What to do? What to do? I have a few days off and just can't decide what to do. The lawn is mowed. The plants are watered. The garden beds are weeded. 

I fit that in between a couple of nice long naps that I took when the first thunderstorm came over and then when the power got knocked out yesterday. The timing was perfect for naps and yard work!

I began nature-scaping my yard three years ago. There were creatures in the yard before I did this but there are many more now. 

The tiger salamanders enjoy the cool, wet earth beneath a mini brush pile created from old branches. The house wren flits in and out of the top branches, catching bugs that it takes back to the birdhouse on my garage. The garter snakes sun themselves on the warm rocks that create my flower beds.

Red-winged blackbirds, nuthatches and gold finches visit the tray feeder in the middle of the yard. Blue jays fly in when they notice that whole peanuts are mixed in with the seed. Magpies and crows visit when Spike, the outdoor cat, does not finish his food. The chickadees jump from branch to branch in the ninebarks, looking for seeds and bugs.

My favorite birds to watch are the hummingbirds. I positioned the nectar feeders beside the deck. At first there was a ruby-throated pair that consistently came to visit. Now there are a couple of young ones that have joined them.

I love watching as they flit from tree to feeder. There have been a couple of close encounters with them while weeding underneath the feeders. I kept envisioning that sharp little beak stuck in my head if I stood up at the wrong time!

The scarlet runner beans that were planted in the spring are beginning to bloom. This will be another food source for the hummers. When all the flowers are open, the little birds flit from blossom to blossom for hours on end. 

Watching the goings-on in the backyard is my favorite early morning pass time; especially when there are no human sounds yet. The buzz of the hummingbird wings, the long song of the house wren, the 'cheeseburger' songs of the chickadees, the call of the robins and the buzzing of the bees in my lupins are some of my favorite nature sounds in the yard.

I think I'll grab a coffee and head to the deck, watch the action and decide what to do with the day. Maybe I'll just bring out the lounge chair and watch Mother Nature in action on the other side of my deck rail.

I left Elk Island National Park just before the big storm hit last night. I wanted to see if it was anything like the torrential downpour that I got at home so headed out to spend a couple of hours exploring. 

The ditches were full of water and it was still sprinkling. All was quiet at the park. It seems that people are not as likely to go out for a walk in the rain. That made my excursion even better. I love walking in the rain.

I was the only person on the Living Waters Boardwalk this morning. Just me and Mother Nature and she greeted me with an abundance of creatures.

A baby squirrel sat on a wooden rail and stared me down as I walked by. The red winged blackbirds were singing from the tops of a couple of cat tails. The male flew down and landed on the boardwalk in front of me. The grebes and their chicks were swimming in the pond. Mama coot and her babes were foraging in the rushes for food. As I rounded the bend and came toward the dock, a blue heron flew across the lake. A loon popped up through the water just north of the dock. The pelicans flew in formation overhead. 

I couldn't believe my luck. The number of creatures that I got up close and personal with today was outstanding.

More photos at https://www.facebook.com/Ramblings-of-an-Outdoor-Girl-1015659961820012/

I love when I am at the right place at the right time. When I go to Elk Island, the first place that I stop is Astotin Lake to see if I can spot a Great Blue Heron.

I didn't have to look very far today. It was along the beach hunting for food beside the pelicans and the Canada geese.

As I watched it stalked its prey. I witnessed the attack. Down the hatch went a fish. 

The heron made its way to a reedy spot so when I lost sight of it, I walked toward the boardwalk. Just as I got to an open area to see the water again, the heron flew up from the reeds, across the lake and landed on the branch of a spruce tree!

I'm glad I didn't take my bike. The trails at the Waskahegan Staging Area at the Cooking Lake - Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area were mud covered.

After a few days of rain, the forest was looking green, the wildflowers were in full bloom and the insects were enjoying all of them.

The short trail around Neon Lake takes about 30-40 minutes as long as you are not toting a camera! If you head out to the trails, don't forget the bug spray. The mosquitoes are waiting for you.

It's not every day that you round the curve on a highway hoping to see the mountains and the first thing that catches your eye is a house in the middle of the road.

A day trip to Nordegg was planned as an outing for my Dad. We packed up a picnic lunch and his fishing rod and hit the road.

Traffic in Rocky Mountain House was at a stand still and we wondered why until we saw the flaggers and traffic lights being moved out of the way so a house on a trailer would fit down the street.

I must say that I learned something new that day. I had no idea that the light standards could be moved! 

When we headed out of Rocky, we did not anticipate seeing the house on the highway, traveling west. Traffic was slowed until the mover pulled over to let the 'convoy' by.

That was our only hold up of the day. We arrived at Fish Lake and got Dad settled in with his fishing rod. A few small rain showers fell but we were prepared.

A great blue heron flew across the lake. The swish of those giant wings could be heard over the water. A loon swam close by, diving every now and again but popping up not far away. We were lucky to hear it call. No visit to the lake is complete without hearing that haunting sound.

The wildflowers are in bloom; adding a pop of color to the very green landscape. 

Dad had a couple of nibbles on his hook before a rainbow trout took his marshmallow bait. Shortly after his catch and release, we packed up and drove west to Abraham Lake. The water level was down but what was in the lake was a beautiful mountain blue.

It is a three hour drive to get to Nordegg but it is well worth it if you've the time for a day trip. Wildlife, mountain scenes and fresh air are always on the itinerary and once in awhile there is something unexpected like a house in the middle of the road.

After a very busy week at work that culminated with the hosting of a high school graduation, I was hoping for a quiet outdoor hour or two at Elk Island. It turned out to the about 10-15 minutes; long enough for me to walk to the boardwalk, snap a few photos and walk back. There was a convoy of vehicles coming into the parking lot. Yesterday was the first hot day in a long while and visitors were taking advantage of it by setting up canopies over picnic tables and laying out blankets on the grass. That wasn't my idea of a quiet moment so I drove back home and enjoyed having a coffee on my deck, watched the birds and listened to wind rustle the leaves. Sometimes there is no place like home.