Summer Sunshine On a Winter Day

We interrupt this winter with a few moments of summer's sunshine.

I hope you won't mind.I am ready to see color,hear the birds singing and feel the warmth of the sun on my back,so if you feel that way as well,join me as we walk through the gardens.

This bright Zinnia greeted me each day as I approached my door.

Last spring was the first time these Tulips showed their beauty in my garden.

The English Gardens always have beauty in them.This is likely taken more in the early fall,but I can almost feel the warmth of that day. 

 Walking the paths at the gardens is a delight at any time,but I especially enjoy it during the summer.To be surrounded by the many flowers and birds just fills me with peace and joy.

No visit to these gardens would be complete without a stop at the roses. I do love the roses.This one has such a gentle color.I think it may be in the family of the Peace Roses.

Back on my yard,on my deck to be precise,I can sit and soak up the sunshine and enjoy the blossoms.

Here a small seed of some kind has landed on the Lantana.It almost looks like some long legged insect.

This is definitely more of a fall shot,but the warmth of the fall sun is so wonderful. The evening light shines on these grass flowers.

I hope these pictures brightened your day.

I trust that you can say with me;

Thank you God for blessing me much more than I deserve.

More Winter Beauty

I continue today to show you more of the beauty we had in early February.

I know that many of you have just come through,or may still be dealing with severe winter weather and cannot find much beauty in it.My heart goes out to you.Ice,in particular can be so very dangerous and destructive.

I assure you that what we had in this area was not dangerous nor destructive,but it did result in a lot of beauty.I want to add that our winter is not over,we often get our heaviest snowfalls in March.

For the next few minutes try to just see the beauty which I saw on this particular day.

 I have shown pictures of this track before,but I do believe these are the first winter photos I have.

This is the way the camera saw it.

And this is the same scene turned into a black and white.

I will keep the commentary to a minimum,as the pictures speak for themselves.

We have a buffalo farm not too far from town.I thought they looked quite relaxed,even during the snow and cold.

The next three photos are taken at the local golf course.

Strange,but I didn't see any golfers on the course that day.

The spent Hydrangea blossoms at the parking lot of the golf course,catch and hold the snow.

Hope you all enjoy a safe and pleasant week.

Snow Beautiful!

On February 10th,we had some rain,which resulted in ice on the trees and after that the snow started. Now those icy branches caught an held every little flake of snow.The results were a winter wonderland.

I will let you scroll through the pictures and enjoy the beauty.That's about all I can do right now as well.

As many of you know,I fell a coupe of days ago and sprained my left ankle,hurt my knee and just generally got shook up.I am wearing a big old boot cast and have been ordered to stay off my foot as much as possible.

I should say that these are all taken in color,but end up looking more black and white than color.

This is at our local lake and is a pretty road at almost any time of year.

The various trees collect snow in different proportions and together they make a lovely scene.

I know that I have shared this before,but I think it bears repeating.

ALL CREATION IS AN OUTSTRETCHED FINGER,POINTING TOWARD GOD.

Snowy Owl Photos

Earlier in February,on a Sunday afternoon,I got a call from my son,telling me about this pure white Snowy Owl he had seen.Since the owl was not too far from my home,he figured I might want to drive out and get some pictures.He was absolutely right about that.I headed out and before long I spotted the owl,just as white as white could be.Unfortunately,this owl was not in a photogenic mood and took off before I had a change to get even one shot.

Since I was already out and about,I decided to take the long way home,on the chance that I might see something of interest. Good thing I made that choice.

I came upon another,almost pure white Snowy Owl. The beautiful male didn't mind have his picture taken time and again.

 I always wish that these birds would have the decency to sit on top of the insulators,so I wouldn't have to contend with the wires.Oh well,I was just happy to have a cooperative bird,on this lovely,blue sky kind of day.

With some careful editing,I was able to remove the offensive wire.I know that the critics will not like the editing and I'm not sure I like it either,but at least I have one picture without the wire.

The first two photos were taken with the Olympus OM-D EM 1 and a 300mm lens.

I then switched to my Canon SX50,which actually has a more powerful zoom and took this image.

After allowing me numerous shots,he had enough of me and flew to the next pole.I was able to capture a couple of images just before he landed.

When this bird was sitting,he looked pure white,but here you can see a few darker spots on the wings.

