Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: taken with permission

This photo was taken just over a year ago, on 21 January 2015. Looking at it this morning brings back a mixture of feelings. It was such a good day spent with my youngest daughter, but it was also a day that was much needed by both of us, as her older sister had died just two and a half weeks earlier. Friends had been telling me how important it was to be outdoors with my camera, especially at a time like this, and I knew they were right. Much as it would have been great to have gone looking for Snowy Owls, I just didn't feel up to that long of a drive. Instead, I drove to a much more familiar, closer area, SE of the city. The day was a mix of sun and cloudiness, and though the sun was in the wrong position for some of our shots, we did OK. As for birds, we saw a couple of Great Horned Owls, a very distant Snowy Owl, a raptor of some kind (either a Prairie Falcon or a Gyrfalcon), several Gray Partridge and what I think must have been Horned Larks. The rest of the day, my daughter and I drove mostly roads that we had been on before, except for one short stretch where we found two old, red barns, including the one in my photo. The other, much larger barn was one that I had been looking forward to finding and seeing for the very first time. This day was as much a barn day as a bird day, and those of you who know me, know that this was just the kind of day I love. Normally, I never walk from the road on to the surrounding land, even when there is no "No Trespassing" sign, so we were standing on the road, photographing this second barn. While we were there, a lady on horseback came towards us along the road, calling out that it was her property, so to go over and explore. We smiled when she apologized that the barn wasn't in better condition - as we told her, we like barns to be old and weathered, of course! I think being out with our cameras, driving the backroads, was therapeutic - certainly for me as I could enjoy my daughter's company, and hopefully for her, too.

It was so late last night/early this morning when I was trying to think of a title for this photo. Then I remembered this was where we had photographed an old wagon wheel propped against the far side of the fence. After we had taken a few shots, suddenly a little Snowshoe Hare came out of hiding from behind the wheel and bounded off through the hedge. While it was hiding, its white winter coat was camouflaged against the surrounding snow. This photo was taken a year ago, on 21 January 2015. Looking at it this morning brings back a mixture of feelings. It was such a good day spent with my youngest daughter, but it was also a day that was much needed by both of us, as her older sister had died just two and a half weeks earlier. Friends had been telling me how important it was to be outdoors with my camera, especially at a time like this, and I knew they were right. Much as it would have been great to have gone looking for Snowy Owls, I just didn't feel up to that long of a drive. Instead, I drove to a much more familiar, closer area, SE of the city. The day was a mix of sun and cloudiness, and though the sun was in the wrong position for some of our shots, we did OK. As for birds, we saw a couple of Great Horned Owls, a very distant Snowy Owl, a raptor of some kind (either a Prairie Falcon or a Gyrfalcon), several Gray Partridge and what I think must have been Horned Larks. The rest of the day, my daughter and I drove mostly roads that we had been on before, except for one short stretch where we found two old, red barns, including the one in my photo. The other, much larger barn was one that I had been looking forward to finding and seeing for the very first time. This day was as much a barn day as a bird day, and those of you who know me, know that this was just the kind of day I love. Normally, I never walk from the road on to the surrounding land, even when there is no "No Trespassing" sign, so we were standing on the road, photographing this second barn. While we were there, a lady on horseback came towards us along the road, calling out that it was her property, so to go over and explore. We smiled when she apologized that the barn wasn't in better condition - as we told her, we like barns to be old and weathered, of course! I think being out with our cameras, driving the backroads, was therapeutic - certainly for me as I could enjoy my daughter's company, and hopefully for her, too.

