Almost three years ago, on 12 November 2017, I went with a group of seven birding friends on a very enjoyable day trip S and SE of Calgary. This old barn on one of the roads was an unexpected treat (for me) and, as I only managed to take a few rapid shots of it through the windscreen from the back seat, I was determined to one day do this drive myself and take a better look at this fine old barn (from the road, as usual).

On 21 September 2020, it was THE day! It started around 9:00 am with a drive south to the Saskatoon Farm for breakfast. It was very quiet at that early hour and on a weekday, though I knew it would get busier as the day wore on. There are always all sorts of things to photograph there, including colourful flowers, a chicken or two, and various odds and ends. There is sadness at the Farm at the moment, as someone stole one of their much-loved cats, named Alfie. He is a pure grey cat and he has a sister at the Farm who looks just like him. She now wanders around the farm grounds, looking for him, in vain. Despite pleas to return Alfie, there has been no response.

From the Farm, the next destination was to go and find the old barn again (not the one in this photo). When I was there in 2017, I'm not sure if I saw the old rocking horses on each fence post. We were carpooling and I suspect they were out of my view. The barn is certainly weathered, but it is still standing straight and tall.

Driving further S and SE, more barns were to be seen. Part of the drive was in an area that I had explored recently. A few old grain elevators were thrown in for good measure.

As for birds, where were they? Not a single Hawk of any kind and really no small birds, either. A handful of Grey Partridge taking off were pretty much the only birds that were seen. However, this was not planned as a birding day, but as an old barn day, and it turned out to be satisfyingly rewarding!

All three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 18 July 2016, on a wonderful day out NE of the city. The last time I actually drove eastwards was about six months ago, when I was shooting Short-eared Owls near the end of January. The last time (also the first time) I had ever driven out as far as Drumheller was on 29 September 2014. A few times, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, my daughter and I had a great time exploring the roads between Calgary and Drumheller. There were a handful of things or places we wanted to check out, but many things were total surprises. We knew we wanted to see fields, yellow fields full of canola as far as the eye could see. No disappointment there as we took in the gorgeous colour and the perhaps not so pleasant smell of this crop. When we were driving through regular, green landscapes, it all seemed so 'ordinary' after being treated to vibrant gold.

As well as canola fields, we also knew of a particular grain elevator and nearby old barn that we were keen to see. There was also an old, two-storey house in a hilly setting that we knew would have to be photographed from a great distance, but we were curious about it. There was also a small wetland that I wanted to drive by, just in case there was something to see. How glad we were that we went, as the Black-crowned Night-heron in my third photo this morning was posing nicely on a post out in the open. This was the first time I had ever seen one close, so it made my day. The bird in my second photo was with another similar bird perched just a few fence posts away from it. Both had their backs to us (of course!) but I did get a better view of the other bird, which I will post in the next few days. I think they were both Upland Sandpipers, uncommon in Alberta, and a bird that I had only ever seen once, way out east of the city years ago and too far away for photos.

As well as birds and beautiful scenery, we saw several old barns, including this old house/barn. Each year, the farmer allows the graduating class from the local high school to decorate this old building in any way they wish. A fun idea and it certainly adds a splash of colour. I was absolutely fascinated to read a little bit of history from someone who was a contact of mine on Flickr two or three years ago. Her Grandmother was apparently born in this house/barn. It was later converted to a granary and now, of course, has become the canvas for local students.

One of our main goals was to visit the old grain elevator at Sharples. I had wanted to visit there for quite a while and finally, we made it. Unfortunately, the elevator and nearby barn were in shadow, but it was great to see both old structures. We also passed another old elevator when we were driving along the road north of the river, on the way to Drumheller. This, needless to say, meant another stop for photos.

A great day of fun, seeing and photographing such a variety of things. Beautiful weather and, best of all, a day spent with my daughter. Thanks so much, Rachel - glad you felt up to a day out, but sorry you got so many mosquito bites!

Five days ago, on 29 September 2014, I finally drove out to an area that lies NE of Calgary, that I had longed to go to for so many years. It must have been 30+ years ago that I first saw one particular area of the Badlands of Alberta. A few times since then, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, my youngest daughter and I decided that we both wanted to make this trip, All summer, we had been waiting for a day on which she didn't have to work and where the weather forecast was for no rain on the day or there had been no rain the previous day. The Bentonite Clay in the area becomes treacherously slippery when wet. The forecast for this day was for a mainly sunny day - at last, we were going!

I think this was the longest day of driving I had ever done, especially to, and in, an area that I'd never driven to before. For anyone who doesn't know me, I have battled a driving phobia for decades, plus I have barely any sense of direction, lol! Thankfully, my daughter has an amazing sense of direction, so I knew we wouldn't be stuck out on the prairies in the middle of nowhere. A typical question at too many intersections went as follows: me - "Do we go left?"; my daughter - "No, we go right", lol!

I met my daughter at 8:00 am. and I got home shortly before 9:00 pm. Much of that time was spent driving; the rest was spent wandering round three main areas - The Hoodoo Trail, Dorothy and Rowley, in different directions from Drumheller (known for its remarkable dinosaur findings). The forecast was far from accurate on our drive out to the Badlands and I began to wonder if we'd made a mistake going on this trip on that particular day. However, knowing that snow would be returning very soon ("returning" because we had two snowstorms on 9 and 10 September), I was beginning to feel rather desperate and really didn't want to risk not getting out there this year. The afternoon was less cloudy and we did have some sun.

So, the first of our destinations was The Hoodoo Trail, a small area of protected, spectacular hoodoos (rock pillars capped with harder rock), and then we went further, to the almost-ghost-town of Dorothy. I had longed, for a long time, to see the two small, old churches that are to be found in Dorothy, as well as the old grain elevator.

After that, we drove over 11 bridges and called in at the tiny hamlet of Wayne. We had passed the old Atlas Coal Mine near the main highway, but, much as we would have liked to visit the mine, we knew that we just didn't have time. From Wayne, we continued to Rowley to see the three old grain elevators, and to wander round this very small, historical place. There are actually three elevators, with two being right next to each other and the other one a little further from them. Dorothy felt and looked almost deserted, whereas Rowley was beautifully kept. There were several old pieces of farming equipment thoughtfully placed, including this beautiful old tractor.

From Rowley, we made our way back across the prairies to Calgary. I had planned on getting back before it got dark as I no longer like night driving and very rarely do it, but we didn't quite make it. On the return drive, the last sighting was a Great Horned Owl that was perched part way up a power pole. Well done, Rachel, spotting this welcome bird! Not easy to see in the dark. By the time I got home, I was so tired and my arms were so painful from driving, but, what a great day we had!!

Almost three years ago, on 12 November 2017, I went with a group of seven birding friends on a very enjoyable day trip S and SE of Calgary. A beautiful old barn on one of the roads was an unexpected treat (for me) and, as I only managed to take a few rapid shots of it through the windscreen from the back seat, I was determined to one day do this drive myself and take a better look at this fine old barn (from the road, as usual).

Six days ago, 21 September 2020, was THE day! It started around 9:00 am with a drive south to the Saskatoon Farm for breakfast. It was very quiet at that early hour and on a weekday, though I knew it would get busier as the day wore on. There are always all sorts of things to photograph there, including colourful flowers, a chicken or two, and various odds and ends. There is sadness at the Farm at the moment, as someone stole one of their much-loved cats, named Alfie, a matter of days ago. He is a pure grey cat and he has a sister at the Farm who looks just like him. She now wanders around the farm grounds, looking for him, in vain. Despite pleas to return Alfie, there has been no response.

From the Farm, the next destination was to go and find the old barn again. When I was there in 2017, I'm not sure if I saw the old rocking horses on each fence post. We were carpooling and I suspect they were out of my view. The barn is certainly weathered, but it is still standing straight and tall.

Driving further S and SE, more barns were to be seen. Part of the drive was in an area that I had explored recently. A few old grain elevators were thrown in for good measure.

As for birds, where were they? Several Mourning Doves, but not a single Hawk of any kind and really no small birds, either. A handful of Grey Partridge taking off were pretty much the only birds we saw. However, this was not planned as a birding day, but as an old barn day, and it turned out to be satisfyingly rewarding!

Three days ago, on 30 August 2021, I decided, after seeing possible rain in the forecast for a few coming days, to do a long drive NE of Calgary, to the Badlands. Knowing that it was getting dark earlier and earlier in the evenings, I knew that I was running out of days on which I would be able to do these long drives. My main destinations to call in at were in the Drumheller area. Total drive was 409 km.

I had longed to go out there for so many years. It must have been 30+ years ago that I first saw one particular area of the Badlands of Alberta. A few times, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, on 29 September 2014, my youngest daughter and I decided that we both wanted to make this trip. Since then, I believe I have only driven that way once more, on 5 August 2019, until this most recent trip three days ago. I was out for nine hours and much of that time was actual driving. The further east I went, the more I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere.

Amazingly, the weather was good, with blue sky most of the time. It still seems strange to see blue sky and not overcast and smoky from the British Columbia wildfires. I think the temperature got up to about 28C, so not unbearably hot.

The first thing I photographed was a rather attractive moth, resting next to my front door outside. It may have been the moth that I had photographed earlier, on my bathroom ceiling.

About half way on the drive, I drove several back roads to take another look at an old barn I fell in love with last winter, while searching for a Snowy Owl. I was shocked and saddened to find no sign of the old barn except for a pile of wood that had collapsed or been pulled down. Maybe it was becoming dangerously unsafe in the farmyard.

Feeling somewhat 'down', I continued on my way and eventually stopped to take a handful of photos of a fine church. It seems so out of place on the prairies. The church building, inspired by a typical Danish church, was finished in 1936, though there has been a church on this site since the first settlers arrived in Dalum in 1918.

Two new-to-me grain elevators were enjoyed and quickly photographed. It's not very often that I find one that I have never seen before.

A couple of times, I stopped to take a few photos of wild Sunflowers that were growing at the edge of two or three gravel roads. An attractive moth was at rest on one of the flowers. Insects seem to really like these bright and cheery wildflowers.

It was a pleasant surprise to discover that there were not a lot of people at the Hoodoos. I have been there when there were endless crowds of visitors all over the place, making it difficult to take photos, and to find a parking spot. These natural "works of art" are so beautiful and interesting.

Driving further south, I stopped at one of my favourite places - an old almost-ghost town. Dorothy is named after the daughter of Jack Wilson, an early rancher who first arrived in the area in 1900. Here, there are two lovely old country churches, old barns, old cars and tractors/farm equipment. Also, a very old, extremely weathered grain elevator that lost its roof in a storm a few years ago. Such a shame that it has never been replaced. I love the Badlands setting for this prairie sentinel.

A final place to call in at was The Last Saloon, where I bought some Sweet Potato Fries 'to go'. This is a very popular place, including with motorcyclists.

Having left home in the morning a few minutes after 9:00 am, I finally reached home about 6:00 pm, happy and tired out. A great day, full of lots of things to see. Though they were all familiar, they are always fun to see and photograph again. Hope to get in a few more drives in the next three or four weeks, before the snow arrives and stays on the ground for seven months! Where did the summer go?!

Yesterday, 30 August 2021, I decided, after seeing rain in the forecast for a few coming days, to do a long drive NE of Calgary, to the Badlands. Knowing that it was getting dark earlier and earlier in the evenings, I knew that I was running out of days on which I would be able to do these long drives. My main destinations to call in at were south of Drumheller.

I had longed to go out there for so many years. It must have been 30+ years ago that I first saw one particular area of the Badlands of Alberta. A few times, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, on 29 September 2014, my youngest daughter and I decided that we both wanted to make this trip. Since then, I believe I have only driven that way once more, on 5 August 2019, until my trip yesterday. I was out for nine hours and much of that time was actual driving. The further east I went, the more I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere.

Amazingly, the weather was good, with blue sky most of the time. It still seems strange to see blue sky and not overcast and smoky from the British Columbia wildfires. I think the temperature got up to about 28C, so not unbearably hot.

The first thing I photographed was a rather attractive moth, resting next to my front door outside. It may have been the moth that I had photographed earlier, on my bathroom ceiling.

About half way on the drive, I drove several back roads to take another look at an old barn I fell in love with last winter, while searching for a Snowy Owl. I was shocked and saddened to find no sign of the old barn except for a pile of wood that had collapsed or been pulled down. Maybe it was becoming dangerously unsafe in the farmyard?

Feeling somewhat 'down', I continued on my way and eventually stopped to take a handful of photos of this fine church. It seems so out of place on the prairies. The church building, inspired by a typical Danish church, was finished in 1936, though there has been a church on this site since the first settlers arrived in Dalum in 1918.

Two new-to-me grain elevators were enjoyed and quickly photographed. It's not very often that I find one that I have never seen before.

