Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: windmill

"In the 1970s, canola was created through traditional plant cross-breeding by removing two things found in the rapeseed plant: glucosinolates and erucic acid. Erucic acid was removed because it was believed to be inedible or toxic in high doses. The newly developed plant was renamed "canola" – a combination of "Canadian" and "Oil" (or ola) to make this difference apparent." From the link below. www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-canola-and... I absolutely love the time of year when the fields turn bright yellow with the Canola flowers. Canada Day was the first day I had been out when I saw any fields with the crop fully in bloom. I have to admit that I don't like the smell of Canola, but the colour is so spectacular and pretty. In this shot, the sky is beginning to darken, ready to rain a little later. This cluster of old, wooden buildings used to be part of a CPR Demonstration Farm. A while ago, I posted a photo taken at the same time, of just the two old barns on the right, but thought I would add this one, showing the complete farm. "The home, the barn, everything seen in this yard once served a rather unique and special purpose. Operating as a fully functioning “demonstration farm”, near Vulcan Alberta, and tied to the Canadian Pacific Railway, it was a show piece of sorts a century ago, promoting the region’s agricultural potential. Prospective settlers would be told where to acquire land and of course similar farm buildings, what crops to grow and how to do it efficiently, what equipment to purchase, what techniques to use and so on. The CPR had a vested interest, of course, in the success of this endeavour. They’d profit both on the sale of these kit farms and then again, many-fold, on the resultant business brought to the railway through the moving of inbound materials needed by all those new settlers; and outbound agricultural products the area would produce. And the transporting of people in and out, all the stuff needed for new towns that would spring up, and any industry established there, they too all moved by railway. It was win-win for the CPR!" From bigdoer website. www.bigdoer.com/27596/exploring-history/cpr-demonstration... On 1 July 2017, I had such a great day, spent with friend, Pam. I picked her up just after 8:00 am and did a long drive in Southern Alberta. We saw our target bird - a Common Nighthawk, and all sorts of other things including plants and old barns. It took a round trip of 414 km to get the Nighthawks, but it was so worth it! Much further than I normally drive. Towards the end of our day, the rain arrived, accompanied by lightning streaks. This couldn't have been timed more perfectly, to wash off a lot of the dust that covered my car after 12 hours of driving hot, dusty roads! So welcome! Since this outing, it has been one long heatwave - till yesterday, 1 August 2017, when we finally had light rain and it was 'cold'. Felt absolutely wonderful. It was such a thrill to see a Common Nighthawk / Chordeiles minor (a rather strange looking bird), as I had always wanted to see one actually lying on a fence post or wooden railing. People get such amazing photos of them like that, and that is what I was determined to find this summer. Last year, I had driven to this area in Southern Alberta, hoping to find one, but had been out of luck. Though most of my photos were of them lying on a hard, metal railing that lacked character, I'm still happy as can be. Not only did friend Pam and I see this one, but there were three other Nighthawks there, too. Two of the others were also on a metal rail, but the fourth was on a fence post - not the best angle, but it was still nice to see a fence post perch. How close we came to missing them! I said I wanted to just check the first part of a small side road first, before continuing on the road we were on - and there they were! I had seen a nighthawk on maybe five different occasions over the years, but most were in flight and one was perched very high up in a tree. For Pam, this was the first time she had ever seen one, and she was so happy to see this lifer. "On warm summer evenings, Common Nighthawks roam the skies over treetops, grasslands, and cities. Their sharp, electric peent call is often the first clue they’re overhead. In the dim half-light, these long-winged birds fly in graceful loops, flashing white patches out past the bend of each wing as they chase insects. These fairly common but declining birds make no nest. Their young are so well camouflaged that they’re hard to find, and even the adults seem to vanish as soon as they land." From AllABoutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id I was so tired after driving such a long distance and it was a hot day - the temperature got up to 30C. I so rarely do such a long drive, and I've barely driven all winter and spring. It felt so good to actually get out on a long drive like this, and we saw all sorts of interesting things that we just had to stop and photograph - of course!

Hard to believe that this is WINTER! What a wonderfully mild winter we have been having. However, I looked at the weather forecast for the next little while and saw snowflake icons on far too many days! I came across this beautiful red barn and old windmill on 19th February 2016, when I was exploring some new backroads SE of Calgary. The reason I wanted to make this drive was that friend Phil S. had posted a few photos of a beautiful little white country church; one that I hadn’t seen before. He told me where to find it and this was enough motivation for me to drive some roads that were new to me. Thanks so much, Phil! The church was the Davisburg Community Church. From this location, I drove SE towards the Blackie area and covered some of the same roads and backroads that I drove on 15 February. It turned out to be more of a barn day than a birding trip, as all I saw were several Pigeons and a number of Magpies. I really wasn’t looking for birds, though, as my attention was on the road and which direction I was going, trying not to get lost. The sun was shining early on, but more and more clouds gradually moved in, making quite a beautiful sight over the distant mountains. After a while, I realized that I could perhaps just make it as far as the Saskatoon Farm in time to order a home-made pizza to take home with me. However, when I got there, I was told that they had stopped making these several months ago. Instead, I decided to stay and have a meal there - quiche and sweet potato fries. Made a very pleasant ending to an enjoyable afternoon.

