View allAll Photos Tagged Weather-Forecast
Had time to actually bake a dessert tonight. Since the weather forecast calls for some pretty wintry weather 'round these parts, I decided I'd skip the usual winter sweets flavors of gingerbreads and whatnot and go with something that could at least pass for summery. Had a few blood oranges left in the 'fridge, which translated into these: glazed mini orange poundcakes with blood orange curd (at least in part because I can pretty much do poundcakes with my eyes closed, since they're inherently equal parts by weight butter, sugar, egg, and flour.)
Set up my camera on a tripod and built up the elements of the shot in the viewfinder to get the composition here. I’m pretty happy with it overall, but I think there’s probably something I could have done to punch up the foreground a little bit more. Still pondering that one, since I didn’t come up with anything I liked while I was fiddling with it.
Didn't make an explicit note of my flash power levels, but the idea was to light from behind with a strobe in my octabox, with a second strobe above and in front to fill shadows, bounced off a white umbrella. Nikon D7000 w/Nikkor 50mm ƒ/1.8 prime, 1/250s @ ƒ/8, ISO100. Color processing in Aperture and Nik Viveza, but pretty close to the straight-out-of-camera image.
Ingredients
For the cakes
8 oz. sugar
8 oz. butter (just a bit colder than room temperature)
4 large eggs
8 oz. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
finely grated zest of 2 oranges (reserve juice for curd)
For the blood orange curd
1/3 c. blood orange juice
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. Grand Marnier
2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
3 tbl. butter, cut into small pieces and frozen
finely grated zest of one orange
For the glaze
1/2 c. confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. Grand Marnier
milk
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two mini loaf pans or a single 8"x5" loaf pan.
Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixer until light in color and fluffy. Add the salt and orange zest. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition until incorporated and scraping down the mixer bowl before adding the next egg. Fold in the flour until no streaks of dry flour remain. Fill your loaf pans and bake until a skewer inserted near the center comes out clean. For my mini loaf pans, this was about a 50 minute bake time, a normal sized pan will likely take 10-15 minutes longer.
Remove from the oven, and let cool completely on a wire rack (you can remove them from the loaf pans pretty much immediately.)
While the cakes cool, make the curd. Combine the sugar, juice, and Grand Marnier in a saucepan and place over low heat. Put the eggs and yolk in a mixing bowl and whisk them smooth. When the juice begins to simmer and the sugar has dissolved, slowly pour about half of it into the eggs, whisking constantly, to temper the eggs. Pour the eggs into the saucepan and continue cooking over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens almost to a pudding consistency, 5-6 minutes. Do not allow it to boil or it will curdle. The final temperature will be about 190°F. Remove from the heat, add the zest, and whisk in the frozen butter a few pieces at a time until all the butter is incorporated. Pour into a container, cover, and place in the fridge. It will continue to set as it cools, but if it behaves like my batch did it will likely stay a just-pourable consistency rather than a spreadable one.
To make the glaze, combine the confectioner's sugar and Grand Marnier with just enough milk to make a thin glaze (it won't take much; work in just a few drips at a time.) The glaze will set quickly, so when you get a good temperature drizzle the glaze over the poundcakes and let it set up.
Serve slices of poundcake at room temperature, topped with the curd.
The weather forecast wasn't looking favorable for viewing the eclipse so I didn't go anywhere special. We just happened to have a brief clearing in the clouds and I grabbed a couple of shots off of my patio. My neighbor had their patio light on so I was fighting light pollution. Not the sharpest but astrophotography isn't my strong point so I'm happy with these.
Let's get some light in this stream :)
A recent Radio Norfolk weather forecast was distinctly... unusual :) Coming after a news report of Kim Jong Un's squawkings, it departed from normal to begin "East wind, rain" :) Someone in the studio has a mischievous sense of humour - but all who have heard the horrendous Becky Betts know such subtleties are wasted at Millennium Plain :)
Wind was in the air. I had been thinking about Walter Baldwin, whose story was told in the "Parson's Tale" picture. That had reminded me of Donald's fine photograph of the haunting graffiti at Ashwell church, written at the end of the Black Death. There are various translations - the inscriptions are barely literate - but this seems the most commonly accepted:
"There was a plague 1000, three times 100, five times 10,
Miserable, wild, distracted, the dregs of the people alone survive to bear witness and in the end
a mighty wind, Maurus, thunders in this year in the world, 1361"
Half the people of England died in 1349-50. There was a final flare-up in 1361 which carried off a fifth more, and a devastating hurricane on St Maur's day of that year - coincidentally the saint who gives my family its name. It was a trauma that changed the way people lived and thought: The exact results varied in different parts of Europe, but everywhere there was a changed conception of the individual and his relationship to God, nature, society and himself - a new sense of the preciousness and dignity of the human person. The Black Death - the focus of a terrible century of economic chaos, climate change and conflict - was the hidden foundation of the Renaissance, the Reformation, the scientific revolution. Of our world.
