Challenges of a photographer

We are having torrential rain today, 13 July 2016, and I'm sure there will be more flooding, like yesterday. After having such a dry winter and spring, we are now paying the price with many days of thunderstorms and heavy rain. Yesterday, I was on a botany walk at Shannon Terrace, Fish Creek Park, climbing the hillside and coming down through the forest. Thunder and lightning surrounded us and, though the rain was only very light during the walk, it poured when we were just about back at the cars. I don't like to think how much flooding there will be today. More days of similar weather are in our forecast.

One of my favourite mountains in Waterton is the jagged row of pinnacles that can be seen slightly right of the centre of this image. These are the Citadel Peaks pinnacles, seen from near the Prince of Wales Hotel, high up on the cliff overlooking Upper Waterton Lake. On this day, 9 July 2016, we visited the hotel and ended up staying there longer than we had planned. It was a perfect place to escape the heavy rain until it had more or less stopped. I wanted to take a photo of the lake, but other people had a similar plan. What an amazingly beautiful setting for wedding photos, and the bride's bouquet of bright red flowers made the scene. It became obvious that the photographers were going to take their time and, as my friends and I wanted to continue our drive, I decided I would have to include the wedding group in my photo if I wanted to photograph the Citadel peaks pinnacles.

Three days ago, late afternoon, (I think around 5:15 pm), on 10 July 2015, I arrived back home from my holiday of the year - a two and a half day trip to Waterton National Park. It was wonderful to again be surrounded by such magnificent scenery, go on a few pleasantly slow walks/hikes with plenty of time to look for, and photograph, wildflowers, insects, and a few birds and animals. Lots of great company with 22 people, some of whom I already knew and lots of new faces, too. The trip was organized by Nature Calgary. Everyone was free to go wherever they wanted each day, but for the two nights, we stayed at the very basic Canyon Church Camp, off the Red Rock Parkway. Dorm-style cabins (about which I will say nothing, lol!), but they do have showers and even flush toilets at the camp. We were fed so well - lots of variety and good food. We were given two breakfasts and two suppers, plus a packed lunch for the two days. Our thanks go out to the lady (can't remember her name, sorry, but she was also there for us in July 2015) who cooked and prepared these meals for us! They were so much enjoyed and greatly appreciated!

"Waterton Lakes National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is also an International Peace Park, and a Biosphere Reserve. No other park in the world has these three designations. Waterton Biosphere Reserve as it is officially called, was designated in 1979 under what is called the internationally recognized "Man and the Biosphere program" of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), that sure is a mouthful. Biosphere Reserves are designed to promote and demonstrate a balanced relationship between people and nature."

www.wediscovercanadaandbeyond.ca/2010/11/red-rock-canyon-...

Thank you SO much, Janet, for driving your friend and me to and from Calgary and around the park some of the time, too. To say that I appreciated it is a huge understatement!! Our thanks, too, to Andrew for organizing this trip so brilliantly, as usual! A great time was had by all. And I am SO happy and relieved that you were finally able to find a bear (and her cub) - yes, we came across the same ones shortly after you saw them. Not sure if they were two of the three I had seen at more or less the same location the previous morning, 9 July 2016. If it was the same female, then her second cub must have been really well hidden in the tangle of bushes and trees. We didn't get a good view, though I did take a handful of photos, including when the cub looked towards us for a split second. I had never seen such a young cub before, so I was thrilled to bits. Can't forget to add my huge thanks for finding me a Lazuli Bunting yesterday, too, at some unearthly hour (well, 7:30 am). No idea how on earth you managed to spot such a small bird from so far away - just a tiny speck in the far, far distance. Also was delighted that you found two Nighthawks flying high overhead at the Nature Conservancy area. So, I guess you and I both returned to Calgary feeling really happy : )