The only 'extra' that I had installed into my house when it was constructed was the wood stove.  I had to have one.  I love the smell of burning wood, the crackle of the sap when I burn pine/spruce and the hypnotizing flames as they dance behind the glass door.

Each autumn I have to feed that addiction to my wood stove which means it's wood splitting time.  Today, I opted to put my new firewood stand together instead of going for a hike.  When I finished, I realized that it will hold enough wood for two winters!

The new log splitter is supposed to be delivered tomorrow.  It is going to make the firewood job a lot easier.  

Three years ago I had to have 13 very tall trees taken down to accommodate the construction of a new home.  Half the wood is still stacked and needs to be split.  That will be my job over the next couple of days.

Next week, a new outdoor fire pit is supposed to be delivered.  It will feed my other addiction; moose.  Moose silhouettes are cut into the heavy metal drum that holds the wood.  It will be perfect for the backyard!

As I sat at the kitchen table this morning, I watched the first rays of the morning sun stream through the tree branches at the back of the yard.  I could hear the chickadees in the tree by the window.  It was then that I decided that it was a good day for a spontaneous trip to Elk Island National Park.  So at 7:30am I threw the camera gear and a backpack into my vehicle and hit the road.

The bison were out along the fence line, grazing on the last blades of green grass.  Ducks and geese were swimming in the little ponds.  There was one thing for sure, there would not be too many people at the park at that hour.

It takes only 10 minutes to get to the park gate.  The sun was a little higher in the sky; illuminating the beautiful autumn colors.  Inside the park, bison grazed along the ditches.  They are so used to the traffic that they didn't bother looking up.

I stopped at each of the ponds along the park way so I could watch the ducks and the geese.  When the window was rolled down, I could hear them calling to each other.  Such beautiful sounds in the morning!

I drove to the Astotin Lake parking lot to see what was happening at the lake.  The sun was warming the air which in turn created a low fog over a grassy meadow.  I watched as the fog moved along the top of the tall grasses.

My hike took place on the Amisk Wuche trail.  The trail itself was covered with a leaf carpet.  The dew from last night made the leaves damp.  I could smell the decaying leaves and the ripe berries on the bushes alongside the trail.

Blue jays squawked in the tree tops.  Robins ducked and dived through the tree limbs.  Ducks swam on the ponds.  The water surface was as smooth as glass.  Photographs could not do the morning scene justice.  You would have to be there in person to take in the beauty and tranquility of the perfect Alberta autumn morning.

As I made my way around the trail, the spider webs shone in the sunlight.  They looked like someone had laser beams across the trail.  It could feel them on

my face as I forged ahead.  The dragon and damsel flies flitted from twig to twig; resting now and again in the warm sunshine.

I stopped at my favorite bench that provides a view of the larger pond.  As I moved to an open area to get a better view of the waterfowl, a couple of them flew up from the reeds; scaring the rest of them into flight.

What usually is a 45 minute hike, took more than 2 hours today.  I wanted to take advantage of the morning.  The sights were colorful, the sounds were tranquil, the smells reminded me that Mother Nature is preparing for a long winter nap.  The outing was perfect.

 

It might be the beginning of autumn but summer temperatures are still here.  I'm looking forward to an outdoor day on the trails tomorrow but can't stand the heat so it will be an early morning hike.

The little teaser of snow that fell on September 8 has had me dreaming of x-country skiing and snowshoeing.  I dug out my boots and dusted them off.  I even went so far as to put them on just to imagine my favorite frosty days ahead.

The end of a very busy few months at work is near.  A much quieter time is ahead where I can catch up on the outdoor time that I missed.  Good thing the busy season falls during the time of year that I like to hibernate.  Until the snow falls, I'll be dreaming of...

 

The drive to work is becoming more scenic each day.  This morning the sun was rising on my way in.  As it came over the treetops, its rays shone on the reds, oranges and yellows of Mother Nature's canvas. 

The colors were stunning.  The water in the pond was as smooth as glass.  The reflections were brilliant.  I had to stop and take in the beauty.