And that made me think of Sherlock Holmes :) The brilliant historian Barbara Tuckman argues that we are in our own 14th century: Another vast catastrophe whose results will transform everything and which began in 1914. Conan Doyles' "His Last Bow" - chronologically the final Holmes story - is set in the August of that terminal summer and ends with the dialogue which gives this picture its title. Here it is, word for word, inimitably performed by Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce :)
Doyle's real meaning - the subtext to this - was only peripherally patriotic. He believed human consciousness would be raised to a higher level by the coming world crisis, which he knew would be far longer than the Great War itself. And such things hold true in the personal too: It blows damned cold, but it's God's own wind :)
Oh - and I'm not making any point beyond that you never know the consequences of things :) I might be even scarcer than usual, but I'll be back before too long - and I've got a lot of replying to do :)
Near Burnham Overy Staithe, Norfolk. Nikon FM2n, Asuma f2.8 28mm, Foma 400, orange filter.
Well, the weather forecast for Kananaskis for yesterday, 24 September 2019, was not exactly accurate - sun, with cloud in the afternoon. They kind of forgot to mention the strong wind, light rain .... and SNOW! For a few minutes, it was one kind of weather, then a few more minutes of a different kind, repeated throughout the afternoon.
Our temperatures are falling - forecast for rain tomorrow, rain and snow the next day, then two days of snow with temps down to 0C and -1C. What a way to celebrate the first few days of fall. The expected snow will probably remove quite a few of the golden leaves, so I wanted anther chance to see and photograph them while I had the chance.
The sky was blue when I set out yesterday morning and I felt quite hopeful. When I go to Kananaskis, I always go south from the city. I had no idea where I would be going, but I knew that it wouldn't be as far as I would have liked. As it turned out, I had a few surprises along the way, so it was a real mixed day of photo opportunities - my favourite kind of day.
After stopping to take a few scenic shots on the way to the main highway through Kananaskis, I eventually reached the area where the American Pikas live. I really lucked out almost straight away, as the only few photos I took were when one Pika showed itself, and that was within maybe ten minutes. By this time, the wind was strong and it was snowing, and it was cold! Time to get out of there, as the scree slope is treacherous enough on a calm, clear day.
Driving further north, I was delighted to see a convoy of maybe a dozen beautiful old cars heading in my direction. Couldn't resist, so I followed them when they turned off into a small picnic area. I asked if I could take a few quick photos and they were happy enough for me to do that. One car owner did comment about blurry photos because of the falling snow, but surprisingly my photos came out sharp enough.
Further on, I made a quick stop at another pull-off and was happy to notice a few mushrooms. When I turned around to head for home, I was even happier. I pulled over to take a photo of one of the mountain peaks. One tiny white speck in the distance, just off the road, caught my eye. When I went to check it out, I found myself staring at a little group of Shaggy Mane/Ink Cap mushrooms. The largest one had already started the process of curling up the rim of its cap and dripping a black ink. So much rain this year has resulted in such an amazing fungi season.
Much closer to home, I decided to take a side road that has such beautiful hill and mountain views. An old wooden barn was a welcome surprise - I don't remember seeing this one before.
So, a lovely day out, driving 320 km, with such a mixture of weather and sightings. So glad I did decide to go - as usual, a very last minute decision, but basically, I just need to grab my cameras and go : )
The weather forecast suggested that we would have a few clouds this morning. Perfect! They'll add interest to the sky for sunrise. So I got up early (take that! wicked magnetic force in my bed) and headed to a local park. Unfortunately, the few clouds in the sky were along the horizon, blocking the rising sun
Monday, 14 June 2021: our temperature is PLUS 21C (windchill PLUS 22C) just after 10:00 am. Expected to reach a high of 31C this afternoon, with a risk of strong thunderstorms developing. We are still under a Heat Warning. Sunrise is at 5:21 am, and sunset is at 9:51 pm. Sunny.
