Some Favorite Fall Scenes

Warning: Photo overload below. Proceed at your own risk.

I know that we are about to step into December, which means winter in many parts of our country, but I still have some fall scenes to share. I will keep the words at a minimum and allow you to enjoy the scenery.

Lake Minniwasta in fall splendour.

Look up, look way up and marvel at the beauty of the trees.

Another view of lake Minnwasta.

And everywhere we look, those beautifully dressed fall trees.

The Amur Maples on my yard will not be outdone. Love those colourful leaves.

Even the leaves on the deck railing are lovely.

Scenic fall beauty is, or was all around.

Lake Minniwasta near the close of the day.

While looking all around, we must not forget to look up.

Even the Oak tree on my yard has dressed itself in beauty.

Something To Think About:

“ Ten thousand leaves on every tree, and each a miracle to me; yet there be men who question God.” 

For The Beauty Of The Earth

So much beauty all around and all I have to do is push the shutter button to capture it.

I hope you enjoy the following scenes as much as I do.

 Enjoy the scenes as you think on the words of the song,

For The Beauty Of The Earth.

For the beauty of the earth; For the beauty of the skies, For the love which from our birth over and around us lies: Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

For the beauty of each hour of the day and of the night, Hill and vale and tree and flower, Sun and moon and stars of light: Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

For the joy of human love, Brother, sister, parent, child, friends of earth, and friends above, For all gentle thoughts and mild: Lord of all to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

For each perfect gift of thine to our race so freely given, Graces human and divine, Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n: Lord of all to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

 Something To Think About:

Have you paused to praise God today?

Putting the Sony RX10 M4 To The Test

A while back Steve and I had the chance to test a Sony RX10 M4 camera. I have said it before, this is a sweet camera and one that I would love to own some day.I especially love the quick focusing, and 24 frames per second shooting is amazing as well. 

We went to Ft. Whyte Nature centre to put this camera to the test. Oh did I mention it also has a 600mm zoom on it.

All the following pictures were taken at Ft.Whyte and I am almost certain that these were all taken by Steve.

The indoor display of the Burrowing Owls, has lower light, but the end results are still quite nice.

You all know that I love reflections so this one is perfect for me.

The following three pictures were possible because if this camera's fast shooting capabilities. Some of the images may not be perfectly sharp, but remember it was also very cloudy and this was in a wooded area, so light was low.

I love those delicate wings.

Landing gear is down and touchdown should be at any second.

I should add that I have not been asked to do this and am receiving no payment for this.

I simply want to share these images and the perks of this camera.

The Beauty and Destruction of a Blizzard

Back on October 10-12 we had an early blizzard, that closed all schools and most roads and left power outages and tree limbs broken down.

At first it was absolutely beautiful.The fall leaves were still on the trees, creating wonderful mosaics.

 But that snow kept on coming and because it was so mild, it was very wet and heavy snow.

I don't think this Blue Jay was very impressed.

As the wet snow coated every branch, the branches started bending way down. If all they did was bend it was still sort of pretty, but all that weight was too much for many trees.

This shrub normally stands about six feet tall or more, but the snow has caused it to almost flatten out. Just a note, that this particular shrub suffered little or no damage.

The snow started coming down hard on Thursday and by Friday around 3 PM our hydro went out. At first it was not too bad, but even with milder temperatures, it still got very cold in the house. I am so thankful for kind neighbours who opened up their home to me and allowed me to stay close to the fireplace. Power came back on around 7pm on Sunday, that was 52 hours with no hydro.

Something To Think About:

We were taken by surprise with this storm, but 

God is not the least bit surprised or taken off guard by the storms you are facing.

Trust Him,He’s got this.

A SCHOOL BUS DRIVER? ME? Chapter 6

By way of explanation-- I had the chance to play around with a different camera recently and these shots are made with it. The camera was. Sony RX10 Mark iv. It's a pretty sweet, easy to use camera and it may be in my future, but not right now.

Now to the on-going story of being a bus driver.

School Bus Birding

The long winter is nearly past and for the bus driver the change of seasons means a change in driving conditions, hopefully for the better. An end to the snow and icy road conditions is very welcome. 

The drivers cover many miles each day and therefore have the opportunity to see a variety of things. Spring brings the arrival of birds from the south. When one driver spots that first Meadowlark of the season he/she of course shares it with the others, by announcing it on the two-way radio.Not to be out done, the other drivers soon get in on the act, and each one tries to be the first to see and report some new bird as it comes into the area. 

This casual competition makes the daily drive very interesting, and before long one of the drivers starts keeping a record of the bird sightings as they are reported. The competition is on and when two drivers report seeing that first Robin on the same day,  a decision needs to be made as to whose name will go on the list. It is quickly determined that one driver saw his bird in the morning, while the other one saw it in the afternoon. The morning sighting will be recorded. 

