Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: historical

On 22 May 2017, this beautiful, historic church was burned to the ground by an arsonist. Such a very sad loss! Three days ago, on 4 October 2017, I finally made the drive to witness the charred remains for myself. Such a sad sight to see the burnt outer walls, knowing that that was all that was left of this special little church that was almost as old as Canada itself. I loved this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line leading up to it from the parking lot. The church was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign had the following words on it: I have added a previously posted photo in a comment box below. "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta. The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history". After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta This was my final stopping point towards the end of a day of driving N and NW of the city. My intention had been to drive some of the back roads a bit further north of where I have been two or three times before, almost as far as Olds. However, after finding myself on a couple of muddy, slushy, potholed country roads caused by our recent snow storm, I decided not to risk driving on any others. I ended up stopping and photographing two of my absolute favourite barns that I had seen a couple of times before, and was happy to see again. Total drive distance was 369 km. A beautiful, sunny, fall day for such a trip.

On 22 May 2017, this beautiful, historic church was burned to the ground by an arsonist. Such a very sad loss! Yesterday, 4 October 2017, I finally made the drive to witness the charred remains for myself. Such a sad sight to see the burnt outer walls, knowing that that was all that was left of this special little church that was almost as old as Canada itself. I loved this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line leading up to it from the parking lot. The church was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign had the following words on it: "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta. The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history". After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta This was my final stopping point towards the end of a day of driving NW of the city. My intention had been to drive some of the back roads a bit further north of where I have been two or three times before, almost as far as Olds, but after finding myself on a couple of muddy, slushy, potholed country roads caused by our recent snow storm, I decided not to risk driving on any others. I ended up stopping and photographing a couple of my absolute favourite barns that I had seen a couple of times before, and was happy to see again.

On the way home from a day in Kananaskis with my daughter three days ago, on 10 September 2016, we stopped briefly at the old McDougall Memorial United Church. I love this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line leading up to it from the parking lot. The church was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign had the following words on it: "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta. The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history". After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta This was the second day in a row that I did a long drive that I had never done myself, and had longed for years to be brave enough to do. On the Friday, I drove way down south as far as the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre (drove 496 km that day). Then, on the Saturday, my daughter came with me to Kananaskis and I drove the HIghway 40 loop, going south via Turner Valley and then coming home via 1X and Highway 1A. I had been to Coaldale maybe five times before with various friends, and I had been to Kananaskis quite a few times over the years with friends. What a way to introduce a new car to life with Anne Elliott, lol! By the end of yesterday, it was so dirty from all the dust gathered, especially along the rough, gravel Spray Lakes/Smith-Dorrien trail (only drove part way along this mountainous road).. Also covered in splattered insects which were unlucky enough to fly into my car. If I had been able to do these drives a bit earlier in the summer, I would have done so and not on consecutive days. However, I would never have taken my 17-year-old car, for a start. Then, when I checked the Bird of Prey Centre's website the other day, I discovered that Saturday was the last day it would be open before closing till next May. As far as the Kananaskis trip was concerned, there has already been snow in some areas of the mountains, and I definitely did not want to risk doing my very first drive there in snow. So, two wonderful days, for which I am truly thankful! A few weeks ago, I went with friend, Pam, for a long day out in Kananaskis (the mountain area of the Rocky Mountains that is closest to Calgary). What a great day we had, seeing so many different things in such beautiful scenery. The trip with my daughter followed a good part of the trip I was on with Pam, which was great. Our first stop was at Highwood House, a very convenient place to stop for things like coffee, washrooms, gas station. All the Hummingbird feeders have been taken down now that the Hummingbirds have left. From there, we drove north to Rock Glacier to see the little Pikas (also called Rock Rabbits). I'm pretty sure we saw just two individuals and managed to get some rather distant shots. As usual, they were darting all over the massive scree (talus?) slope, busily collecting plants to store and dry in their "caves", ready for the winter months. There was very light rain while we were there, but that cleared up for the rest of our journey. A couple of short YouTube videos in case anyone wants to hear and see these absolutely cute creatures: youtu.be/US_Hy_eGPtg youtu.be/OQ2IgcjVIfc Further along, we called in at Boulton Bridge, as I wanted to do a quick check to see if there were many mushrooms around. Recently, I had been there with friends, Dorothy and Stephen, and we found lots of interesting mushrooms to photograph. Saturday was very different and it was obvious that the peak of the season is already over. Trying to find Buller Pond, where I had stopped with Pam the other week, we ended up at an area called Peninsular, part of Lower Kananaskis Lake. I don't remember ever having been to this area before. A drive part way along the Spray Lakes/Smith-Dorrien trail, followed by continuing along Highway 40 past Barrier Lake, brought us to Highway 1. We crossed over and found 1X, which then took us to Highway 1A leading to Cochrane. From there on, I was on very familiar driving ground. Many thanks, Rachel, for coming out with me. We had a great day in such magnificent scenery with enough wildlife to keep us happy (Pikas, Bighorn Sheep and a tiny Chipmunk who was munching on a bright red berry).