A couple of times, I stopped to take a few photos of wild Sunflowers that were growing at the edge of gravel roads. An attractive moth was at rest on one of the flowers. Insects seem to really like these bright and cheery wildflowers.

It was a pleasant surprise to discover that there were not a lot of people at the Hoodoos. I have been there when there were endless crowds of visitors all over the place, making it difficult to take photos, and to find a parking spot. These natural "works of art" are so beautiful and interesting.

Driving further south, I stopped at one of my favourite places - an old almost-ghost town. Here, there are two lovely old country churches, old barns, old cars and tractors/farm equipment. Also, a very old, extremely weathered grain elevator that lost its roof in a storm a few years ago. Such a shame that it has never been replaced. I love the Badlands setting for this prairie sentinel.

A final place to call in at was The Last Saloon, where I bought some Sweet Potato Fries 'to go'. This is a very popular place, including with motorcyclists.

Having left home in the morning a few minutes after 9:00 am, I finally reached home about 6:00 pm, happy and tired out. A great day, full of lots of things to see. Though they were all familiar, they are always fun to see and photograph again. Hope to get in a few more drives in the next three or four weeks, before the snow arrives and stays on the ground for seven months! Where did the summer go?!

Just over a week ago, a fellow birder had sent out an email to everyone, saying that he was going east of the city on 7 September 2016, to visit Lynn Gratz and her partner at Marsland Basin, and that anyone else was welcome to join him. This was enough incentive to make me do the drive eastward. I have been out there maybe three or four times before, but by carpooling. This day was the very first time I had ever driven there myself. So much traffic and construction on the eastern edge of the city, so I really don't like that drive, until I am way past it all. I certainly hadn't intended doing a long drive like this is my new car, at least not until it has been 'broken in'.

The weather was beautiful all day and there were a fair number of birds, especially shorebirds in the water and on the mudflats. Too far away, really, for photos, though I did take some.

Just before I got there, I spotted this beautiful juvenile Red-tailed Hawk perched on a fence post. Didn't see it till I was almost past it, and then I couldn't figure out how to put my widow down, lol, so had to turn around. Then I found that the Hawk was too low down because of a ditch, so I couldn't see it from the driver's seat through the passenger window. Silly new cars with the front console!!! In my old car, I could slide across and point out the passenger window, if needed. So, had to drive down the road and turn around again! This time, I found how to put down my window and managed three quick shots before the hawk flew away. My photo is horribly blown out on the chest feathers, but better than nothing. These were really the main photos I took that afternoon - and by the time I had driven all the way back to Calgary, I was exhausted.

Unfortunately, a very grainy photo because of looking up towards a very overcast sky. I'm posting mainly as a record of this encounter that I had yesterday, 28 August 2016. Photo of the dark-phase female is in a comment box below.

The meeting place for yesterday's morning walk was just a few minutes away form home, so I drove my dying car and was finally able to get out for a few hours, after a week at home. We carpooled to the east end of Fish Creek Provincial Park, covering Mallard Point, Bow Valley Ranche area and then walking east to, and along, the Bow River. Birds seen included American White Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorants, Sharp-shinned Hawk and Cooper's Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Osprey and a variety of small birds and waterfowl, almost all very distant.

We ended up at the Ranche at lunchtime - a few people continued into the afternoon, but friend, Tony, who had driven me to stopping places in the morning, and I, left to go home. First though, we drove to check on a pair of Swainson's Hawks with one youngster. These were the Hawks that had dive-bombed me three times in the two minutes maximum that I was there on 1 August 2016! Needless to say, I didn't feel at all comfortable being near them again, but all went well. The Hawk in this photo is the male, a light-phased individual - we had to walk right underneath it. Its mate is a dark-phased bird, and I'll post a grainy photo of her, soon. It would be interesting to see what colour the young one turns into as it gets older.

The following link (thanks, Tony) leads to an interesting article about the different colour phases of Swainson's Hawks. Apparently, only about 10% of the world Swainson’s Hawk population are dark types, the other 90% is made up of light and intermediate types.

www.nemesisbird.com/bird-science/determining-age-and-colo...

Thanks so much for the birding walk, Terry, and thanks, Tony, for giving me a ride!

I have to keep an eye on the time as today is THE day, lol. I finally pick up my new vehicle and then will be able to drive more than five or ten minutes from home! Have to collect my old winter tires from storage first and then make my very noisy way to where my new car will be waiting for me. Can't say I look forward to learning the controls, though, as there is a huge difference between a 17-year-old (1999) car and a new one, but it will feel wonderful to once again be mobile after three weeks of basically staying home. Feeling very thankful!

Friday, 23 April 2021: winter is back - again. The night before last, we had a bit more snow and very strong wind. The latter played havoc on the repairs to the building, tugging at several loose pieces of whatever the material is, that is used to cover the outside walls before the new siding is installed. Also, a long piece of probably guttering was dangling from the roof, being blown like crazy against the building. I was concerned about my windows! Nothing I could do, but I did let someone know, who then contacted the repair company.

Two days ago, on 21 April 2021, I really wanted to get out for a few hours, knowing that snow was forecast for the next day and the coming weekend. I finally made myself drive somewhere that I hadn't been to for a few years, nervous though I was. The last time I went, we were carpooling. I drove various new roads in the whole area. Later, I decided to drive SE of the city to see if Frank Lake was as crowded as it was when I called in for a few minutes days ago. Luckily, there were far fewer people and I got a chance to actually see birds and take a few photos.

I was happy to see my first Yellow-headed Blackbird of this year. It moved in such a funny way, taking a couple of steps and then running a couple of steps, repeated over and over again. I wonder if they always do this. Maybe it was just the joy of being back, but it didn't seem to know which direction to dash to next.

I looked for American White Pelicans in the usual place, but none were to be seen. Then one suddenly flew from somewhere and landed almost out of sight across the lake. A short while later, it flew back, almost over my head and disappeared.

As usual, there were more than enough gulls of various species, noisy as ever. A few of them were flying and then either landing or swooping down to catch a Carp. Sometimes, a few people have been catching as many of these fish as possible, to remove them from the lake, as they are not a native species. I guess the gulls aren't fussy.

Needless to say, a few barns made my day complete. I was also thankful that no side effects from my second COVID jab showed up, other than a painful arm for two or three days.

Yesterday, 7 June 2021 was a beautiful day, but so windy! It made driving and taking photos rather unpleasant. Having seen that we are in for a few wet days, I decided to do a half day drive east of the city. No new roads, no new barns, just a handful of birds to make the trip worthwhile.

On the spur of the moment, towards the end of the afternoon, I drove down to McKinnon Flats for a quick look at the 'new' road down the steep hill to the Bow River below. A bit disappointing, as I had been expecting a paved road, not gravel. I was almost the only person at this location and I changed my mind about going to see what birds I could find. Far too windy, and the place tends to give me the creeps anyway! This was only the second time I had been here, apart from a carpooling visit many years ago. One thing that I do like to see there is the very old, rusty tractor that is 'on display'. This is where I found the Gray Catbird.

Tuesday, 22 September 2020: our temperature at 7:00 am is 5C (windchill 4C)). It is forecast to get up to 15C this afternoon. Sunrise is at 7:23 am and sunset is at 7:32 pm.

Almost three years ago, on 12 November 2017, I went with a group of seven birding friends on a very enjoyable day trip S and SE of Calgary. This old barn on one of the roads was an unexpected treat (for me) and, as I only managed to take a few rapid shots of it through the windscreen from the back seat, I was determined to one day do this drive myself and take a better look at this fine old barn (from the road, as usual).

Yesterday, 21 September 2020, was THE day! It started around 9:00 am with a drive south to the Saskatoon Farm for breakfast. It was very quiet at that early hour and on a weekday, though I knew it would get busier as the day wore on. There are always all sorts of things to photograph there, including colourful flowers, a chicken or two, and various odds and ends. There is sadness at the Farm at the moment, as someone stole one of their much-loved cats, named Alfie, a matter of days ago. He is a pure grey cat and he has a sister at the Farm who looks just like him. She now wanders around the farm grounds, looking for him, in vain. Despite pleas to return Alfie, there has been no response.

From the Farm, the next destination was to go and find this old barn again. When I was there in 2017, I'm not sure if I saw the old rocking horses on each fence post. We were carpooling and I suspect they were out of my view. The barn is certainly weathered, but it is still standing straight and tall.

Driving further S and SE, more barns were to be seen. Part of the drive was in an area that I had explored recently. A few old grain elevators were thrown in for good measure.

As for birds, where were they? Not a single Hawk of any kind and really no small birds, either. A handful of Grey Partridge taking off were pretty much the only birds we saw. However, this was not planned as a birding day, but as an old barn day, and it turned out to be satisfyingly rewarding!

This photo and the next one (a distant Snowy Owl) were taken yesterday, 21 January 2017. The previous evening, I had been out at a get-together/meeting with various birding people. Friend, Pam, and I made plans to meet the following morning and then I would follow her in my own car to a planned destination. It was a drive that I had never dared to do before and, though I had been to this location several times over the years, it was always by carpooling. I was so grateful to be able to follow someone, and see how to get there.

Once we reached our destination, we found out that the bird we had hoped to see, was not there. So many people have been to see this Long-eared Owl, but this was the first time I had been. Various people came and went, but no-one was having any luck. Some accounts were saying that 50 or 75 people had been seen on such and such day, and that some people were stressing out the bird by getting too close. This always happens, with news spreading like wildfire, and some people go day after day. While most photographers are respectful, there are always a few who will do anything to get "the" photo - closer and better than anyone else's. I should add that there was also a Great Horned Owl in the area, so I guess it's possible that that is keeping the Long-eared Owl further away or more carefully hidden.

After a short while, Pam and I decided to drive round a few other roads, taking my car. The hope was to maybe find a Snowy Owl or a Short-eared Owl somewhere. Totally out of luck, except for one very distant Snowy Owl, seen in my next photo, that Pam spotted. It was gleaming white in the sunshine. So beautiful to see and so much appreciated.

Of course, no drive is complete unless I see a beautiful old barn, and we found two or three that made us stop and take a shot or two. I really liked this one - difficult to tell if it's a fairly new one or an old one that has been renovated. I suspect the latter. As you can see, we had such beautiful weather this day.

On the way home, we called in briefly at the first owl location again, just to check if it had been seen while we were driving other roads, but no one had had any luck. After leaving, I followed Pam part of the way home, not realizing that she was going to turn off on to Deerfoot Trail - a road I always avoid, as it's a dangerous road. I hadn't seen the sign that said Deerfoot, so there I was, heading home along this fast-moving highway. All turned out well, though.

Fahrgemeinschaft Fotografen Südostbayern Germany

Carpooling community photographers Southeast Bavaria Germany

Photographes communautaires de covoiturage Bavière du sud-est Allemagne

Fotografi della comunità Carpooling Baviera sud-orientale Germania

相乗りコミュニティ写真家南東バイエルンドイツ

Topluluk fotoğrafçıları Güneydoğu Bavyera

Samlade samhällsfotografer Sydöstra Bayern Tyskland

Автостоянка сообщества фотографов Юго-Восточной

Fotógrafos de comunidade no sudeste da Baviera AlemanhaБаварии Германия

Fotógrafos de comunidade no sudeste da Baviera Alemanha

Carpooling المصورين المجتمع جنوب شرق بافاريا ألمانيا

On 30 August 2021, I decided, after seeing rain in the forecast for a few coming days, to do a long drive NE of Calgary, to the Badlands. Knowing that it was getting dark earlier and earlier in the evenings, I knew that I was running out of days on which I would be able to do these long drives. My main destinations to call in at were in the Drumheller area.

I had longed to go out there for so many years. It must have been 30+ years ago that I first saw one particular area of the Badlands of Alberta. A few times, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, on 29 September 2014, my youngest daughter and I decided that we both wanted to make this trip. Since then, I believe I have only driven that way once more, on 5 August 2019, until this most recent trip. I was out for nine hours and much of that time was actual driving. The further east I went, the more I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere.

Amazingly, the weather was good, with blue sky most of the time. It still seems strange to see blue sky and not overcast and smoky from the British Columbia wildfires. I think the temperature got up to about 28C, so not unbearably hot.

The first thing I photographed was a rather attractive moth, resting next to my front door outside. It may have been the moth that I had photographed earlier, on my bathroom ceiling.

About half way on the drive, I drove several back roads to take another look at an old barn I fell in love with last winter, while searching for a Snowy Owl. I was shocked and saddened to find no sign of the old barn except for a pile of wood that had collapsed or been pulled down. Maybe it was becoming dangerously unsafe in the farmyard.

Feeling somewhat 'down', I continued on my way and eventually stopped to take a handful of photos of a fine church. It seems so out of place on the prairies. The church building, inspired by a typical Danish church, was finished in 1936, though there has been a church on this site since the first settlers arrived in Dalum in 1918.

