View allAll Photos Tagged Calgary
Calgary, a cosmopolitan Alberta city with numerous skyscrapers, owes its rapid growth to its status as the centre of Canada’s oil industry. However, it’s still steeped in the western culture that earned it the nickname “Cowtown,” evident in the Calgary Stampede, its massive July rodeo and festival that grew out of the farming exhibitions once presented here.
An evening view of Downtown Calgary's west end, with the Bow river running down the middle.
This shot isn't SOOC, but has had very little treatment. The color comes from playing around on the white balance settings, plus a nice golden sky to help out :-)
using my car as a tripod I wedged my camera between the mirror and side pillar and balanced it until it started raining.
My fellow storm chaser Brett is in his van shooting through the window
I think this is Clematis virginiana, and there was a lot of it near the Calgary Stampede and Union Cemetery.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
The last Calgary skyline shot for a while. I'm going to wait until the Bow is topped finished on the outside and the cranes are gone before doing any more.
This is a fundraiser for the Calgary Food Bank. All these sculptures, based on the theme of Dr Seuss, were made of non-perishable food items purchased by the competing teams. All the items will be sent to the Calgary Food Bank for distribution to those in need...
Calgary Tower at Night. The new multi-colored LEDs on the tower shine crisply against the dark blue sky
Funny how my down town trips always seem to end up at timmies for coffee :-) a nice place to sit for a while then head off and do some more photos.
Calgary has planted thousands of trees all over the city to create what is know as the urban forest. and it looks great
While Larry was snowshoeing around the West Bragg Creek area, I was on a photowalk in downtown Calgary, nursing a sore knee. These are some of the interesting buildings I noticed
Friday, 25 December 2020: Christmas Day. The temperature is -4C (windchill -6C) just after noon. Sunrise is at 8:39 am, and sunset is at 4:34 pm. A few days ago, our world turned to white - again, but this time with more snow than I have seen for a long time. Apparently, 20-40 cms of snow fell in Calgary. Definitely a White Christmas for us here. Stay safe, everyone!
Ten days ago, on 15 December 2020, it was the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the High River area, south of Calgary. The Nanton Count used to be my favourite, but it no longer exists. Now, the High River Count is my favourite one, so I was really disappointed to not take part in it this time.
This year, I will not be taking part in any of the Counts, partly because I feel that with participant numbers being limited, the people with the very best birding skills should be the ones who go. I would feel very selfish if I took up a place. Also, being unable to carpool, there is no way I would be able to drive in the dark, with lousy night vision, at the beginning and end of the day. These wonderful day outings will be missed SO much and, of course, I will miss out on all the precious photo opportunities that I would be able to happily use. Instead, though, I can always go for a few drives out of the city on my own, depending on the weather.
Which is exactly what I did ten days ago. My car was on the road by 9:30 am and I covered part of the Count route, plus various other roads. No visits to any of the farms, though. In fact, I ended up driving much further than I had intended.
The clouds in one direction were simply mesmerising and lasted for several hours. When I first arrived at my 'starting point', I thought there must be a fire somewhere in the distance, sending two billowing clouds upwards between the horizon and the 'ceiling' of the Chinook Arch. Very slowly, the two patches of cloud changed their shape and eventually turned into just ordinary little clouds that would never catch the eye. I have never seen anything like it before, with two pillars of Lenticular clouds that were stacked on top of each other. At the end of the show, the pillar on the right had thinned at the bottom and widened hugely at the top, forming what looked like an Anvil cloud. The bright light around each pillar was dazzling. Luckily, I found an old, very distant barn/shed to include in a photo, and a row of metal silos to include in other captures.
Some of my photos are not as sharp as I would have liked, partly because I zoomed in so much and also because they were taken from inside my vehicle in order to avoid getting in and out constantly. That was supposed to put less strain on my painful knee and my shoulder rotator cuff pain. Still happy to have some photo memories of such an almost magical experience.
Feeling relaxed and content as I started my drive home, I was delighted to see an unexpected bird in the distance, perched high up on a power pole. It was a beautiful Prairie Falcon, who just sat there while I took photos through the windshield.
In the end, I just gave in and climbed out of my car to take a few extra shots. I hadn't realized how windy it was until I got out and stood against my vehicle. The bird was still sitting there when I left. As far as other birds were concerned, all I saw were two Black-billed Magpies and three small flocks of tiny birds. Suspect the first two flocks were probably House Sparrows. Not sure what the third flock was.
An enjoyable day, out in big sky countryside, hardly a soul to be seen anywhere (other than friend, Jim, who was doing the same as I was doing after he had finished his Count area). Some familiar barns/sheds and a fascinating old homestead that I had first discovered on 25 January 2020, completed the day.
Calgarys early hospital glad these walls are still here its important to keep the heritage alive. i found some information on an amazing site that I have linked to.
Until 1983, the Calgary Tower was the tallest building in Calgary. The 627-foot tower, was built to celebrate Canada's centennial. Back in 2005, the Calgary Tower added the absolutely thrilling glass floor, that lets you, literally stand above 9 Ave.
During the most recent Olympic Games, the tower's cauldron would light up in celebration everytime Canada scored a gold metal.
Calgary, Alberta Canada