Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: on display

This particular bird 'resides' at the Alberta Bird of Prey Centre in Coaldale, southern Alberta, a wonderful place that rehabilitates and releases (whenever possible) various birds of prey - hawks, owls, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures, and Golden Eagles. Some of these birds act as Wildlife Ambassadors, too, educating the public. This particular bird may have been brought to the Centre after being found injured. A sign by the display case says: "Why don't rescue centres keep Osprey in Captivity? Osprey are fish hunters! And unlike other birds of prey such as Bald Eagles and Vultures, Osprey do not eat carrion(or dead food). They must hunt for live fish. Because of their need to hunt in large bodies of deep water, Osprey are notoriously difficult to keep alive in captivity. Sadly, many of them will starve themselves to death, refusing to eat dead fish and refusing to hunt from small pools. Simply put, life is not suitable for Osprey in captivity." It had been a few years since my last visit to the Alberta Bird of Prey Centre - I've only been maybe three or four times - and I had been longing to go back. Much too far and all new driving territory for me to even think about driving there myself. However, a month ago, on 9 September 2016, that is exactly what I did. A friend had said she would come along, too, but she emailed me at 1:00 am that morning to say that she assumed our trip had been cancelled, as she hadn't heard back about the time to meet. In fact, I had sent two emails giving the time, so I don't know what happened there. Very unfortunate, as it would have been great to have had company on such a long drive, and I know she would have had great fun with her camera. I knew it would be a long day and further than I would normally drive - and in a brand new car that I have yet to learn to drive! It doesn't look or feel quite as new now, after travelling 481 km, plus a long trip the next day! Only got lost twice, one minor and the other major. Must have taken a wrong turn somewhere way down south and I ended up in the city of Lethbridge, that I had very carefully planned to avoid. After driving for three and three-quarter hours, I finally arrived, to my huge relief. Despite getting there later than I had hoped, I still had more than enough time to wander round the grounds and photograph the various raptors. Some were tethered out in two grassy areas and others were in outdoor cages. Wonderful to get such a close look at the various majestic birds. I took a slightly different way home via #845 (?), making absolutely sure that I didn't accidentally find myself in Lethbridge again and it wasn't too long before I found myself in the area that I had driven a few weeks before, when I went SW of Vulcan to look for Common Nighthawks (without any luck). Just so happy that I finally made myself do this drive. When I Googled the Centre's website, I had discovered that they were closing two days later for the winter. So, it was either a case of going the next day or not at all till next May onwards. The day after this adventure, 10 September 2016, I took my daughter on a long drive in Kananaskis. This was yet another place that I had longed to be able to drive for many years - and finally I did it! I had been lots of times with various friends, but this was the very first time I had ever driven myself. We had planned to do this a few weeks earlier, but then my car had major repairs that needed to be done. Instead, I knew I just couldn't put any more money into my 17-year-old car, and I ended up replacing it. So glad we went to the mountains on this particular day, as it snowed the following day.

Yesterday, my youngest daughter and I went down to the Stampede Grounds, to soak up the feel of the annual "Greatest Show on Earth". We don't spend long down there, but we always look forward to the the Indian Village, Mini-Donuts and the baby pigs, lol. We like to wander through the agriculture area, too, seeing the beautiful horses, ponies, miniature horses and cattle. These are two of the tiny piglets that were with their Mom, each one a different colour from plain pink to mottled black. Not sure, but I think they were three days old. I must look up attendance numbers online - I'm curious because of the devastating Flood of the Century, which caused so much damage down at the Grounds (and everywhere else). You'd never guess that three weeks ago, the whole Grounds were under water. There were SO many people down there, enjoying themselves, which was so good to see. www.calgarystampede.com

Yes, indeed, a very different subject for me to be posting on Flickr, LOL! I love old cars, and this absolutely beautiful 1931 Cord L-29 is just one of many vehicles on display in the new Gasoline Alley building at Heritage Park. This was the first time I had been to the Park since this and a number of other new buildings were completed. Was there yesterday evening for a Volunteer Recognition evening with an organization with whom I have volunteered for many years. A most enjoyable evening, with good company and super appetizers, ending with a wander round the magnificent car display. Can you imagine what it must have felt like for the owner of this vehicle to drive around in it many years ago? "The Cord L-29 was the first American front-wheel drive to win popular approval. Front-wheel drive allowed the car to be lower to the ground than other vehicles of the time. Coupled with a long hood, this made the Cord one of the most rakish, visually striking cars on the market. The L-29 line was phased out in 1932-customers could no longer afford the $3000 price tag, especially since a Ford Model A was just a tenth of the cost."