Yesterday, 11 January 2015, my daughter went in for supposedly day surgery, but phoned me after she was moved from the recovery room, to say that they were keeping her in overnight. She wasn't able to give me any details, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it was all straight forward. Speedy recovery, Rachel! At least you are in the best place for the time being, but I hope it won't be too long before you can go home. On 21 December 2015, my daughter and I had our Christmas get-together. Like the previous year, she asked if I wanted to spend the day out of the city, looking for Snowy Owls (and other things). We were both so happy to at least see a (very distant) Snowy Owl, which she cleverly spotted, even though we had hoped to find a much closer one. Thank goodness, last year, my daughter and I did see and photograph beautiful Snowies E and NE of the city that were nice and close. Finding one of these magnificent birds of prey was not the only purpose in our minds, though. It was our Christmas get-together, and we had a great day, partly in beautiful sunshine, partly in cloud, and in one of my favourite areas to explore. We had first planned to go E and NE of the city, but my daughter, waiting for her surgery on 11 January 2016, didn't feel up to travelling that far. Once she has recovered from her surgery, maybe we can go E of the city and try for owls again. So, plans changed and instead, we went to the Saskatoon Farm for breakfast. This interesting place is maybe a 20-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside green houses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They also have a restaurant that offers delicious food. www.saskatoonfarm.com/ Afterwards, we then went a bit further, to drive some of the roads east of High River, hoping to possibly find a Snowy Owl. We went as far as Mossleigh, where we stopped to take a few quick photos of the three grain elevators and then found a group of an old homestead and several barns that I don't remember seeing before. They were off the main road, but fortunately the narrow gravel road had enough snow packed on it that the short drive was very smooth. I always enjoy seeing the little red barn in this photo - Gothic Arch style? Is the old windmill a wind-powered water pump? I love the way the pretty much flat, endless landscape of the prairies is dotted here and there with an old barn or an abandoned farmhouse. Makes one want to photograph them all before they eventually rot and tumble to the ground. From there, we also stopped at the little wooden church at Dinton. Later in the afternoon, we couldn't resist the temptation to call in at Glamorgan Bakery on the way home and buy a few Christmas goodies, followed by a desperately needed food shopping trip. I just hadn't had a chance to go grocery shopping and had run out of even basic things. This was a huge relief, especially as I knew that I would be having a very long day on 23rd December, taking part in the Drumheller area Christmas Bird Count. Thanks so much for a great day out, Rachel. The best kind of day, as far as I am concerned : ) Many thanks, too, for the beautiful, very carefully chosen (as always!) Christmas gifts. Love the owl that looks rather like a furry, stuffed children's toy, that is in fact a wonderful heat pad (that you warm in the microwave), full of lavender. I know it will feel so good on my neck and shoulders that are painful from whiplash, thanks to the woman driver who suddenly came out of a parking lot exit and tried to cut across my lane of moving traffic! Nothing I could do, as I couldn't stop in time to avoid impact. So, I'm looking forward to having an owl on my shoulder : )

On 30 March 2015, I went SE of Calgary, driving the backroads through the farmlands. I had been meaning to drive further than I'd driven in that area, and this day I went as far as Vulcan. Just like I have done a few times before, I went on Google and Google Earth beforehand, searching for any barns that were in the new part of my drive. Nothing truly spectacular, but I did manage to find a few that made the drive worthwhile. 234 km total, 5 1/4 hour trip. I was so looking forward to reading about this old homestead and the barns and sheds that share the same old farmyard. So far, after just a quick Google search, I have found nothing about the history of the site. I posted a couple of closer views of the site the last couple of days. The weather was beautiful, with a sky full of clouds for at least the first part of my drive. What you can't see is that it was very windy, as it so often is in this whole area. You also can't see all the bees that were buzzing round my car a couple of times when I got out to take a few photos.

On 30 March 2015, I went SE of Calgary, driving the backroads through the farmlands. I had been meaning to drive further than I'd driven in that area, and this day I went as far as Vulcan. Just like I have done a few times before, I went on Google and Google Earth beforehand, searching for any barns that were in the new part of my drive. Nothing truly spectacular, but I did manage to find a few that made the drive worthwhile. 234 km total, 5 1/4 hour trip. I was so looking forward to reading about this old homestead and the barns and sheds that share the same old farmyard. So far, after just a quick Google search, I have found nothing about the history of the site. I posted a closer view of the top of the windmill a couple of days ago. The weather was beautiful, with a sky full of clouds for at least the first part of my drive. What you can't see is that it was very windy, as it so often is in this whole area. You also can't see all the bees that were buzzing round my car a couple of times when I got out to take a few photos.

