All About Autumn at Abraham Lake

Where I currently live, Autumn is not much of a thing. The river valley in Edmonton puts on a heck of a show, but for the most part, the trees are coniferous, or they transform within days from leafy green to golden yellow and then shed. I happened to be enjoying a few days off in the autumn of 2019, though, when I heard talk on the radio of the brilliance of the colours at Abraham Lake.

With the lake being one of my favourite go-to places in the mountains, a day trip to see for myself was a must. Besides, I already had photos from Summer and from Winter, what better to add to the collection.

I. Was. Not. Expecting. THIS.

     

It was like something straight out of a fantasy movie set. Golden yellow and brilliant red trees grew right up out of glacial melt that varied in colour from deep ocean blue to bright turquoise depending on the position of the sun.

And speaking of the sun, it was out and huge in all it's bright, shiny glory.

At a second stop near the Cline River, the trees sprouted seemingly from solid rock, without giving a second though to the 18 inches of water carpeting their trunk.

Another stop at Windy Point.

And a bit of recognition for another Grade AAAlberta experience.

Best Friends

If a dog is a man's best friend, who is a dog's best friend?

I decided to take my camera on a trip to the dog park and see if I could find help in answering that question.

Apollo was game to assist.

"THERE!" said Apollo. "There is my best friend!"

But at the end of the day, when all was said and done, a dog might be man's best friend, but this dog's best friend  

was a woman.

Take Me To Church

It was somewhere in early summer when I saw that Eric Church would be coming to Calgary in September. It was a long way off. And A LOT of money to spend going into the slow season at work.

But it was Eric Church.

And it was WORTH IT!

A Post About Nothing

"Why Manitoba?" they would ask whenever I tried to find someone to take a road trip with me. "There's nothing in Manitoba." It's just.... flat.

"I need to take pictures," I'd tell them. "I want pictures from every province, and somehow the only one I am missing is the one in the middle."

"But there's nothing to take pictures of!" they'd warn.

"I'll find something," I assured them.

And on my journey across the country in early September, I did. Right off the highway, too.

Welcome to Holland, Manitoba

... and another check off my bucket list. So much ado about nothing.

Falling Out of Summer

It was only the fourth of September but the trees on the shores of Lake Superior were already falling out of summer and into their colourful autumn coats...

Bar None

My attachment to the ocean is more than water and waves or the smell of drying seaweed and salt. 

It's lobster boils and fire clay and skipping rocks and catching crayfish. It's jumping off of breakwaters and picking seaglass and painting seashells.

It's all of the best parts of childhood, bar none.

The Best of Her

I've never been one for motherhood. The idea that people willingly and joyfully bring whole other human beings into this world and mold them from helpless infants to productive adults (on purpose! Sometimes multiple times!) is absolutely mystifying to me.

But had things been different, and I'd had a daughter, Skyler is exactly the one I'd hope to have.

This vibrant and happy young woman was not always this way. She grew up battling learning disabilities and bouts of depression and anxiety that left her locked in her room for days on end. The strength she developed in dealing with her mind and the world around her overflowed into the biggest, fullest heart of anyone I know. So when she told me she was pregnant, I was thrilled for her. She has every ounce of the motherly instinct I was never given, and finally she would have someone who would unconditionally accept the incredible amount of love that huge heart of hers had to give.

But even I could have never imagined the effects motherhood would have, and how much Baby Lincoln would bring out the very best of her.

That smile says everything.

We all have very different experiences growing up.We can allow them to be our excuses, our alibis, our reason for all the worst things we become as adults. Or we can find our strength in them, and let them teach us what it is we do or don't want to be. 

Skyler herself still has a long way to go. But she's rocking this big step, and with a whole new reason to get there, I just know she's always going to be "alright... most of the time. I guess." ;)