My favorite autumn colors are displayed on the chokecherry trees.  The reds 'pop' amidst the yellows and oranges of the aspens.

The weather is holding out as the first day of autumn approaches.  I noticed flocks of cranes flying overhead and Canada geese gathering in the fields.

I'm looking forward to an extra day off next week.  There's a big pile of wood waiting to be split which will take a day to complete.  This means that I'll still have two days left to get out and enjoy the beautiful sights, sounds and smells of autumn.

There are two squirrels preparing for winter in my backyard.  The unfortunate part of this is the fact that they are creating their food store in the attic of my garage.

A cat had one of the squirrels cornered and all I could hear was a lot of loud squawking at the back of the garage.  I rounded the corner just in time to see the squirrel jump from the

garage roof to an extension ladder that was leaning against the wall.  From the extension ladder it clung to the siding and clawed it's way to a hole that had been chewed out underneath the eave.

That was one very agile squirrel.  Who knew that they could cling to aluminum siding!  Seeing this made me cringe.  It meant that I have to crawl up into the garage attic and remove the food store again.  I had to do this a number of years ago.  That time, I filled and removed a large black garbage bag full of mushrooms, pine cones, flower heads and chewed pink insulation.  There was quite the nest created.  I'm sure it would have been very toasty up there.

Watching this guy maneuver his way along the wall reminded me of the visitor I had during a camping trip this summer.  I was enjoying a relaxing morning, preparing my fishing rod.  My hands were full with the rod in one hand and line in the other.  The squirrel was watching me from a nearby branch.

It knew exactly when I could not reach to shoo it away.  As I fumbled with the line, it scampered down the tree, across the picnic table, onto the bench and balanced on the edge of my bowl of cherries.  A sneaky little smile appeared on its face.  That squirrel knew it had me at a disadvantage.  It grabbed a cherry from the bowl and ran. 

The escape was comical.  Rather than taking only one cherry, there was a second stem attached so the squirrel had one in its mouth and the other was getting caught up in its feet as it ran.

I managed to get the lid on the bowl before it returned.  It tried and tried to get the lid open.  When it failed, it did a complete tour of all the items on the picnic table to see if there was more food.  It gave me the evil eye before leaving to raid another camp site.

I was fortunate to have had some close encounters with hummingbirds this summer.  They are my favorite summer birds.  The bright red flowers of the scarlet runner beans and the calibrachoa were the favorite feeding spots in my yard.

The best surprise encounter came on my trip to the Saskatchewan River Crossing area.  I ventured out to a ridge to take in the view of a valley.  My bright pink shirt must have made me look like a flower because the moment that I stopped walking, a hummer came to within two feet of me and hovered until it realized that there was going to be no food involved.  

I did not pay much attention to the birds in the local ponds until a couple of years ago.  Since that time, I've kept a list of the birds observed each year and managed to add a new species each season.  This summer I added the Greater Yellowlegs to the list.  

I hiked by a small, out of the way pond at the Cooking Lake - Blackfoot Recreation Area and noticed a pair of them standing on a log.  They watched me as I slowly made my way to the water's edge.  What a treat to watch them in action; dipping their bills beneath the water for food.  

The usual feathered visitors have been in the yard; chickadees, nuthatches, gold finches, a variety of woodpeckers, robins and magpies.  I spotted a pair of little house wrens looking for a place to nest.  They worked very hard at trying to remove the paper from a wasp nest that blocked the opening of an old birdhouse.  It was very amusing to watch their antics.


My binoculars now take up space in my camera bag.  They have come in very handy on my outings and in the backyard.  I cannot ID new birds by their call and I have to pour through the pages of a bird book to try and identify them but they sure kept me entertained.

There have been a couple of killing frosts which means that the trees are changing to their brilliant autumn hues.

I had time for a short hike so decided to visit the Cooking Lake - Blackfoot Recreation Area.

The fall colors were more prevalent than they were two weeks ago.  As I sat in a rest shelter and peered across the lake, the scene before me looked like a beautiful painting.  The sky was clear and blue.  The water was calm and the leaves were a variety of reds, greens and yellows.