Two new-to-me grain elevators were enjoyed and quickly photographed. It's not very often that I find one that I have never seen before.

A couple of times, I stopped to take a few photos of wild Sunflowers that were growing at the edge of two or three gravel roads. An attractive moth was at rest on one of the flowers. Insects seem to really like these bright and cheery wildflowers.

It was a pleasant surprise to discover that there were not a lot of people at the Hoodoos. I have been there when there were endless crowds of visitors all over the place, making it difficult to take photos, and to find a parking spot. These natural "works of art" are so beautiful and interesting.

Driving further south, I stopped at one of my favourite places - an old almost-ghost town. Here, there are two lovely old country churches, old barns, old cars and tractors/farm equipment. Also, a very old, extremely weathered grain elevator that lost its roof in a storm a few years ago. Such a shame that it has never been replaced. I love the Badlands setting for this prairie sentinel.

A final place to call in at was The Last Saloon, where I bought some Sweet Potato Fries 'to go'. This is a very popular place, including with motorcyclists.

Having left home in the morning a few minutes after 9:00 am, I finally reached home about 6:00 pm, happy and tired out. A great day, full of lots of things to see. Though they were all familiar, they are always fun to see and photograph again. Hope to get in another drive or two in the next couple of weeks, before the snow arrives and stays on the ground for seven months! Where did the summer go?!

Photos #4 and #5 were taken on 9 December 2022, on a drive NE of Calgary, The other three images are from my archives. I will add the description from under a previously posted photo taken on the same trip.

"On 29 September 2014, I finally drove out to an area that lies NE of Calgary, that I had longed to go to for so many years. It must have been 30+ years ago that I first saw one particular area of the Badlands of Alberta. A few times, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, my youngest daughter and I decided that we both wanted to make this trip. All summer, we have been waiting for a day on which she didn't have to work and where the weather forecast was for no rain on the day or there had been no rain the previous day. The Bentonite Clay in the area becomes treacherously slippery when wet. The forecast for yesterday was for a mainly sunny day - at last, we were going!

I think this was the longest day of driving I had ever done, especially to, and in, an area that I'd never driven to before. For anyone who doesn't know me, I have battled a driving phobia for decades, plus I have barely any sense of direction, lol! Thankfully, my daughter has an amazing sense of direction, so I knew we wouldn't be stuck out on the prairies in the middle of nowhere. A typical question at too many intersections went as follows: me - "Do we go left?"; my daughter - "No, we go right", lol!

I met my daughter at 8:00 am. and I got home shortly before 9:00 pm. Much of that time was spent driving; the rest was spent wandering round two main areas - Dorothy and Rowley, each in different directions from Drumheller (known for its remarkable dinosaur findings). The forecast was far from accurate on our drive out to the Badlands and I began to wonder if we'd made a mistake going on this trip on that particular day. However, knowing that snow would be returning very soon ("returning" because we had two snowstorms on 9 and 10 September), I was beginning to feel rather desperate and really didn't want to risk not getting out there this year. The afternoon was less cloudy and we did have some sun.

Our main destinations were the Hoodoo Trail, and the almost-ghost-town of Dorothy, calling in at Wayne as well. I had longed, for such a long time, to see the two small, old churches that are to be found in Dorothy, as well as the grain elevator. Both churches have been restored, which is good in some ways but not photographically. This photo is of the little Catholic Church.

After that, we went to Rowley to see the old grain elevators and to wander round this very small, historical place. There are actually three elevators, with these two being right next to each other and the other further from them. Dorothy felt and looked almost deserted, whereas Rowley was beautifully kept.

From Rowley, we made our way back across the prairies to Calgary. I had planned on getting back before it got dark as I no longer like night driving and very rarely do it, but we didn't quite make it. On the return drive, the last sighting was a Great Horned Owl that was perched part way up a power pole. Well done, Rachel, spotting this welcome bird! Not easy to see in the dark. By the time I got home, I was so tired and my arms were so painful from driving, but, what a great day we had!!"

As usual, any fungi IDs given are always tentative, not 100% confirmed. Rule is, if you are not an expert in mycology, do not pick wild mushrooms to eat! You could end up very sick, or worse.

Another gloomy morning today, 13 September 2019, with a temperature of 14C just after noon. Yesterday, however, it was actually sunny, so I had to get out and make the most of it in the afternoon. It definitely feels and looks like fall. Snow is already being forecast for parts of Alberta. It will soon be time to get all-season tires off and winter tires put on.

Five days ago, on 8 September 2019, we had such a wonderful four and a half hours, searching for different kinds of fungi in the amazing forest on Rod Handfield's land, SW of Calgary. I believe this was our tenth visit - the first one I went on, being on 25 June 2009 - each one resulting in various different species. This last visit was so overwhelming! You didn't know which direction to face and which mushroom to photograph first. They were everywhere! Such a contrast to our visit on 6 August 2017, when basically there were no mushrooms (other than maybe three), because everywhere had been so very dry.

A day like this can be so exhausting, not just from the walking and fresh air, but also because of all the excitement. The quality of many of my photos is not the best, as the day was very overcast - the last thing one wants when trying to take photos deep in the forest. After leaving Rod's, it did rain. I had driven myself there instead of carpooling, so that I could drive some of the backroads in the area after we had finished. The forecast was for sun and cloud - and I had foolishly believed it. The rain put an end to my plans and I headed for home. I'm so glad I had checked a special little spot near Rod's first thing in the morning, when I got there a bit too early. A few years ago, there was a beautiful display of Fly Agaric / Amanita muscaria mushrooms growing there, but not since then whenever I have checked. To my absolute delight, there were maybe half a dozen, in different stages of development. Surprisingly, we didn't come across a single one in Rod's forest this year.

As always, thank you so much, Rod, for so generously allowing us to explore your property. This has been my favourite place to visit for quite a number of years now. We greatly appreciate your kindness - you are always so welcoming, and we learn so much and discover so many beautiful things. Thank you, Karel, for leading the group and helping with identifications. I'm sure at least some of us are anxiously waiting for you to have time, in between leading botany walks, to post some of your photos along with their IDs. Meanwhile, "fungus" has to be sufficient for most of them.

"Hoodoos take millions of years to form and stand 5 to 7 metres tall. Each hoodoo is a sandstone pillar resting on a thick base of shale that is capped by a large stone. Hoodoos are very fragile and can erode completely if their capstone is dislodged (in other words, no climbing allowed). This protected Hoodoos site is a guaranteed spot to see Hoodoos but smaller versions of these sandstone giants can be found all over the Badlands.

The name "Hoodoo" comes from the word "voodoo" and was given to these geological formations by the Europeans. In the Blackfoot and Cree traditions, however, the Hoodoos are believed to be petrified giants who come alive at night to hurl rocks at intruders." From traveldrumheller.com

www.traveldrumheller.com/index.php/directory/7-Drumheller...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoodoo_(geology)

Wow, what a day I had yesterday, 5 August 2019! For a few decades, I had longed to get out east of the city again, to the Badlands of Alberta. I had been a few times in more recent years, either on botany trips to Horseshoe Canyon, or a couple of times for the Christmas Bird Count. However, we always carpooled and we never went to the places I really, really wanted to go to. Finally, in 2014, I took my daughter out there, taking the main highway into Drumheller. She has an amazing sense of direction and is great at navigating, so I knew I wouldn't get lost.

This time, though, I wanted to avoid Drumheller itself, so I took a back way to the few places and things I wanted to see and photograph. Each year, I try and make a new, long drive that I have never done before. Trust me, a real challenge to someone with a driving phobia!! Now, there are a handful of places that I make myself get back to each summer, to make sure I don't lose the courage to make the drive by myself.

Maps had been made, a few 'drives' taken along a few bits of road on Google Earth, so I was well-prepared. Still, I felt sick to the stomach at the thought of doing the last half of the drive. If I happened to take one wrong road, would i ever get out of the Badlands?

When I checked the weather forecast, I noticed that rain was expected on some upcoming days, but not for yesterday, so I knew I needed to go. It was still quite hazy all day. When I was almost ready to leave home, I suddenly realized that yesterday was a public holiday! Never a good time to visit anywhere, with so many people everywhere. Normally, I would have stayed home. Left home at 8:45 am and got back home at 7:15 pm, after driving 402 km.. In this time, I was able to see my favourite hoodoos (with so many cars parked along the road and endless people climbing all over the hoodoos), a little almost-ghost town, and one of my absolute favourite old grain elevators. My route also took me past the Bethlehem Lutheran Church of Dalum - I had seen photos of this church before and I had always wanted to photograph a church like this. One other stop had been on my mental list, but, even though I would have had time to get there, my big concern was running out of gas on the way home.

There was only one unpleasant thing that happened yesterday and it still keeps coming to mind. Along one of the paved roads on the way to the Badlands, I had noticed a very scruffy looking hawk standing on the road. I turned around and drove back to see if I could check if it was OK. Just when I was going to pull over so that I could slowly walk back, I looked in the rear view mirror and there was a car coming behind me. Not sure if the driver tried to position his wheels so that they were either side of the hawk, or not. Anyway, the bird tried to fly and got caught up by the car, which ripped and mangled it. I could see it being tossed and caught back. I walked back to see if I could tell if it was still alive. I couldn't tell, but it was a real mess. Much as I would have liked to move it to the ditch, I couldn't. Trying to convince myself that, because it had looked so scruffy to start with, and stayed on the road, maybe it had been sick. I have seen plenty of dead wildlife of all kinds, but never before have I had to witness something actually being killed. Still haunts me.

Today, 6 August 2019, my daughter and I had planned to spend the day together but decided to cancel, as the forecast is for rain and it's no fun taking photos in the rain. Such a shame, as I had been looking forward to being out with her. Her free days are so few and far between. Ha, 4:30 pm and we have torrential rain, wind and thunder - SO glad we weren't out in this!

Yesterday, 8 September 2019, we had such a wonderful four and a half hours, searching for different kinds of fungi in the amazing forest on Rod Handfield's land, SW of Calgary. I think this was our tenth visit - the first one I went on, being on 25 June 2009 - each one resulting in various different species. It was so overwhelming yesterday! You didn't know which direction to face and which mushroom to photograph first. They were everywhere! Such a contrast to our visit on 6 August 2017, when basically there were no mushrooms (other than maybe three), because everywhere had been so very dry.

A day like this can be so exhausting, not just from the walking, but also because of all the excitement. Last night, I slept well. In the evening, I picked out six photos ready to post today. The quality of many, if not most, of my photos is not the best, as the day was very overcast - the last thing one wants when trying to take photos deep in the forest. After leaving Rod's, it did rain. I had driven myself there instead of carpooling, so that I could drive some of the backroads in the area after we had finished. The forecast was for sun and cloud - and I had foolishly believed it. The rain put an end to my plans and I headed for home. I'm so glad I had checked a special little spot near Rod's first thing in the morning, when I got there a bit too early. A few years ago, there was a beautiful display of Fly Agaric / Amanita muscaria mushrooms growing there, but not since then. To my absolute delight, there were maybe half a dozen, in different stages of development. Surprisingly, we didn't come across a single one in Rod's forest this year.

As always, thank you so much, Rod, for so generously allowing us to explore your property. This has been my favourite place to visit for quite a number of years now. We greatly appreciate your kindness - you are always so welcoming, and we learn so much and discover so many beautiful things. Thank you, Karel, for leading the group and helping with identifications. I'm sure at least some of us are anxiously waiting for you to have time, in between leading botany walks, to post some of your photos along with their IDs. Meanwhile, "fungus" has to be sufficient. As usual, any IDs given are always tentative, not 100% confirmed. Rule is, if you are not an expert in mycology, do not pick wild mushrooms to eat!

From a Facebook posting by John Barry Graham on 8 August 2023:

"A tornado in 2015 took the roof off. The community that saved and restored the two old churches has $16,000 saved up thus far to put a new roof on and save the elevator. It is the most photographed elevator in Western Canada."

Drone footage of Dorothy elevator and old bridge East Coulee, by DanOCan

youtu.be/fVB-qjzcL4c

Four days ago, on 29 September 2014, I finally drove out to an area that lies NE of Calgary, that I had longed to go to for so many years. It must have been 30+ years ago that I first saw one particular area of the Badlands of Alberta. A few times since then, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, my youngest daughter and I decided that we both wanted to make this trip. All summer, we had been waiting for a day on which she didn't have to work and where the weather forecast was for no rain on the day or there had been no rain the previous day. The Bentonite Clay in the area becomes treacherously slippery when wet. The forecast for this day was for a mainly sunny day - at last, we were going!

I think this was the longest day of driving I had ever done, especially to, and in, an area that I'd never driven to before. For anyone who doesn't know me, I have battled a driving phobia for decades, plus I have no sense of direction, lol! Thankfully, my daughter has an amazing sense of direction, so I knew we wouldn't be stuck out on the prairies in the middle of nowhere. A typical question at too many intersections went as follows: me - "Do we go left?"; my daughter - "No, we go right", lol!