Luckily, the weather forecast for 11 June 2021 was good, as I just had to escape from the banging and drilling noise that is created by the workmen still repairing my building. On top of that, there was additional banging and drilling as a different repair company came to my neighbours' homes to start repairs on ceiling damage caused by a leaking dishwasher. Most unfortunate for both families! Walls are thin enough that noise from one home is heard in others. Anyway, I had a great day out, quiet and rewarding. Sunny, though the wind increased as the day went on and the further south I travelled. A total of 254 km driven this day.
All the roads were ones that I had driven before, apart from one short back road. Bird sightings made for a great day, even though they were all familiar species. A Red-winged Blackbird - surprise, surprise! - was the first bird to be seen, followed by three Wilson's Snipe, all perched on fence posts.
A Bobolink was one of the highlights of the day for me. Perched on a fence post, singing its little heart out, it gave me a chance to take a short video. Of course, the bird would have to land on a fence post (seen in the video) that had rather annoying, long blades of grass across its face, ha. I didn't want to restart my car and reverse to get a slightly better view, in case the bird flew. Hearing their song is such a delight. After looking at many Bobolink photos on Google, I think the beak of the bird I photographed must have some kind of deformity on the lower mandible. If that is the case, then I suspect this bird is the same individual that I photographed last year, at exactly the same place.
Before heading further south, I caught sight of a very distant bird of prey, perched on a fence post. I will need help to identify what kind it was. After quite a drive, I almost missed two Swainson's Hawks that were on fence posts, with a couple of bare posts in between them. Unable to stop in time, I cautiously reversed, expecting that both would fly off. Luckily, they both stayed and I was able to get a few photos - such beautiful birds. Came across a pair of Mountain Bluebirds along the same road.
Of course, seeing a few favourite silos and a barn or two makes any day special. By the time, I reached the silos, though, the wind had picked up and it was all I could do to take a few quick shots. A few photos were taken from the road, looking down on the Bar U Ranch. Later in the summer, I will hopefully visit the whole ranch again.
Heading eastwards, I returned to the city via the south-east. Eastern and Western Kingbirds, plus a few 'regulars', added to the enjoyment of the day.
The Munich weather forecast for today was for fine weather up until late afternoon followed by snow overnight. That was wrong! I woke up to snowfall and the snow continued throughout the day. Unlike in the UK though, the Bavarians are prepared for - and more used to snow and life carried on as normal. I was intending to go and visit the concentration camp memorial at Dachau today, but because of the weather I switched plans to visit museums. I visited the Alte, Neue and Moderne Pinakotheken - and enjoyed them in probably the same order. There was a short walk from the museums to the Theresienstrasse U-Bahn where I got a bit wet, but after descending into the public transport system it was pretty dry all the way back to Donnerbergsbrücke, the S-Bahn Station near to where I’m staying. A leisurely visit to the Edeka supermarket and a sneaky purchase of an Apfelkamm (a sticky apple donut type affair) and it was back to the digs to dry off. Pictured is the view from Donnnersbergsbrücke station looking back towards the Hauptbahnhof.
...snow and then will be bitter cold the next few days. So winter has arrived. This is the view from inside our screened porch. The little Japanese Maple looks lovely covered in snow in the light of the floodlamp.
Hopefully not too much snow...the snow blower is at the shop having a tuneup! Some timing!
The weather forecast suggested mist but a change of plan was rewarded with a great sunrise over Curbar Edge.
Press L to view on black please.
