One More Time~ Trail re-visited

Remember the couple I met in this post  ~~Just One More Time.... ?

Well I was lucky enough to make another trip to the mountains last weekend, and re-hike the trail where I had met them last Fall.
I wanted to see what they had seen over the years- the differences between the seasons.
And....in a sense....hike the trail in honor of the both of them,  who said they had hiked their last up to this amazing place.

(the bench where they sat and we visited last fall)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Snow had fallen during the night, and when I got to the trail head

I was thrilled to find no one yet had arrived...

{which meant I got to make the first tracks in the new snow.}

I felt like a kid. 

First one to make new tracks is something to smile over.

(for me at least:)

My favorite "difficult trail" was closed for the winter, so Easy it was.

But just as beautiful.

The view as I climbed were just as breathtaking as in the summer...maybe more so after a snowfall.

And then The Lakes came into view.

It was unearthly quiet and still.

And beautiful.

I truly felt as though I had stumbled into some sort of winter dream.

No wonder they loved this place in the winter.

I can't even describe it, nor can these pictures.

It seems as though the couple I met months ago had a secret in this winter trail~ 
and I'm incredibly thrilled they shared it with me.

Hanging from my window~

Hanging lazily out my window one morning, 

(I felt no desire to pull on boots, coat, hat ~ just to freeze fingers)

I clicked away at the frost which had settled around the house.

The leaves playing the Waiting Game have succumbed to the season.

(I never thought I would use the word "succumbed", but these have;)

And I think they have done so quite gracefully.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. 

Enjoy every moment....hanging out windows or otherwise!

(And try not to succumb to the craziness of the season)
;D

Fall Photo....Finish

It seems that our lovely Fall we have enjoyed, has decided to come to an end.
I awoke this morning to wind, snow, ice,
and sported a head of frozen hair after I left the pool this morning.

And so it begins.

BUT:
I promise I will not complain.
I will do my utmost to be loyal to my prairie province and Canadian country.
I solemnly vow I will tackle the white with  grace and as much "positivity" as I can muster.
And I will continue to be thankful for the ability to enjoy each season as it comes.....-40 Celsius and all.

(and someone out there HAS to promise to remind me of this vow I am making:)

~Have a wonderful weekend~

Crying over You

I remember this walk through my yard one summer day.

Of course we had more rain than sun, so this was a normal view through my camera lens.

As I sit here tonight listening to the wind bang on my window....telling me that snow could arrive tomorrow, I am trying not to cry over a summer that didn't fully appear this year.
(I AM grateful for the days we DID have....but somehow I feel a bit ripped off;)

I am a lover of all things full of color, and looking out my window today I noticed that the white sky of Alberta winter is headed this way.
Yet again.

Thankfully  I took MANY pictures of color over the last few months....despite raindrops in my eyes...and I am going to pull them out to stare at them when this white world closes in on me for another 6 months.
~i swear winter only left a few weeks ago~

One can always find some sort of  bright side: 

My skis have been loudly yelling at me to take 

them from their shed storage~

 I will soon be able to quiet them down.

Diamond Field

I took a new route on my ski outing today.

Glad I did, for look what I found:

~A Heritage Home -Bird Bungalow Style~

~A newly developed Walking Trail.~

~And a Field of Diamonds.~

Millions of them.

It's Coming!

Okay.

I apologize.

I was REALLY determined not to bring up winter and my Snowy Blues again.

But the picture below was too good to pass up.

(It came through my e-mail yesterday and captures the epitome of our winter.)

~~~~~~

"Summer is almost here!

We can now see the deer moving around in our backyard."

(Hopefulness at it's finest;)

Escape Mission

(MULTI)MISSION:


-To escape a confined building during one of the coldest days this winter (-42C in the early morning) and find sanity and positive attitude once again.


-Capture as many scenes as I can with my cell phone, while hoping the camera doesn't freeze up.


-Return only when I can't feel my fingers any more, or I tire out from the hill climbs.

EQUIPMENT:
- layered clothing-Garmin watch to measure distance and time-cell phone (for camera and in case of emergency-IF fingers can move to punch in number)-i-pod (to drown out the wind and sound of my panicked breathing from trying to work my lungs in the frigid air.)

Time of Departure:
Mid to late afternoon.
(now a balmy -28C before wind)

CHALLENGES:

-camera focus and aim while gliding over icy patches

HILLS ATTEMPTED AND MASTERED:

Four.

And once the top was reached, a U-turn was made to immediately go back down.

(This was to make sure the climb was worth the work up.)

Partner in Mission:

CHALLENGE 2 and 3:

-finding a new route through treed terrain

-slapping branches 

Duration on Field: 1Hour 6 MinutesManaged to escape all perils of the mission and return back to home base with all fingers unfrozen and camera still intact. Sanity returned and able to re-enter home base with positive attitude.              MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Staying Grounded

So I've noticed many of you have little green things in your photos now.

Little green shoots popping themselves out of a warming up ground.

I am going to admit it. 

I'm jealous.

And I know that's never a good thing to want what someone else has.

But I am a tad bit tired of....WINTER.

I think we all are.

I'm still trying to find the beauty in my 6 month long winter.

Staying grounded in a sense so I don't lose it the next time I see green.

Beauty.....can be in white. 

Right?

(sigh) Who am I kidding. 

My eyes can't even seem to see in color anymore.

This here is my bird bath and thinking bench.

Umm....here is some sort of berry.

But it grew LAST summer.

Does that count?

The road I drive on every day.

And this is pretty good for road conditions. Only a bit of ice.

(Note to self: Mailbox is coming up on the left...)

~~~~

My Sanity comes in the form of (ironically)...

being outdoors.

If I can just hang on for one more month.

Or two.

The snow should be gone by May.......