Saturday: Elli Bird Farm

It ended up being much more driving than I expected but it was well worth the effort. Colleen drove, Nick, Eric and I took turns bobbing heads, especially on the return trip.

Every farm worth visiting has goats, right? Here are Colleen and Eric wearing big smiles while trying to fend off the feeding frenzy. There was a lot of pushing and shoving, and much laughter.

Near the entrance, they have many very active Martin houses. Many little ones were being fed by parents, and the noise factor was almost overpowering. What fun!

There seems to have been a tradition of sending birdhouses to this farm, and they are in evidence everywhere. Many have donor plaques and they come from not only North America, but from Europe and Asia as well. This is truly an International collection of mostly hand made birdhouses. Here are just a few tacked onto a barn wall.

Sloughs are everywhere in Saskatchewan and Alberta. This farm has many to see and visit. There was a constant stream of visitors and we would have seen more birds had we used one of the many benches throughout the property. 

This would be a great birding facility if one lived nearby and visited often. I am positive that near each bench is a gathering place for one or more different species.

Our walk around the facility provided us with some interesting reflections.

Talk about a large family...

This viewing platform provided small fishnets, about the size of a tennis racket,  to collect what was swimming near the edge of this slough. After emptying the nets in provided trays of water, everyone could see the mermaid of small creatures that live there. Unfortunately, the blood-suckers brought back memories of my first summer camp...

This is a bird farm, and many quiet places had birds to be found, usually well hidden. Nick spotted this woodpecker [about 4"] deep in this bushy tree.

This is the picture that explains 'cowlick'. [you can click on any picture to see all of them larger]

There were many butterfly attractors planted everywhere.

The many sloughs had a few ducks, mainly near the middle, away from the near constant parade of onlookers.

And finally, the old building where the goats were.  I loved these clouds

We stopped on the way home to pick up a Sammy's World's Greatest Pizza [.com] for eating at home.  Perfect way to end a great day. 

I think I'll just have another piece now...

House Fire in Okotoks

We smelled the smoke from the back yard where Nick was having an argument with a stubborn lilac root. Mind you, lilacs are always stubborn.

Eric and I borrowed Nick's truck and followed the smoke. It wasn't long before traffic was slow and we turned into a parking lot. These shots were made near the parking lot, on the opposite side of the street from the fire.

Another bystander mentioned that the fire had started about a half hour earlier. It must have been some roaring fire to make this much damage in a half hour.

This garage was smoking and the roof had a swayback.  Eventually it gave out.  Next the water just started pouring in...

Eric and I drove around and approached the fire from the other side. Pedestrians like us were shooed away, and this is the only shot I made.

Okotoks, like many western cities, has lanes behind behind their houses. Eventually, owners make fences, garages, and sheds at the back of their backyards. Here is a little study of blue...

Nick's truck is back and has completely recovered from its encounter with a deer on the highway a few weeks ago. I hope the deer went to a good table...

Lilac Removal, day 2

These pictures were made today, but the work was completed yesterday. The first two pictures are the 'after' shots of the previous 'challenge' shots in the last post. 

Surprisingly, the flower bed was spared. Now there is no privacy screening at the back of the house. On the plus side, the roots are not likely to cause foundation issues.

Next is a picture of the stump that will likely have to be removed so that the earth can be properly graded away from the house, and so a shed can be installed, probably not happening this week...

Here is a pile of wood to dry out and use in the outdoor fire pit.

These longer pieces still need cutting down to size for drying and burning. Three truck loads of branches were taken to the dump, and the major clean-up is already done.

The last two pictures show the back of the house after the removal of the three lilacs.

The back yard now looks a lot bigger, but the shade and privacy are gone. Plans include a shed on the far left, and some privacy 'something' on the far right. 

One major 'tick' on the to-do list.

Lilac removal, Day one, part 2

Further to the previous entry,  we borrowed an electric chain saw which needed trying out while I was doing the previous blog entry in the comfort of air-conditioning. The saw was very quiet, and quite efficient. Nick lowered the stumps to ground level before great hamburgers for supper.

After supper, the chain saw had to be tested some more, so I watched and made a few pictures of Nick's progress.

After all the branches and limbs were loaded onto the truck, Colleen showed up to do the finer cleanup. 

Quite a difference from yesterday's 'before' picture.

These next two pictures show tomorrow's challenge. 

Some flowers and flowerbeds may suffer...

To be continued...

Lilac removal, day one

These two large lilacs [plus one more, to the left of the picture] were planted way too close to the house foundation and were allowed to grow over the roof of the house. 

The reluctant consensus was to remove all three. Reluctant because they provide shade and privacy, and also because it will be a lot of work in 30ºC temperatures. Timely because I can help some.

This first picture is the before...

After a few hours of work this morning with a saws-all and pruners, the fattest lilac was trimmed down to about 2m, and the branches were man-handled off to Nick's truck.

Now you can see the neighbour's house.

Quite a difference already, but a borrowed chainsaw should make a big difference this evening and tomorrow. Here is a closer view of the work done so far.

The truck bed was lined with a tarp, the larger branches were trimmed of their shoots. The larger branches were saved for future fire pit burning, while the limbs and shoots were loaded up for the trip to the dump.

Nick doesn't really like loose ends...

And finally, here is the dumped load. We were actually able to pull out most of the branches and stuff free of the tarp, so unloading was much easier than expected. We deserved that break...

All the work was done with the help of Eric, and if we didn't break him, he'll be at our sides again tomorrow. 

The chain saw should make it easier, faster, and all that good stuff. Unfortunately, tomorrow will likely be a little hotter. Oh well, I did have a pound or two extra...

Black Diamond Alberta

 I flew into Calgary Friday to visit Nick and family. Today, Sunday, we drove to a natural area reserved as a dog park in Black Diamond, a village nearby. The sky was spectacular, and the wild flowers were scattered here and there.

 The walk led us along a windy path to a fast moving stream that was great for dogs to chase sticks and cool off.  Here is Dexter retrieving just one of many sticks thrown for him in the water.

It was fairly warm so Eric decided to test the waters. While cool at first, the waters were good enough to throw sticks for Dexter.

Nearby, a small butterfly was feeding on the nectar of this small yellow weed.

Meanwhile, Dexter is still getting lots of exercise and slowly slowing down.

On the path, we crossed this pile of rusted wire: likely parts of a bridge washed away during the floods a few years back.

Imagine the power required to shear these large cables and bunch them up in a large mass of twisted steel.

A quick stop for the requisite Sunday ice-cream cone, and we are back in air-conditioned comfort while supper is preparing to just appear as if by Magic. Meanwhile, Dexter is napping, now that's good idea...