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I had checked the weather forecast the preceding night before going to bed and recognized a scenario unfolding that often leads to spectacular sunrises over Lake Ontario here in Grimsby, Ontario. I got up well before dawn, checked the weather again, and the hoped-for scenario was still holding. I dressed warmly, grabbed the gear and headed over to one of my favourite spots, Kelson Beach at Fifty Point, and settled in on the beach awaiting dawn. I was not disappointed as one of the more spectacular sunrises in the past few months unfolded. As you can see from the ice collars formed on the posts that make up the groynes, it was cold here. A bonus was a large driftwood tree that had been beached in just the right position and orientation to be a useful foreground element in the composition. I wound up shooting with numb fingers, an occupational hazard if you want to get this type of image, I guess. The other interesting feature at this shoot was the frost that had formed on the sand. The result was a frosty outline on all the footprints of people who had visited this spot before me. The shoreline at the right is Grimsby and above the town part of the Niagara Escarpment is visible. The sunrise show lasted about ½ hour and then became too washed-out for my liking, my signal to thaw my fingers and get a warm beverage. - JW
Date Taken: 2016-01-08
Tech Details:
Taken using a tripod-mounted Nikon D7100 fitted with a Nikkor 12-24mm lense set to 12mm, ISO100, Manual WB set to daylight, Aperture priority mode, f/7.1, 3 sec with an EV-2.0 exposure bias to keep the bright horizon from getting blown out (based on test exposure). PP in free Open Source RAWTherapee from Nikon RAW/NEF source file: scale image to 9000x6000, set WB to 5200K, over-ride automatic exposure 'correction' and reduce exposure to 1.0 x camera value, enable Graduated Neutral Density filter and adjust strength to get a good balance between sky and foreground tonal values (more like how I saw it), enable highlight-shadow control and significantly recover highlights to preserve bright horizon details and then boost shadow recovery to just begin to bring out backlit groyne details, boost vibrance slightly, boost contrast slightly, enable sharpening, enable micro-contrast, enable noise reduction, save. PP in free Open Source GIMP: modify the tone curve by fixing a point about 25% down from the top right (white) point and then pull up the brighter section to pull up the brightness of the bright areas I the sky, sharpen, save, scale image to 6000x4000 (my preferred size for prepping images intended for online posting), add fine black and white frame, add bar and text on left, scale to 1800 wide for posting.
Our weather forecast for today, 6 July 2019, from the Weather Network:
"A multi-day severe storm threat looms for the Prairies. This weekend is ripe with storm risk, with Saturday's thunderstorms set to fire for the afternoon and evening, along with some tornado chance on the table for southern Alberta -- something visitors to the Calgary Stampede should keep an eye on."
This morning, 6 July 2019, I am posting 7 more photos taken three days ago, on a drive south to Frank Lake. Yet again, when I checked the weather forecast, it said continuing rain for day after day after day. However, the sun was shining when I decided to drive south. The clouds were sufficiently photogenic for me to change my plans and, instead of calling in at the Saskatoon Farm, I drove straight to the Lake.
The previous time I was at Frank Lake, there was one Coot, two Canada Geese, and a Red-winged and a Yellow-headed Blackbird. Two days ago, it was so much better! The Barn Swallows were there, having built their nest a few feet away from their previous nest site. The Eared Grebes had their tiny, adorable babies, sometimes riding on their back, other times swimming separately. Same thing with the Coots - some had very young babies; others had somewhat older youngsters. One Coot adult and baby were walking in thick mud, searching for food. They both looked such a mess, as if they had rolled in the mud. A pair of Western Grebes could be seen far in the distance.
The sky began to change - the white clouds were taken over by rather menacing black ones and it became windy and the rain started. I really didn't want to drive back home on the very busy highway in pouring rain, but after waiting and hoping for it to end, I eventually had no choice but to risk it. As it turned out, there was hardly any traffic going north.
It has been raining on and off for something like three weeks now, and everyone is tired of the rain. The famous 9-day Calgary Stampede runs from 5-14 July this year and rain during Stampede makes things so unpleasant! Judging by my Stampede photos posted on Flickr, I haven't been since 2013, when I went with my daughter - surely it hasn't been that long? I know I haven't been the last few years, as it was feeling just too much to deal with. Happy to be away from the huge masses of people and the sickening smell of grease, ha, ha! Of course, not going means not getting any mini-donuts, too. Happy Stampeding, everyone! May the sun shine ....
Luckily, the weather forecast for the day before yesterday, 11 June 2021, was good, as I just had to escape from the banging and drilling noise that is created by the workmen still repairing my building. On top of that, there was additional banging and drilling as a different repair company came to my neighbours' homes to start repairs on ceiling damage caused by a leaking dishwasher. Most unfortunate for both families! Walls are thin enough that noise from one home is heard in others. Anyway, I had a great day out, quiet and rewarding. Sunny, but the wind increased as the day went on and the further south I travelled. A total of 254 km driven this day.
All the roads were ones that I had driven before, apart from one short back road. Bird sightings made for a great day, even though they were all familiar species. A Red-winged Blackbird - surprise, surprise! - was the first bird to be seen, followed by three Wilson's Snipe, all perched on fence posts.