I met my daughter at 8:00 am. and I got home shortly before 9:00 pm. Much of that time was spent driving; the rest was spent wandering round three main areas - The Hoodoo Trail, Dorothy and Rowley, in different directions from Drumheller (known for its remarkable dinosaur findings). The forecast was far from accurate on our drive out to the Badlands and I began to wonder if we'd made a mistake going on this trip on that particular day. However, knowing that snow would be returning very soon ("returning" because we had two snowstorms on 9 and 10 September), I was beginning to feel rather desperate and really didn't want to risk not getting out there this year. The afternoon was less cloudy and we did have some sun.

So, the first of our destinations was The Hoodoo Trail, a small area of protected, spectacular hoodoos (rock formations), and then we went further, to the almost-ghost-town of Dorothy. I had longed, for such a long time, to see the two small, old churches that are to be found in Dorothy, as well as the old grain elevator seen in this photo. This photo was obviously taken before the sun eventually came out. This abandoned icon of the prairies stands at the edge of the main road and will probably end up crumbling or being destroyed before too long, like so many other grain elevators in Alberta. Such a waste, that they are not protected.

After that, we drove over 11 bridges and called in at the tiny hamlet of Wayne, passing the old Atlas Coal Mine. Much as we would have liked to visit the mine, we knew that we just didn't have time. Then we went to Rowley to see the old grain elevators and to wander round this very small, historical place. There are actually three elevators, with two being right next to each other and the other one a little further from them. Dorothy felt and looked almost deserted, whereas Rowley was beautifully kept.

From Rowley, we made our way back across the prairies to Calgary. I had planned on getting back before it got dark as I no longer like night driving and very rarely do it, but we didn't quite make it. On the return drive, the last sighting was a Great Horned Owl that was perched part way up a power pole. Well done, Rachel, spotting this welcome bird! Not easy to see in the dark. By the time I got home, I was so tired and my arms were so painful from driving, but, what a great day we had!!

"There were 1,651 elevators in Alberta in 1951, but by 1982 a total of 979 elevators remained. The 1990s spelled the death of the wooden “country” or “primary” elevator. At the end of the 1990s, as the full impact of both of the ending of the Crow Rate in 1995 and further impending rail abandonment was felt, the pace of demolition accelerated at an unprecedented rate. At the end of the 1996-1997 crop year, there were only 327 elevators left. Alberta’s largest cooperative grain companies, the Alberta Wheat Pool (which amalgamated with Manitoba Pool Elevators in 1998 as Agricore) and United Grain Growers, ultimately formed a new corporate entity known as Agricore United in 2001, issuing issued public shares. Demolition of country elevators has continued, and in 2005 there were only 156 wooden elevators of any kind still standing, only a handful of which are used by the grain trade.

The Government of Alberta has recognised the significance of the traditional wood grain elevators, and has designated 12 as Provincial Historic Resources. They are located in the following communities: Andrew, Castor, Leduc, Meeting Creek, Paradise Valley, Radway, Rowley (3 elevators), Scandia and St. Albert (2 elevators)."

www.grainelevatorsalberta.ca/articles/HRM-history.pdf

www.bigdoer.com/8049/exploring-history/prairie-sentinels-...

An interesting film about how the old grain elevators work (or worked). Grain Elevator by Charles Konowal, National Film Board of Canada, 15:57 minutes in length.

www.nfb.ca/film/grain_elevator

This photo and the previous one (a red barn) were taken yesterday, 21 January 2017. The previous evening, I had been out at a get-together/meeting with various birding people. Friend, Pam, and I made plans to meet the following morning and then I would follow her in my own car to a planned destination. It was a drive that I had never dared to do before and, though I had been to this location several times over the years, it was always by carpooling. I was so grateful to be able to follow someone, and see how to get there.

Once we reached our destination, we found out that the bird we had hoped to see, was not there. So many people have been to see this Long-eared Owl, but this was the first time I had been. Various people came and went, but no-one was having any luck. Some accounts were saying that 50 or 75 people had been seen on such and such day, and that some people were stressing out the bird by getting too close. This always happens, with news spreading like wildfire, and some people go day after day. While most photographers are respectful, there are always a few who will do anything to get "the" photo - got to get closer and better than anyone else's. I should add that there was also a Great Horned Owl in the area, so I guess it's possible that that is keeping the Long-eared Owl further away or more carefully hidden.

After a short while, Pam and I decided to drive round a few other roads, taking my car. The hope was to maybe find a Snowy Owl or a Short-eared Owl somewhere. Totally out of luck, except for one very distant Snowy Owl, seen in this photo, that Pam spotted. It was gleaming white in the sunshine. So beautiful to see and so much appreciated.

Of course, no drive is complete unless I see a beautiful old barn, and we found two or three that made us stop and take a shot or two. I really liked the one in the previous image - difficult to tell if it's a fairly new one or an old one that has been renovated. I suspect the latter. As you can see, we had such beautiful weather this day.

On the way home, we called in briefly at the first owl location again, just to check if it had been seen while we were driving other roads, but no one had had any luck. After leaving, I followed Pam part of the way home, not realizing that she was going to turn off on to Deerfoot Trail - a road I always avoid, as it's a dangerous road. I hadn't seen the sign that said Deerfoot, so there I was, heading home along this fast-moving highway. All turned out well, though.

There is just this one grain elevator in Chancellor, Alberta. It is an ex Cargill grain elevator, with a central elevator and four steel bins.

On 30 August 2021, I decided, after seeing rain in the forecast for a few coming days, to do a long drive NE of Calgary, to the Badlands. Knowing that it was getting dark earlier and earlier in the evenings, I knew that I was running out of days on which I would be able to do these long drives. My main destinations to call in at were in the Drumheller area.

I had longed to go out there for so many years. It must have been 30+ years ago that I first saw one particular area of the Badlands of Alberta. A few times, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, on 29 September 2014, my youngest daughter and I decided that we both wanted to make this trip. Since then, I believe I have only driven that way once more, on 5 August 2019, until this most recent trip. I was out for nine hours and much of that time was actual driving. The further east I went, the more I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere.

Amazingly, the weather was good, with blue sky most of the time. It still seems strange to see blue sky and not overcast and smoky from the British Columbia wildfires. I think the temperature got up to about 28C, so not unbearably hot.

The first thing I photographed was a rather attractive moth, resting next to my front door outside. It may have been the moth that I had photographed earlier, on my bathroom ceiling.

About half way on the drive, I drove several back roads to take another look at an old barn I fell in love with last winter, while searching for a Snowy Owl. I was shocked and saddened to find no sign of the old barn except for a pile of wood that had collapsed or been pulled down. Maybe it was becoming dangerously unsafe in the farmyard.

Feeling somewhat 'down', I continued on my way and eventually stopped to take a handful of photos of a fine church. It seems so out of place on the prairies. The church building, inspired by a typical Danish church, was finished in 1936, though there has been a church on this site since the first settlers arrived in Dalum in 1918.

Two new-to-me grain elevators were enjoyed and quickly photographed. It's not very often that I find one that I have never seen before.

A couple of times, I stopped to take a few photos of wild Sunflowers that were growing at the edge of two or three gravel roads. An attractive moth was at rest on one of the flowers. Insects seem to really like these bright and cheery wildflowers.

It was a pleasant surprise to discover that there were not a lot of people at the Hoodoos. I have been there when there were endless crowds of visitors all over the place, making it difficult to take photos, and to find a parking spot. These natural "works of art" are so beautiful and interesting.

Driving further south, I stopped at one of my favourite places - an old almost-ghost town. Here, there are two lovely old country churches, old barns, old cars and tractors/farm equipment. Also, a very old, extremely weathered grain elevator that lost its roof in a storm a few years ago. Such a shame that it has never been replaced. I love the Badlands setting for this prairie sentinel.

A final place to call in at was The Last Saloon, where I bought some Sweet Potato Fries 'to go'. This is a very popular place, including with motorcyclists.

Having left home in the morning a few minutes after 9:00 am, I finally reached home about 6:00 pm, happy and tired out. A great day, full of lots of things to see. Though they were all familiar, they are always fun to see and photograph again. Hope to get in another drive or two in the next couple of weeks, before the snow arrives and stays on the ground for seven months! Where did the summer go?!

As usual, any fungi IDs given are always tentative, not 100% confirmed. Rule is, if you are not an expert in mycology, do not pick wild mushrooms to eat! You could end up very sick, or worse.

Another gloomy morning today, 14 September 2019, but the sun did appear sometimes in the afternoon. It definitely feels and looks like fall. It will soon be time to get all-season tires off and winter tires put on. This afternoon, a few of us were fortunate enough to go on yet another fungi walk, this time SW of the city, to a new-to-us acreage. We were shown quite a mix of fungi species, and we were accompanied the whole time by the owners' two beautiful, friendly dogs. What I would give to have even a tenth of the energy that these dogs had! First, however, I wanted to add a few more photos tonight, taken at Rod Handfield's acreage, visited on 8 September.

Six days ago, on 8 September 2019, we had such a wonderful four and a half hours, searching for different kinds of fungi in the amazing forest on Rod Handfield's land, SW of Calgary. I believe this was our tenth visit - the first one I went on, being on 25 June 2009 - each one resulting in various different species. This last visit was so overwhelming! You didn't know which direction to face and which mushroom to photograph first. They were everywhere! Such a contrast to our visit on 6 August 2017, when basically there were no mushrooms (other than maybe three), because everywhere had been so very dry.

A day like this can be so exhausting, not just from the walking and fresh air, but also because of all the excitement. The quality of many of my photos is not the best, as the day was very overcast - the last thing one wants when trying to take photos deep in the forest. After leaving Rod's, it did rain. I had driven myself there instead of carpooling, so that I could drive some of the backroads in the area after we had finished. The forecast was for sun and cloud - and I had foolishly believed it. The rain put an end to my plans and I headed for home. I'm so glad I had checked a special little spot near Rod's first thing in the morning, when I got there a bit too early. A few years ago, there was a beautiful display of Fly Agaric / Amanita muscaria mushrooms growing there, but not since then whenever I have checked. To my absolute delight, there were maybe half a dozen, in different stages of development. Surprisingly, we didn't come across a single one in Rod's forest this year.

As always, thank you so much, Rod, for so generously allowing us to explore your property. This has been my favourite place to visit for quite a number of years now. We greatly appreciate your kindness - you are always so welcoming, and we learn so much and discover so many beautiful things. Thank you, Karel, for leading the group and helping with identifications. I'm sure at least some of us are anxiously waiting for you to have time, in between leading botany walks, to post some of your photos along with their IDs. Meanwhile, "fungus" has to be sufficient for many of them.

So, is everyone sick and tired of seeing photos of mushrooms and other fungi? If so, I have bad news for you - I still have SO many to eventually edit and post. Photos of other things that I have been seeing seem to have been temporarily put on hold : )

As usual, any fungi IDs given are always tentative, not 100% confirmed. Rule is, if you are not an expert in mycology, do not pick wild mushrooms to eat! You could end up very sick, or worse.

Another overcast morning today, 16 September 2019, with a temperature of only 13C. It definitely feels and looks like fall, with more and more trees turning yellow. It will soon be time to get all-season tires off and winter tires put on. First, however, I wanted to add a few more photos tonight, taken at Rod Handfield's acreage, visited on 8 September.

Eight days ago, on 8 September 2019, we had such a wonderful four and a half hours, searching for different kinds of fungi in the amazing forest on Rod Handfield's land, SW of Calgary. I believe this was our tenth visit - the first one I went on, being on 25 June 2009 - each one resulting in various different species. This last visit was so overwhelming! You didn't know which direction to face and which mushroom to photograph first. They were everywhere! Such a contrast to our visit on 6 August 2017, when basically there were no mushrooms (other than maybe three), because everywhere had been so very dry.

A day like this can be so exhausting, not just from the walking and fresh air, but also because of all the excitement. The quality of many of my photos is not the best, as the day was very overcast - the last thing one wants when trying to take photos deep in the forest. After leaving Rod's, it did rain. I had driven myself there instead of carpooling, so that I could drive some of the backroads in the area after we had finished. The forecast was for sun and cloud - and I had foolishly believed it. The rain put an end to my plans and I headed for home. I'm so glad I had checked a special little spot near Rod's first thing in the morning, when I got there a bit too early. A few years ago, there was a beautiful display of Fly Agaric / Amanita muscaria mushrooms growing there, but not since then whenever I have checked. To my absolute delight, there were maybe half a dozen, in different stages of development. Surprisingly, we didn't come across a single one in Rod's forest.

