Birds Hill Park Sunset

 On Friday evening the drama in the sky looked promising for a good sunset so we headed over to Cooks Creek, just a 10 minute drive away.  I wanted to get a picture of the old church and the skies looked like they would provide a beautiful backdrop.  Unbeknownst to us the grounds to the church are locked up during the week and only open during the weekends.  On to plan B.

Birds Hill Park is on the way home so we decided to take a drive over and see what opportunities might present themselves.  On the way over we drove through a sun shower and just as we were entering the park gates a double rainbow appeared.  I hustled across the highway, camera in hand, and got a shot before driving on into the park.

We decided to park at the East Beach to take advantage of a well treed causeway that divides the beach area from a large pond surrounded by bull rushes, wild grasses and brush.  I still want to get to this area for sun rise as the bull rushes are often populated by redwing blackbirds and would be a good opportunity to get some bird closeups with the 600mm.  I'll wait for September when sunrise isn't so ungodly early.  

We were greeted by a beautiful sunset and the opportunities below were there for the taking. 

Note to self.  After getting caught in a rain shower, no matter how good a job you think you do in protecting the lens from rain, always clean the glass.  I didn't notice it at the time but when I got home and checked the pictures on the computer I had to remove up to 30 spots per picture.  That in addition to a dirty sensor make for heavy use of the erasure tool.  

The glow from golden hour was just too fabulous to pass up.  

Another couple of golden hour shots.

The golden hour gets its name for a good reason.

It was a magical evening.  Felt I was at a remote lake in Northern Manitoba when in actual fact I was only a 5 minute drive from home.  Just needed the Loons to start calling.

Its interesting how once the sun is below the horizon the light is reflected back up  into the clouds and then back down into the water.  

The best light is usually just after sunset.  The end of golden hour and the beginning of blue hour.  Gotta be ready cause the best light only lasts a few minutes if your lucky.  

Thats it for the sunset at BHP.  We did make it back to Cooks Creek on Sunday just before a thunder storm so those pictures will be up next.  

Till then. 

A Rose in the rain

A few weeks ago we visited Assiniboine Park with our friends Debbie and Don.  A walk in the garden followed by a wonderful lunch in the restaurant.  Tables appropriately spaced. 

The English Garden at Assiniboine Park presented me with a wide array of floral beauty.  This is just one shot of many.  

A rose in the rain courtesy of my imagination.  

Stay tuned for more garden shots. 

Picket Post - Feeling creative

 This morning I decided to reach back into my archive of pictures from this past winter and found a collection from some of our hikes around Picket Post mountain.  It is truly one of my favourite hikes as the variety in the scenery and terrain always makes for an interesting hike.  It takes you up and around the side of the mountain on an easily traversed path through cactus, sand, gravel and all varieties of brush.  That turns into a walk through tall grasses and saplings which reach well overhead creating the feel of travelling through a tunnel.  Soon you come to a creek bed which we follow for a few miles having to make frequent crossings.  Towering Cottonwoods line the creek creating the feel of walking through a forest and not at all like a desert hike.  We frequently pass a small heard of cattle munching on the grass growing on the banks of the creek.  One one occasion, around Christmas if memory serves, we decided to head out on this hike after a few days of rain.  We only got as far as the first creek crossing as the usual method of crossing by hopping from one flat, hopefully stable, rock to another was not available to us.  The creek had turned into a torrent of water, easily 3 feet deep and ripping new paths out of the creek bed.  If one persists the trail is about a 9 mile hike and takes you from the creek and up and around the other side of the mountain.  We didn't make the whole loop this year but have in the past and its a real workout.  

We took this hike a number of times this past year from November right through into the late winter.  Often during the early morning but also a few late afternoons to catch the better light.  The different conditions led to some interesting shots and I let my creative juices flow on a few of the pictures below.  

Enjoy. 

The trail follows a fence line meant to keep the cattle in certain parts of the desert.  We had to pass through a number of gates and have to make sure we close and latch them once were through.

This was a shot taken late in the afternoon on a beautiful day in November.  We went out to catch the last of the beautiful fall gold colours.  The creek was almost dry at this point but a month of so later it was a torrent of water. 

