The Final Days of August ...

Friday, August 29, 2014:  

A familiar morning scene ... and one that I never tire of!!!  

Saturday, August 30, 2014:

The mid-morning huddle and tail swishing of those Summer flies ... 

The FINAL day of August!!!  How is that possible???  Let the Fall Harvest begin ...

The STARE ...

Okay ... a bit of a cheat!  It was an overcast, cool rainy day and seeing my camera had been out SO LATE the night before ... I figured it needed a day of rest!  Haha!  So these are from the afternoon ... BEFORE the thunderstorm and aurora dance!  I'm not sure if this was the same juvenile from the other day, as there are a few in that area but this one was certainly posing as well!  

Such beautiful birds!!! 

A Summer Storm With Some Zing!

We enjoyed a gorgeous Summer day, full of sunshine and double digit temperatures!  Of course that brought about thunderstorm warnings!

After a quiet evening ... I was off to attempt capturing some lightning shots!  However, I got a bit more than I bargained for when the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) decided to make a grand entrance as the storm clouds moved off!

As the storm clouds moved off to the East and I decided to pack up my gear, I noticed two aurora bands intersecting the Milky Way in the Southern sky!  Yes, I feel very blessed to be able to see our amazing night sky!  

Sun Kissed And Ready To Fly ...

May all your weeds be wildflowers.  

~Author Unknown

I don't want summer to end ...

Signs of Change ...

The foliage has been losing its freshness through the month of August, and here and there a yellow leaf shows itself like the first gray hair amidst the locks of a beauty who has seen one season too many ...

~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Eeeek!  With the wonderful rains we've had, despite the hot, very dry start to July, August seems to be hanging on to a bit of green BUT there is 'evidence' to prove a change is coming! 

Evening Sun Bathing

As the sun finally drenched the evening landscape with rays of warmth, this dragon fly took advantage of those warm rays and bathed in delight.  He sat for the longest time, fluttering his wings and then resting in the days final light!

Migration Is In The Air ...

... Or, migration is stopping for a snack before heading further south ... at least it was for these Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis).  Seeing these beauties during their "Fall Migration" is just another sign that Autumn is encroaching on our summer!!!

Beauty

I marvel at the beauty of our birds of prey!  They are simply amazing!  Yes, I might be a bit of a bird geek, especially when it comes to hawks but I am fascinated by their sheer speed and skill of their hunt and relish the fact that they are reducing the 'vermin!'  I also pinch myself when I can capture their beauty up so close!!!  It doesn't happen very often, especially with hawks but this juvenile Swainson's Hawk (I believe ... juvenile hawks are very tricky at identifying) allowed me a quick glimpse and a couple of 'snaps!'

Oh Deer ...

This beautiful 'Mama' Whitetail, although on alert, didn't mind me snapping a few quick pictures before heading off into the trees with her young one!  

Goatsbeard ...

Who said "beauty" and "weed" couldn't go hand in hand?  

And The Thunder Rolls ...

Now on the hills I hear the thunder mutter...
Nearer and nearer rolls the thunder-clap,—
You can hear the quick heart of the tempest beat....
Look! look! that livid flash!
And instantly follows the rattling thunder,
As if some cloud-crag, split asunder,
Fell, splintering with a ruinous crash,
On the Earth, which crouches in silence under;
And now a solid gray wall of rain
Shuts off the landscape, mile by mile...
~James Russell Lowell, "Summer Storm," 1839

Another thunderstorm rolls through ... it can be an amazing site via that wide open prairie!  

Crop Tour ...

This young, handsome lad was enjoying his evening stroll and crop tour while blending in quite nicely with his wheat field surroundings!  

On The Fly ...

As this Swainson's Hawk soared over this wheat field while the sun set, we bid farewell to another summer day!  Its hard to believe canola crops are being swathed, fall migration has started and the days are getting noticeably shorter!  Summer is slipping away ...  

A Soggy Day

It rained off and on again for most of the day but my apple trees are lapping it up!  

Delivering The Goods ...

After many hours in the hay field, the boys were excited to finally be delivering their last load of small square hay bales!  Despite being only 8 and 9 years of age ... this is their baby ... their deal!  For the 2nd year in a row, they've made and delivered hay to the Calgary Stampede Ranch!  In a world full of "entitlement," I guess you could call us "old school" parents that are trying to teach our kids that you have to "earn" things in life and that usually comes with some hard work, respect and gratitude for what you have!  The boys worked very hard and in the end, they are getting a pay check from the Calgary Stampede Ranch with the understanding that they have to pay for rent for the use of the haying equipment and fuel! (I think their Dad will be fair on the rates!)

After helping 5 cowboys, along with their Mom and Dad unload the hay bales ... they were quite happy when Tyler told them that he would see them again next year ... that this would be a yearly thing!  

Good job boys!  We are so very proud of you!!!  

Gone Is The Day ...

A busy day that found my camera having some R&R at home ... or at least until the last of the sunlight was slipping away!  

The Last BIG Chore ...

With the bales made ... we returned to the field this afternoon to help the boys load the last of the bales onto the flat deck!  I'm not sure what the exact temperature was but I don't think any of my lads overly enjoyed this lil' chore with the sun beating down and the thermometer likely reaching around the 30C mark.  However ... they were troopers and got the job done!!!

... Although at one point, their Dad reminded them that this would certainly help build their "pipes!"  Haha!  They boys laughed knowing I took a picture but certainly groaned at their Dad for his comic relief!  LOL!  

Eventually, we reached the final two bales ... and you have to take a ride up the bale elevator at that point!  

Woo Hoo!  DONE!

... And It Goes On!

Well, the boys were back at it again today!  

While the boys finished off the last of the small square hay bales they needed ... I finished baling the remainder of the field with the round baler!  Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE my round baler and how much FASTER it is than the small square baler?  Hee Hee!  

The boys, along with their Dad, delivered the remainder of the loads throughout the day, with the exception of a couple of loads being picked up in the field and the boys delivering a couple of loads via the flat deck trailer.  So with that ... we started loading and stacking bales!  

The boys worked till dark and got the first of the bales loaded!  I think all of us were more than happy to head for home at this point ... the mosquitoes were getting fairly HUNGRY!