As always, thank you so much, Rod, for so generously allowing us to explore your property. This has been my favourite place to visit for quite a number of years now. We greatly appreciate your kindness - you are always so welcoming, and we learn so much and discover so many beautiful things. Thank you, Karel, for leading the group and helping with identifications. I'm sure at least some of us are anxiously waiting for you to have time, in between leading botany walks, to post some of your photos along with their IDs. Meanwhile, "fungus" has to be sufficient for many of them.

This little (actually, not so little!) ball of fluff was 45 days old when I photographed it three days ago. Thought I'd post this close-up shot first, but I do have photos showing the whole bird that I will post later. Lol, a face that perhaps only a mother could love? We don't have Barn Owls in the wild in Alberta, but this was seen at an exhibit.

On 20 July 2014, I plucked up courage to do a drive that I’d never done before. I had been that route once before that I can think of, when I carpooled with others. A good part of the drive was in familiar territory, but I’d never driven the last part of the journey myself. I had met my youngest daughter at 9:00 a.m. and we were both eager to see a display of birds of prey that had been brought up from the Coaldale Birds of Prey Centre. We came across Dee (rockymtnchick) and her partner, there to see the owls. Great to see you both!

This year, there were fewer birds, but it was great to see any at all. There was a Burrowing Owl, a Barn Owl, a Great Horned Owl (photo posted two days ago), and a Golden Eagle. Another real treat that was an amusing one, was seeing this baby Barn Owl that was just 45 days old! This little ball of fluff was acting as a great ambassador, letting young kids get a close view and ask questions, and fall in love with it – and to hopefully, in the future, do everything they can as adults to protect our precious wildlife. The enjoyment of seeing these birds up close reminds one that the reason these birds are not free to live in the wild, is because of some kind of interaction with humans – such as permanent injuries from being hit by a vehicle, pesticide use, or even worse, being shot by a human! This is what happened to “Spirit”, the magnificent Golden Eagle, shot and blinded by someone.

This exhibit was our first destination in the park, though on the drive from Calgary, we had stopped at the small McDougall Church at Morley (photos posted the last two days). After seeing and photographing the birds of prey, we then drove to Middle Lake that’s in a different part of the park. We walked the very short distance to the edge of the lake (a photo posted today), but didn't walk around it. From there, we drove to Many Springs Trail and did a very slow walk around the lake, stopping to look at different wildflowers and photograph a few butterflies. Though slow, it was still further than I should have walked. Certain wildflowers were already finished, including various Orchid species, but there were still plenty of other species to see and enjoy. Even the weather cooperated, though the forecast had been for isolated showers. Not too hot, nice clouds in the sky and lovely to have my daughter’s company for the day.

Thanks so much to the people down at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre (near Lethbridge, down towards the Canada/US border) for bringing your gorgeous birds of prey for us to see! I have been south to the Centre three times I think, and always long to go back again, but it's not somewhere I can drive to, so this was a much-appreciated treat!

The Green Line is for carpooling only...

Allen's Swamp Monkies (Allenopithecus nigroviridis) at the San Diego Zoo.

Posting a few more images from my archives until I can get out again. I am adding the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo taken on the same outing.

"This beautiful Hollyhock was seen in our Naturalist's garden on 13 August 2009, when a group of us met for carpooling. The day was spent on a full-day botanizing outing at Bearberry Prairie Natural Area and Sundre Natural Area."

On 7 June 2021, it was a beautiful day, but so windy! It made driving and taking photos rather unpleasant. Having seen that we are in for a few wet days, I decided to do a half day drive east of the city. No new roads, no new barns, just a handful of birds to make the trip worthwhile.

On the spur of the moment, towards the end of the afternoon, I drove down to McKinnon Flats for a quick look at the 'new' road down the steep hill to the Bow River below. A bit disappointing, as I had been expecting a paved road, not gravel. I was almost the only person at this location and I changed my mind about going to see what birds I could find. Far too windy, and the place tends to give me the creeps anyway! This was only the second time I had been here, apart from a carpooling visit many years ago. One thing that I do like to see there is the very old, rusty tractor that is 'on display'. This is where I found the Gray Catbird.

On 29 September 2014, I finally drove out to an area that lies NE of Calgary, that I had longed to go to for so many years. It must have been 30+ years ago that I first saw one particular area of the Badlands of Alberta - the Hoodoo Trail. A few times since then, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, my youngest daughter and I decided that we both wanted to make this trip. All summer, we had been waiting for a day on which she didn't have to work and where the weather forecast was for no rain on the day or there had been no rain the previous day. The Bentonite Clay in the area becomes treacherously slippery when wet. The forecast for this day was for a mainly sunny day - at last, we were going!

I think this was the longest day of driving I had ever done, especially to, and in, an area that I'd never driven to before. For anyone who doesn't know me, I have battled a driving phobia for decades, plus I have no sense of direction, lol! Thankfully, my daughter has an amazing sense of direction, so I knew we wouldn't be stuck out on the prairies in the middle of nowhere. A typical question at too many intersections went as follows: me - "Do we go left?"; my daughter - "No, we go right", lol!

I met my daughter at 8:00 am. and I got home shortly before 9:00 pm. Much of that time was spent driving; the rest was spent wandering round three main areas - The Hoodoo Trail, Dorothy and Rowley, in different directions from Drumheller (which is known for its remarkable dinosaur findings). The forecast was far from accurate on our drive out to the Badlands and I began to wonder if we'd made a mistake going on this trip on that particular day. However, knowing that snow would be returning very soon ("returning" because we had two snowstorms on 9 and 10 September), I was beginning to feel rather desperate and really didn't want to risk not getting out there this year. The afternoon was less cloudy and we did have some sun.

So, the first of our destinations was The Hoodoo Trail, a small area of protected, spectacular hoodoos (rock formations), and then we went further, to the almost-ghost-town of Dorothy. I had longed, for such a long time, to see the two small, old churches that are to be found in Dorothy, as well as the old grain elevator.

After that, we drove over 11 bridges and called in at the tiny hamlet of Wayne. We passed the old Atlas Coal Mine near the main highway, but, much as we would have liked to visit the mine, we knew that we just didn't have time. From Wayne, we continued to Rowley to see the three old grain elevators and to wander round part of this very small, historical place. I decided last night to add a filter to this image, to bring out a little more of the wood detail. Dorothy felt and looked almost deserted, whereas Rowley was beautifully kept.

www.unlockthepast.ca/24/people/260

From Rowley, we made our way back across the prairies to Calgary. I had planned on getting back before it got dark as I no longer like night driving and very rarely do it, but we didn't quite make it. On the return drive, the last sighting was a Great Horned Owl that was perched part way up a power pole. Well done, Rachel, spotting this welcome bird! Not easy to see in the dark. By the time I got home, I was so tired and my arms were so painful from driving, but, what a great day we had!!

Almost three years ago, on 12 November 2017, I went with a group of seven birding friends on a very enjoyable day trip S and SE of Calgary. This old barn on one of the roads was an unexpected treat (for me) and, as I only managed to take a few rapid shots of it through the windscreen from the back seat, I was determined to one day do this drive myself and take a better look at this fine old barn (from the road, as usual).

On 21 September 2020, it was THE day! It started around 9:00 am with a drive south to the Saskatoon Farm for breakfast. It was very quiet at that early hour and on a weekday, though I knew it would get busier as the day wore on. There are always all sorts of things to photograph there, including colourful flowers, a chicken or two, and various odds and ends. There is sadness at the Farm at the moment, as someone stole one of their much-loved cats, named Alfie. He is a pure grey cat and he has a sister at the Farm who looks just like him. She now wanders around the farm grounds, looking for him, in vain. Despite pleas to return Alfie, there has been no response.

From the Farm, the next destination was to go and find this old barn again. When I was there in 2017, I'm not sure if I saw the old rocking horses on each fence post. We were carpooling and I suspect they were out of my view. The barn is certainly weathered, but it is still standing straight and tall.

Driving further S and SE, more barns were to be seen. Part of the drive was in an area that I had explored recently. A few old grain elevators were thrown in for good measure.

As for birds, where were they? Not a single Hawk of any kind and really no small birds, either. A handful of Grey Partridge taking off were pretty much the only birds that were seen. However, this was not planned as a birding day, but as an old barn day, and it turned out to be satisfyingly rewarding!

This is part of the old Atlas Coal MIne, near Drumheller, that we passed on a day trip to the Badlands. Fortunately, it can also be seen from the main highway, which is where this photo was taken. The mine is considered to be Canada's most complete historic coal mine and is home to the country's last standing wooden coal tipple. It was designated an Alberta Provincial Historic Resource in 1989 and a National Historic Site of Canada in 2002.My description is already too long, but if anyone is interested, the links below can be used.

www.atlascoalmine.ab.ca/history.html

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Coal_Mine

Four days ago, on 29 September 2014, I finally drove out to an area that lies NE of Calgary, that I had longed to go to for so many years. It must have been 30+ years ago that I first saw one particular area of the Badlands of Alberta. A few times since then, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, my youngest daughter and I decided that we both wanted to make this trip, All summer, we have been waiting for a day on which she didn't have to work and where the weather forecast was for no rain on the day or there had been no rain the previous day. The Bentonite Clay in the area becomes treacherously slippery when wet. The forecast for this day was for a mainly sunny day - at last, we were going!

I think this was the longest day of driving I had ever done, especially to, and in, an area that I'd never driven to before. For anyone who doesn't know me, I have battled a driving phobia for decades, plus I have barely any sense of direction, lol! Thankfully, my daughter has an amazing sense of direction, so I knew we wouldn't be stuck out on the prairies in the middle of nowhere. A typical question at too many intersections went as follows: me - "Do we go left?"; my daughter - "No, we go right", lol!

I met my daughter at 8:00 am. and I got home shortly before 9:00 pm. Much of that time was spent driving; the rest was spent wandering round three main areas - The Hoodoo Trail, Dorothy and Rowley, in different directions from Drumheller (known for its remarkable dinosaur findings). The forecast was far from accurate on our drive out to the Badlands and I began to wonder if we'd made a mistake going on this trip on such a heavily overcast day. However, knowing that snow would be returning very soon ("returning" because we had two snowstorms on 9 and 10 September), I was beginning to feel rather desperate and really didn't want to risk not getting out there this year. The afternoon was less cloudy and we did have some sun.

So, the first of our destinations was The Hoodoo Trail, a small area of protected, spectacular hoodoos (rock formations), and then we went further, to the almost-ghost-town of Dorothy. I had longed, for such a long time, to see the two small, old churches that are to be found in Dorothy, as well as the old, abandoned grain elevator.

After that, we drove over 11 bridges and called in at the tiny hamlet of Wayne, passing the old Atlas Coal Mine. Much as we would have liked to visit the mine, we knew that we just didn't have enough time. Then we went to Rowley to see the old grain elevators and to wander round this very small, historical place. There are actually three elevators, with two being right next to each other and the other one a little further from them. Dorothy felt and looked almost deserted, whereas Rowley was beautifully kept.

From Rowley, we made our way back across the prairies to Calgary. I had planned on getting back before it got dark as I no longer like night driving and very rarely do it, but we didn't quite make it. On the return drive, the last sighting was a Great Horned Owl that was perched part way up a power pole. Well done, Rachel, spotting this welcome bird! Not easy to see in the dark. By the time I got home, I was so tired and my arms were so painful from driving, but, what a great day we had!!

I overslept just half an hour this morning, but it was enough to result in unfinished descriptions. Our birding walk today was at the east end of Fish Creek Park, in the Sikome area and also a little way along the river, south of Highway 22X.

Yesterday, though, was much longer drive for me. A fellow birder had sent out an email to everyone, saying that he was going east of the city yesterday, to visit Lynn Gratz and her partner at Marsland Basin, and that anyone else was welcome to join him. This was enough incentive to make me do the drive eastward. I have been out there maybe three or four times before, but by carpooling. Yesterday was the very first time I had ever driven there myself. So much traffic and construction on the eastern edge of the city, so I really don't like that drive, until I am way past it all. I certainly hadn't intended doing a long drive like this is my new car, at least not until it has been 'broken in'.

The weather was beautiful all day and there were a fair number of birds, especially shorebirds in the water and on the mudflats. Too far away, really, for photos, though I did take some.

Just before I got there, I spotted this beautiful juvenile Red-tailed Hawk perched on a fence post. Didn't see it till I was almost past it, and then I couldn't figure out how to put my widow down, lol, so had to turn around. Then I found that the Hawk was too low down because of a ditch, so I couldn't see it from the driver's seat through the passenger window. Silly new cars with the front console!!! In my old car, I could slide across and point out the passenger window, if needed. So, had to drive down the road and turn around again! This time, I found how to put down my window and managed three quick shots before it flew away. My photo is horribly blown out on the chest feathers, but better than nothing. These were really the main photos I took that afternoon - and by the time I had driven all the way back to Calgary, I was exhausted.