21 January 2015, my daughter and I spent the day together, out in nature. I know I needed to get out myself and the fact that my daughter asked if we could do that, told me that she, too, desperately needed to get a break from all the sadness and reminders of her big sister/my older daughter for a few hours. Friends had been telling me how important it is to be outdoors with my camera, especially at a time like this, and I know they are right. Much as it would have been great to have gone looking for Snowy Owls, I just didn't feel up to that long of a drive. Instead, I drove to a much more familiar, closer area, SE of the city. The day was a mix of sun and cloudiness, and though the sun was in the wrong position for some of our shots, we did OK. As for birds, we saw a couple of Great Horned Owls, a very distant Snowy Owl, a raptor of some kind (either a Prairie Falcon or a Gyrfalcon), several Gray Partridge and what I think were Horned Larks. The rest of the day, my daughter and I drove mostly roads that we had driven before, except for one short stretch where we found not just one beautiful, old, red barn, but two. This photo was taken at the second barn - previously posted image of the whole barn is in a comment box below. This day was as much a barn day as a bird day, as there was one particular barn that I really wanted to see for the first time. We were lucky that this second barn was just down the road. Normally, I never walk from the road on to the surrounding land, even when there is no "No Trespassing" sign, so we were standing on the road, photographing this second barn. While we were there, a lady on horseback came towards us along the road, calling out that it was her property, so to go over and explore. We had to smile when she apologized that the barn wasn't in better condition - as we told her, we like barns to be old and weathered, of course! I think being out with our cameras, driving the backroads, was therapeutic - certainly for me, as I could enjoy my daughter's company, and hopefully for her, too.

Nine days ago, 21 January 2015, my daughter and I spent the day together, out in nature. I know I needed to get out myself and the fact that my daughter asked if we could do that, told me that she, too, desperately needed to get a break from all the sadness and reminders of her big sister/my older daughter for a few hours. Friends have been telling me how important it is to be outdoors with my camera, especially at a time like this, and I know they are right. Much as it would have been great to have gone looking for Snowy Owls, I just didn't feel up to that long of a drive. Instead, I drove to a much more familiar, closer area, SE of the city. The day was a mix of sun and cloudiness, and though the sun was hidden by clouds or in the wrong position for some of our shots, we did OK. As for birds, we saw a couple of Great Horned Owls, a very distant Snowy Owl, a raptor of some kind (either a Prairie Falcon or a Gyrfalcon), several Gray Partridge and what I think must have been Horned Larks. The rest of the day, my daughter and I drove mostly roads that we had driven before, except for one short stretch where we found these two old, red barns. This day was as much a barn day as a bird day, Normally, I never walk from the road on to the surrounding land, even when there is no "No Trespassing" sign, so we were standing on the road, photographing this second barn. While we were there, a lady on horseback came towards us along the road, calling out that it was her property, so to go over and explore. A similar story to the Great Horned Owl story under one of my recent images, thanks to someone's kindness. We smiled when she apologized that the barn wasn't in better condition - as we told her, we like barns to be old and weathered, of course! I think being out with our cameras, driving the backroads, was therapeutic - certainly for me as I could enjoy my daughter's company, and hopefully for her, too.

I got home this evening (26 January 2015) from a full day in the mountains with friends, Cathy and Terry, to soak up the healing power of nature. We explored part of Highway 40, the Smith-Dorrien/Spray lakes area and the Bow Valley Parkway. When I turned on my computer at home, I read through the various greatly-appreciated comments and looked at each of today's photos. When I looked at this photo, I happened to notice something special that I hadn't noticed before. My daughter had called out to me that she had seen it when she was taking a photo, but I took my two shots before she did and I had wandered over to the barn. Can't believe that I hadn't noticed it - yet there is a good reason : ) I've always had a love of old wagon wheels, even when we were still living in England. When I knew we would be moving to Calgary, Canada, 36 years ago, one of the things I really wanted to get and bring with us was a wagon wheel. Managed to find one to buy, but can't remember where. It's a much more solid one than the thin-rimmed one in this photo, which I photographed in the yard at the second red barn location, SE of Calgary, on 21 January 2015. That day was a day of therapy, spent with my daughter, driving the backroads.

