Little red cabin
Strawberries and cream fungus / Hydnellum peckii
Strawberries and Cream fungus / Hydnellum peckii
Autumn berries
Hiding between the rocks
Ice crystals on a mountain top
An endless feast for a Ladybug
Red beauty on a scree slope
Fall colour
A welcome splash of red
TV's "Heartland" series location
Red's the best in winter
A splash of colour on a snowy day
Snow turns something ordinary into beautiful
Mailbox or birdhouse?
Modern - but I like it
The peace of a prairie farm - my main photo today
The old-fashioned way
The Sickener / Russula emetica?
Strawberries and cream fungus / Hydnellum peckii
Bananaquit / Coereba flaveola, Tobago
Ixora, Blue Waters Inn, Tobago
Splash of colour
Torch Ginger / Etlingera eliator, Trinidad
Torch Ginger / Etlingera elatior, Asa Wright Natur…
Hot Lips / Psychotria poeppigiana, Asa Wright Natu…
They were gone, but now 'they' are back
Splash of colour, Trinidad
Powder Puff flower / Calliandra, Trinidad
Torch Ginger, Asa Wright Nature Centre, Trinidad
Aphelandra sinclairiana, Asa Wright Nature Centre,…
Splash of colour
A pot full of colour
Jackie's Hummingbird
An old red barn
Farm in the foothills
Beauty of an old barn, Alberta
Red Dodge, Pioneer Acres, Alberta
Grass in bloom
A fine old barn
Old red tractor at the Saskatoon Farm
Cockshutt tractor, Pioneer Acres
A fine old barn
Beauty in old age
Snow-capped berries
Weathered wood
Christmas Market
The new "Famous Five" at Granary Road
Down on the farm
New "barn", Granary Road
A country scene
Modern barn
House Sparrow at the Saskatoon Farm
Here comes the snow
Happy Christmas Eve!
Barn with the fallen cupola
Red barn in winter
On a Christmas Bird Count, -23C
A glimpse through the trees
Pachystachys coccinea?
Torch Ginger, Asa Wright, Trinidad
Red barn in winter
Torch Ginger, deep in the shadows
Old cabin on Gottlob Schmidt's (Schmitty's) land
Bright and cheery in its old age
And then there were only THREE!
Gaillardia on red
Balsam Poplar catkins
Balsam Poplar male catkins
Balsam Poplar male catkins
Little red barn with green roof
Tropical - cultivar of Tillandsia ionantha?
Farmyard scene on the prairie
The Famous Five from a distance
Just a splash of colour
Poppy art
A fine old barn
Barn-shaped mailbox
Male beauty
When the clouds roll in
Time for an old barn again
The best colour to see in winter
Home of the Snowshoe Hare
Pine Grosbeak / Pinicola enucleator
Modern charm
Painted Tongue / Salpiglosis
Fenced in
A new find on a bitterly cold day
Christmas remnants
Little red barn on the prairie
A splash of much-needed red
A fine old barn
So pretty against the snow
Pine Grosbeaks adding colour to our winter
Pine Grosbeak / Pinicola enucleator
Remnant of the old days
The rule of red
With a view of the mountains and the prairies
Old-aged matching colours
New roof and a fresh coat of paint
A clash of colour
A beautiful old Ford
Colour for a snowy morning
Christmas colours in July
White-winged Crossbill / Loxia leucoptera
A favourite old barn
White-winged Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill / Loxia leucoptera
Moving into fall
Cone paradise
Mountain Ash berries
CL Ranches, Alberta
Jamaican Poinsettia / Euphorbia punicea
All decked out
Coffee Bean tree / Coffea
Indian Clock Vine / Thunbergia mysorensis
One of these things is not like the others
A splash of red
One of my favourite barns
European Mountain Ash / Sorbus aucuparia
A change of subject
It's beginning to look a lot like autumn
Strawberry Blite / Chenopodium capitatum
Red Baneberry / Actaea rubra, red berries
See also...
