Alberta 2023 ~ A Damp Day in Banff ...

The Province of Alberta has three faces, one is the open plains of the southeast, a checkerboard of range land and grain fields. The second is wooded wilderness of the north, where lakes and in some areas oil rigs easily outnumber towns. The third is the Canadian Rockies which surge skyward on the south western boundary of the province.

Our first full day in Alberta was rainy, damp and continually overcast in the beautiful resort town of Banff. Located within the Banff National Park, the town is known for its mountainous surroundings, hot springs and outdoor sports.

Our day was varied with a walk down Banff Avenue, the town’s main thoroughfare with its boutiques, restaurants, mix of château-style hotels and souvenir shops. This was followed by visits to the Bow River, the Cave and Basin, the Hoodoos, the Hot Springs and various views points.

Below is a selection of photos, none of which I am thrilled about, the conditions and time I had were not perfect for any level of photography.

It’s all calm after ….

 …… lots and lots and lots of rain.

Today is Thursday and (so far) it is the first day since last Friday without constant and at times aggressive rain. With the current wildfire situation, the relentless rain has been very timely for Nova Scotia. Slowly the fires are being controlled and in certain areas folks are being allowed to go back to their homes.

With the tide coming in, there was a beautiful calmness about the beach this morning. As normal I spent quality time sitting on My Rock, admiring the peace and with my thoughts trying again to solve the world’s increasing issues. It was during this period of intense cerebration, that I suddenly realized the water level around me was on the increase, and if I did not make an imminent move, I would be left with the harrowing decision to either sit here for a few hours for the tide to reverse or do a bare foot paddle back to the beach.

Fortunately, I got back onto the sand intact and dry, and ultimately failed again “to solve the world’s increasing issues” ~ perhaps a task far too big for this Scotsman …!!!

A squirrel’s version of raiding the cookie jar ….

The latest addition here in the empire is a feeder box for the local squirrels. The reason for this is to feed only squirrels and not the pillaging and looting Blue Jays.

The loaded box went out this morning to its temporary location at the entrance to the wood shed. It did not take too long for the intended recipients to figure out how to obtain breakfast, lunch, dinner and the frequent in between snacks.

As for the local chipmunk who only rarely gets access to the box, he still has not figured out how to successfully raid it for the goodies ~ stay tuned, I am sure there will be much more to come …..

A morning in the joyful company ….

 ….. of seagulls.

With the tide at an extreme low and therefore providing an abundance of healthy natural food for them, I enjoyed sharing my time with the gulls on Crescent Beach and listening to their wonderful squawking.

On perhaps hundreds of visits to the coast as a young laddie in Scotland, I grew to love the sound of seagulls, their call always provided a significant element of the whole sand, rocks, salty air and coastal wind experience.

When I lived in Southern Ontario, I occasionally heard the same sound of seagulls squawking, but in the landlocked province that was obviously not by the sea. It was instead mainly in and around shopping precincts outside a McDonald’s or Tim Hortons, where the gulls were always waiting anxiously to chew on a piece of discarded Big Mac or a fragment of an overly sweetened Boston Cream. Often at those times when I heard the wonderful sound of seagulls calling, I would shut my eyes and imagine for a brief moment that I was by the coast ~ fortunately nowadays, I no longer have to imagine.

Below are some of this morning’s pics, which includes one where there was a dispute over food sharing …