Five days ago, on 29 September 2014, I finally drove out to an area that lies NE of Calgary, that I had longed to go to for so many years. It must have been 30+ years ago that I first saw one particular area of the Badlands of Alberta. A few times since then, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, my youngest daughter and I decided that we both wanted to make this trip, All summer, we had been waiting for a day on which she didn't have to work and where the weather forecast was for no rain on the day or there had been no rain the previous day. The Bentonite Clay in the area becomes treacherously slippery when wet. The forecast for this day was for a mainly sunny day - at last, we were going!

I think this was the longest day of driving I had ever done, especially to, and in, an area that I'd never driven to before. For anyone who doesn't know me, I have battled a driving phobia for decades, plus I have barely any sense of direction, lol! Thankfully, my daughter has an amazing sense of direction, so I knew we wouldn't be stuck out on the prairies in the middle of nowhere. A typical question at too many intersections went as follows: me - "Do we go left?"; my daughter - "No, we go right", lol!

I met my daughter at 8:00 am. and I got home shortly before 9:00 pm. Much of that time was spent driving; the rest was spent wandering round three main areas - The Hoodoo Trail, Dorothy and Rowley, in different directions from Drumheller (known for its remarkable dinosaur findings). The forecast was far from accurate on our drive out to the Badlands and I began to wonder if we'd made a mistake going on this trip on that particular day. However, knowing that snow would be returning very soon ("returning" because we had two snowstorms on 9 and 10 September), I was beginning to feel rather desperate and really didn't want to risk not getting out there this year. The afternoon was less cloudy and we did have some sun.

So, the first of our destinations was The Hoodoo Trail, a small area of protected, spectacular hoodoos (rock formations), and then we went further, to the almost-ghost-town of Dorothy. I had longed, for such a long time, to see the two small, old churches that are to be found in Dorothy, as well as the old grain elevator.

After that, we drove over 11 bridges and called in at the tiny hamlet of Wayne. We passed the old Atlas Coal Mine near the main highway, but, much as we would have liked to visit the mine, we knew that we just didn't have time. From Wayne, we continued to Rowley to see the three old grain elevators, seen in this photo, and to wander round this very small, historical place. There are actually three elevators, with two being right next to each other and the other one a little further from them. Dorothy felt and looked almost deserted, whereas Rowley was beautifully kept.

From Rowley, we made our way back across the prairies to Calgary. I had planned on getting back before it got dark as I no longer like night driving and very rarely do it, but we didn't quite make it. On the return drive, the last sighting was a Great Horned Owl that was perched part way up a power pole. Well done, Rachel, spotting this welcome bird! Not easy to see in the dark. By the time I got home, I was so tired and my arms were so painful from driving, but, what a great day we had!!

"There were 1,651 elevators in Alberta in 1951, but by 1982 a total of 979 elevators remained. The 1990s spelled the death of the wooden “country” or “primary” elevator. At the end of the 1990s, as the full impact of both of the ending of the Crow Rate in 1995 and further impending rail abandonment was felt, the pace of demolition accelerated at an unprecedented rate. At the end of the 1996-1997 crop year, there were only 327 elevators left. Alberta’s largest cooperative grain companies, the Alberta Wheat Pool (which amalgamated with Manitoba Pool Elevators in 1998 as Agricore) and United Grain Growers, ultimately formed a new corporate entity known as Agricore United in 2001, issuing issued public shares. Demolition of country elevators has continued, and in 2005 there were only 156 wooden elevators of any kind still standing, only a handful of which are used by the grain trade.

The Government of Alberta has recognised the significance of the traditional wood grain elevators, and has designated 12 as Provincial Historic Resources. They are located in the following communities: Andrew, Castor, Leduc, Meeting Creek, Paradise Valley, Radway, Rowley (3 elevators), Scandia and St. Albert (2 elevators)."

www.grainelevatorsalberta.ca/articles/HRM-history.pdf

www.bigdoer.com/8049/exploring-history/prairie-sentinels-...

Many times, I am just blown away by how powerful the zoom in my point-and-shoot camera is. This old house was so far away, on a very distant hillside and I really didn't think that my photos would turn out at all. Heat distortion ruins too many images, but I thought this was still usable. It seemed OK in the original version, but I still decided to run it through a filter, which gives it a slightly more detailed, sharper appearance. Photos were taken from the main road and there is no track or rough road that leads to this fine old house. A few people have got close photos, but, at least the ones I read about, they did get permission to go on the private land and to enter the building. It's obviously a long, tough slog across the badland landscape. Quite apart form the fact that old barns and houses can be really dangerous inside, they are also on privately owned land. This means, in theory anyway, that no one should trespass. Sadly, though, some people still do it and some even steal some of the priceless old treasures left behind by the original owners of a building. I guess these people simply have no conscience - and they give photographers a bad name.

Last night, I stayed up a good part of the night, trying to find information about this abandoned, weathered house. Very little to be found, but I will add links to several things I did find, for my own memory and just in case anyone else is interested in the history of this place, I will try and remember to post a distant shot sometime. So sad to see any old house, barn or shed fall into such decay.

www.bigdoer.com/22257/exploring-history/laing-house-frien...

www.pbase.com/impalass/image/110826402

www.youtube.com/user/asecondaryhighway

On 18 July 2016, I had a wonderful day out NE of the city with my daughter. The last time I actually drove eastwards was about six months ago, when I was shooting Short-eared Owls near the end of January. The last time (also the first time) I had ever driven out as far as Drumheller was on 29 September 2014. A few times, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, my daughter and I had a great time exploring some of the roads between Calgary and Drumheller. There were a handful of things or places we wanted to check out, but many things were total surprises. We knew we wanted to see fields, yellow fields full of canola as far as the eye could see. No disappointment there as we took in the gorgeous colour and the perhaps not so pleasant smell of this crop. When we were driving through regular, green landscapes, it all seemed so 'ordinary' after being treated to vibrant gold.

As well as canola fields, we also knew of a particular grain elevator and nearby old barn that we were keen to see. There was also an old, two-storey house in a hilly setting that we knew would have to be photographed from a great distance, but we were curious about it. There was also a small wetland that I wanted to drive by, just in case there was something to see. How glad we were that we went, as a magnificent Black-crowned Night-heron was posing nicely on a post out in the open. This was the first time I had ever seen one close, so it made my day. At least, an adult - in October 2015, I had seen a gorgeous juvenile in Fish Creek Park.

Continuing on our way, we stopped to take a couple of quick shots of an Eastern Kingbird and then my daughter spotted a dark patch just above ground level, hidden in the bushes. It turned out to be an Eastern Kingbird's nest, with what looked like three large babies in it. No idea how she caught sight of this, but it was a treat to see.

Soon after this, we stopped to photograph two beautiful red barns and then stopped again to photograph a Western Kingbird. This is not a bird I normally see, so i was very happy to catch sight of this one.

A short drive further, we spotted a shorebird standing on a fence post - and then a second one a few posts away. At first, we thought maybe they were Wilson's Snipe, but then realized that they were something different - two beautiful Upland Sandpipers. I had seen one a number of years ago, but it was too far away for a photo. These are uncommon in Alberta. So, another very lucky find.

It was a pretty good day for hawks, too - so much so, that I got a gentle reminder form my daughter that I didn't need to photograph EVERY hawk we saw, lol. We had other places and other things that we wanted to get to.

As well as birds and beautiful scenery, we saw several old barns, including a special small shed/granary. Each year, the farmer allows the graduating class from the local high school to decorate this old building in any way they wish. A fun idea and it certainly adds a splash of colour. I was absolutely fascinated to read a little bit of history from someone who was a contact of mine on Flickr two or three years ago. Her Grandmother was apparently born in this house/shed. It was later converted to a granary and now, of course, has become the canvas for local students.

One of our main goals was to visit the old grain elevator at Sharples. I had wanted to visit there for quite a while and finally, we made it. Unfortunately, the elevator and nearby barn were in shadow, but it was great to see both old structures. We also passed another old elevator when we were driving along the road north of the river, on the way to Drumheller. This, needless to say, meant another stop for photos.

A great day of fun, seeing and photographing such a variety of things. Beautiful weather and, best of all, a day spent with my daughter. Thanks so much, Rachel - glad you felt up to a day out, but sorry you got so many mosquito bites!

This beautiful Redhead male, seen within the city, was swimming in water that was such a great colour two days ago, when I was out for the day with my daughter, to celebrate yet another birthday for me. I always look forward to a day like this - my favourite way to spend a day! I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did. It was the first time she had been out in a car since her surgery in something like five weeks, so she wasn't too sure how well she would do. Apart from a meeting I went to the evening before, it was the first time I had been out anywhere since getting back from my Pt Pelee trip a week ago, so I wasn't too sure how well I would do, too. Fortunately, the severe pain I have had the last few weeks due to inflamed shoulder rotator cuffs (again) and painful kneecaps being pulled out of place, that flared up just in time for my two-weeks away, is gradually improving, and all went just fine. Just glad that we saw Mountain Bluebirds, too.

Our day started with breakfast at the Saskatoon Farm followed by wandering the grounds, taking photos, which we both love to do. Then we called in at the garden nursery, "Spruce it up" I think it's called. From there, we drove westwards till we reached a favourite area, finding Mountain Bluebirds and Tree Swallows, but no sign of any kind of owl. Not too surprising, as it was afternoon by then. Not even a Wilson's Snipe perched on a fence post.

Up early again this morning, for the second day of the annual May Species Count. For yesterday's Count, my group went to Votier's Flats in Fish Creek Park. Today's full-day Count is driving (carpooling) out of the city in one of my favourite areas.

Almost three years ago, on 12 November 2017, I went with a group of seven birding friends on a very enjoyable day trip S and SE of Calgary. A beautiful old barn on one of the roads was an unexpected treat (for me) and, as I only managed to take a few rapid shots of it through the windscreen from the back seat, I was determined to one day do this drive myself and take a better look at this fine old barn (from the road, as usual).

Three days ago, 21 September 2020, was THE day! It started around 9:00 am with a drive south to the Saskatoon Farm for breakfast. It was very quiet at that early hour and on a weekday, though I knew it would get busier as the day wore on. There are always all sorts of things to photograph there, including colourful flowers, a chicken or two, and various odds and ends. There is sadness at the Farm at the moment, as someone stole one of their much-loved cats, named Alfie, a matter of days ago. He is a pure grey cat and he has a sister at the Farm who looks just like him. She now wanders around the farm grounds, looking for him, in vain. Despite pleas to return Alfie, there has been no response.

From the Farm, the next destination was to go and find the old barn again. When I was there in 2017, I'm not sure if I saw the old rocking horses on each fence post. We were carpooling and I suspect they were out of my view. The barn is certainly weathered, but it is still standing straight and tall.

Driving further S and SE, more barns were to be seen. Part of the drive was in an area that I had explored recently. A few old grain elevators were thrown in for good measure.

As for birds, where were they? Several Mourning Doves, but not a single Hawk of any kind and really no small birds, either. A handful of Grey Partridge taking off were pretty much the only birds we saw. However, this was not planned as a birding day, but as an old barn day, and it turned out to be satisfyingly rewarding!

This morning, it's back to posting more photos of fungi from our visit to Rod Handfield's acreage. Still more left to edit and post and I really must get these done. Sorry about the lack of IDs for so many of the fungi, but at least I have made a photo record of species seen.

I have never seen so many Honey Mushrooms before - they were everywhere! The mushrooms are edible, but some people may be intolerant to them.

On that day, 8 September 2019, we had such a wonderful four and a half hours, searching for different kinds of fungi in the amazing forest on Rod Handfield's land, SW of Calgary. I think this was our tenth visit - the first one I went on, being on 25 June 2009 - each one resulting in various different species. It was so overwhelming yesterday! You didn't know which direction to face and which mushroom to photograph first. They were everywhere! Such a contrast to our visit on 6 August 2017, when basically there were no mushrooms (other than maybe three), because everywhere had been so very dry.

A day like this can be so exhausting, not just from the walking, but also because of all the excitement. That night, I slept well. The quality of many of my photos is not the best, as the day was very overcast - the last thing one wants when trying to take photos deep in the forest. After leaving Rod's, it did rain. I had driven myself there instead of carpooling, so that I could drive some of the backroads in the area after we had finished. The forecast was for sun and cloud - and I had foolishly believed it. The rain put an end to my plans and I headed for home. I'm so glad I had checked a special little spot near Rod's first thing in the morning, when I got there a bit too early. A few years ago, there was a beautiful display of Fly Agaric / Amanita muscaria mushrooms growing there, but not since then. To my absolute delight, there were maybe half a dozen, in different stages of development. Surprisingly, we didn't come across a single one in Rod's forest this year.