A Bobolink was one of the highlights of the day for me. Perched on a fence post, singing its little heart out, it gave me a chance to take a short video. Of course, the bird would have to land on a fence post (seen in the video) that had rather annoying, long blades of grass across its face, ha. I didn't want to restart my car and reverse to get a slightly better view, in case the bird flew. Hearing their song is such a delight. After looking at many Bobolink photos on Google, I think the beak of the bird I photographed must have some kind of deformity on the lower mandible. If that is the case, then I suspect this bird is the same individual that I photographed last year, at exactly the same place.
Before heading further south, I caught sight of a very distant bird of prey, perched on a fence post. I will need help to identify what kind it was. After quite a drive, I almost missed two Swainson's Hawks that were on fence posts, with a couple of bare posts in between them. Unable to stop in time, I cautiously reversed, expecting that both would fly off. Luckily, they both stayed and I was able to get a few photos - such beautiful birds. Came across a pair of Mountain Bluebirds along the same road.
Of course, seeing a few favourite silos and a barn or two makes any day special. By the time, I reached the silos, though, the wind had picked up and it was all I could do to take a few quick shots. A few photos were taken from the road, looking down on the Bar U Ranch. Later in the summer, I will hopefully visit the whole ranch again.
Heading eastwards, I returned to the city via the south-east. Eastern and Western Kingbirds, plus a few 'regulars', added to the enjoyment of the day.
Seeing the weather forecast this morning I took everything I needed to go straight to Ham Wall after work. Saw 2 or 3 decent Great White Egret flights and also a distant cuckoo. Lots of booming bitterns but no sightings today.
Weather forecast to be decent again tomorrow. What to do - cycle to Ham Wall for who knows what or take a trip out for butterflies and orchids?
This can go Large - nice detail in the wing feathers.
The weather forecast says that there will be heavy snowfall around the New Year's Day, so I won't be able to ride my Moulton for a while.
(I can still ride my Rivendell shod with studded tires, so that's OK)
Nagano, Japan
長野県 大桑村
The weather forecasters last night said Toronto would get just 1-3cm, a light dusting of snow this morn. I woke up to this winter wonderland and birds chirping and flying all around.
The one on the left is an American Goldfinch, I think, but I don't know what the one on the right is.
Senior Airmen Brian Colt Gass monitors the air space and weather conditions around the Geronimo landing zone March 14, 2014, at the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, La. Service members participating in JRTC 14-05 are educated in combat patient care and aeromedical evacuation in a simulated combat environment. Gass is a combat controller with the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron at McChord Air Force Base, Wash. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John R. Nimmo Sr./Released)
The weather forecast was good and it was a Bank holiday Monday so I took a chance for a day out on the ESR having ducked out of the gala the previous weekend due to abysmal weather. The only engine in steam was the recently restored Ivatt 46447 but I had a few hours of lovely chocolate box sunny photography. The East Somerset is a very difficult line to photograph on running East West with few vantage points on the sunny side of the line. Best photography to be had in the earliest trains of the day before the sun moves off the front of the east facing engines.
Meteo Station
Dry rope - Sun
Wet rope - Rain
Moving rope - Wind
Rigid rope - Frost
White rope - Snow
Invisible rope - Fog or drink less
Gales forecast, but it looks as though the west coast will bear the brunt of this one, the harbour is filling up with fishing boats seeking shelter.
My choice of viewpoint is driven by the need to keep the camera in the dry,
Scrabster Harbour, Caithness, Scotland.
"This is a genuine Peruvian weather forecast tool made from the finest Welsh wool in Canada." Said Paddington.
"How does it work? It looks so pretty." asked Bertie.
"You hang it outside on a nail. When you check it, if it is wet it is raining, if it is white then it is snowing, if it is stiff it is frosty and if its moving it is windy."
"Very clever Paddington, I've never seen one before and it will be so useful. We have a lot of weather here in England." Said Bertie looking at it closely.
Have a fun Teddy Bear Tuesday everyone.
All the weather forecasts told me fibs. Not one warned me of heavy rain that day of arrival in Basel. Showers, sunny intervals, for sure, but not shirt-drenching stair-rods. So I sought refuge under the canopy outside Basel SBB station, waiting for the rain to abate, photting the frequent procession of the BVB trams in the interim. A Siemens Combino glides past as a city-bound older unit enters the Bahnhofplatz interchange. The MAN bendybus at the right has just arrived on the service from Basel-Mulhouse Airport (which is actually on French soil).
or in other words, a Happy St Swithin's Day...
