anything from the area - but some people still do. You see people with large baskets full of picked mushrooms for cooking! This is especially an east European 'thing'. They have grown up with this tradition and seem to know which fungi are edible or not. Some poisonous mushrooms can look very similar to edible ones, which is why the warning is to never, ever eat any kind of fungus unless you are an expert! As our local Naturalist always says: "All fungi are edible, some only once!" Sandy and I left the group around lunchtime, to go looking at vehicles at one of the dealerships. In the last year and a half, I have had to put far too much money into repairs for my poor old 17+ year old car and finally, I knew that I had no choice but to replace it. The muffler and catalytic converter died about a week ago and instead of spending a fortune on repair (estimate was $4,999), I decided I would rather put that money towards a new vehicle. I had been thinking about replacing it the last few years, but now, enough is enough! Update re: car. Yay, I finally did it! Three days ago, friend Sandy and I returned to the dealership just after lunchtime. I had to drive my old car there so that they could do an appraisal on it and tell me how much I would get for a trade-in. Before I went, I was feeling more confused and uncertain about which car I would decide on. The few that the dealership had were not a colour I would want to drive or else they didn't have the right things installed. I was so relieved when I was told that I could order one to my liking and that the waiting period would be 2-3 weeks. Longer than I would have liked, but bearable (though I know I will be climbing the walls by the time my new car arrives!). The very patient, non-pushy salesman said why not take my old car home and use it just very locally till then. So, thankfully, I still have a (very noisy!) vehicle with which to go and get groceries, which was my main concern. No birding or mushroom trips, though, which will not be easy to bear. Having said that, I need to add that I know I am very fortunate that I am in a position to be able to replace my vehicle - feel very grateful and lucky. Thank you, again, Sandy, for helping me through this highly stressful (to me) ordeal!! It made an enormous difference .... THE difference.

Friend, Karel, calls himself a Herper. “Herpetology (from Greek "herpien" meaning "to creep") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and reptiles (includingsnakes, lizards, amphisbaenids, turtles, terrapins, tortoises, crocodilians, and the tuataras).” From Wikipedia. Unfortunately, in Alberta, we have only one species of lizard and about four or five kinds of snake, so Karel has turned his attention to wildflowers, fungi, etc. He leads one of our botany outings each week (though I have missed most of them this season) and, if we are lucky enough to have had enough rain for enough mushrooms to grow, may lead a fungi walk or two. This photo of Karel was taken yesterday, 3 June 2016, when a few regulars were invited to visit the Square Butte Ranch, SW of Calgary, to do a Bio-blitz. Karel is holding a little Wood Frog; always a fun find on any trip. The day started very early for us, having to be at the meeting place for 7:00 am, so my alarms were set for 4:30 am. The sun was shining all day and the temperature was around 24C or 25C. Our leader creates a highly detailed list of all the plants, birds, insects, fungi, lichen, mosses that were seen during the few hours we were there. Can’t forget to include wildlife seen – one Red Squirrel : ) This list is also sent to the person who invited us there as well as to the participants. This was a new place for us to explore, though over the years, we had been to several other acreages not too far away. We strolled over grassy meadows with ponds, and through forest covered in deep, soft mosses. Everywhere was a carpet of Dandelions in bloom and in seed. For me, the highlight of the day was when a Morel mushroom was spotted! I so rarely see these and I have been hoping recently that someone would find one somewhere. A few bird species were seen, including a Belted Kingfisher which landed at the top of a very tall coniferous tree, looking rather out of place so high up. “In the 1990’s, developers started transforming 480 acres of rangeland in the Foothills of the Rockies into a recreational ranch property operated as a bare land condominium. Architectural guidelines ensured that all buildings were designed in a rustic, western style featuring log and timber structures with large front porches, wrap around decks and hitching posts. The vision was one of owners being able to enjoy the fun and excitement of a western ranch living without the headaches.” www.squarebutteranches.com/

An old photo taken by my Father many decades ago, that I scanned last night on the spur of the moment. You didn't really think I'd put a date on it, did you, lol?? Not sure, but I guess this might have been taken on a camping trip somewhere - apparently, I learned to walk round a tent pole, ha. My Mother made my dress - how she used to love "smocking" embroidery. Hmmm, will have to Google that word, as I'm not sure if I've got the right word.

More detail later - I overslept by an hour this morning, so have to absolutely dash to get to my meeting place in time! This photo was used on the cover of the First Anniversary edition of "The Bicycle", a weekly newspaper for all cyclists. Date of this edition was 23 February 1937. Both of my parents loved cycling and spent a lot of time cycling and camping. My father also loved photography and was described as an "exceptional photographer". Tom Carden Bassindale (1907-1976), married to Vera Kathleen Bassindale (nee Neal, 1914-1998). Tom's parents were Albert Elijah Bassindale and Alice Gladwell Bassindale (nee Carden).

