Spring has sprung . . . . . and treasures unveiled

Very warm weekend on the bald butt prairie southwest of Calgary . . . . lots of melting.

Although the snow depth continues to keep us out of our more serious mountain trekking, we were out sweating in just a shirt on Saturday under the boiling sun at a lower elevation!!

Below, as the snow melts, treasures are revealed, including this unfortunate scene I came across below, the last resting place of what appeared to be an elk, Abby busy securing her favourite trophy, a hoof. Marching orders were quickly given, the site quickly abandoned and the hoof eventually dropped, the elk left to continue to disintegrate, ashes to ashes . . . . . . lots of bones along this shore.

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Below, the meltwater of spring attracts Keeper's interest. This old rock has, for probably many decades, attracted the summer interest of cows using it to scratch their backs, hence the worn out groove that fills with water in its lee.

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Below, the art of nature . . .

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Below, Surprisingly, someone had walked here before us . . . . it was warm enough to be a shirtsleeve day, even here.

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Below, a rare moment, a trois portrait of Keeper, Rick and Abby, the latter with a unhappy scrunchy face after being diverted from her elk hoof. In about a month, early to mid-April, we will stop coming here until about mid-June lest there be unfortunate "accidents" with baby ducks, baby geese, baby muskrat and other babies inhabiting this shoreline.

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Rick C
www.goldentales.ca

Beautiful Pics. Just like I said, keep em coming on Monday mornings. Great way to start off the week. :thumbs up
Send some of that meltage this way will you. Still looks like the arctic here. :laughing:

Cindy

I love Abby's scrunchy face.:lovestruck: Wonderful pictures as always.

Love the pictures...hope we start getting some sweater weather here soon.

Wonderful shots
The commentaries just as interesting as the views

Amazing Pictures, thank you for sharing them with us.

GRASS !!!! Albeit yellow, it was GRASS :eek:

GRASS !!!! Albeit yellow, it was GRASS :eek:

West of Calgary, between the city and the mountains, there is zero snow. All brown. We drove to Banff yesterday and the journey was starkly beautiful.

My acreage southwest of the city is pretty much clear of snow now. Just waiting for the first blades of green to sprout.

Sadly, when summer comes to you folks out east, it usually stays. Around here, some of the bigger snowfalls in a year can happen in April and even May, even as the grass is greening and the leaves are on the trees.

This is a dry, semi-arid climate. Where the first picture above is taken, it's looking west towards the mountains, which are only about 20 km away. If you were looking south, as with the second picture, there would be virtually zero trees. Ditto looking east.

This is one of the sunniest places in Canada.

Rick C
www.goldentales.ca

Wow, the "art of nature" pic is very cool :cool: :lovestruck:. I had to laugh at Abby's scrunched face, we get the same expression on our dogs when they have to abandon their treasure :laughing:.

GRASS !!!! Albeit yellow, it was GRASS :eek:


Grass? What's that? I have no idea what that is???


Great as alway Rick. :thumbs up

RIck that first picture there with the carcass is really surreal.


Grass? What's that? I have no idea what that is???



HAHHAHAHA

I'm continually amazed @ the depth of colour & field of vision you get in your pictures, like in the first shot you capture the perfect blue in the sky and also in the very far mountains and they are clear not fuzzy or obscured @ all

Fabulous :thumbs up

I love the "someone walked here before us" pic. :cloud9:

RIck that first picture there with the carcass is really surreal.

Have another one . . . . . same place, different angle, looking east and a little north. A lot less snow, no trees.

Even a modest distance from the mountains changes everything about the local climate.

On the drive into work this morning - at 6:30 a.m. - it was plus seven Celcius.

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Rick C
www.goldentales.ca

Wow, those are amazing pictures, I love the artsy one.

i know i have said it before.. but your dogs and all the pictures you take are really stunning :)

Beautiful Pics as usual Rick! :)