This is the view of the front of this old barn, which is more weathered than the back. The light, too, was not good. Three recent shots of the back of the barn, the inside stables, and a window close-up all belong to this barn. Another photo I posted today shows the view taken from the inside of the barn, looking out of the open front door that you can see in this photo. The view shows a distant larger red barn that I had been looking forward to finding and seeing for the first time. Four days ago, 21 January 2015, my daughter and I spent the day together, out in nature. I know I needed to get out myself and the fact that my daughter asked if we could do that, told me that she, too, desperately needed to get a break from all the sadness and reminders of her big sister/my older daughter for a few hours. Friends have been telling me how important it is to be outdoors with my camera, especially at a time like this, and I know they are right. Much as it would have been great to have gone looking for Snowy Owls, I just didn't feel up to that long of a drive. Instead, I drove to a much more familiar, closer area, SE of the city. The day was a mix of sun and cloudiness, and though the sun was in the wrong position for some of our shots, we did OK. As for birds, we saw a couple of Great Horned Owls, a very distant Snowy Owl, a raptor of some kind (either a Prairie Falcon or a Gyrfalcon), several Gray Partridge and what I think must have been Horned Larks. The rest of the day, my daughter and I drove mostly roads that we had driven before, except for one short stretch where we found these two old, red barns. This day was as much a barn day as a bird day, Normally, I never walk from the road on to the surrounding land, even when there is no "No Trespassing" sign, so we were standing on the road, photographing this second barn. While we were there, a lady on horseback came towards us along the road, calling out that it was her property, so to go over and explore. A similar story to the Great Horned Owl story under one of my recent images, thanks to someone's kindness. We smiled when she apologized that the barn wasn't in better condition - as we told her, we like barns to be old and weathered, of course! I think being out with our cameras, driving the backroads, was therapeutic - certainly for me as I could enjoy my daughter's company, and hopefully for her, too.

This photo shows the view taken from the inside of the second, smaller red barn, through the front door, shown in one of today's uploads. The view shows a distant larger red barn that I had been looking forward to finding and seeing for the first time. Four days ago, 21 January 2015, my daughter and I spent the day together, out in nature. I know I needed to get out myself and the fact that my daughter asked if we could do that, told me that she, too, desperately needed to get a break from all the sadness and reminders of her big sister/my older daughter for a few hours. Friends have been telling me how important it is to be outdoors with my camera, especially at a time like this, and I know they are right. Much as it would have been great to have gone looking for Snowy Owls, I just didn't feel up to that long of a drive. Instead, I drove to a much more familiar, closer area, SE of the city. The day was a mix of sun and cloudiness, and though the sun was in the wrong position for some of our shots, we did OK. As for birds, we saw a couple of Great Horned Owls, a very distant Snowy Owl, a raptor of some kind (either a Prairie Falcon or a Gyrfalcon), several Gray Partridge and what I think must have been Horned Larks. The rest of the day, my daughter and I drove mostly roads that we had driven before, except for one short stretch where we found these two old, red barns. This day was as much a barn day as a bird day, Normally, I never walk from the road on to the surrounding land, even when there is no "No Trespassing" sign, so we were standing on the road, photographing this second barn. While we were there, a lady on horseback came towards us along the road, calling out that it was her property, so to go over and explore. A similar story to the Great Horned Owl story under one of my recent images, thanks to someone's kindness. We smiled when she apologized that the barn wasn't in better condition - as we told her, we like barns to be old and weathered, of course! I think being out with our cameras, driving the backroads, was therapeutic - certainly for me as I could enjoy my daughter's company, and hopefully for her, too.

Three days ago, 21 January 2015, my daughter and I spent the day together, out in nature. I know I needed to get out myself and the fact that my daughter asked if we could do that, told me that she, too, desperately needed to get a break from all the sadness and reminders of her big sister/my older daughter for a few hours. Friends have been telling me how important it is to be outdoors with my camera, especially at a time like this, and I know they are right. Much as it would have been great to have gone looking for Snowy Owls, I just didn't feel up to that long of a drive. Instead, I drove to a much more familiar, closer area, SE of the city. The day was a mix of sun and cloudiness, and though the sun was in the wrong position for some of our shots, we did OK. As for birds, we saw a couple of Great Horned Owls, a very distant Snowy Owl, a raptor of some kind (either a Prairie Falcon or a Gyrfalcon), several Gray Partridge and what I think were Horned Larks. The rest of the day, my daughter and I drove mostly roads that we had driven before, except for one short stretch where we found not just one beautiful, old, red barn, but two. This photo was taken at the second barn. This day was as much a barn day as a bird day, as there was one particular barn that I really wanted to see for the first time. We were lucky that this second barn was just down the road. Normally, I never walk from the road on to the surrounding land, even when there is no "No Trespassing" sign, so we were standing on the road, photographing this second barn. While we were there, a lady on horseback came towards us along the road, calling out that it was her property, so to go over and explore. A similar story to the Great Horned Owl story under one of yesterday's images, thanks to someone's kindness. We smiled when she apologized that the barn wasn't in better condition - as we told her, we like barns to be old and weathered, of course! I think being out with our cameras, driving the backroads, was therapeutic - certainly for me as I could enjoy my daughter's company, and hopefully for her, too.