This day we got out early and the sun was just breaking over Picket Post.  Apparently the mountain got its name back in the day when the US soldiers would have to haul all their supplies up the mountain to keep watch for invading Mexicans or Indians.  I think the story regarding who the invaders were changes depending who you ask.  

Thats it for today.  Stay tuned

Canola field and a thunder storm

 On our last trip back from Swan River, July 13, we left with the truck loaded with the last of Lori's mom's possessions.  The box was full and although the forecast was for sunny skies I had bought a heavy duty tarp to secure the load in the event of inclement weather.  Good thing as the skies got dark and the winds picked up 90 minutes into our 6 hour drive. The deluge began just before we got into Dauphin and I had to slow down to abut 60 kph so the wipers could keep up.  After about 20 minutes of driving we got ahead of the storm and were presented with an opportunity to combine the yellow canola fields with a backdrop of angry dark clouds.  Too good an opportunity to pass up.  

Lori and Charli cooled their heals while I pulled over and ran to the edge of a Canola field to get some pictures.  Besides I needed to check the tarp. Or so the story goes.  I snapped away until the wind started to pick up and large rain drops started to fall.  With the storm catching up to us I headed back to the truck as fast as my gimpy knees would carry me.  As the rain started pelting the truck we high tailed it east and drove another 30 minutes or so.  Ahead of the storm once again I was presented with more Canola fields.  Pulled over again.  This time Lori was a little less enthused however Charli and I both needed to find a bush to water so looks of mild irritation slowly melted into resignation.  

I had been waiting for the Canola to get to full bloom and given that every second field in Manitoba seems to be sown to Canola I had lots to choose from. I had been searching for a flax field as well but in all of our travels up to Swan and back and drives around Oakbank I did not see one field of Flax.  Perhaps next year I can get a yellow field of Canola next to a bright blue Flax field. 

The fields were beautiful and lush and the clouds were angry and full of furry.  A nice combination.  A good opportunity to add a bolt of lightning.

The hills in the background, almost obliterated by the coming storm clouds, is Riding Mountain National Park.  We have camping reservations for the last 2 weeks of September which will be our last major outing before winter sets in, which, as it stands right now, we are going to have to endure this year.  

No twisters in these skies but we have had a few this year and one took the lives of 2 young adults when their truck was caught and thrown from the roadway into a field.  A sad testament to the power of mother nature. 

Was happy to find some wild flowers growing in the ditch.  Makes for a nice foreground.

Back home and a beautiful double (just faintly visible) rainbow.  Shot was taken from the field  behind our house. 

Thats all for today.  Stay tuned.  

And now for that lived in look.

I see that I have been away for awhile.  I didn't mean to take such an extended break but life takes its own direction sometimes and getting back on track is not always so easily done.   

I'll start off once again with a few more shots from our summer travels.  We have been up to Swan River a number of times this summer and along the way there are a few old houses right off the highway.  I have always meant to stop and try to capture what remains of their story before they truly fall to the ground and here are some of the images.  These are a little different than what I usually shoot and I have tried to process some of them with more of a gritty feel although given my love of the saturation slider I can't quite bring myself to eliminate some of the vibrant colours.  

Would have been interesting to get some shots from the inside however given the dilapidated state these houses are in it would not have been the best of decisions.  Besides that "No Trespassing" and "Stay Out" signs were everywhere. 

I'm thinking that back in the day this was a great high school party hangout.  

Even though any coat of paint has long since been worn away the patina of the natural wood provides some very bold colours with only a little help from the editor.  

After all these years some of the windows still have a few broken panes of glass. Should of had Lori peeking in the back window.  

The back wall and part of the roof have fallen in.  I've got to think that the rest of the house won't be far behind. 

   

This is a composition.  I'll leave it up to you to figure out what I added to the scene that wasn't there when I took the shot.  

Have a few more trips to document.  The English Garden at Assiniboine Park, a trip to Hecla and my latest fascination of shooting wheat and canola fields, some with thunder clouds hanging around.   With harvest in full swing I was actually out today walking through a wheat field trying to give the combines a wide birth.  I got a smile and a wave from one of the farmers so I guess I wasn't a nuisance. 

Stay tuned.