How can we not enjoy winter here? The big storm that hit Calgary and much of Alberta missed Banff - though it is cold. But the town always looks like a Christmas postcard every day in the winter....a very long winter which began October 8th. I remember because we had a blizzard the Thursday before Thanksgiving and it continues. Thank goodness it is beautiful.

The air is so clear and crisp (not to mention dry) that the colours are lovely. Pink sky, very blue sky,

And these two deer sit this morning across the street from our apt. and I watch them as I have my coffee.

Details

Red rosehip meets red fire hydrant - the rare colour in our winter grey landscape (rare drear - as Alberta is one of the sunniest places in Canada). The colour of fire these sparks in this day's walk.

I have looked long at the mountains, the huge skys, the unending plains (when I am out of the valley) and I realize that I see massive vistas, gigantic ranges of mountains - unending views of immensity.

So I have lately concentrated on detail, the intense view of looking at the minute.

Just as majestic but miniature.

But I did have to include an evening photo of Cascade mountain during a snowfall

November

I am walking through mists and memory.

It is early Saturday morning and I walk through the grey, wraiths of cloud.

November is a month of remembrance. Remembrance of war and its terrible losses and of my Father landing in D-Day and of my mother serving in the British Auxiliary Territorial Service.

Remembrance of our youngest brother, Timothy, born November 22nd, who died almost seven years ago.

I am caught by a bird call, I stop and look to the trunk of the tree just inches from me. A white-breasted nuthatch sits and talks at me, pivots its head to look at me.

Banff is a long way from family and friends and Banff is closer to Timothy.

I walk and walk.

Snow moving in and covering my clear skies.

The sky. It is a wonder I do not fall flat on my face every day since I am always looking up.

And I started to carry my camera with me everywhere again and I took sky photos this week.

Moon in the daytime & moon at night. But it started to snow this morning onthe heels of a chinook and now it is grey and snowy.

This post is for Liza and Wilbur - Raven with Mount Rundle in the background Wind sweeping the snow off

my walk up and my walk at lunch

These first photos are from this morning's walk up to work.

The deer have begun to come back into town for the winter and the snow keeps coming every week now. One morning I saw a coyote eyeing a mother mule deer and her twin young deer, the coyote disappeared when it saw me.

When you see Santiago puppy dog on the road - the pictures from that photo on are of our walk at lunch time - Santi, her mummy and me. It was a lovely walk up Tunnel Mountain Road which is ALREADY closed for the winter - which is very nice for walking but rather shocking that it was closed even before Thanksgiving when the first snowstorm came. The views are spectacular on that walk.

Some of the photos, because of the light and shadow, look like etchings, particularly the 2nd last photo which is of Rundle Mountain.

I am still enthralled with the mountains....hope you don't tire of my many photos of mountains, deer and sky.

Fall