As always, thank you so much, Rod, for so generously allowing us to explore your property. This has been my favourite place to visit for quite a number of years now. We greatly appreciate your kindness - you are always so welcoming, and we learn so much and discover so many beautiful things. Thank you, Karel, for leading the group and helping with some of the identifications. For the rest, "fungus" will have to be sufficient. As usual, any IDs given are always tentative, not 100% confirmed. Rule is, if you are not an expert in mycology, do not pick wild mushrooms to eat!

Three days ago, on 30 August 2021, I decided, after seeing possible rain in the forecast for a few coming days, to do a long drive NE of Calgary, to the Badlands. Knowing that it was getting dark earlier and earlier in the evenings, I knew that I was running out of days on which I would be able to do these long drives. My main destinations to call in at were in the Drumheller area.

I had longed to go out there for so many years. It must have been 30+ years ago that I first saw one particular area of the Badlands of Alberta. A few times, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, on 29 September 2014, my youngest daughter and I decided that we both wanted to make this trip. Since then, I believe I have only driven that way once more, on 5 August 2019, until this most recent trip three days ago. I was out for nine hours and much of that time was actual driving. The further east I went, the more I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere.

Amazingly, the weather was good, with blue sky most of the time. It still seems strange to see blue sky and not overcast and smoky from the British Columbia wildfires. I think the temperature got up to about 28C, so not unbearably hot.

The first thing I photographed was a rather attractive moth, resting next to my front door outside. It may have been the moth that I had photographed earlier, on my bathroom ceiling.

About half way on the drive, I drove several back roads to take another look at an old barn I fell in love with last winter, while searching for a Snowy Owl. I was shocked and saddened to find no sign of the old barn except for a pile of wood that had collapsed or been pulled down. Maybe it was becoming dangerously unsafe in the farmyard.

Feeling somewhat 'down', I continued on my way and eventually stopped to take a handful of photos of a fine church. It seems so out of place on the prairies. The church building, inspired by a typical Danish church, was finished in 1936, though there has been a church on this site since the first settlers arrived in Dalum in 1918.

Two new-to-me grain elevators were enjoyed and quickly photographed. It's not very often that I find one that I have never seen before.

A couple of times, I stopped to take a few photos of wild Sunflowers that were growing at the edge of two or three gravel roads. An attractive moth was at rest on one of the flowers. Insects seem to really like these bright and cheery wildflowers.

It was a pleasant surprise to discover that there were not a lot of people at the Hoodoos. I have been there when there were endless crowds of visitors all over the place, making it difficult to take photos, and to find a parking spot. These natural "works of art" are so beautiful and interesting.

Driving further south, I stopped at one of my favourite places - an old almost-ghost town. Dorothy is named after the daughter of Jack Wilson, an early rancher who first arrived in the area in 1900. Here, there are two lovely old country churches, old barns, old cars and tractors/farm equipment. Also, a very old, extremely weathered grain elevator that lost its roof in a storm a few years ago. Such a shame that it has never been replaced. I love the Badlands setting for this prairie sentinel.

A final place to call in at was The Last Saloon, where I bought some Sweet Potato Fries 'to go'. This is a very popular place, including with motorcyclists.

Having left home in the morning a few minutes after 9:00 am, I finally reached home about 6:00 pm, happy and tired out. A great day, full of lots of things to see. Though they were all familiar, they are always fun to see and photograph again. Hope to get in a few more drives in the next three or four weeks, before the snow arrives and stays on the ground for seven months! Where did the summer go?!

Sunday, 10 October 2021: our temperature is 6C (feels like 1C) just before 2:00 pm. Sunrise is at 7:51 am, and sunset is at 6:54 pm. Overcast and windy today. A good day to stay home. OMG, 3:00 pm and it has just started SNOWING !!! 😒😒

My intention the day before yesterday, 8 October 2021, was to drive west of the city and then south, to an area that I am slightly familiar with, though usually when carpooling with others over the years and not driving myself. I thought I knew where to drive, but once I was out there, all the roads had different names to what Google maps gives. This is always so confusing! As well as finding myself looking at the 'Heartland' barn, I also found myself on a road that led to the Sheep River trail and falls. On the spur of the moment, I decided that I might as well drive as far as the falls. The scenery is pleasant and the road is much better to drive in the fall than when the road is covered in ice and snow. Having experience the latter, I vowed that I would never repeat it. Total distance from home and back was 231 km.

This road is known for the Bighorn Sheep that live in the area. I was fortunate enough to come across a small herd of them, either scattered over a hillside or gathering under the shade of a small cluster of trees. I know people get stopped by Parks staff and told to move on, so I was not comfortable stopping for more than a minute or two, to grab quick, poor quality shots, just for the record.

There were quite a few people enjoying a walk or a picnic when I reached the falls. I have only ever driven here either once or maybe twice before. Much as I like to see the falls, the rough, uphill, rocky terrain is not my favourite. Trip, and you have a long, hard fall.

Yet again, I was lucky with the weather. I had noticed snow mentioned in our forecast for one of the coming days, Thankfully, the forecast seems to have changed that, so far, but we all know it is coming, and any time soon.

I just said my hair was sooc, as in it's naturally like that. Then I realized sooc only works with pictures, oh brother. I did the same thing today as yesterday. Nothing, then practiced for an hour. But today made me feel more confident. I think I'm ready.

If only everyone could drive! Carpooling is confusing.

I'm actually going to have a life tomorrow! I think?

This picture came out of a crappy stop motion, but I like the picture better anyways.

Almost three years ago, on 12 November 2017, I went with a group of seven birding friends on a very enjoyable day trip S and SE of Calgary. A beautiful old barn on one of the roads was an unexpected treat (for me) and, as I only managed to take a few rapid shots of it through the windscreen from the back seat, I was determined to one day do this drive myself and take a better look at this fine old barn (from the road, as usual).

Six days ago, 21 September 2020, was THE day! It started around 9:00 am with a drive south to the Saskatoon Farm for breakfast. It was very quiet at that early hour and on a weekday, though I knew it would get busier as the day wore on. There are always all sorts of things to photograph there, including colourful flowers, a chicken or two, and various odds and ends. There is sadness at the Farm at the moment, as someone stole one of their much-loved cats, named Alfie, a matter of days ago. He is a pure grey cat and he has a sister at the Farm who looks just like him. She now wanders around the farm grounds, looking for him, in vain. Despite pleas to return Alfie, there has been no response.

From the Farm, the next destination was to go and find the old barn again. When I was there in 2017, I'm not sure if I saw the old rocking horses on each fence post. We were carpooling and I suspect they were out of my view. The barn is certainly weathered, but it is still standing straight and tall.

Driving further S and SE, more barns were to be seen. Part of the drive was in an area that I had explored recently. A few old grain elevators were thrown in for good measure.

As for birds, where were they? Several Mourning Doves, but not a single Hawk of any kind and really no small birds, either. A handful of Grey Partridge taking off were pretty much the only birds we saw. However, this was not planned as a birding day, but as an old barn day, and it turned out to be satisfyingly rewarding!

A few more odds and ends from my archives, I am adding the description that I wrote under a different image taken on the same outing. Will be without my car for another several weeks minimum (sigh!), so will be posting images from my archives for quite a while.

"Just over a week ago, a fellow birder had sent out an email to everyone, saying that he was going east of the city on 7 September 2016, to visit Lynn Gratz and her partner at Marsland Basin, and that anyone else was welcome to join him. This was enough incentive to make me do the drive eastward. I have been out there maybe three or four times before, but by carpooling. This day was the very first time I had ever driven there myself. So much traffic and construction on the eastern edge of the city, so I really don't like that drive, until I am way past it all. I certainly hadn't intended doing a long drive like this is my new car, at least not until it has been 'broken in'.

The weather was beautiful all day and there were a fair number of birds, especially shorebirds in the water and on the mudflats. Too far away, really, for photos, though I did take some.

Just before I got there, I spotted this beautiful juvenile Red-tailed Hawk perched on a fence post. Didn't see it till I was almost past it, and then I couldn't figure out how to put my widow down, lol, so had to turn around. Then I found that the Hawk was too low down because of a ditch, so I couldn't see it from the driver's seat through the passenger window. Silly new cars with the front console!!! In my old car, I could slide across and point out the passenger window, if needed. So, had to drive down the road and turn around again! This time, I found how to put down my window and managed three quick shots before the hawk flew away. My photo is horribly blown out on the chest feathers, but better than nothing. These were really the main photos I took that afternoon - and by the time I had driven all the way back to Calgary, I was exhausted."

SNOW, SNOW, GO AWAY. DON'T COME BACK ANOTHER DAY! Sigh, it snowed again overnight and this morning. There are about 10" of the white stuff along the top of my fence. After today, the forecast says we are in for some sunny, cold days. Sure hope the snow melts as fast as possible.

All sorts of problems with Flickr today!

Today, I have added 8 more photos from 8 September 2019, taken at Rod Handfield's acreage.

On that day, we had such a wonderful four and a half hours, searching for different kinds of fungi in the amazing forest on Rod Handfield's land, SW of Calgary. I think this was our tenth visit - the first one I went on, being on 25 June 2009 - each one resulting in various different species. It was so overwhelming yesterday! You didn't know which direction to face and which mushroom to photograph first. They were everywhere! Such a contrast to our visit on 6 August 2017, when basically there were no mushrooms (other than maybe three), because everywhere had been so very dry.

A day like this can be so exhausting, not just from the walking, but also because of all the excitement. That night, I slept well. The quality of many of my photos is not the best, as the day was very overcast - the last thing one wants when trying to take photos deep in the forest. After leaving Rod's, it did rain. I had driven myself there instead of carpooling, so that I could drive some of the backroads in the area after we had finished. The forecast was for sun and cloud - and I had foolishly believed it. The rain put an end to my plans and I headed for home. I'm so glad I had checked a special little spot near Rod's first thing in the morning, when I got there a bit too early. A few years ago, there was a beautiful display of Fly Agaric / Amanita muscaria mushrooms growing there, but not since then. To my absolute delight, there were maybe half a dozen, in different stages of development. Surprisingly, we didn't come across a single one in Rod's forest this year.

As always, thank you so much, Rod, for so generously allowing us to explore your property. This has been my favourite place to visit for quite a number of years now. We greatly appreciate your kindness - you are always so welcoming, and we learn so much and discover so many beautiful things. Thank you, Karel, for leading the group and helping with identifications. I'm sure at least some of us are anxiously waiting for you to have time, in between leading botany walks, to post some of your photos along with their IDs. Meanwhile, "fungus" has to be sufficient for many. As usual, any IDs given are always tentative, not 100% confirmed. Rule is, if you are not an expert in mycology, do not pick wild mushrooms to eat!

Yesterday, 30 August 2021, I decided, after seeing rain in the forecast for a few coming days, to do a long drive NE of Calgary, to the Badlands. Knowing that it was getting dark earlier and earlier in the evenings, I knew that I was running out of days on which I would be able to do these long drives. My main destinations to call in at were south of Drumheller.

I had longed to go out there for so many years. It must have been 30+ years ago that I first saw one particular area of the Badlands of Alberta. A few times, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, on 29 September 2014, my youngest daughter and I decided that we both wanted to make this trip. Since then, I believe I have only driven that way once more, on 5 August 2019, until my trip yesterday. I was out for nine hours and much of that time was actual driving. The further east I went, the more I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere.

Amazingly, the weather was good, with blue sky most of the time. It still seems strange to see blue sky and not overcast and smoky from the British Columbia wildfires. I think the temperature got up to about 28C, so not unbearably hot.

The first thing I photographed was a rather attractive moth, resting next to my front door outside. It may have been the moth that I had photographed earlier, on my bathroom ceiling.

About half way on the drive, I drove several back roads to take another look at an old barn I fell in love with last winter, while searching for a Snowy Owl. I was shocked and saddened to find no sign of the old barn except for a pile of wood that had collapsed or been pulled down. Maybe it was becoming dangerously unsafe in the farmyard?

Feeling somewhat 'down', I continued on my way and eventually stopped to take a handful of photos of this fine church. It seems so out of place on the prairies. The church building, inspired by a typical Danish church, was finished in 1936, though there has been a church on this site since the first settlers arrived in Dalum in 1918.

Two new-to-me grain elevators were enjoyed and quickly photographed. It's not very often that I find one that I have never seen before.

A couple of times, I stopped to take a few photos of wild Sunflowers that were growing at the edge of gravel roads. An attractive moth was at rest on one of the flowers. Insects seem to really like these bright and cheery wildflowers.

It was a pleasant surprise to discover that there were not a lot of people at the Hoodoos. I have been there when there were endless crowds of visitors all over the place, making it difficult to take photos, and to find a parking spot. These natural "works of art" are so beautiful and interesting.

Driving further south, I stopped at one of my favourite places - an old almost-ghost town. Here, there are two lovely old country churches, old barns, old cars and tractors/farm equipment. Also, a very old, extremely weathered grain elevator that lost its roof in a storm a few years ago. Such a shame that it has never been replaced. I love the Badlands setting for this prairie sentinel.

