Checking out the Parks - St Vital Park

Another beautiful park in Winnipeg. I spent a few hours here on Saturday just playing with my camera and enjoying the beauty that surrounds us. This park looked like a good place for a walk or a picnic. Come and walk with me.


Poison Ivy is a very pretty plant. And even prettier in the fall! I am not even tempted to get close, though. I am intimately familiar with the results of getting too close, and even though the last time I had poison ivy is probably more than 37 years ago, I haven't forgotten.


I love paths... and particularly when the path is strewn with autumn leaves.

This one naked white tree looked so out of place... perhaps like many of us feel now and then.

Did I mention that I love paths...

This particular tree had two such holes in the trunk... very interesting.

Reflections are always pretty... though it would have been nicer if the pond had been a bit cleaner.

Playing with the macro lens.

Checking out the Parks - Birds Hill

A new home in a new province translates to many new places to check out. The girls & I read about the farmers market in Birds Hill Park, a provincial park just north east of Winnipeg. Rachel & I were able to check it out one Saturday in August, and between the wonderful vendors, farm-fresh produce, and the entertainment, it was well worth our time.

We did also go for a walk, but the mosquitos that day discouraged us from walking too far or for too long.

Recently Einar & I went out for a walk one Saturday. One of the first sights to greet us, as we parked the car, was a flock of turkeys. I don't think I've seen them this close in the wild before.





For those of you that know this park well, please let us know your favorite walk there. It's a large park and it was hard to know where to start. We did find a very pleasant walk and the beginnings of the fall scenery.

More of the Grandbabies

I know many people have to live far from their grandchildren. And now I find myself incredibly grateful that I don't have that distance anymore.
The children change daily. Josiah is still the calm one. Content, but seldom excited. And so terribly cute.


The thing that excites Haley is... well, almost everything! Including Josiah. It took a while for her to notice him. But now she does. She wants to kiss him, and of course, poke his eyes and grab his hands. Her version of loving still needs supervision. But it's so sweet to see her reaction to him each time they're together. She smiles and laughs easily. She was sick last week, but rather than lose the smile, she just got cuddly as well.


Josiah's smiles... oh my! They're hard to photograph, because he'd much rather smile at his Mom than at the camera that MorMor always sticks in his face. But once in a while we catch the good ones.

Haley seems to think she's already grown up and can do everything. Her 'standing' without anyone holding her was so cute. She is quite pleased with herself. So are we!

Fall Bounty

I have a confession to make. I can't say no. Not when I am being offered someone's excess bounty from their gardens. "I would love the apples you don't want," I recently told our neighbor. She gave me three grocery bags full. Another neighbor brought two bags full. My daughter picked up several containers full from freecycle. And now my sister brought me several buckets of apples from Calgary. So I made juice, apple sauce, apple butter, and froze some for pie and other apple desserts.

Another neighbor with a large garden brought us a bag of tomatoes and a bag of cukes. Our daughter shared her garden generously with us.


Every Sunday in church there seems to be a box of freebees: spagghetti squash, pumpkins, peppers, etc. All of the items pictured here were given to me, either at church or from neighbors. Nothing beats local produce. And it seems you end up trying things you wouldn't otherwise try. I didn't know that there were yellow-fleshed watermelon until I cut up one from my friend, Emily. It was a slightly different texture, but the taste was wonderful. We all loved it.



I guess you could say my pantry isn't full yet. But there are only two of us, so it really is full enough for this winter.

Thanksgiving has already arrived at this household!

September - Josiah

The studious one...

Josiah is (so far) the serious grandchild. He's 4 1/2 months behind Haley, which is a huge age difference at this stage. But we know he'll catch up quickly, and in the not-too-distant future, we will think of them as the same age. For now, though, we enjoy the differences.


All bundled up for the fall weather.



Josiah's smiles involve his entire face and are a process. IF you can get him to make eye contact, and then IF he starts to talk to you, then you just MIGHT be rewared with one of these. They're worth working for!! Some of my family claim to see a Koop resemblence when he smiles.




I really need to do another photo shoot with Josiah and Haley. We did one before Haley was even aware of Josiah. Now she gets uber excited when she sees him, and it is so cute. And perhaps a little bit dangerous. She doesn't know yet that she shouldn't poke his eyes or grab his ear (nose, mouth, hands, or whatever is most convenient.) I, for one, am really looking forward to these two growing up together.

Photography

This friend wouldn't let me get any closer... New lens needed???


I often wonder if I should be doing more photography. I love taking photos, especially of nature and even events. I haven't yet learned to be comfortable with setting people up for photos. I have friends and relatives who are way better photographers than I am, yet I am seldom without my camera or without thoughts of how I would shoot this particular scene. So there is a conundrum.


Recently I have been reading more and more blogs, and so many of them are such an inspiration to me. And many of them incorporate many photos, which I love!! So I've decided I can at least share my love of photography here on my blog with anyone who is interested. Here is a sampling of September in my life.



Haley will love reading when she can sit still long enough!!

She keeps stealing MorMor's glasses... so we had to try them on! Not really impressed...


I love this picture because Haley is so cute, and she loves to be with her MorFar (and so do I) and the view behind them is what I see whenever I sit on my couch, and I love it!



Hmmm... wonder what bath water tastes like?

Ewwww!! Why didn't someone warn me?

Next post will have more of Josiah!

Fall in the city

It is September 14th, and fall is creeping up on us. The heat of summer has disappeared, and the days are sunny and cool. The leaves are beginning to change color. I have always loved the changing seasons, and fall brings with it feelings of anticipation... as if something great is just around the corner. Perhaps a feeling that comes from those years when I looked forward to another school year.

But it is also an ending. And there is an urgency to take full advantage of the days we have left before winter arrives. There is a need to spend the last days exploring whatever there is to explore. The instinct is to head to the mountains.

We left the Rockies behind, and Kananaskis is no longer a weekend option. So we must compensate. We must find the beauty that is here. Each place has a beauty of its own.

Our destination today was Kildonan Park, not far from where our kids live. Rachel & I picked up Haley and took her and Josiah out for fresh air. No mountains here, but the trees... ah, the trees! We meandered through the flower gardens. Everything grows in Manitoba is what my friends tell me. I'm not sure about 'everything', but I have had a much easier time with my flower gardens here than I ever did in Alberta.

And when we had seen the flowers, we stopped to watch the ducks, and to watch Haley watching the ducks. Everything is so much better when seen through the eyes of a child. Josiah slept peacefully in his snuggly, and Haley tried out the baby swings, and even without a vocabulary, I knew she was asking for more when I took her out of the swing. So, of course, she got more.

We found the river walk, and passed by the picnic tables and fire pits which we will have to try out very soon. A fall picnic is just been added to our schedule. And next year, it will be both Haley & Josiah wanting more of the swings, more of the ducks, and hopefully, many more picnics by the river. We've found a little bit of heaven right here in Winnipeg.