I could hear the waterfowl on the lake and a flock of cranes overhead.  A bluejay landed on a branch just outside the shelter.  It cocked its head as it watched me through an opening.  I think it intended to swoop in and grab some of my lunch.  Just as I went for my camera, it flew into a higher tree and began squawking at me.  A slight breeze rustled the leaves.  The forest sounds made for a relaxing 15 minute break.

There are fenced grazing areas within the recreation area.  I found one that still had cattle in it.  As I approached, the cows stood up, watched and mooed warnings to their young.

I visited the sandy hill that housed a number of garter snakes earlier in the summer.  A number of holes in the bank were visible but no snakes.  As I hiked from the hill to the parking lot, I hoped to see snakes sunning themselves along the trail.  The only one that I did see was the size of a twig

and living dangerously as it rested in the middle of the path used by cyclists.

I thought I would see more than one snake along the trail.  They are on the move.  When I drove to the park, three of them crossed the road in front of me.  Thirteen didn't make it.  They were hit by vehicles.  This created a feast for the crows and ravens on the pavement.

It appears that the next week will be sunny and warm.  The little blast of snow a week ago was just a winter teaser.  There is still some yard work to be done and windows to be washed but the colors of autumn don't last very long so I'll be taking advantage of the sunny days to hike and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of fall as Mother Nature gets ready for a long nap.

 

The temperature was supposed to get into the mid to high 20Cs so I decided to head outside early in the day.  The sun was just rising above the trees and its light was making the dew drops glisten. The sun shining through the moisture on the leaves and flowers was beauty at its finest.  

The bees were were just waking and moving slowly due to the cool air.  I watched as they began to stretch their legs.  They didn't have far to go for food as they had slept overnight on the flower petals.

The ninebark shrubs were full of ladybugs that were tucked into the grooves on the leaves.  Dew drops covered their shells.

The slugs were making their way through the sedum beds, leaving their slimy trails behind them.

The big orb-weaver spider was huddled under the rim of my wheelbarrow. It was still too early for it to be active.

Watching the insect world wake up this morning was an opportunity that I don't get very often so I took full advantage of it.

 

 



 

I spent yesterday morning emptying the containers that held the remnants of my Supertunias.    The front yard is looking very bare without the bright pink blossoms.

I needed the wheelbarrow for this task.  When I pulled it out, I noticed a spider web between the handles.  The orb weaver was hiding under the rim of the tub.  I tipped it up so I could see the spider.  It was the largest one that I have ever seen in my yard.  The body was more than a centimeter in diameter!

The second visitor was watching me as I walked back and forth.  I hadn't noticed it until I moved some flower stalks.  I was about to cut down the bloomed out yarrow stems when a garter snake peeked out from under them.  I left the stems for the little snake to curl up under.

There was only one snake in the yard yesterday but there were a number of them slithering across the road that passes in front of my house.  

The containers are empty and the garden beds are dug up.  2014 had a great growing season.  The flowers were beautiful and the garden was productive.  There were many tasty meals with fresh vegetables and strawberries from the berry patch.

The lawn needs a final mowing and edging.  When that is done, it will be ready for winter's snowflakes to fall.
 

This summer I decided to leave the ditch in front of my house 'au naturel', in other words 'not mowed'.  There was an abundance of red clover mixed in with the sedge grasses.  This little natural habitat provided many blossoms for the bees and lots of cool wet areas for the frogs. 

Some wild asters grew amidst the clover.  The bees appeared to love those flowers just as much as the clover.

I left a patch of clover in the backyard as well.  Every time I sat in my willow chair by the fire pit, I could hear the honey and bumble bees buzzing beside me.

The yard was filled with insects this year; good and bad.  The aphids made themselves at home on some of the shrubs but that meant that there were lots of lady bugs as well.

The grasshoppers were abundant.  As I walked through the yard, they would fly up from the gravel paths.  Most were light brown in color, matching the color of the rock.  I did not to see them until they jumped out of the way before my boot came down.

I have a day off tomorrow and the sun is supposed to be shining so I plan on spending the day in my yard; prepping it for winter and enjoying the final blooms.