Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Travelling Alberta

We just got home from Lethbridge this afternoon.  We were kind enough to take the rain down there with us.  No, don't thank me.  It was my pleasure.  Only trouble is, it followed us back home!  We did enjoy a couple of earth-shaking thunder storms down there though.
The 5-hour drive down there was lovely.  We left mid-afternoon so the light was beautiful.  We stopped an hour into the trip to visit our daughter Jenny, her husband, and five sons in Lacombe...always fun to visit all those boys. 

Anyway, here are some of the pictures I took of the beautiful scenery, starting with some of Jenny's flowers.

These are her almonds.  I didn't know they grew up here.  Apparently the nuts are forming well and will soon be ready to come out of their little furry jackets.



These lilies were perfect and the most lovely shade of orange.



This is one of their many roses - it may or may not be the one they were calling the Alexander MacKenzie rose - named after a famous exploring ancester of ours.  That's Nate's 9-year old hand holding the flower still for me.



I don't know the name of this one, but I love, love, love the color combination and the almost square shape of the blossom.



And this one Jenn said is an ancient type of rose, one of the earliest forms of rose.  She kept calling it Rosamundo but I don't know if that's actually what it's called.


It's canola time in Alberta.  Lots and lots of fields of yellow canola blossoms.  Did you know that not too many years ago the canola wasn't called canola, but rape seed.  We used to travel through a town that advertised itself as "The Rape Capital of Canada"....I never wanted to stop there.  It's so nice the plant (and it's oil) has had a name changed...have to stay politically correct dontcha know.

The patches of bright yellow are the canola fields.


The lush rolling farm land of central Alberta


Windmills have become a common sight in Alberta.  Don't know why this picture is so dark.



Here's the windmills up close - they're not really touching the ground with their arms, the towers are behind the hill there.



Canola field contrasted against the dark trees.  I took this one coming home today - the sky is more overcast and less dramatic than it was on our southbound journey.



It's good to be home again.

Pat

10 comments:

Chatty Crone said...

Such beautiful beautiful eye candy from God.

Mickey said...

That's a gorgeous varigated rose Jenny is growing! Love, love those yellow fields. I once did a photo shoot in Millet and stopped to take pics of the kids in the field. James very rapidly went into an allergic reaction and we got out quick! Never went back to take pics of those fields. Yours are beautiful.

RoeH said...

Beautiful shots. And I YEARNNNN for rain.

Holly said...

The pics are all gorgeous! The rape capital, Really? Did they not think that was strange to put on a sign?

Southhamsdarling said...

Hi there Pat. Stunning photos you have posted for us today. The flowers are absolutely beautiful and I have never seen Almonds growing before!! I have just noticed that you have become my latest Follower, so I do thank you for that! I look forward to getting to know you and hope you don't mind if I now follow you from over here in England. I can't believe that you have TWENTY grandchildren!! I have three!

Sush said...

Hi Pat....it seems where Thisisme goes I go! Isn't she just the best? I love your Blog! And your family story! And your photography! And your traveling all over tarnation seeing such wonderful sights and visiting with your family! I LOVE big families. I grew up in a family of six and we had five of our own. I am hoping the kids get busy and add to our brood of three grands!

Looking forward to lots of visits back and forth and so many interesting postings here!

Hugs~

Desiree said...

What a lovely trip you've shared here. The scenes of the canola fields and those wind generators are very much like an area fairly close to where we live. Amazing to see this similarity in two such different countries each in a different hemisphere.

Twenty grandchildren! Christmas must be loads of fun ;)

Emtron said...

Jenny is so awesome with her crazy gardening. Love all the photos Mum. The drive between Lethbridge and Edmonton is one of my favourites for its comfortingly familiar scenery.

JQ said...

Aw, thanks for the press, Mum. How could you forget the name "Goblin Flowers?"

Kath said...

Beautiful pictures! Your daughter has quite the green thumb. Such gorgeous ones!
With all my flower pots filled with tomato/chives/cilantro/green beans(my WY garden) I am really missing my flowers. I just make sure to stop and enjoy others!! Less work that way too!! :)
I too would not want to go to that town!! lol