Photo-Finish Friday --Stumpy

My husband and his new friend out on the Kootenay Plains.

It truly is a magnificent stump.

Photo-Finish Friday -- A Splash of Blue

With the grey light and the shorter days I thought it would perk readers up a bit to see some brilliant colour.
For your viewing pleasure, a pair of bluebirds on the Kootenay Plains near the Banff Park border last spring.
I've left the size medium.
Please click, enlarge, enjoy.

Gratitude Monday -- Mountain Man Edition

The mountains offer many stunning sights and I am grateful for all of them.
Today I am grateful to have seen The Old Man of the Mountain.
We were out camping on the September long weekend and came upon him during a hike.
We'd camped virtually underneath him during the August long weekend, but I didn't notice due to the angle, and to not knowing he was there. A friend pointed it out after I posted a photo on Facebook that featured the fellow.
I confess I have no idea if I used to know he was there and forgot or simply never knew.
Now I've seen him. Now I know he is there, waiting patiently for who knows what? and I am grateful.

Photo-Finish Friday --Ice Wall

This is the ice wall on the Kootenay Plains west of Rocky. It's well used by ice climbers and tends to stay intact well into June.
There's a path beside it for those who wish to hike up the ridge.
I've done it. I recommend it.

The ice wall becomes a mud wall in summer as it is spring-fed. Despite that, it is climbable in the summer. Start on the side path and  and then switch over to the drier parts of the mud wall.
It has good rest spots with spectacular views.

For perspective, here's a long view of the wall.

Gratitude Monday -- Mountain Drive Edition

Looking east along Highway 11 driving through the Kootenay Plains.

 
We went for a drive out west along Highway 11 yesterday.
It was a warm, windy day that felt more like spring than winter.
I was grateful to get out and see the mountains again, grateful for the warming weather that signals the change of season, and so grateful that in less than two hours I can see the above.

Another Installment of Twofer Tuesday

Here's a bluebird on the Kootenay Plains. I mention birds in my opening sentence so it is tangentially related to today's post. Mostly I just wanted to run a pretty picture.

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and it’s Twofer Tuesday time again.
I’m currently reading the second of two books my FIL lent me on curing heart disease. I’m tickled silly about it because I’d never heard of either of them and they’re fascinating and useful.
This week’s sentences are from Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease, by Dean Ornish, M.D. (Ivy Books, Ballantine, 1990 and 1996).

In a chapter on opening your heart he looks at expressing feelings as opposed to thoughts and judgments. The two chosen sentences:

“I’m right.
You’re wrong.”

I’m getting toward the end of A Fly on the Wall, but I still managed to cobble together something.

Here the mirror is on offer at a community garage sale. A young child is talking to it. The second sentence is the mirror’s response.

“‘You’re not a person. You have to be a person to speak.’
‘You’re very limiting. Why are you right?’ ”

For more, or to find out how to participate, please see the Women of Mystery.

Out for a Bit

A very pretty bluebird on the Kootenay Plains.

The lights will be dimmed here for a few days. I've left this perky fellow on the post in charge of things.
He'll be watching closely.
It'll likely be Monday before anything fresh shows up.
Talk amongst yourselves.

Gratitude Monday - In a Heartbeat

One of the bluebirds found on the Kootenay Plains.

It’s a great day.
It’s Monday, the start of a fresh week “with no mistakes in it” if you’ll let me quote Anne Shirley. (Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery. Anne was talking about a day, but I’m stupidoptimstic and will go with week).
I’m grateful for many things already and now I get to add a new one. On May 14 I’m going in for some outpatient heart surgery at the U of A.
It’s called catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation.
I got the call on Friday that it was set up. It’ll take all day and I have to stay in Edmonton that night in case I have to get back to the hospital for any reason.
I’ve decided I won’t have to, but I’ll stay handy to it anyway.
Prior to the surgery I need to have a cardioversion done again. It’s where the heart is stopped ever so briefly and then restarted. It’s done to restore proper sinus rhythm.
Once that’s done I get to stop taking the second beta blocker I was put on recently.
It’s all good and it’s just going to keep getting better.
**
The bluebird in the picture is, of course, the bluebird of happiness.
Have a great week, everyone.
I’m going to.

Photo Finish Friday - Magnificent Blue Edition

This bluebird on a wire lent a glorious splash of colour to the last year's yellow-brown grasses and leaves out on the Kootenay Plains.

This was more than likely a western bluebird although he didn't turn around so I can't be sure. The area is one of the best places to see this beautiful bird.

Mountain bluebirds are out there, too, and we saw some. That's the only way I know we saw at least two different pair last week.

I hope this photo puts some colour in your day and puts a pleasant cap on your week.

Gratitude Monday - Bluebird Plains Edition

We went for a drive out west on Good Friday. We took our time and stopped for photos as needed. I'd said our mission was to find bluebirds.
There's at least one nesting pair out on the Kootenay Plains, about a 90 to 105 minute drive from here. The Plains are an ecological reserve and many bluebird boxes are attached to the fenceposts along the highway.
We saw bluebird couples four times during our drive. We saw at least two different pairs, based on the colouring. Maybe there were eight birds. Maybe it was four twice, or two four times, or maybe one pair three times and then another. We may never know and it does not matter. We went for bluebirds and they were most accommodating.
It was a good day for a drive in the mountains, and for that I am grateful.

Ice Wall

The light blue green in the centre of the photo is an ice wall out on the Kootenay Plains. It's a popular spot for ice climbing in the winter and spring. The area is a good hiking spot in summer.

The trail is beside the ice wall, but it's easy, if somewhat muddy, to climb the where the winter ice was.

I thought I'd post again today 'cuz I got high speed and I wanted to see just how quick it would go.

It was startlingly fast.