Today, 25 May 2016, my birthday started off with my computer installing Windows 10 to replace my Windows 7! This happened while I was away from my computer, having a very late supper last night. No idea how it was able to do THAT without my permission! (Later: I now see that this is an automatic update, free until 29 July 2016). I eventually managed to restore my computer to how it was with Windows 7. Talk about panic! Once that was done, I immediately got yet another Blue Screen of Death! I stayed up all night, finally getting to bed about 7:00 this morning (for three hours' sleep), backing up the last few months' worth of photos (many thousands) and various odds and ends to an external drive. I was so hoping I wouldn't wake up to find Windows 10 installed again.. I wanted to find out a few things before even thinking about Windows 10, such as will all one's e-mails be saved if one changes to Windows 10? Also, do My Pictures photo folders remain the same?? I have visions of all my photos disappearing : ( So much for getting out for the day on my birthday day, lol! However, I did have a lovely day out on 22nd May, with my daughter, so I'm very lucky. In connection with this, Flickr member, Brent Michael, added a very helpful comment under my next image (old church with fenceline). I will post his words here, in case anyone else had the same concerns as myself: "Just happened to me yesterday as well. I had stopped 10 from updating a couple times before, but I let it go this time. Everything was still there once the update was complete. All my pictures, Lightroom, etc. My browser still had all my bookmarks, my documents were all there. and yes, all my emails were still there as well. All my folders in Lightroom and Windows were just as they were before. Windows 10 works differently so like with all software updates you have to relearn how to do certain things, which isn't as easy as it was 30 years ago! But I am still unhappy that Windows did this on its own without my permission as well. That's not cool! Good luck with yours!" Thanks so much, Brent - all good info to know. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UPDATE on the FLIPLIFE website that I discovered recently was displaying thousands of our 'stolen' images (mine are all copyright protected, too) and displaying them for free download (including original size) to anyone who wanted them. Something made me check Google again last night and I was unable to go directly to their website. It now works through an itunes app, which you have to download. As a comment on the Help Forum says: "The video on the Fliplife for apps site is soooo nice, laying out all the thousands of..... stolen photos." Flickr staff are looking into this, again - thanks for the very quick response and action! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On 3 March 2016, I set my alarm clocks with the intention of getting out earlier than usual, but it was yet another failed attempt. Eventually, though, I did get out on my drive NW of the city, hoping that I might just be lucky enough to see a Great Gray Owl again. This time, there was no sign of one, despite four pairs of eyes searching at various times. Makes me feel even more grateful that I had better luck on 28 February. Many people drive all the way there and return disappointed. As always, it's all about timing and luck : ) The only other things I saw on this drive were four White-tailed Deer, maybe half a dozen Common Ravens, and an adult Bald Eagle - all seen from a great distance. I don't know if the fact that it was a very windy afternoon was keeping wildlife hidden out of the wind. On the way home, I decided to drive a bit further west towards the mountains as far as the old McDougall Memorial United Church. I love this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line leading up to it from the parking lot. This photo was taken from part way along the path. The church was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign had the following words on it: "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta. The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history". After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta

