I Love Clouds. I love thunder storms

Today a blue sky (rare these days) was obscured as a thunderstorm rushed into the valley. I love thunder and lightening, so I wasn't sad to have a short storm visit Banff.

 You would think it was November from the grey skies and big clouds....we have had a bit of sunshine and a day or two of warm weather...but far more grey than great. Except I love atmospheric skies of huge clouds. We even had snow on the mountains in the last week. But enough is enough, let's have summer.

Portraits of puppy dogs at the river

 The Bow River really is this colour of turquoise with the 'rock flour' (minerals) in the water as the spring melt begins. We have had lots of doggie adventures in the past few weeks. Our friend Zoya has been joining Elli and I on our days of walks and dog park visit. Yesterday we were all exhausted after more than 3 hours of walking and play. The forecast for the weekend is cold and rain/snow, so we were very lucky to have lovely days for our adventures.

 Was also bird-watching with my friend Audrey - and we were at the Warner Horse Stables and saw killdeer and cinnamon teal and our at Vermillion we saw mergansers and horn-billed grebes.

Yes, it snowed today and it is cold but ....look at this sky full of clouds. How beautiful.

winter delights

This magpie photo was taken before Christmas on a brilliant blue sky day, as was the second photo taken along the Bow River path. Lately we have had very grey skies (especially in the mornings) expected for the deep of winter but not as cheering for the soul as the famous Alberta blue sky winter days. Today, January 4th, my friend Sylvie and I went to the horse stables area for a good walk with the dogs. Chilly but not bone-chilling as it is predicted to be later tonight and for a few days. Tsoya (sp?) and Elli love to go for adventures together and they cetainly had fun this morning snuffling in the snow and trying to decipher scents and find tunneling creatures under the drifts of snow. The horses don't spend the winter at the Banff stables - they all go to winter homes and return in the spring. The coyotes have the run of the place in the winter and I was glad we didn't see any this morning. The last two photos are back in town. A vista of Cascade mountain from town - then Ariel (golden lab) and Elli and I walking one morning with Charley !!!! 

details

The bride, the bridesmaids, the matron of honour, and the mother of the bride, all wore cowboy boots.

And the wedding wasn't even in Alberta!

 The flower-girl wore these.

 We walked through the beautiful woods to the site where the wedding was held. The bride came down a very long flight of stairs at the location of the wedding.

 Bridesmaids, matron-of-honour & flower girl. Sorry I didn't get the boots in this picture.

                                                         Husband and wife

She danced all night and was adorable.

                                                       Jess's gown was exquisite - just as she is.

                                           Silly fun on the dance floor later that night with glow sticks.
                    James is SO handsome and this picture shows his sense of humour not his handsomeness.

                                           Justin - my youngest nephew.

          One of the few pictures of Charley not on a ladder hanging lights. He looks like a member of the Mafia. He is escorting Elena, the "droapkie" cook expert.

Preparations for a Wedding! Such fun.

Charley and Jennifer (family friend) learn to make "droapkie" (no idea how it is spelled but this is how it sounds) from Elena, (cousin of groom's mom) and expert at "droapkie" making. She is a surgeon - her other expertise - so you can be sure the results are superb. These confections are tubes of puff pastry filled with cream.

Minus the cream - the tubes of pastry are waiting.

The wedding was held in a frest about an hour and a half north-east of Toronto. Beautiful setting, the autumn leaves golden and luminous with sparks of red. This is the calvacade of cars heading to the reception centre to set up the room for the following day's wedding.

 The lovely room before the work is done

 Fearless Charley up the ladder hanging the paper lanterns.

 Lavender for the centreplace decorations on the table.

 Groomsman, Ryan - hatted - and two of my fabulous nephews, The Groom - James on the right, Mike, in the middle.

 My neice, Helen, of whom I always say "I want to be Helen when I grow up."

 Refreshments - Anderson style- always an abundance - as with the food, we always want to have enough! Rest assured we had enough and there were leftovers for return.

 Love is indeed sweet. I am so happy to have had such a long and wonderful visit with my family, and to attend the wedding of James and Jess.

My next post will have a few photos of the wedding in the forest.