When a year has passed and another winter has come and gone, bird sightings are once again reported. It is interesting to see that many birds are reported by the same driver at much the same time of year.. because of all this interest, to some drivers, bird watching takes on new meaning. At least one of the drivers who was at first a very casual bird watcher is now an active birder. The name would be Ruth Hiebert. 

  Unfortunately, the school division didn't share the enthusiasm of the drivers regarding birds, therefore we were asked to limit radio use to business only. We did understand the reason for this, but also missed the birding reports and would have loved to be able to share a sighting with the rest of the gang. Occasionally the rules are broken and a rare or unusual sighting is still reported. 

 Records are not being kept for the drivers any longer but for at least the one driver, the bug has bitten and much time is spent in bird watching. Some of this can be done while driving and this makes the job of school bus driving more enjoyable. 

Opening The Door To November

Transitioning from one season to another means change,often a lot of change.

As we step into the second last month of the year, we are fully aware of the changes that either have happened or are about to happen.

Gone, are the colourful flowers of summertime and even the gentle raindrops that water the earth.

In Manitoba, if there are still leaves on the trees, they are no longer green, but have turned to the golden shades of fall.

At the time of this writing, we have few, if any leaves left on the trees.

Sometimes winter pays us an early visit, with a surprise dump of snow. That is what happened here in the middle of October.That snow is all but gone, but we know that it is only a matter of time until we get more of the same.

Some of the hardy birds stick around all winter, like the Blue Jays, but most of the song and garden birds have long ago left for warmer areas in the south.

Since our first snow came so early, we still had lots of colourful leaves on the trees. This created some lovely scenes.

To Think About:

If you choose not to find joy in the snow,

You will have less joy in your life,

But still the same amount of snow.

Sunday Afternoon Exploration

Today we continue exploring the area near the Leary Brickworks ruins.

Of course when you have a 13 year old with you, you go exploring. 

Water is always a magnet. I'm not sure what Kai was looking for, but she had fun and  that's really all that mattered.

This little stream was right behind the ruins. It was small, but still very pretty.

It was a warm sunny afternoon and these butterflies were keeping busy.

I had been looking down, and when I looked up,I saw this Red-tailed hawk soaring in the sky.

Steve was at the wheel and he took us down some little used roads.The sights along the way were quite lovely.

Here is a look at the road/trail we took.Let's just say,I was happy that we met no oncoming traffic.

I'm glad you had a few minutes of time to join us on a Sunday afternoon drive.
It's always a pleasure to be with family and friends.
Perhaps we can do it again, sometime.

Leary Brick Factory Ruins

Let's take a closer look at the Leary Brickworks site and buildings.
This place is located in a somewhat hidden valley in southern Manitoba.
I have only the knowledge that I have gleaned from the internet so,I will add a link where you can read much more about this historic site, if you wish to.
Leary Brickworks

Below is a closer view of the round kiln that was used. You can still see the word 'danger' above the door.

I was rather daring this time and walked right up to this old building and looked inside.

In another old building I spied these old gears, or whatever they are.They look pretty sturdy, even today.

I cannot elaborate on the old house, just to say that it has been around a long time and would have lots of stories to tell.

The huge brick chimney stands near the kiln, still standing tall all these years later.

Many an outing turns into a teaching event. Kai is using one of her Daddy's cameras and under his guidance is getting some great pictures.

Before we turned to leave, I had to try one last shot of the old chimney, with the sun behind it.

Something To Think About:

Thank you Lord for another amazing day full of so many blessings

Sunday Afternoon Fun With Family

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in early September, My son Steve, granddaughter Kai and I went for a drive to look for early fall color. We didn't see much color but we sure had a good time exploring some different areas. We made our way to a picturesque valley, north-west of Morden. The area is called St. Lupicien.

At our first stop, I saw a flock of Sandhill Cranes circling overhead.

I love this old, abandoned building with a lovely backdrop of trees.

Looking down the road. The sky was blue and the temperatures were about perfect that day.

Some photographers get out of the vehicle to get that perfect shot, but when you are 13 years old, it seems to be more fun to sit in the window and shoot.

Some of the beauty is in the trees and surrounding area, but it also pays to take note of the smaller plants at your feet.

This valley is known for the abandoned site of The Leary Brick Factory.

You can read a little more about it at this site: Leary Bricks.

Today I show just this one image, but I have at least one more post of photos of this place.Watch for this in a few days.

Something To Think About:

Ain't gonna need this house no longer

Ain't gonna need this house no more

Ain't got time to fix the shingles

Ain't got time to fix the floor

Ain't got time to oil the hinges

Nor to mend no window pane

Ain't gonna need this house no longer

I'm gettin' ready to meet the saints

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

All the photos in this post were taken around the middle of September.

Enjoy the scenes as you are encouraged by the words of a familiar Scripture portion.

Let not your hearts be troubled. 

Believe in God; believe also in me.

 In my Father's house are many rooms. 

If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?   

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, 

that where I am you may be also. 

John 14:1-3