A final place to call in at was The Last Saloon, where I bought some Sweet Potato Fries 'to go'. This is a very popular place, including with motorcyclists.

Having left home in the morning a few minutes after 9:00 am, I finally reached home about 6:00 pm, happy and tired out. A great day, full of lots of things to see. Though they were all familiar, they are always fun to see and photograph again. Hope to get in a few more drives in the next three or four weeks, before the snow arrives and stays on the ground for seven months! Where did the summer go?!

All three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 18 July 2016, on a wonderful day out NE of the city. The last time I actually drove eastwards was about six months ago, when I was shooting Short-eared Owls near the end of January. The last time (also the first time) I had ever driven out as far as Drumheller was on 29 September 2014. A few times, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, my daughter and I had a great time exploring the roads between Calgary and Drumheller. There were a handful of things or places we wanted to check out, but many things were total surprises. We knew we wanted to see fields, yellow fields full of canola as far as the eye could see. No disappointment there as we took in the gorgeous colour and the perhaps not so pleasant smell of this crop. When we were driving through regular, green landscapes, it all seemed so 'ordinary' after being treated to vibrant gold.

As well as canola fields, we also knew of a particular grain elevator and nearby old barn that we were keen to see. There was also an old, two-storey house in a hilly setting that we knew would have to be photographed from a great distance, but we were curious about it. There was also a small wetland that I wanted to drive by, just in case there was something to see. How glad we were that we went, as the Black-crowned Night-heron was posing nicely on a post out in the open. This was the first time I had ever seen one close, so it made my day. These birds are uncommon in Alberta. The bird in my second photo was with another similar bird perched just a few fence posts away from it. Both had their backs to us (of course!) but I did get a better view of the other bird, which I will post in the next few days. I think they were both Upland Sandpipers, uncommon in Alberta, and a bird that I had only ever seen once, way out east of the city years ago and too far away for photos.

"Black-crowned Night-Herons are stocky birds compared to many of their long-limbed heron relatives. They’re most active at night or at dusk, when you may see their ghostly forms flapping out from daytime roosts to forage in wetlands. In the light of day adults are striking in gray-and-black plumage and long white head plumes. These social birds breed in colonies of stick nests usually built over water. They live in fresh, salt, and brackish wetlands and are the most widespread heron in the world." From AllAboutBirds".

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron/id

As well as birds and beautiful scenery, we saw several old barns, including the old house/barn in my main photo posted today. Each year, the farmer allows the graduating class from the local high school to decorate this old building in any way they wish. A fun idea and it certainly adds a splash of colour. I was absolutely fascinated to read a little bit of history from someone who was a contact of mine on Flickr two or three years ago. Her Grandmother was apparently born in this house/barn. It was later converted to a granary and now, of course, has become the canvas for local students.

One of our main goals was to visit the old grain elevator at Sharples. I had wanted to visit there for quite a while and finally, we made it. Unfortunately, the elevator and nearby barn were in shadow, but it was great to see both old structures. We also passed another old elevator when we were driving along the road north of the river, on the way to Drumheller. This, needless to say, meant another stop for photos.

A great day of fun, seeing and photographing such a variety of things. Beautiful weather and, best of all, a day spent with my daughter. Thanks so much, Rachel - glad you felt up to a day out, but sorry you got so many mosquito bites!

Dhaka (Bangladesh) traffic has been called one of the 7 wonders of the modern world. To be fair, this is a street adjacent to New Market and isn't really a normal traffic road. For example, rickshaws are prohibited. Bangladesh has been promoting the use of natural gas (CNG) for over a decade resulting in significant reduction in smog.

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guides.library.ualberta.ca/history

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Yesterday, 29 September 2014, I finally drove out to an area that lies NE of Calgary, that I had longed to go to for so many years. It must have been 30+ years ago that I first saw one particular area of the Badlands of Alberta. A few times, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, my youngest daughter and I decided that we both wanted to make this trip, All summer, we have been waiting for a day on which she didn't have to work and a day where the weather forecast was for no rain on the day or there had been no rain the previous day. The Bentonite Clay in the area becomes treacherously slippery when wet. The forecast for yesterday was for a mainly sunny day - at last, we were going!

The drive yesterday was the longest drive I had ever done, by a long way. For anyone who doesn't know me, I have battled a driving phobia for decades, plus I have barely any sense of direction, lol! Thankfully, my daughter has an amazing sense of direction, so I knew we wouldn't be stuck out on the prairies in the middle of nowhere. A typical question at too many intersections went as follows: me - "Do we go left?"; my daughter - "No, we go right", lol!

I met my daughter at 8:00 am. and I got home shortly before 9:00 pm. Much of that time was spent driving; the rest was spent wandering round two main areas - Dorothy and Rowley, each in different directions from Drumheller (known for its remarkable dinosaur findings). The forecast was far from accurate on our drive out to the Badlands and I began to wonder if we'd made a mistake on going on this trip yesterday. However, knowing that snow would be returning very soon ("returning" because we had two snowstorms on 9 and 10 September), I was beginning to feel rather desperate and really didn't want to risk not getting out there this year. The afternoon was less cloudy and we did have some sun.

Our two main destinations were the Hoodoo Trail and the almost-ghost-town of Dorothy, calling in at Wayne as well. After that, we went to Rowley to see these old grain elevators and to wander round this very small, historical place. There are actually three elevators, with these two being right next to each other and the other off to the right of my photo. Dorothy felt and looked almost deserted, whereas Rowley was beautifully kept.

From Rowley, we made our way back across the prairies to Calgary. I had planned on getting back before it got dark as I really don't like night driving and very rarely do it, but we didn't quite make it. On the return drive, the last sighting was a Great Horned Owl that was perched part way up a power pole. Well done, Rachel, spotting this welcome bird! Not easy to see in the dark. By the time I got home, I was so tired and my arms were so painful from driving, but, what a great day we had!!

Today, it is heavily overcast and dreary, and it's raining. Quite the contrast to yesterday.

"Less than a year before the new millennium, the last train passed through Rowley. And now the Alberta prairie town's future may once more belong to the ghosts. In the mid-1970s, Rowley, which once boasted a population of about 500 in the 1920s, was a beat-up dying community, with rows of empty houses and businesses, and inhabited by only a few dozen prairie-hardened souls. But one night, a few party-happy locals, whose liquor supply was fast dwindling, decided on a quick solution – a “B & E Party” at a boarded-up old saloon. The bar was fixed up and named Sam's Saloon after one of the previous owners who had been a respected member of the community. The brazen men then got talking about sprucing up the pioneer community to make it a heritage stop for tourists. For the next quarter century, locals restored old homes and businesses and soon visitors were attracted from all parts of Alberta, Canada and the U.S. The highlight of the community's new fame came in 1988 when a cinema production team used Rowley as the set for the hit Canadian movie Bye Bye Blues. Part of Rowley's charm is that while locals have spent thousands of dollars fixing up many of the old community's homes and buildings to reflect the town's pioneer days, there are still many others left abandoned, and offer ghost towners wonderful photo opportunities. But 1999 also saw the regional train service through Rowley end and locals are worried about the community's future. “That's really going to hurt our cash flow”, said one old-timer, noting as many as 900 train tourists a week would get off at the Rowley station, which also serves as the town's museum.However, the town, which now has an official population of 8, is still hoping word-of-mouth will keep tourists coming. Locals meet at the community hall year-round, and gladly offer visitors a tour even in the cold winter months."

www.ghosttownpix.com/alberta/rowley.html

www.ghosttownpix.com/alberta/rowley2.html

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowley,_Alberta

Remembering the horrific tragedy of 9/11 2001. This day will never be forgotten.

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I always think the stalks of these fungi look like a candle that is melting : ) Helvella crispa, also known as the white saddle, elfin saddle or common helvel.

As usual, any fungi IDs given are always tentative, not 100% confirmed. Rule is, if you are not an expert in mycology, do not pick wild mushrooms to eat! You could end up very sick, or worse.

Another very gloomy day, with fine drizzle today, 11 September 2019. Our temperature is 9C (feels like 6C). It definitely feels like fall. Snow is already being forecast for parts of Alberta. It will soon be time to get all-season tires off and winter tires put on.

Three days ago, on 8 September 2019, we had such a wonderful four and a half hours, searching for different kinds of fungi in the amazing forest on Rod Handfield's land, SW of Calgary. I think this was our tenth visit - the first one I went on, being on 25 June 2009 - each one resulting in various different species. This last visit was so overwhelming! You didn't know which direction to face and which mushroom to photograph first. They were everywhere! Such a contrast to our visit on 6 August 2017, when basically there were no mushrooms (other than maybe three), because everywhere had been so very dry.

A day like this can be so exhausting, not just from the walking and fresh air, but also because of all the excitement. The quality of many of my photos is not the best, as the day was very overcast - the last thing one wants when trying to take photos deep in the forest. After leaving Rod's, it did rain. I had driven myself there instead of carpooling, so that I could drive some of the backroads in the area after we had finished. The forecast was for sun and cloud - and I had foolishly believed it. The rain put an end to my plans and I headed for home. I'm so glad I had checked a special little spot near Rod's first thing in the morning, when I got there a bit too early. A few years ago, there was a beautiful display of Fly Agaric / Amanita muscaria mushrooms growing there, but not since then whenever I have checked. To my absolute delight, there were maybe half a dozen, in different stages of development. Surprisingly, we didn't come across a single one in Rod's forest this year.

As always, thank you so much, Rod, for so generously allowing us to explore your property. This has been my favourite place to visit for quite a number of years now. We greatly appreciate your kindness - you are always so welcoming, and we learn so much and discover so many beautiful things. Thank you, Karel, for leading the group and helping with identifications. I'm sure at least some of us are anxiously waiting for you to have time, in between leading botany walks, to post some of your photos along with their IDs. Meanwhile, "fungus" has to be sufficient.

Happy September, everyone!

The day before yesterday, 30 August 2021, I decided, after seeing rain in the forecast for a few coming days, to do a long drive NE of Calgary, to the Badlands. Knowing that it was getting dark earlier and earlier in the evenings, I knew that I was running out of days on which I would be able to do these long drives. My main destinations to call in at were in the Drumheller area.

I had longed to go out there for so many years. It must have been 30+ years ago that I first saw one particular area of the Badlands of Alberta. A few times, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, on 29 September 2014, my youngest daughter and I decided that we both wanted to make this trip. Since then, I believe I have only driven that way once more, on 5 August 2019, until this most recent trip two days ago. I was out for nine hours and much of that time was actual driving. The further east I went, the more I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere.

Amazingly, the weather was good, with blue sky most of the time. It still seems strange to see blue sky and not overcast and smoky from the British Columbia wildfires. I think the temperature got up to about 28C, so not unbearably hot.

The first thing I photographed was a rather attractive moth, resting next to my front door outside. It may have been the moth that I had photographed earlier, on my bathroom ceiling.

About half way on the drive, I drove several back roads to take another look at an old barn I fell in love with last winter, while searching for a Snowy Owl. I was shocked and saddened to find no sign of the old barn except for a pile of wood that had collapsed or been pulled down. Maybe it was becoming dangerously unsafe in the farmyard.

Feeling somewhat 'down', I continued on my way and eventually stopped to take a handful of photos of a fine church. It seems so out of place on the prairies. The church building, inspired by a typical Danish church, was finished in 1936, though there has been a church on this site since the first settlers arrived in Dalum in 1918.

Two new-to-me grain elevators were enjoyed and quickly photographed. It's not very often that I find one that I have never seen before.

A couple of times, I stopped to take a few photos of wild Sunflowers that were growing at the edge of two or three gravel roads. An attractive moth was at rest on one of the flowers. Insects seem to really like these bright and cheery wildflowers.

It was a pleasant surprise to discover that there were not a lot of people at the Hoodoos. I have been there when there were endless crowds of visitors all over the place, making it difficult to take photos, and to find a parking spot. These natural "works of art" are so beautiful and interesting.

Driving further south, I stopped at one of my favourite places - an old almost-ghost town. Here, there are two lovely old country churches, old barns, old cars and tractors/farm equipment. Also, a very old, extremely weathered grain elevator that lost its roof in a storm a few years ago. Such a shame that it has never been replaced. I love the Badlands setting for this prairie sentinel.

A final place to call in at was The Last Saloon, where I bought some Sweet Potato Fries 'to go'. This is a very popular place, including with motorcyclists.

Having left home in the morning a few minutes after 9:00 am, I finally reached home about 6:00 pm, happy and tired out. A great day, full of lots of things to see. Though they were all familiar, they are always fun to see and photograph again. Hope to get in a few more drives in the next three or four weeks, before the snow arrives and stays on the ground for seven months! Where did the summer go?!

Ferrari Monza SP1