A couple of days ago, on 30 March 2015, I went SE of Calgary, driving the backroads through the farmlands. I had been meaning to drive further than I'd driven in that area, and yesterday I went as far as Vulcan. Just like I have done a few times before, I went on Google and Google Earth beforehand, searching for any barns that were in the new part of my drive. Nothing truly spectacular, but I did manage to find a few that made the drive worthwhile. 234 km total, 5 1/4 hour trip. As you can see in this photo, the weather was beautiful, with a sky full of clouds for at least part of my drive. What you can't see is that it was very windy, as it so often is in this whole area. You also can't see all the bees that were buzzing round my car a couple of times when I got out to take a few photos. Yesterday evening, my daughter e-mailed me an Alberta Emergency Alert notice, about a large grassfire SE of Calgary. Part of my drive SE took me just a matter of minutes south of where the fire was, the following day. A good job I went when I did. "Fire crews have brought a large grassfire near Blackie under control. The Municipal District of Foothills had declared a local state of emergency due to concerns about the fire, which is burning northeast of the hamlet of Blackie. An alert issued by Alberta Emergency Alert indicated the fire is burning near 482nd Avenue and 304th Street East and is moving quickly due to the high winds. “Winds in the area are gusting at high speed and shifting direction,” the alert reads. “People are asked to avoid the area and prepare for possible evacuation. Smoke may severely reduce visibility and create hazardous road conditions.” calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/wind-fuels-large-grassf... "No homes, buildings or animals have been affected but one firefighter is injured and receiving treatment at the High River hospital."

I'm finding it hard to get motivated to go through my archives and somewhat more recent photos at the moment. I've taken very few photos during the past month and few are remotely inspiring. I really need to get out, period, and definitely need some new places to explore. Our weather forecast has a mix of snow and rain or scattered flurries on three days this coming week, but today is supposed to be OK, so I might go for a drive. Yesterday, I went on a two-hour walk in the afternoon with birding friends. This was down in South Glenmore Park, along the edge of the Glenmore Reservoir, looking right across to the windmill in Heritage Park. I always like seeing the small, blue and white mill in the far distance. Most of the Reservoir is still ice-covered and at this stage, the melting ice is a beautiful turquoise colour. Very quiet as far as birds were concerned, just the "usual" Chickadees, Ravens, Canada Geese and so on. I think the "highlights" were a Hairy Woodpecker (which only one of us actually saw) in the wooded area, and eight Swans that were on the far side of the Reservoir - too far away to see if they were Tundra or Trumpeter. After our walk, we went to Tim Horton's for coffee and a good chat. Always really enjoyable. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Bruderheim Windmill "Wilhelm Mallon, a carpenter and blacksmith of German descent, arrived in Canada in 1910. He happily discovered that the sandy soil of his farm near Bruderheim, Alberta, about 50 kilometres north of Edmonton, grew a good crop of spring rye. The next step was building a mill to make the sort of rye bread that had been a staple back home in Belarus. From 1920 to 1924, Mallon completed this mill, which was the second he'd built on the farm. Mallon used hand tools to shape the gears, wheels and shafts from scrub birch, and shaped his millstones from granite found in the North Saskatchewan River. Despite being constantly hampered by a lack of wind, Mallon's mill did a good business in the area. In 1964, the Devonian Group of Charitable Foundations donated the structure to Heritage Park, along with $35,000 for its restoration." From the Heritage Park website. www.heritagepark.ca/park-information/attractions-and-exhi...