Four days ago, on 3 March 2016, I set my alarm clocks with the intention of getting out earlier than usual, but it was yet another failed attempt. Eventually, though, I did get out on my drive NW of the city, hoping that I might just be lucky enough to see a Great Gray Owl again. This time, there was no sign of one, despite four pairs of eyes searching at various times. Makes me feel even more grateful that I had better luck on 28 February. Many people drive all the way there and return disappointed. As always, it's all about timing and luck : ) The only other things I saw on this drive were four White-tailed Deer, maybe half a dozen Common Ravens, and an adult Bald Eagle - all seen from a great distance. I don't know if the fact that it was a very windy afternoon was keeping wildlife hidden out of the wind. On the way home, I decided to drive a bit further west towards the mountains as far as the old McDougall Memorial United Church. I love this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line leading up to it from the parking lot. This photo was taken from the back of the church, so the fence is out of sight, but there are plenty of fence photos in my album. The church was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign had the following words on it: "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta. The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history". After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta

Yesterday, 3 March 2016, I set my alarm clocks with the intention of getting out earlier than usual, but it was yet another failed attempt. Eventually, though, I did get out on my drive NW of the city, hoping that I might just be lucky enough to see a Great Gray Owl again. This time, there was no sign of one, despite four pairs of eyes searching at various times. Makes me feel even more grateful that I had better luck on 28 February. Many people drive all the way there and return disappointed. As always, it's all about timing and luck : ) The only other things I saw on this drive were four White-tailed Deer, maybe half a dozen Common Ravens, and an adult Bald Eagle - all seen from a great distance. I don't know if the fact that it was a very windy afternoon was keeping wildlife hidden out of the wind. On the way home, I decided to drive a bit further west towards the mountains as far as the old McDougall Memorial United Church. I love this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line leading up to it from the parking lot. This photo was taken from the back of the church, so the fence is out of sight, but there are plenty of fence photos in my album. The church was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign had the following words on it: "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta. The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history". After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta

Yesterday, 3 March 2016, I set my alarm clocks with the intention of getting out earlier than usual, but it was yet another failed attempt. Eventually, though, I did get out on my drive NW of the city, hoping that I might just be lucky enough to see a Great Gray Owl again. This time, there was no sign of one, despite four pairs of eyes searching at various times. Makes me feel even more grateful that I had better luck on 28 February. Many people drive all the way there and return home disappointed. As always, it's all about timing and luck : ) The only other things I saw on this drive were four White-tailed Deer, maybe half a dozen Common Ravens, and an adult Bald Eagle - all seen from a great distance. I don't know if the fact that it was a very windy afternoon was keeping wildlife hidden out of the wind. On the way home, I decided to drive a bit further west towards the mountains as far as the old McDougall Memorial United Church. I love this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line leading up to it from the parking lot. This photo was taken from the Highway. The church was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign had the following words on it: "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta. The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history". After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta

On 29 September 2014, I finally drove out to an area that lies NE of Calgary, that I had longed to go to for so many years. It must have been 30+ years ago that I first saw one particular area of the Badlands of Alberta - the Hoodoo Trail. A few times since then, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, my youngest daughter and I decided that we both wanted to make this trip. All summer, we had been waiting for a day on which she didn't have to work and where the weather forecast was for no rain on the day or there had been no rain the previous day. The Bentonite Clay in the area becomes treacherously slippery when wet. The forecast for this day was for a mainly sunny day - at last, we were going! I think this was the longest day of driving I had ever done, especially to, and in, an area that I'd never driven to before. For anyone who doesn't know me, I have battled a driving phobia for decades, plus I have no sense of direction, lol! Thankfully, my daughter has an amazing sense of direction, so I knew we wouldn't be stuck out on the prairies in the middle of nowhere. A typical question at too many intersections went as follows: me - "Do we go left?"; my daughter - "No, we go right", lol! I met my daughter at 8:00 am. and I got home shortly before 9:00 pm. Much of that time was spent driving; the rest was spent wandering round three main areas - The Hoodoo Trail, Dorothy and Rowley, in different directions from Drumheller (which is known for its remarkable dinosaur findings). The forecast was far from accurate on our drive out to the Badlands and I began to wonder if we'd made a mistake going on this trip on that particular day. However, knowing that snow would be returning very soon ("returning" because we had two snowstorms on 9 and 10 September), I was beginning to feel rather desperate and really didn't want to risk not getting out there this year. The afternoon was less cloudy and we did have some sun. So, the first of our destinations was The Hoodoo Trail, a small area of protected, spectacular hoodoos (rock formations), and then we went further, to the almost-ghost-town of Dorothy. I had longed, for such a long time, to see the two small, old churches that are to be found in Dorothy, as well as the old grain elevator. After that, we drove over 11 bridges and called in at the tiny hamlet of Wayne. We passed the old Atlas Coal Mine near the main highway, but, much as we would have liked to visit the mine, we knew that we just didn't have time. From Wayne, we continued to Rowley to see the three old grain elevators and to wander round part of this very small, historical place. I decided last night to add a filter to this image, to bring out a little more of the wood detail. Dorothy felt and looked almost deserted, whereas Rowley was beautifully kept. From Rowley, we made our way back across the prairies to Calgary. I had planned on getting back before it got dark as I no longer like night driving and very rarely do it, but we didn't quite make it. On the return drive, the last sighting was a Great Horned Owl that was perched part way up a power pole. Well done, Rachel, spotting this welcome bird! Not easy to see in the dark. By the time I got home, I was so tired and my arms were so painful from driving, but, what a great day we had!!

This is part of the old Atlas Coal MIne, near Drumheller, that we passed on a day trip to the Badlands. Fortunately, it can also be seen from the main highway, which is where this photo was taken. The mine is considered to be Canada's most complete historic coal mine and is home to the country's last standing wooden coal tipple. It was designated an Alberta Provincial Historic Resource in 1989 and a National Historic Site of Canada in 2002.My description is already too long, but if anyone is interested, the links below can be used. www.atlascoalmine.ab.ca/history.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Coal_Mine Four days ago, on 29 September 2014, I finally drove out to an area that lies NE of Calgary, that I had longed to go to for so many years. It must have been 30+ years ago that I first saw one particular area of the Badlands of Alberta. A few times since then, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, my youngest daughter and I decided that we both wanted to make this trip, All summer, we have been waiting for a day on which she didn't have to work and where the weather forecast was for no rain on the day or there had been no rain the previous day. The Bentonite Clay in the area becomes treacherously slippery when wet. The forecast for this day was for a mainly sunny day - at last, we were going! I think this was the longest day of driving I had ever done, especially to, and in, an area that I'd never driven to before. For anyone who doesn't know me, I have battled a driving phobia for decades, plus I have barely any sense of direction, lol! Thankfully, my daughter has an amazing sense of direction, so I knew we wouldn't be stuck out on the prairies in the middle of nowhere. A typical question at too many intersections went as follows: me - "Do we go left?"; my daughter - "No, we go right", lol! I met my daughter at 8:00 am. and I got home shortly before 9:00 pm. Much of that time was spent driving; the rest was spent wandering round three main areas - The Hoodoo Trail, Dorothy and Rowley, in different directions from Drumheller (known for its remarkable dinosaur findings). The forecast was far from accurate on our drive out to the Badlands and I began to wonder if we'd made a mistake going on this trip on such a heavily overcast day. However, knowing that snow would be returning very soon ("returning" because we had two snowstorms on 9 and 10 September), I was beginning to feel rather desperate and really didn't want to risk not getting out there this year. The afternoon was less cloudy and we did have some sun. So, the first of our destinations was The Hoodoo Trail, a small area of protected, spectacular hoodoos (rock formations), and then we went further, to the almost-ghost-town of Dorothy. I had longed, for such a long time, to see the two small, old churches that are to be found in Dorothy, as well as the old, abandoned grain elevator. After that, we drove over 11 bridges and called in at the tiny hamlet of Wayne, passing the old Atlas Coal Mine. Much as we would have liked to visit the mine, we knew that we just didn't have enough time. Then we went to Rowley to see the old grain elevators and to wander round this very small, historical place. There are actually three elevators, with two being right next to each other and the other one a little further from them. Dorothy felt and looked almost deserted, whereas Rowley was beautifully kept. From Rowley, we made our way back across the prairies to Calgary. I had planned on getting back before it got dark as I no longer like night driving and very rarely do it, but we didn't quite make it. On the return drive, the last sighting was a Great Horned Owl that was perched part way up a power pole. Well done, Rachel, spotting this welcome bird! Not easy to see in the dark. By the time I got home, I was so tired and my arms were so painful from driving, but, what a great day we had!!