I had no idea that my father ever had a motorbike, lol, so imagine my surprise when I came across this photo of him amongst the old family photos that I received from England a few months ago! That's a sidecar on the far side. He and my mother cycled for many years and I have endless photos of them with their bikes - but a motorbike, ha? This is so unlike the father I knew : ) I moved away from England to live overseas when I was 22 years old and so missed out on family talks and sharing of my parents' lives. Very sad, but it happens to many people when family members move away. The main thing I remember about him is that he LOVED photography (not as a professional) and was an exceptional photographer (according to others). I also have the best memories of all the times my parents took my brother and me out into the countryside around Birmingham, UK, at the weekends, on our bikes. My mother loved wildflowers and instilled this love in me, too. My father was passionate about photography and I guess that's where I get it from : )

This old family photo amuses me and is a reminder of how important photography was in my father's life. There is no date on the back of the photo and I'm not sure if this was taken before or after I was born. (Later: this magazine issue came out in June 1939.) Vera Kathleen Bassindale (nee Neal), 1914 -1998 Tom Carden Bassindale, 1907 - 1976 They were married on 4th June 1938. Thanks to George (Dixon), I now have the following information: US edition; 25cents. June 1939. Bette Davis. Photoplay did not have its own publication in the UK until 1950. www.moviemags.com/main.php?title=PHOTOPLAY&amp ; etos=1939 "Photoplay first appeared in 1912, but was not initially successful. However, when James Quirk took over editorial duties in 1914 he implemented changes that would make Photoplay the top film magazine, one which by 1922 would boast a circulation of over two million." From collectingoldmagazines.com . The origin of the surname "Bassindale" from www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Bassindale

Just a quick snapshot of a cheerful, friendly member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police "on duty" in the Indian Village at the Calgary Stampede Grounds. He was busy chatting with visitors from far and near and of course posing wirth many of them for endless photos (the only reason I am posting a photo of a person, which normally I would never do).

Wishing all my fellow Canadians a really happy and SAFE Canada Day tomorrow and the long weekend. Take great care on the roads if you are going to be driving! How lucky we all are to live in a country that provides us with amazing freedom to do what we want to do and to be who we hope to be. Now, if only the winters weren't so cold : ) LOL, if you only knew how many photos of this flag I took late this afternoon. It was really windy out and the flag was blown in every possible way except showing the Maple Leaf! After my volunteer shift this afternoon, I decided to call in at Reader Rock Garden on my way home, as I knew there was a flag flying there. Much too windy for flower photos - the flowers blew in and out of the viewfinder - but I still took a pile of colourful shots, IF they are sharp enough. After that, I called in to see the family of five Great Horned Owls in Fish Creek Park. I don't go very often, as I'd rather give them peace and quiet (especially from photographers!!). When I eventually found them (in a different place this time), all three little ones were hanging out together on a curved branch. I did get one distant shot through the trees, but didn't want to get any closer and disturb them. Not sure if it's fit to post, but I might post it sometime. just to give you an idea of what I saw, especially for those of you who never get to see owls..

I came across this scan that I made ages ago and sent it to my daughters a few days ago. Last night, I decided that I would upload it to Flickr to give you all a little smile and chuckle. My eyes are blue, by the way, not rather green like they look in this very, very old photo : ) I was told many years later that I was very lucky to have a colour photo of myself, as colour photography was just becoming available when I was around three years old, and my father must have been one of the first to use it. I still remember all those decorations, though I haven't seen them for dozens of years. Happy Christmas, everyone!

This photo was taken a year ago. I guess it must have been cold, snowy weather that forced me to give in to temptation and buy a bunch of three sunflowers from Safeway : ) The snow that was in our forecast for a few days seems to have passed us by so far, thank goodness. It has been a beautiful, sunny day today, somewhere around 0C, I think. We went for a walk in Fish Creek Park and it was very pleasant weather for walking. I saw two male Ring-necked Pheasants as I drove into the east end of the park. They were pecking at something on the small road and then decided to attack each other : ) Nothing serious, though. Checked on the two sets of Great Horned Owls. One female is tucked down inside a tree, but one eye and an ear tuft can be seen through a very small, high-up hole. She looks so cozy in there : ) At the other nest site, the female was sitting up higher at the top of her tree stump. Up till now, she has been out of sight, lower in the cavity. We also saw an Eurasian Wigeon on the Bow River, rare during migration - these ducks do not nest in Alberta. "Honey bees are essential for production of over 90 food crops. In 2006, for unknown reasons, honey bee colonies suddenly began to die across the U.S. from a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). These losses severely threaten the honey, pollination and major food growing industries, which is why researchers are looking for causes and remedies. By planting, watching and recording the bees at sunflowers in your garden, you can help us understand the challenges that bees are facing. Please go to Plant and be counted with Great Sunflower Project and find out how you can help." From the Super Eco group and website.

A whole row of these gorgeous, tall Sunflowers was growing in the wonderful homestead garden owned by Jim Coutts. We were lucky enough to have the chance to visit this place, south of the city near Nanton, last August. So many amazing plants - my favourites are always the Poppies.