From 6:00 am till 5:00 pm yesterday, 23 December 2014, I was taking part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Horseshoe Canyon/Drumheller area. The group of friends I was with, travelling in three cars, covered the NE quadrant of the Count circle plus an extra bit of land S of Highway 9. There were 10 of us in total, including the 3 from Drumheller. At lunch time, we were all treated to home made hot beef and barley soup and tea/coffee at the home of Jim McCabe, who lives in Drumheller and joined us for the Count, along with two others. Jim works at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology and is the senior preparation technician and lab supervisor there. "The Royal Tyrrell Museum is a Canadian tourist attraction and a centre of palaeontological research noted for its collection of more than 130,000 fossils." (Wikipedia), Located in the Badlands of Alberta, it is known for it's amazing dinosaur finds. I will add the final report of our group's leader (Gus Yaki) below. As far as Snowy Owls are concerned, the driver of the vehicle in which I spent the whole day (another Anne!) and I saw a total of 8 Snowy Owls, including owls seen on the drive to and from the Count area. That makes 18-20 Snowy Owls that I have been lucky enough to see within the last 4 days (10-12 of them seen when my daughter and I searched E and NE of Calgary on 20 December)! Thanks so much for picking me up and driving the whole day, Anne! I appreciated it so much! "HORSESHOE Canyon/Drumheller CBC, N side of Red Deer River, 0830-1315; 23Dec2014. Sunny, becoming overcast, calm, -8 to -3 to -10°C. Ring-necked Pheasant-1 m. (at Murrays). Eurasian Collared Dove-2+ Snowy Owl-1 juv. Downy Woodpecker-5 Hairy Woodpecker-2 Northern Flicker-1+ Blue Jay-4 Black-billed Magpie-9 Common Raven-4 Black-capped Chickadee-20 Red-breasted Nuthatch-1 White-breasted Nuthatch-2 House Sparrow-75. Mammals: Coyote-2, Eastern Gray Squirrel-black morph-2 Meadow Vole-1 Snowshoe Hare-1 Mule Deer-1. Feeder Birds at Jim McCabe’s Place, Nacmine, not on our territory. 1315-1400, 23Dec2014. Eurasian Collared-Dove-1 Downy Woodpecker-2 Black-billed Magpie-1 Black-capped Chickadee-5 Red-breasted Nuthatch-1 White-breasted Nuthatch-1 Also noted 9 Mule Deer on the Nacmine slope from our territory on the N. side of the Red Deer River. Birds on East Side of Count Circle, Terr #4. 1400-1530, 23Dec2014. Snowy Owl-1 ad m just N of #9, on RR 20.4, just after Jim McC. left us. May have seen it in the morning as well. Black-billed Magpie-12 Common Raven-8 Unidentified small passerine, possible Horned Lark-1, seen flying away. Mammals: Coyote-4 Two people reported Gray Jay-1. Because this is unlikely in the prairie, they have filed a Rare Bird Documentation Form. Gus Yaki"

This Gothic Arch Barn (?) was seen on 14 April 2014, when my youngest daughter and I spent the day driving some of the backroads SE of Calgary. Some of the roads were familiar to me, and others were new territory. A few days ago, I posted a photo of this barn, taken from the opposite side of the road, but after going closer, I was able to get this old styled, metal windmill in as well. I love the way the pretty much flat, endless landscape of the prairies is dotted here and there with an old barn or an abandoned farmhouse. Makes one want to photograph them all before they eventually rot and tumble to the ground. I had come across a photo of this little red barn on the Internet and knew that I wanted to find it. Superman's farm from the 1978 movie, "Superman: The Movie" had also been on my list. This is one of my favourite ways to spend a day!

Thought this photo of the Bruderheim Windmill would make a change from owls and snow scenes : ) Taken on 14 September 2013, when I spent the day at Heritage Park with my youngest daughter and the photography group that she ran for a few months, including lunch at the old Wainwright Hotel. Great company, most enjoyable. "Wilhelm Mallon, a carpenter and blacksmith of German descent, arrived in Canada in 1910. He happily discovered that the sandy soil of his farm near Bruderheim, Alberta, about 50 kilometres north of Edmonton, grew a good crop of spring rye. The next step was building a mill to make the sort of rye bread that had been a staple back home in Belarus. From 1920 to 1924, Mallon completed this mill, which was the second he'd built on the farm. Mallon used hand tools to shape the gears, wheels and shafts from scrub birch, and shaped his millstones from granite found in the North Saskatchewan River. Despite being constantly hampered by a lack of wind, Mallon's mill did a good business in the area. In 1964, the Devonian Group of Charitable Foundations donated the structure to Heritage Park, along with $35,000 for its restoration." www.heritagepark.ca/plan-your-visit/attractions-and-exhib... "Newcomers to Western Canada were dismayed by the scarcity and cost of flour. Those with a millwright’s skills often ground wheat or rye for the community. This was the case for Wilhelm Mallon, who built this windmill in the Bruderheim district near Edmonton. Mallon used only materials at hand. Local timber provided the framework. The gears, wheels and shafts were made from scrub birch. Paraffin wax was used to lubricate all moving parts. There was not a single piece of metal in the original millworks. Mallon’s mill turned out 150 pounds of flour each day if the winds were right. As was the custom, the miller kept a portion of each run as a payment for his services." www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM2CKR_Bruderheim_Windmill_He...

As you can see, it was a day with grey clouds : ) Though the fall colours here were mostly yellowy brown, I thought it made a pretty sight, looking from the path near the edge of the Glenmore Reservoir towards the blue and white windmill and oil derrick that are within Heritage Park. This area makes a really pleasant walk - made even more enjoyable because we were lucky enough to see a first winter male Long-tailed Duck, White-winged Scoters, and a Pacific Loon (far, far away on the Reservoir).