I love this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line (part of which is seen in this photo) leading up to the front from the parking lot. It was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign had the following words on it: "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta. The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history". After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta On 20 July 2014, I plucked up courage to do a drive that I’d never done before. I had been that route before when I carpooled with others. A good part of the drive was in familiar territory, but I’d never driven the last part of the journey myself. I had met my daughter at 9:00 a.m. and we were both eager to see a display of birds of prey that had been brought up from the Coaldale Birds of Prey Centre. This year, there were fewer birds, but it was great to see any at all. This year, there was a Burrowing Owl, a Barn Owl, a Great Horned Owl, and a Golden Eagle. Another real treat that was an amusing one, was seeing a baby Barn Owl that was just 45 days old! This little ball of fluff was acting as a great ambassador, letting young kids get a close view and ask questions, and fall in love with it – and to hopefully, in the future, do everything they can as adults to protect our precious wildlife. The enjoyment of seeing these birds up close reminds one that the reason these birds are not free to live in the wild, is because of some kind of interaction with humans – such as permanent injuries from being hit by a vehicle, pesticide use, or even worse, being shot by a human! This is what happened to “Spirit”, the magnificent Golden Eagle, shot and blinded by someone. This exhibit was our first destination in the park, though on the drive from Calgary, we had stopped at the small McDougall Church seen in today's photo After seeing and photographing the birds of prey, we then drove to Middle Lake that’s in a different part of the park. We walked the very short distance to the edge of the lake, but didn’t walk around it. From there, we drove to the Many Springs Trail and did a very slow walk around the lake, stopping to look at different flowers and photograph a few butterflies. Though slow, it was still further than I should have walked. Certain wildflowers were already finished, including various Orchid species, but there were still plenty of other species to see and enjoy. Even the weather cooperated, though the forecast had been for isolated showers. Not too hot, nice clouds in the sky and lovely to have my daughter’s company for the day. Thanks so much to the people down at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre (near Lethbridge, down towards the Canada/US border) for bringing your gorgeous birds of prey for us to see! I have been south to the Centre three times I think, and always long to go back again, but it's not somewhere I can drive to, so this was a much-appreciated treat!