'St. Swithin's day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin's day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain nae mair.'
The weather forecast at 03:30 this morning said clear skies. I looked outside and saw stars, the moon and no clouds.
Knowing I needed some cloud cover to go shoot sunrise at 05:11 (to make the sky interesting) the decision was easy: stay home; it’s a failure waiting to happen; don’t go.
I guess like many things in life that appear totally dismal or doomed to fail, you don’t know the answer until you do them and throw your full weight in; only then can be sure.
Not trying guarantees the predicted failure for sure but giving it a go maybe gives you the 2%, 15% or 50% you didn’t have.
I blew 8.5 GB of memory card this morning (that's a lot) at Thompson's Bay and conditions allowed shooting for at least 45 min to 60 min after sunrise (normally as the sun rises or 10 min max afterwards we would pack up).
Here is one of my two panoramic photos from this morning. The better shots will follow in the hours, days, and weeks to come.
PS – we’re looking to have a darn good steak tonight; it was Butcher Block last weekend and perhaps a Spur tonight. Which Durban Spur do you fancy?
#spur #butcherblock #ballito #thompsonsbay #kzn #ilovedurban #za #southafrica
Butcher's Block Florida Rd Butcher Block SA Spur Steak Ranches Spur Pavilion Chippewa Spur Steak Ranch Spur Musgrave Centre Spur @ Suncoast My Ballito (myballito.co.za) Seeff Ballito Ballito Beach Thompson's Bay 5 Star Durban SPIGA Durban First Thursdays Durban
Weather forecasters got it wrong today, Painted this in the pouring rain with Ster today,
Good to see Sian, Colt 45, Hert & the RTC boys down there too. That was the Wettest days painting for a long time!
Peep the zoom in here:
www.flickr.com/photos/brave1/5478789915/sizes/o/in/photos...
The weather forecast was cloudy with scattered showers so rather than climb to a summit in the clouds we opted for a relatively long walk to a remote loch on the western coast of the Isle of Lewis. The walk is down a valley between two ridges of hills, probably quite scenic in sunshine, that ends at Loch Cheann Chuisil.
We began our walk at Carnish with hints of sunshine, but a couple hours into the walk the "scattered showers" began. Unfortunately that term was slightly inaccurate as it was a wind driven rain for the next two hours! The one good point . . . the wind was at our backs :-) The walk was just over six hours, much of it in rain.
The walk is also described as relatively straight with very little elevation change. So much for straight and level in this image. I used the OS app and the elevation climbed during the walk was 3441 feet over 13.8 miles.
This view is of the final rise before the descent to Loch Cheann Chuisil. We did not meet another walker during the entire walk . . . apparently everyone else wanted to stay dry :-) I actually look forward to repeating this walk, only in better weather.
Yesterday, 18 September 2023, the weather forecast was pretty good, though the mention of wind did concern me a little. However, as time is running out for making long drives, I decided to take the risk. Shortly after leaving home and just out of the city limits, I could see smoke haze hiding the distant hills. I was so tempted to turn around and return home, but instead chose to continue.
Most of my driving was on the main roads, in order to get to my destination as quickljy as possible. The total drive of 473 km took me eight and a half hours, between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm. Much as I would have loved to check out a few back roads, I knew I absolutely had to get home before the light started fading. The wind was strong and stirred up all the dust from the roads and fields and made it a real challenge to take photos. All my images were taken from inside my car and, even then, the rocking motion made things more difficult.
The small ghost town, that I was so keen to revisit yet again, had to be seen from my car, because it was too windy to walk, which was a shame. Fortunately, I have photos taken from a couple of previous visits. If I remember correctly, this was my third visit - the others were in July 2020 and August 2022.
Once I reached the ghost town, I was the only person there. It is only a small place with a handful of old buildings, but very nicely kept. One of its main buildings is a small, country United Church, kept in great condition both inside and out. I had read online beforehand that people can go inside the church and sign their Guest Book, otherwise I probably would not have gone in. Really like the door knobs to the front door. The link below gives a very interesting, detailed history, including an old photo of the church in 1980, before restoration. I would love to have seen it back then.
www.facebook.com/LethbridgeHistoricalSociety/posts/retlaw...
As well as the old ghost town, I also wanted to check on a favourite abandoned house - simple, old and leaning. It was a relief to find that it was still standing.
