Canadian symbol in a National Park - 2 trips to Vermillion Lakes

The first picture is of a very large

beaver climbing up onto the land.

My friend Audrey and I went to

Vermillion Lakes and we were thrilled to watch 2 beavers working and swimming....and in the case of this one, climbing up for a scratch and a rest.

The photo of the water shows how they have dammed it.

One woman who stopped to look also said this looked like an Infinity Pool

The picture with the beaver swiming from the right to hte left also shows the ripples of a small muskrat swimming from the left to the right.

He is a lucky tenant of the pool

I think that is a Downy Woodpecker but I do have trouble knowing the difference between a Hairy and a Downy.

We also saw dozens of ruby-crowned kinglets, yellow rumped warblers, and the antics of bufflehead ducks splashing and courting.

Calling all golfers

On Saturday, I went with my friend Audrey, on a birdwalk on the Banff Springs Golf Course....

the only way you would get me on a golf course! if it is closed.

Saw elk, and juncos, geese, but few other birds. Then we went to Vermillion Lakes and saw all sorts of birds (that will be a later blog)

But I thought those of you who are golfers would like to see the vistas on this gorgeous course...(.it is a bit expensive to golf here but if it brings you to visit us that would be great.)

This first shot is of tunnel Mountain

(Sleeping Buffalo Mountain is its real name) and it is called that because a tunnel was planned to go through it but never was constructed. It truly does look like a sleeping buffalo.

The last photo is this mountain again.

Wing or petal? blue and yellow - but not in the sky

I love Irises and Calla Lillies

and Charley brought me both this week. mmmm.

The details of the irises look like feathers and wings to me.

AND an actual flower - outside!

IN BANFF - AT THIS TIME OF YEAR.

A Prairie Crocus, I think. Several of them in the lee of a rock ledge finding what sun and warmth they could.

It has been very! cold this week.
And skies have been grey or cloud filled with snow

And a magpie, with iridescent blue/green wings taking a shower.

Budge in Banff!

How happy the Mojo!

Today I had a wonderful visit from Budge Wilson.

It happened to be Budge's birthday and she and her daughter Glynnis dropped into Banff for the afternoon - after a conference in Lake Louise where Budge was the star of the whole conference with her talk - and on the way to Red Deer where Glynnis lives.

Two Abbey girls together in Banff and yesterday, many Abbey girls in Lunenburg to celebrate Diane's art show.

I feel so happy having had a chance to hug Budge and hear all sorts of news.

too many tulips now my brother will say

My brother teases me that all I post are pictures of deer...or clouds and now he will say all I post are tulips...but 3 snowfalls in 10 days - is it any wonder I want colour?

The snow hasn't stayed long but since Alberta is never a riot of colour - more monochromatic than anything else - I do look for colour where I can.
Pussywillows are by the river.

This morning - bliss!

Gwen D. from Nova Scotia is here in a writing program and she asked "was there anything I wanted from Nova Scotia" before she arrived. I said "my friends" but because they won't fit in your suitcase, I would love an oatcake from Stevereno's. SHE BROUGHT ME 4!!!! and I am delirious with joy.

They are even better than I remember them.

So this morning I got up very early, 5:30, read some of the new Ian McEwan novel, Solar, made a pot of coffee - made from Just Us coffee from Grand Pre - brought to me by darling Janet B. who was here for last week's writing program, and sat and closed my eyes and had great coffee and an oatcake from Stevereno's in front of me.

Then I realized I had to phone my friend Liza H. with whom I almost always went to Stevereno's with on Saturday mornings. So when I heard her voice it was as perfect as it could have been without actually being there. WOW!!!

Yesterday went with Santi and Kathy to Cascade Ponds and Vermillion Lake. Saw Blue winged teals...the small pair in the picture are those.

A miscellany of photos from the past few weeks. I have left out pictures of our last blizzard since the warm, sunny days have melted it from my memory. The last shot though is of rocks - that look like mushrooms - covered with snow

It rained today in Banff. When I say to friends here that it is so rare to see rain in Banff they all reply that "It rained all last summer".

I think it has rained four times in the year and a half that I have been here.

A deer - wet coated from the rain - jaywalking in front of me on The Banff Centre Campus.

And a sure sign of spring - skinny Columbian ground squirrels, out of hibernation, having dug our of their burrows.

One dog phot (sideways!) and a few mountainscapes from a trip to the off-leash Canmore dog park.

I have been taking lots of pictures of tulips and other flowers which I treat myself to from the store - they are as cheap as $2.50 a bunch while everything else in Banff is exorbitantly ten times the usual price - anyway I have been playing with the camera and some of the photos are the results.