Long Johns!!!!

Well as usual it was snowing today! Thankfully my wonderful loving husband went and bought me some long johns so I can stay outside a wee bit longer than before. Alas I wish I had something that protected my face a little more, it sure starts to hurt after awhile. Anyway today my feeders were really really busy, so much so there was no room at times for the new comers. So they had to sit and wait, like the first little one you see here at the top. I feel so sorry for them, I don't know how they do it.....keeping themselves warm enough to survive in these extreme environments. I wish I could put long johns on them I bet they would really love it! Can you image little birds flying around with long johns on??? Hahahahah it would be a sight to see wouldn't it. This poor soul below actually has an icicle hanging off it's beak!!! click on the picture to see it.

Look at all the snow on top of the bird feeder, and to think that first thing in the morning I had already clean off all the snow and dug out all the seed for them. Now at 1pm I had to tidy up the feeders again so they could find their food.

Hoar Frost So Interesting And Beautiful

Hello everyone sorry about the delay in between posts, but Saskatchewan is a very extreme environment. You can have beautiful weather one day then a blizzard the next! Something I have never experienced before in my life. Moving out here from B.C has been an eye opener for sure. I was a pampered pet in Victoria B.C with temperatures never dipping below -5!!! Out here though I have already in NOVEMBER I might add experienced -23 without the wind chill factor. GREAT SCOTT that's cold...keeps me indoors let me tell you. Plus when I have gone outside in my many layers your face goes numb within 15 minutes, so I have to go in and out all day to get pictures that I would like to take, which of course takes up allot of time. In these next photos I would like to show you Hoar Frost...what is that you say???? Well apparently out on the Prairies they have this. The frost is sooooooooo thick it looks like snow, but it's not it's frost!!!! Something I have never heard of, but very common here. Enjoy these extreme photos!!! I think I managed to give you a variety to view. Have a fantastic day! Hugs Crista

Fay's Story ~ Farm Life

Before we made the move out to Saskatchewan we came out to visit my Mom. Knowing how much I love to take pictures she asked a friend of hers who owns a farm if I could come out and take some pictures.
So off we went, it was a lengthy trip from Regina to Fay's farm....OH and did I say HOT!!! Yes it was a very hot day mid to high 30's.
As I walked around her farm my mind wondered to my Mom's story about a tragic accident that happened on Fay's farm. This accident took her husband's life, it was very very tragic and traumatizing to her and her family. So much so that Fay's farm is up for sale. I wanted to try and capture some of the simplicity and beauty of her farm to honor the land for what they loved about it. Not for the sad memories that now come from the land for her. Here are some lovely shots of Fay's beautiful farm and in memory of her loving husband.

Land Of The Big Sky ~ Dynamic Sunsets

One thing that I love about my new environment is the big sky...no mountains to get in your way to see the sun come up or go down. I have enjoyed many nights of sunsets with such stunning colors it would knock your socks off!!!!
Enjoy these lovley shots of one of the sun sets that I managed to photograph.

I Spy With My Little Eye.....Sweet Birds

I've been on a number of walks since we have moved to Elbow, most of them training my new dog that we rescued from the SPCA in Saskatoon. I will have a post just about her I promise. Now during one of my walks I did manage to spend a few hours just watching the birds, there are so many kinds out here that are different from B.C. Some birds I know right away, but these sweet ones I couldn't tell you for the life of me what they could be. So if you happen to know what kind of birds these are I would love to hear from you :)))

Cute Critters that I've come across

Nothing says cute than a groundhog! I know I know not all of you would think that way, I certainly know that farmers would look a me as if I was suddenly hit with a lack of common sense. They are beautiful, cause allot of damage and simply put just a lovely animal trying to live among us. These little mammals are quite prevalent in the B.C Rockies and all of the prairies in Canada. I'm sure they can be found else where as well, but for sure they live in these regions.
I like them and they remind me of my first pet when I was a wee girl my pet hamster...yes I know the groundhog is significantly bigger, but it triggered a happy memory for me. :)

Back On Line But Moved to Saskatchewan

Oh dear it has been awhile hasn't it, but I do have a good excuse as to why I haven't been posting. Our family has had a very huge change. We left the Island and B.C for a better life in Saskatchewan. My husband got offered an opportunity that we couldn't refuse and we took the bull by the horns shall we say.

It was a huge move for the family and we are still adjusting to the dramatic changes that have happened. I'm looking forward to the future with a much needed change and new start away from city stresses. For the first time since I was a child I can go out at night and actually see the stars outside, because where we live now there are very few street lights. So when it gets dark Wow it's dark outside.

Above are some lovely pictures that I've taken since I've moved here.

Lovely Images I've Come Across On My Walks

I hope you enjoy thise lovely images. From Flowers, rabbits and even a Toad!!! I tend to walk allot and Icome across thing that simply grab my interest. No storey's to tell today just the images of nature as I happened to come across them.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

The Touch Of The Human Hand

The human hand and what we can do with it and the decisions we make. I'm guilty as charged in this area I'm afraid as much as I should admire animals in their natural habitat with my camera there's a part of me that wants to interact with the animals as well. For example I feed the birds in my yard; most of these birds are no longer afraid of me and come to see what I'm up to in the yard when I'm out. Deep down it delights me, but what if I were to move away? What would happen to all the birds? Especially the birds that every winter and summer who migrate here know where my house is; what hard ships would I impose on them if the food was gone? I always worry about these things, because it would never be my intention to hurt any wild animal. Why am I bringing this up???? It just came to me while I was watching this squirrel in the park being fed by a woman. She was laying in the ground with her body stretched out as far as she could to coax the squirrel to come and eat sunflower seeds out of her hand. The squirrel as you can see here was delighted to be getting some food for which it didn't have to forage for. So having animals rely on our human hand to give them hand outs is it wise? Not sure what the answer is; there are always pros's and Con's to both sides of the coin. What do you think???

Vancouver Islands Jewel ~ Tofino's Long Beach ~ Part 2

Here are some interesting pictures that I took that show life just under the water....these wonderful pink tipped invertebrates look just like a flower garden but under water.

This picture below is a capture of the wind blowing the sand across the beach...it was a very windy day. My hair came right out of my pony tail!!!!!

Vancouver Islands Jewel ~ Tofino's Long Beach

I think no matter where you live in the world there is an area close to home that is a Jewel to you. For me it's Tofino. Tofino is at the farthest end of our Island and faces the outer edge of the Pacific Ocean; the winds are strong and the surf is strong. Unlike Hawaii where you can surf without a wet suit...here you can't even in the summer the ocean is ICE COLD. Over the next few day's I'm going to post some lovely images of Long Beach for you to enjoy, maybe you will want to come and see it for yourselves one day. I know that when I look at other blogs and see what I'm missing it really motivates me to add new areas in the world to visit. Africa being one of my many areas to visit. Enjoy

Finally The Rufus Humming Bird Caught in Flight!!

Well here is a treat for you.....finally I found the Rufus Humming birds for you. Beautiful with their colors of browns and greens. These humming birds prefer the areas of condensed wooded areas. While I noticed that the Anna's like the wooded areas but don't really find it necessary for their comfort level. At least that's my perspective on the two species. How do I base that simply by my observations, I simply see more Anna's in the City versus the Rufus. I hope you enjoy these shots...they were taken up Island in my Mother and Father in laws yard.