Winter Blues

Lately the northern hemisphere leaned its furthest from the sun marking the solstice, the shortest day of the year and the first official day of winter. While some of you might not think it is a day of celebration, I look to each new day including this one as a day of celebration. You may ask why, with the sun not due to break the horizon for another two hours, as I prepared to leave the house on this morning with the temperature hovering at a bone chilling -20 Celsius. You may think I'm crazy however I embrace winter and always have. First of all you've got to dress for it and that includes fleece underwear from Mountain Equipment Co-op. If you have not experienced fleece next to your skin, it is to die for on a cold winter day when you plan on spending time outdoors.

Of course it does not hurt to have a remote start in the truck to get it properly thawed out before I stepped out the door of the house and loaded my cameras into the truck murmuring softly on the drive way waiting for direction on this pleasant morning. I did not plan on getting to far from home as I had a number of chores to attend to later in the day. With a temperature of -20 Celsius I knew that open water below Calgary's sewage plants that discharge warm water into the Bow River would be generating fog perfect for photo-ops.

By now you know my habits and your aware of my first stop before continuing very far down the road. You got it, Tim Hortons for coffee. With that taken care of my next stop or rather destination was the Bonnybrook sewage plant in southeast Calgary just off of Ogden Road. I was right as I made the approach you could cut the fog with a knife but being sewage plants are not high on any ones points of interest on a very early and chilly morning, I had the road to myself and there was no problem stopping in the roadway for photos.

There was not to much of interest here so I pulled up stakes and made my way down to the Fish Creek sewage plant and immediately things began to pick up. Even the plant looked good in the early morning dawn with the promise of a beautiful morning shaping up as the eastern horizon took on hues of a artist's palate.

I next made my way into Fish Creek Park and pulling up in the parking lot located near the Bow River at the lower end of the park, it was time to go for a walk as the sun was now close to breaking the horizon. This is where you add layers of fleece and top that off with a breathable, windproof, waterproof outer jacket made of gortex along with appropriate gloves and a warm toque for your head and of course, don't forget the felt lined boots, your good to go. The walk in the early morning light payed off with more images captured and stored on my memory cards and with winter well on its way, it was time to pack up and head on home. Catch Ya Later

This nice White Tailed Buck insisted on playing hide and seek with me while I was on my walk-about.