I CAN'T GET MY FLICKR ACCOUNT TO AUTOMATICALLY RENEW!!! I have the old Pro Account, which is supposed to automatically renew unless you let them know you don't want it to do that. When I checked my account, I noticed that since then (I paid for a 2-year extension), my credit card was updated, so I changed this new expiry date in my Account. Nothing is happening! I had an e-mail from Flickr stating: "we're we're having trouble authorizing payment to renew your subscription. To fix this problem, please update your payment information or use a different payment method in your Flickr Wallet." I have done that, but still no new extension of my account has happened. Can anyone HELP - please! Today, my old subscription ran out!! Have visions of my 10,000+ images vanishing at any moment! A bit later: I clicked on Reactivate and that looks promising. I've heard horror stories about some people losing their original Flickr account when somehow a new account was started for them. I never look forward to renewal time, as I've had problems several times, which is why I took out a 2-year renewal last time!! I love this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line (not seen in this photo) leading up to the front from the parking lot. It was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign had the following words on it: "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta. The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history". After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta On 20 July 2014, I plucked up courage to do a drive that I’d never done before. I had been that route before when I carpooled with others. A good part of the drive was in familiar territory, but I’d never driven the last part of the journey myself. I had met my daughter at 9:00 a.m. and we were both eager to see a display of birds of prey that had been brought up from the Coaldale Birds of Prey Centre. This year, there were fewer birds, but it was great to see any at all. This year, there was a Burrowing Owl, a Barn Owl, a Great Horned Owl, and a Golden Eagle. Another real treat that was an amusing one, was seeing a baby Barn Owl that was just 45 days old! This little ball of fluff was acting as a great ambassador, letting young kids get a close view and ask questions, and fall in love with it – and to hopefully, in the future, do everything they can as adults to protect our precious wildlife. The enjoyment of seeing these birds up close reminds one that the reason these birds are not free to live in the wild, is because of some kind of interaction with humans – such as permanent injuries from being hit by a vehicle, pesticide use, or even worse, being shot by a human! This is what happened to “Spirit”, the magnificent Golden Eagle, shot and blinded by someone. This exhibit was our first destination in the park, though on the drive from Calgary, we had stopped at the small McDougall Church seen in today's photo After seeing and photographing the birds of prey, we then drove to Middle Lake that’s in a different part of the park. We walked the very short distance to the edge of the lake, but didn’t walk around it. From there, we drove to the Many Springs Trail and did a very slow walk around the lake, stopping to look at different flowers and photograph a few butterflies. Though slow, it was still further than I should have walked. Certain wildflowers were already finished, including various Orchid species, but there were still plenty of other species to see and enjoy. Even the weather cooperated, though the forecast had been for isolated showers. Not too hot, nice clouds in the sky and lovely to have my daughter’s company for the day. Thanks so much to the people down at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre (near Lethbridge, down towards the Canada/US border) for bringing your gorgeous birds of prey for us to see! I have been south to the Centre three times I think, and always long to go back again, but it's not somewhere I can drive to, so this was a much-appreciated treat!

I love the little McDougall Church, seen in the next photo posted today, especially the long, photogenic fence line leading up to it from the parking lot. These cheery Gaillardia flowers were growing against the side of the church. Kind of a "messy" photo, but there was just something I liked about it. www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/14709085082

Took this photo as the sun was setting and darkness was almost on us. Had to brighten up the image to see any details of these unusual scultpures, created from small bits of metal. Taken on 11 September 2012, in Great Falls, Montana, US, at the Sacagawea Scenic Overlook on the Missouri River. Sacagawea was the only woman on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. This area is part of Giant Springs State Park. This was the first day of our week's trip, when we broke our drive from Calgary to Yellowstone National Park by staying the night in Great Falls. I had expected to easily find information on the Internet about these sculptures, but so far haven't had any luck. "The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition (1804–1806), was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific coast undertaken by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson, it was led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Their objectives were both scientific and economical – to study the area's plants, animal life, and geography, and to discover what natural resources were available." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_and_Clark_Expedition A short YouTube video, The Spirit of Sacagawea. youtu.be/3AjY2c09sxE

This bright red barn at Heritage Park in Calgary holds an amazing display of antique vehicles and gas-pumps. Definitely worth a visit.

This is one of the very fine, old buildings along the Corniche (sea road) in Muttrah, Muscat, Oman (Middle East). muscati, I hope I am right when I say I think this photo, taken in 1977, shows your grandfather's house.