Two days ago, 21 January 2015, my daughter and I spent the day together, out in nature. I know I needed to get out myself and the fact that my daughter asked if we could do that, told me that she, too, desperately needed to get a break from all the sadness and reminders of her big sister/my older daughter for a few hours. Friends have been telling me how important it is to be outdoors with my camera, especially at a time like this, and I know they are right. Much as it would have been great to have gone looking for Snowy Owls, I just didn't feel up to that long of a drive. Instead, I drove to a much more familiar, closer area, SE of the city. The day was a mix of sun and cloudiness, and though the sun was in the wrong position for some of our shots, we did OK. As for birds, we saw a couple of Great Horned Owls, a raptor of some kind (either a Prairie Falcon or a Gyrfalcon), several Gray Partridge and what I think were Horned Larks. The rest of the day, my daughter and I drove mostly roads that we had driven before, except for one short stretch where we found not just one beautiful, old barn, but two. This photo was taken at the second barn. This day was as much a barn day as a bird day, as there was one particular barn that I really wanted to see for the first time. We were lucky that this second barn was close by. Normally, I never walk from the road on to the surrounding land, even when there is no "No Trespassing" sign, so we were standing on the road, photographing this second barn. While we were there, a lady on horseback came towards us along the road, calling out that it was her property, so to go over and explore. A similar story to the Great Horned Owl story under one of yesterday's images, thanks to someone's kindness. We smiled when she apologized that the barn wasn't in better condition - we like barns to be old and weathered, of course! I think being out with our cameras, driving the backroads, was therapeutic - certainly for me as I could enjoy my daughter's company, and hopefully for her, too.

This story continues from the story under the previous photo .... As I mentioned under the previous image, I never go inside old barns or buildings, because I would feel so guilty walking on private land. Yesterday turned out to be very different. Perhaps I will add the beginning of the day again here and then say how lucky my daughter and I were, a little later in the day. Yesterday, 21 January 2015, my daughter and I spent the day together, out in nature. I know I needed to get out myself and the fact that my daughter asked if we could do that, told me that she, too, desperately needed to get a break from all the sadness and reminders of her big sister/my older daughter for a few hours. Friends who know me well have been telling me how important it is to be outdoors with my camera, especially at a time like this, and I know they are right. Much as it would have been great to have gone looking for Snowy Owls, I just didn't feel up to that long of a drive. Instead, I drove to a much more familiar, closer area, SE of the city. The day was a mix of sun and cloudiness, and though the sun was in the wrong position for some of our shots, we did OK. Normally, I never walk from the road on to the surrounding land, even when there is not a "No Trespassing" sign. There was a very short, rough road leading to where a beautiful Great Horned Owl, spotted by my daughter, was sitting, and we walked a few steps closer to it. She had already spotted a different GHO along one of the backroads and later on, she spotted our only Snowy Owl of the day. I was reminded exactly why I never set foot on someone's land - though I had taken even more steps on this track with friends for the Christmas Bird Count. Guilt came flooding in when a truck with two young guys came down the gravel road and turned in at this very spot! Needless to say, I apologized and told them that normally, I never do this. They were so pleasant and told us, no problem at all and to go much closer (which I didn't). People like this really help make one's day, so Thank You to these two guys - hope you see the photo of "your" owl : ) The rest of the day, my daughter and I drove mostly roads that we had driven before, except for one short stretch where we found not just one beautiful, old barn, but two. This photo shows the old stables inside the second barn. A similar story in one way, thanks to someone else's kindness. There was one particular barn that I had been wanting to see for a while and after taking photos of it, we noticed another barn close by. We were standing on the road, taking photos from different angles, when a lady riding a horse came in our direction. She called out that we were very welcome to go on the property as it belonged to her - to go in and explore. She apologized that the barn was not in a better state and we told her that we love OLD barns for their character : ) I love it when we happen to come across a land owner, as almost all are friendly people. A Snowshoe Hare hopped across the snow-covered grass, too, just before we left. I think being out with our cameras, driving the backroads, was therapeutic - certainly for me as I could enjoy my daughter's company, and hopefully for her, too.