From there, I took more or less the same route home, Too late in the season for wildflowers. Very few birds to be seen, too, though I did see four hawks that were too far to photograph. Fortunately, I still had a little gas left in the gas tank. Always a concern when I do a long drive.
Despite the strong wind and the smoke haze, it was a good day. SInce then, we have had a tiny bit of rain, and I noticed that the golden leaves are already falling.
Monday, 5 August 2024: our weather forecast for today is tornado chance with severe storms! Only 19C just after noon.
Yay, in the evening of 3 August 2024, the wind picked up and we had thunder and rain, thank goodness. With the various wildfires in Alberta and British Columbia, along with so much hot, dry weather, we need not every drop of rain, but every bucketful! Unfortunately, the rain only lasted a very short time.
On 2 August 2024 (can't believe it is already August!), I did a long, exhausting day drive, covering NW, SW and SE of Calgary. My plans changed on the spur of the moment once I headed back to Calgary from the NW. Originally, I decided to go NW, as I haven't been out that way for quite a while.
Heading W from home, I couldn't resist stopping to check if the Common Loon I saw almost a week ago was there again. Scanning the large pond, I saw no sign of life. Then, suddenly, in the far distance, I saw a bird fly in and land on the water. 'Duck' was the first thing that went through my mind. Then, when I zoomed in on my camera, I couldn't believe my eyes - it was the Loon again! The weather was better than the awful weather/light the last time I saw it there so, fortunately, I was able to get better shots.
Feeling very thankful, I headed N, hoping I might just see a Turkey Vulture that a few people had been reporting. It had been seen in the same area as the rare Whooping Crane. No luck. I was curious to see if the Crane was in the wetland, as when I had seen it recently, it was far more distant than that. I pulled into the pull-off, glanced quickly and saw nothing, and was about to reverse, when I realized that a red truck that belonged to some ranch had pulled over on the road right behind me. A guy was taking photos with his cell phone and it looked like he was taking photos of my vehicle. Then I noticed a sign that said No Parking. Of course, I thought he was probably going to report me - though I was not parked, as I hadn't even turned off my engine, knowing I was only going to be there a matter of seconds. So annoying, and I couldn't get it out of my mind the rest of the day.
I couldn't wait to leave the whole area and head further N. Came to the town of Cochrane and ALL the construction going on. For someone with a driving phobia, trust me, it was a nightmare. Then all I could think about was knowing that I would have to go through it all again later on.
One thing I really wanted to see again was a beautiful old, pale grey barn, in great condition. Further on, I noticed a Kestrel perched on a high wire. I could only take three quick shots through my windscreen, which resulted in awful photos, but I was happy to see it. Such beautiful birds of prey.
It was good to see several old barns/homesteads along the way, even more so as I wasn't seeing any more birds. Also, the sky was so beautiful.
Once i was down SW and SE of Calgary, hawks and one Vesper Sparrow were my only sightings. Two were on their nest and two were on hay bales at different locations. One of the latter, standing on a very distant bale, looked almost like a Ferruginous Hawk. Google Lens's first ID said Red-tailed Hawk, 3rd ID Ferruginous, so I still don't know.
By the time I arrived home, after driving 393 km and 9 and a half hours, on a very hot day, I was dead beat. A great day, though, with the Loon being a highlight.
The weather forecast for this week is dismal except for today so I am trying to get some things accomplished. This is my fairy garden from last year. It has baby hostas growing in it. They made it through the winter.
Weather forecast was spot on - following a spell of torrential rain the sun broke through. With occasional showers, creating louring clouds the silver Kelpies lit up against the sky. I'm a bit annoyed with myself for cropping the horses short in the foreground - I was taking the shot when a woman with an iPhone invaded my space and stole my shot!
Choose 'L' for lightbox (it also stands for 'lovely way to view image') :)
The weather forecast was for little wind today, so we took the Smith-Dorrien Highway through Spray Lakes Provincial Park to the Rummel Lake area. The trail to Rummel Lake is very popular, but we opted for the more challenging and less frequented Rummel Ridge. The views were sublime!
The weather forecast was very blustery, with heavy showers today, but we took a chance & visited Priddy Ponds on the Mendip Hills. The last time I visted (only a few weeks ago) there was no water to be found!
This tree (known as the Priddy Tree) is such a popular tree to photograph, it even has its own flickr group :-)