Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: vehicles

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, 21 November 2015, turned out to be a fun day for a group of us, driving SW of the city into the rolling hills to look for birds. We started off ‘well’, when our driver reversed into another birder’s car right there in the parking lot where we met. The crunch sounded really bad, but thankfully damage was very minimal! Then, much later - this photo is being posted for interest, not photographic merit, lol! Not MY vehicle! As you can see, we had a fair amount of recent snow. Absolutely love the scenery (see main photo posted this morning) - never get tired of it. I think my favourite time of year to see it is in the winter months - as long as someone else is driving : ) Our drive took us south to the Millarville area, where we were hoping that we might just see Wild Turkeys, a Gyrfalcon or a Northern Hawk Owl. No luck with the last two, but we were lucky enough to see a number of distant Wild Turkeys at two different locations. Just couldn't get a decent shot of any of them, especially when they were moving about through the trees. I had had a look for these months ago, when people were reporting seeing them, but I wasn't able to find any. I think we did just as well, if not better, with mammals than bird species, seeing several beautiful male deer and a couple of distant Coyotes. Then, later on, we were amazed to see a group of three Moose and just a short distance along the road, a group of five Moose. To see even one lone Moose is exciting, but to see eight in one day was amazing and most unusual. Unfortunately, they were all too far away to get even half-decent shots, but I may post one sometime, just for the record. I will add our leaders' final species list when it is available. Towards the end of our trip, a friend asked what I was going to be doing afterwards and when I said I had no plans, invited me to go along with him and his friend to look for Great Gray Owls and Snowy Owls. I said I would just grab my backpack from the car I had been riding in, By the time I had got my things out, I happened to turn round to go to their car, when I discovered there were no cars left!! Thank goodness my original drive was still there, as the vehicle I was going to transfer into was way down the road! My friend had forgotten me, lol! When he suddenly realized it, he had stopped and was either going to turn around or back up and had instead gone half way into the snow-covered ditch. Impossible to get out, so he was going to have to get a ride with someone else till he could reach a place where cell phone service was available and then call for a tow truck. I'm so glad I wasn't in his vehicle - can't help but wonder if my added weight might have caused his car to roll over, lol! And so I returned to the city with my original friends - safe and thankful. Thanks so much for driving for the day, Andrew - much appreciated! To my other friend, who shall remain anonymous (lol), I do hope it didn't take too long for your car to be rescued!

Two days ago, 7 November 2015, I was out all day with my daughter. She had asked if I wanted to go to several Christmas Fairs south of Calgary, including Millarville and Okotoks. Then, in the evening, I was out at the annual 'Banquet' for the nature group I belong to. So, the whole day was most enjoyable. I think half of Calgary as well as everyone from the surrounding areas were there at the same Christmas markets. Everywhere was absolutely packed! Normally, I don't go to any Christmas fairs any more, but it does make a lovely day out with my daughter. Each Christmas, I treat myself to one new thing, and this year was no exception : ) Also bought a Bison and roast vegetable pie from the Canadian Rocky Mountain Ranch exhibit, the first time I had ever tried anything from them. Our drive in between fairs took us through some beautiful scenery. I absolutely love our rolling hills with the Rocky Mountains in the distance - partially zoomed in, so the mountains look closer than they really are. Love them at any time of the year, but I especially love to see them in fall and when covered in snow. Took this shot when we stopped to photograph a row of six wooden granaries plus two round silos. I waited and waited for there to be no cars in sight, but had to give up in the end. How dfferent everywhere will be looking today, though - a winter wonderland! It has been snowing since last night and everywhere is under a blanket of snow. The temperature this morning is 0C (windchill -3C). We have been so lucky to have enjoyed an amazing fall season, so we really shouldn't complain.

A very out-of-place subject for my photostream, LOL! I just happened to notice this photo when I was looking for something else. This is just one of many beautifully restored vehicles on display in Gasoline Alley, Heritage Park, Calgary. The new building houses a most impressive collection of vintage vehicles and oil and gas related artifacts donated by local Calgarian Ron Carey. Unfortunately, when I look at the original size of this photo, all I can read on the sign is "Champion Holiday Trailer". The rest is a blur, and I can't find any information on Google about it.