Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: very friendly

On 16 August 2017, I had a most enjoyable day out with friends Dorothy, Stephen and Janet. We basically covered a similar area that we had been to, back on 20 February 2017. Everywhere looked different because of the landscape colouring at different times of the year. You could tell that this whole area would be spectacular at any time of the year. Also, on 3 August 2015, three of us had been on a botany trip with a group to the Timber Ridge Conservation Site, which is also in the Porcupine Hills. What I love about a drive like this is that you just never know what you might find. I love photographing anything that catches my eye, so I never return home disappointed. The wildflowers are now pretty much finished, though we did see several patches of beautiful Fireweed. Most of the birds we saw were Hawks, and there were a lot of them, but none that we were able to phototgraph. We also enjoyed watching three gorgeous Kestrels flying from tree to tree. The males, especially, are such beautifully-coloured birds. I'm always happy to come across an old barn and, on this day, an old schoolhouse. Before this outing, I had noticed a photo on Google of a small, white schoolhouse somewhere in this area, and I was delighted when we happened to come across it. We even made two new friends while we were taking photos of it - two very friendly donkeys that were hanging out by the building. This school in the Greenbank school region was open from 1910-1945. Made me think of the schoolhouse in Little House on the Prairie The views from the narrow, gravel road that leads up into the Porcupine Hills are amazing. Unfortunately, the smoke haze from the British Columbia and Alberta wildfires was still present, as it had been for weeks, making it a problem to take decent scenic shots. The summer of 2017 was now officially the worst year on record for wildfires in British Columbia. After stopping to eat our lunch along one of the gravel roads in the Hills, that gave a nearby herd of cows some entertainment, we started on our return journey to the city. Early in the morning, we had driven south on Highway 2, but our return drive north was on Highway 22. Thanks so much, Dorothy and Stephen, for yet another wonderful day spent in such beautiful scenery! Janet, so glad you were able to join us, too.

Yesterday, 16 August 2017, I had a most enjoyable day out with friends Dorothy and Stephen, and Janet. All three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday. We basically covered a similar area that we had been to, back on 20 February 2017. Everywhere looked different because of the landscape colouring at different times of the year. You could tell that this whole area would be spectacular at any time of the year. Also, on 3 August 2015, three of us had been on a botany trip with a group to the Timber Ridge Conservation Site, which is also in the Porcupine Hills. What I love about a drive like this is that you just never know what you might find. I love photographing anything that catches my eye, so I never return home disappointed. The wildflowers are now pretty much finished, though we did see several patches of beautiful Fireweed. Most of the birds we saw were Hawks, and there were a lot of them, but none that we were able to phtotgraph. We also enjoyed watching three gorgeous Kestrels flying from tree to tree. The males, especially, are such beautifully-coloured birds. Time to make some breakfast (oops, brunch!) before I add a few more lines.

On 23 July 2015, five of us spent the day botanizing the land belonging to Darryl Teskey, SW of Calgary and W of Millarville (maybe a 40-minute drive from the city). This was the first time I had been there and I'm so glad I went - I would have missed all sorts of things, including a family of Ruffed Grouse and several fungi. The Grouse are rufous-morph, I believe, and we startled them when we were walking through the forest in their direction. Usually, you don't see Grouse because they are so well-hidden. When you get fairly close (sometimes very close) to them, they suddenly "explode" from the tangle of shrubs and plants of the forest floor, making ones heart beat fast! The family has four beautiful dogs of various breeds (at least, we only saw four). They were all very friendly, including this little one. Our walk took us over grassland and through forest, many places treacherous with so many fallen logs which were often barely visible. I have never, ever seen so many tiny Skipper butterflies - there must have been hundreds or even thousands of these bright orange beauties that were flying or perched on flowers of every colour. Fortunately, the rain stayed away until we started driving back to Calgary. Quite a lot of black clouds, reminding me of the tornado that passed through Calgary just the day before (22 July 2015). Our purpose, as always, was to find and list everything that we saw - wildflowers, trees, grasses, birds, insects, fungi, etc.. Our leader then compiles an extensive list of our finds and this is later sent to the landowner, along with any photos that we might take. Always a win/win situation, as the landowner then has a much better idea of just what is on his property, and we have a most enjoyable day. This summer, with so many botanizing outings like this, plus two 3-day trips to Waterton Lakes National Park, I am so behind with the photos that I need to edit and e-mail!

Today, I'm again leaving my Waterton images and instead adding three more photos taken two days ago (23 July 2015), closer to home. Five of us spent the day botanizing the land belonging to Darryl Teskey, SW of Calgary and W of Millarville (maybe a 40-minute drive from the city). This was the first time I had been there and I'm so glad I went - I would have missed all sorts of things, including a family of Ruffed Grouse and several fungi. The Grouse are rufous-morph, I believe, and we startled them when we were walking through the forest in their direction. Usually, you don't see Grouse because they are so well-hidden. When you get fairly close (sometimes very close) to them, they suddenly "explode" from the tangle of shrubs and plants of the forest floor, making ones heart beat fast! The family has four beautiful dogs of various breeds (at least, we only saw four). They were all very friendly, including this huge bundle of love : ) Our walk took us over grassland and through forest, everywhere treacherous with so many fallen logs which were often barely visible. I have never, ever seen so many tiny Skipper butterflies - there must have been hundreds or even thousands of these bright orange beauties that were flying or perched on flowers of every colour. Fortunately, the rain stayed away until we started driving back to Calgary. Quite a lot of black clouds, reminding me of the tornado that passed through Calgary just the day before (22 July 2015). Our purpose, as always, was to find and list everything that we saw - wildflowers, trees, grasses, birds, insects, fungi, etc.. Our leader then compiles an extensive list of our finds and this is later sent to the landowner, along with any photos that we might take. Always a win/win situation, as the landowner then has a much better idea of just what is on his property, and we have a most enjoyable day. This summer, with so many botanizing outings like this, plus two 3-day trips to Waterton Lakes National Park, I am so behind with the photos that I need to edit and e-mail!