Last year I returned to my blog in October from my summer hiatus but decided that today was a good day to return for 2014.  For those that know me or have followed the blog for awhile, you are aware that summer and I don't get along very well.  I'm a winter person and can be found outside almost everyday in winter.

The heat, the pollen and the bugs of summer are my worst enemies so I tend to hibernate in the house when I'm at home or look for cooler environments to enjoy my outdoor time.  David Thompson country, west of Nordegg is one of my favorite areas and I managed to get there three times this summer to do some camping.  Each trip provided me with a first-time experience.

I left early on one trip and came across not one but three great grey owls sitting on fence posts along the roadside.  Such beautiful birds!

Another trip provided me the opportunity to see our Alberta forest firefighters in action.  A large fire started by lightning was burning out of control.  The area was due for a prescribed burn in a couple years time so the forestry department decided to let the fire burn.  The firefighters got it under control and managed it.  I was able to view the helicopters in action at the river with their big buckets.  What a treat!

The third camping trip allowed me to experience a severe hailstorm while I hid inside my tent.  The forecast said there was a possibility of a thunderstorm.  A bad hailstorm came through the area a couple weeks prior.  Who knew that a second one was going to happen.

I heard thunder and wanted to get a pot of coffee made before hunkering down inside the tent to wait out the storm.  The water wasn't even hot yet when I heard what I thought was the wind picking up across the lake.  I was wrong.  Huge raindrops began falling so I shut the stove off and ran for cover.  The zipper wasn't even done on the tent when the hail started.  It's quite the experience to be stuck in a tent while being pelted with hail the size of large marbles. 

In addition to enjoying my favorite campsite, I drove west along Highway 11 to Landslide Lake and the Mistaya River Canyon.  Parts of that highway were closed when the forest fire was burning along the roadsides.  

The south side of the highway was black and charred.  The north side of the highway had a prescribed burn go through it a number of years ago.  Now the bark is falling off the trees.  Snags are falling over.  The purple fireweed is prevalent and there are signs of rejuvenation everywhere.

Most of my outdoor time this summer was spent in my backyard. I got more landscaping done and the garden was bountiful.  I tried a couple of mini-pumpkin plants in the garden this year.  What a surprise I got when 5 of them grew and ripened on the vine.      

                                      

The garter snakes and the tiger salamanders were back which made me all the more happy about naturescaping the yard.  

The hummingbirds enjoyed the flowers in the backyard.  I saw them flit from flower to flower on many occasions.   The containers of petunias produced a massive number of blooms that spilled over the edges of the pots.  I will definitely be planting them again.  

I did get out to the trails a couple of times in the evening when the sun was not as hot.  I had to slather on the insect spray because the mosquitoes were very bad.  All in all, it was worth it.  I got some great shots of insects and garter snakes at the Cooking-Lake Blackfoot Recreation area.

I was excited yesterday when snowflakes were falling outside my window.  It doesn't matter that it was only September 8th.  The sight of snow means my favorite time of year is just around the corner.  I bought new skis/boots last spring and am ready to try them out

There is lots of work that needs to be done in the yard to get ready for winter.  I'm hoping to accomplish that over the next couple of weeks.  In addition to that, I'm hoping to get out on the trails to enjoy the beauty and smells of autumn.

I'll be posting regularly now that summer is over.  Please follow my blog and share the address with anyone that enjoys the great outdoors!