Brought To You By The Letter "O"

On November 24, I officially took up residence at the home of my aunt in Okotoks, Alberta. I spent a day and a half unpacking, adjusting to the three-hour time difference, and assuring the world back home that I had made it safe and sound.

I also spent some time with this ridiculous-looking fellow who, while generally not accepting of strangers, took an almost-immediate liking to me. His name is Oscar, and I can't decide if he's odd-looking with his penguin-feet and pot-bellied-pig body, or just absolutely and positively adorable.

 

My next mission was to investigate the walking path that runs behind my aunt's house and, I soon learned, just about everywhere in town that you could possibly want to go. The day was grey, but I vowed to come back to this bench which is practically in my backyard, with a cup of tea and a camera in hand.

In the meantime, ideal photographic light or not...

Along with the groomed walking paths, there were shortcuts that had been created by the trodding of boots over hills and through tall grass. This one kind of confused me a bit...

... but it made for an interesting picture, and I found myself very excited to explore the quiet beauty my new town had to offer.