August Serenity Blog Circle - Lakeside Morning In British Columbia

At the beginning of the month our daughter was playing in an adult soccer tournament in British Columbia, so we tagged along for the weekend to watch her play. On the way we spent a night at the small city of Salmon Arm, located on the beautiful Shuswap Lake. The hotel was located next to the lake and a bird sanctuary, so I decided to get up around sunrise to walk the area. As I have mentioned before, I’m not a morning person, but I will have to try harder, because the light in the early morning is so fresh and lovely, promising the start of a new day. A different feeling than the equally beautiful end of day light.

Enjoy the serenity of a sunrise walk along the lake!

Bald Eagle in the pre-sunrise light.

Geese on the move

Great Blue Heron, I believe. I love watching these birds hunt, patiently watching for a fish or frog, then grabbing them with their beak.

dewdrop bokeh in the grass

Bug bokeh

Anyone home?

It took awhile, but finally the sun broke over the surrounding mountains.

The sun finally came over the mountains

The Serenity Project is a collaborative photography project featuring images that bring a sense of peace and calm. Please continue our circle to to see what has brought my friends serenity this month.

Next in the circle is Iris Nelson, a Metro Phoenix photographer

Click the link to see what serenity looks like for her this month! Thanks for being here.

January Serenity Blog Circle - A warm winter walk

Here in Calgary, Alberta we have had an unseasonably warm and dry winter. In October, we had an early, large snowfall putting a quick end to the beautiful fall season we often enjoy here. We received about a foot of snow. Since then, we’ve had minimal snowfall and mild temperatures. While it makes for a comfortable winter and good driving conditions, I know it is not good for the farmers or our lawns and gardens or the wildfire season.

I’ve tried to take advantage of the mild conditions and have been getting out walking with my camera. This week, I headed out to one of my favourite local urban parks and enjoyed temperatures of +9 degrees celcius while soaking up the sun. I encountered numerous people on bike or foot, taking advantage of the weather - here in Alberta, we could be up to our knees in snow again by the next day, you just never know.

All pictures in this post were taken using my Lensbaby Sweet35, a lens I don’t use often because I’m not sure I love it. I always see images that someone else takes using the same lens and fall in love with them, so I keep trying to use it.

Click on the images to see them larger.

Every Christmas season, someone decorates this little tree at the entrance to the park.

There is beauty to be found in all seasons.

I think one of the reasons I love this park is all the water elements - pathways wind along the river and around ponds where birds, waterfowl, beavers, deer and coyotes all live. There is just something about water that draws me in.

Ice and light patterns

The Serenity Project is a collaborative photography project featuring images that bring a sense of peace and calm. Please continue the circle to to see what has brought her serenity this month. Joan Showers of Joan Showers Photography is up next. Click the link to see what serenity looks like for her this month! Thanks for being here.