After taking this picture,I decided that it was best to let him do his hunting in peace.I drove home,quite contented and happy that I had gone out looking for Snowy Owls.

Bird photography is not always successful,but on this day I was satisfied with the results.

Sparkling Sunset

Well folks,it's back to more recent photos and ones I have taken.

During the latter days of January,we had a day of milder temperatures with some light rain and then some cooling down,which resulted in trees,grasses and everything being coated in a layer of ice.

I could hardly wait to get out that day to capture this beauty.Unfortunately I had to wait until after my bus run in the afternoon,but as it turns out,that was a good choice.

Every little twig and weed were turned into delicate pieces of art,sparkling in the sunlight.

The setting sun gave me some wonderful images.

I should mention that these photos were all taken within about a mile or two from my town.As nice as the pictures are,the really don't tell the whole story.It was breathtaking.

If you look closely at the outer branches of this tree,you can see the layer of ice sparkling in the evening light.

Just off the road,the weeds in the ditch were stunning.

The row of trees glistened like they were coated with diamonds.

One final picture.I truly wish I could have taken you all with me to see this beauty.

In Job 38:22 we read:

Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?

or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail?

(I might add,the treasures of the ice)

One Last Look Back In Time

For the post I want to share some amazing scenery shots that Jake has taken,many years back.

This I believe is Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies.This is a very picturesque place and many photos of this lake show up on calendars.

Yes,I have been to Yellowstone Park,but it's been much too long ago.I do believe this is Yellowstone Falls.This would have been taken around 1968 or 69. My parents took our family to Yellowstone and Jake Hiebert,who was a friend of my Dad went along.This was before I had any interest in him.That sounds so strange to me now,but that's how it was.

These pictures are kind of all over the place.This was taken on our honeymoon,in 1972. The weeping wall is a fascinating place. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe this is in Glacier National Park in Montana.

I have to be honest and admit that I have no idea when or where this picture was taken,but I do know that I love it.I have used this picture many times as my desktop photo.

Once again,I cannot give a date when this was taken,but I do know where it is. This is one of my favourite places to be,especially in spring,the Pembina Valley. I think Jake has proven,with this shot,that it can be beautiful in fall as well. The low lying fog certainly adds to this scene.

So that has been a series of looking back into the archives,way back,before the digital age. I am pleased to have been able to share these photos with you. Going through them has brought back so many memories of the man who stole my heart.

I trust that these images help you to see the beauty that God has created for us to enjoy.

Favourite Bird Photos of Long Ago

I am almost done with the look back at some of Jake's pictures of many years ago.

Today I share images of another subject which is close to my heart.

Birds.I try to get bird photos as well,but mine are,for the most part,not as good as his were.

I will just give the names of the birds.

Eurasian Wigeon,seen out of it's range,near Winnipeg,Manitoba.

Not sure of this ones name,but he was hanging out in an old building on our yard.

Mourning Dove,sitting on the nest.

Male Northern Cardinal,the first we had ever seen.This was on a yard south of town.

Female Wild Turkey.

Male Lesser Scaup.

Canvasback.

Male Common Goldeneye.

House Wren carrying food.

Ruffed Grouse,drumming. This is a very old picture and the color has become distorted.

I have one more short post of Jake's photos and then its back to my stuff.

I am so thankful for a heart full of memories and these and many other pictures that bring back so many memories.

Keep on taking those pictures,they only become more valuable as time goes by.

Some of my Favourite Images

I am continuing to show pictures taken by Jake many years ago. Some,if not all of these have appeared on my blog before,but I still enjoy them,so I trust you will as well.

Today I have more pictures than usual,so words will be few.

Sit back and enjoy a few of my favourite photos of flowers,as captured by Jake Hiebert.

A Tulip drenched in raindrops.

Zooming out while holding the shutter button down.

Getting up close and personal with a Sunflower.

This is a wildflower,called Harebells.

Lady Slipper growing in a ditch not far from where I live.

Acres of sunflowers.

I love the dreamy look of this shot.

More Tulips.

The Prairie Crocus,Manitoba's flower emblem.

What's not to love about the simple Wild Rose/

Daisies,both white and coloured.

A springtime display of Tulips in the park at Portage La Prairie,Manitoba.

Trying to find the words to describe nature's beauty,

is like trying to measure the moon with a yardstick.