Kick The Bucket

buck·et list

noun  INFORMAL

noun: bucket list; plural noun: bucket lists

a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime.

"making this trip is the first thing on my bucket list"

Origin

early 21st century: from the phrase kick the bucket ‘die’, popularized by the 2007 film The Bucket List .

I had six weeks off work this summer. Among my first thoughts was that if I planned correctly, that would be just enough time to allow me to check three separate items off of my bucket list. Those six weeks turned into an amazing adventure spanning over 15,000 km's (just shy of 10,000 miles): 2 countries, 10 provinces, 15 states, and 6200 photographs, and it all started at pitstop number one: "that fence with all the hats on the posts" in Black Diamond, Alberta..

In memory of a Mr. Harrison, "1923-2018 Prairie Boy Always", and of the Edmonton Oilers' long lost glory days. ;)

And that gentle reminder again of why I'm here in the first place.

Through British Columbia where I didn't stop for photos aside from the Alberta license plate that said "USA 625", and across the border into Idaho where a pit stop to stretch presented me with this fine view:

Onward to the state of Washington where a missed turn on a route I already know well enough to ad lib a detour brought me past someone's little oasis in the desert of crops.

Pretty sunlight, an old barn, and there was a deer that bounced right through my shot.

Creepy spider webbing.

And a pull over on the side of the highway for some stunning backlit flowers.

I made it to southern Oregon in the wee hours of the morning. I had told very few I was coming, and the surprise for the rest was just as monumental as I had hoped....

Timing

The skies had oscillated all evening from bright and sunny to dark and ominous. 

Often, as happens a lot on the prairies, both at the same time.

It wasn't yet raining over my part of the city when I went to the back step to look for a rainbow. It wasn't yet raining when I saw the full bow and dashed inside for my camera and tripod. It wasn't yet raining when the second rainbow appeared around the perimeter of the first.

But it had started raining by the time I shot my 36th of 93 exposures at the exact fraction of a second required to capture this beauty. 

Right on time.

Into the Storm

When you combine a fascination with the weather with a penchant for photography, you may find yourself with a storm chaser. In my case, I found myself with a storm chasing roommate - completely self-educated and obsessed with all things atmospheric.

(You can check out his stuff for yourself here)

Once or twice a year, he heads to the weather alleys of the USA, sometimes with a professional tour, sometimes on his own, in search of  mammatus clouds and hail storms and tornadoes with sub-vortices. (I dunno either).

Sometimes, he doesn't have to go that far.

On July 6, 2019, his newsfeeds were blowing up about a storm brewing near Cochrane, just northwest of Calgary, Alberta. When he invited me and a friend to go storm chasing with him, I was hardly going to say no. He was so excited. And we were excited for him.

Cochrane was a bust, but our mission was not.

We hit the ring road around Calgary and headed southeast, following the tweeters and an array of weather apps he keeps in his back pocket. I was shooting out the window of the truck, watching the storm come over the city and head south. We drove and drove (and somehow didn't get pulled over) until finally we got around this thing, and I was able to get my very first (and one and only decent) storm photo, somewhere east of Chestermere, Alberta.

Prairie Sky

On the western boundary of Airdrie, Alberta: a stop the car moment for some gorgeous blues and greens, and the only cloud in the sky.

Downtown Cowtown

July 2 was a beautiful day. I was in the mood to be out of the house, but I didn't want to go far. And so it was that I found myself perched with this guy over looking the Bow River and downtown Calgary.

Oddly enough, on reviewing my photos that day, I thought I had nothing substantial. On reviewing them 4 months later, it turns out they just needed a little burning here and a bit of dodging there and voila!

Black and white drama

and spectacular evening colour...

...and a little bit of love for the city I currently call home.