Summer’s gone. Now all we can think of is how to get through that cold period that is waiting for us. That summer was really too short.
We wanted to do so many things and of all of them, we only did like 10%, or so it seems. Was this summer really that short? Well, actually
it is always too short. The two previous years had left us without a real summer and without warmth. We went from Winter into a semblance of spring straight into Fall and winter again. This year was different. We had a few days of warm and hot weather.
But it all seems to have gone so fast.
So let’s take a look at some summer pictures I took from June to September.
The first geese, fresh from their eggs, already walking and on their way to adulthood.
The first green leaves, that colour seems to be so fragile.
The first bird shots. I had never shot birds like this and didn’t even think these would exist here, in a city environment.
A visit to St Norbert’s Ruins. One of the first outings with our new car.
A small path in Fort Whyte Alive. Open skies are prevalent but do not show any real heat. All what people expect from Manitoba.
A visit to Morden’s Dinosaur Museum. Better to say a Fossil Museum. Impressive and interesting, even for those who are not interested in old bones.
The first dragonflies of the summer. This Four Spotted Skimmer will have a long and happy summer ahead.
Barbecue with salmon. Is there anything better than that? Yes, perhaps if drinking a little wine with it were allowed. Pleasant nonetheless.
Going to the ruins of the Old Pinawa Dam. The first Hydro Power Station to be built at these latitudes and in this climate.
Touchdown on the Red River at Selkirk. The water level is still high, but hydroplanes do not care about that. As long as the water is liquid…
A walk around Grand Beach. After the recent (severe) storm, there was nothing much left of the beach. Better to take a walk over the cliffs and keep your feet dry.
The first outing with the Winnipeg Photo Community to shoot thunderstorms at night in Birds Hill Park. Finally, there were no storms close enough to be interesting, but this little guy made up for that.
St Vital Park, already a lot warmer and soccer is in the air. Or should I say, in the water?
In the mean time, the little gosling turn into small geese, even if they do not have their wings and flying licenses yet.
Kildonan Park, a little visit to the Witches Hut. A project donated to the City of Winnipeg by the German Community. You can buy food for the ducks that benefits the maintenance of the hut and the ducks.
Lockport, now full of American Pelicans. Never would I have thought to find pelicans in Manitoba. So I was proven wrong. This picture shows that very clearly.
A last visit to Munson Park, not far from our apartment. We are on our way to move into a new apartment by July first, so this is some kind of goodbye shot.
By living closer to the south of Winnipeg, we also live closer to the St Norbert Heritage Park. This “summer kitchen” or storage room is an original old building, restored and moved to the museum.
The Ukrainian Catholic Church in Cooks Creek is one of Manitoba’s heritage buildings. You can visit it and when the summer is nice and warm, you can also visit the adjoining Grotto, a replica of the Grotto in Lourdes, France.
One of my first good “exotic” butterfly shots, take in Birds Hill Park, on an early Saturday morning. This one was still waking up, waiting for the sunshine to warm its wings and body.
Thanks to the wet spring and the still fresh beginning of the Summer, these Ladyslippers, a form of wild orchid develop nicely in Birds Hill Park.
The sod house replica in Fort Whyte Alive now looks warm and inviting. Not a surprise, when outside the temperature reaches the 29C.
A quick visit to the Whiteshell Provincial Park. The wind was picking up, showing the lake as if it were cold and uninviting. We did go swimming a bit and the water was warm.
Back in Birds Hill Park, the wild birds show themselves with the best colours they can find, like this Male American Goldfinch.
Another small meeting with the Winnipeg Photo Community to shoot some fireworks. However, the Goldeyes, who were to set off the fireworks after their match, had no troubles winning. The fireworks went off in the setting sun.
Going to Toronto Airport, waiting for the biggest event of the year. The arrival of our daughter on a plane said to be early. I still had to wait an hour and a half before seeing her.
Back to Grand Beach, for a swim, a dive and some hot dogs. Waves were pretty high, a few minutes after this picture was taken the beach guards hoisted the yellow flags to show that swimming was not without danger. They were just more fun.
The first time of seeing Auroras, or Northern Lights. They do not show all the time, so while we were waiting we did a little light painting to keep the mosquitoes away. This picture was taken way beyond midnight.
Another first. Going to St Norbert’s Farmer’s Market. Honey and other farmer’s products are everywhere and seemingly of good quality. Selling honey and bee-products could be done like this in Ukraine too…
A trip to Sandy Lake, even if it was a bit far to do a round trip to the Riding Mountain National Park, it was definitely fun to go there and see the Ukrainian roots of the community. This picture struck me as being from another era, despite the straw rolls.
Back in Winnipeg, Grant’s Old Mill was open for visiting and showed a lot of interesting details, with good guides. One of the guides was even (remotely) related to Cuthbert Grant.
Lower Fort Garry was showing off people in costumes of the epoch the fort was in use. Well, it’s still in use, but now only as a museum.
A visit to Oak Hammock Marsh, to find birds and wildlife. The only wildlife we found on this warm day was our own. Better to go and get something to drink in the education center.
A visit to Stonewall and its quarries. The quarries are now being filled with Community Centers and Museums. It takes away from the original quarry, but I guess it will give back to the community. On the way out we went for a ride in the Ferris Wheel, overlooking the town of Stonewall.
In the English Gardens, where I hadn’t been for some time, the hummingbirds try to take everything they can from the available flowers so they can stock up fat for their winter journey south.
In the Assiniboine Park, the deer feed on everything that is available, grass, leaves and the like.
The end of the hot period of summer was announced during the night, with a beautiful light show. Of course, some people couldn’t care less and would like the hot weather to continue way into January.
Hazy mornings in the Assiniboine Park are now coming and present nice views. Unless you are afraid of any unknown element inside that mist.
Thanks to some fellow photographers, I now use a flash in broad daylight. At least if I have to light some small animal.
Even the Kudlovich Farm in Birds Hill Park is now looking a bit more fall-like. With the lack of maintenance it looks like the house is in its own fall period.
Small groups of Canada Geese are now gathering in Fort Whyte, even if the groups are small, soon they will become bigger and bigger. Before the great Take Off.
Seeing Auroras is mostly done in late Fall or late Spring. Seeing them during a nice warm summer night is a real treat. We went to Patricia Beach to catch these.
This will soon herald the end of the summer. The geese will fly away, leaving us with a void for all winter.
All the pictures shown in this post are in sequence, from the beginning to the end of our first hot summer n Manitoba. Quite a difference with the previous ones.
So, all in all, a busy summer. We can always complain that we did nothing during summer and that we had many more things planned. Looking back, I think this summer was pretty well filled and long. Of course I did not add the pictures of me doing my job.
Let’s see if the Fall and Winter will bring us as many activities as this summer.