Keywords
Authorizations, license
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195 visits
Rural decay
![Rural decay Rural decay](https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/80/52/42698052.f418202b.640.jpg?r2)
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Generosity comes in all shapes and sizes. Two days ago, on 30 July 2016, six of us from Calgary had the honour of meeting a 92-year-old gentleman who has lived most of his long life on a huge area (380 hectares, 939 acres) of beautiful land near Hanna, Alberta. Though Gottlob Schmidt (known as Schmitty) has now moved into town (Hanna), he is not far from his beloved land and still loves to spend a lot of time there. My friends and I understand why. This untouched land is not only beautiful to the eye, with its undulating hills with small, scattered pockets of Aspen woodland, but it also hides all sorts of natural treasures, including the wildlife that enjoys this native grassland. There are so few areas of native grassland left in Alberta, so each one is very precious. Schmitty told us that he has never seen his land looking so green! Perhaps not too surprising, as we have had so much rain recently, often accompanied by thunderstorms. In fact, the rain started on our return journey to Calgary and I was driving from our meeting place back to my house in torrential rain. I found a good scattering of small hailstones covering my lawn, too.
This is where the word 'generosity' comes in. Two years ago, Schmitty donated all his land to Alberta Parks, along with certain strict regulations (listed at a link below) on how the land was to be maintained. He was very warmly recognized for his extreme generosity. The Park is known as Antelope Hill Provincial Park and, when Schmitty is no longer able to visit and enjoy his old, family homestead, the Park will be opened to the public. For now, it remains his own, private property.
The highlight for us was meeting Schmitty himself. I can only hope that I might be lucky enough to be in half his shape if I ever reached that age! It was an absolute delight to spend a little time with this man with the big heart when we first arrived and again later in the day, when it was time for us to head back to Calgary. We also got to meet Schmitty's good neighbours, Donna and Ken.
www.albertaparks.ca/media/5788002/antelope-hill-pp-fact-s...
calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/you-can-thank-this-man-...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIVVBdkoUVY&feature=youtu.be
My friends (specialists in mosses, lichens and liverworts and other things) and I, were given permission to spend the day there, to list all our findings. Our time was spent climbing one main hill and walking part way around it, calling in at several of the small areas of woodland.
One of the highlights for me yesterday was seeing a patch of Amanita Muscaria (Fly Agaric) mushrooms. They were at various stages - for me, the earlier stage is the most exciting, when the mushroom has a round 'ball' cap, speckled with white flecks. It is quite rare that we come across one of these, and it is so exciting and such a treat when we do! They are so beautiful and amazing. Of course, it's just a "fungi nut" talking, ha. They are so attractive but also poisonous!
"A large conspicuous mushroom, Amanita muscaria is generally common and numerous where it grows, and is often found in groups with basidiocarps in all stages of development. Fly agaric fruiting bodies emerge from the soil looking like a white egg, covered in the white warty material of the universal veil... Amanita muscaria poisoning occurs in either young children or people ingesting it to have a hallucinogenic experience... A fatal dose has been calculated at an amount of 15 caps. Deaths from this fungus A. muscaria have been reported in historical journal articles and newspaper reports. However, with modern medical treatment a fatal outcome because of the poison of this mushroom would be extremely rare."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria
Various plants were good to see, too, including about four Prairie Crocuses that were still in bloom. I hadn't seen Skeletonweed for a long time, but there were quite a few small clusters of it. A new plant to me was a tall one with white flowers, that I still need to identify properly. The occasional gorgeous wild Rose made a bright splash of colour.
Of course, for me, any visit to a ranch would not be complete without wandering by any old barn/shed/cabin. I liked the texture of this decaying wall, revealing the layers beneath. Another find was the old, glass doorknob on one of the sheds - photo posted this morning.
After a few hours of exploration, the only things that we were so happy and relieved to leave behind were the mosquitoes! Never had I seen so many of them - the air was filled with these tiny, blood-sucking insects that followed us every step of the way!
Thanks so much, Heide, for driving Sandy and myself all the way out there - about a two and three-quarter hour drive. Much of the distance was on the same roads that I had driven last week with my daughter, but this was the first time I had ever been as far as Hanna and just beyond. Hanna now has a Tim Horton's, opened around three months ago : ) Thanks, Heide, too, for trying to find the old railway roundhouse - unfortunate that there was too much construction in the area, so one can't get to the roundhouse. And thank you so much, Peter, for arranging and organizing this wonderful trip! Most importantly of all, our thanks to Schmitty, who so kindly allowed us to share the special land that he has called home for so many decades. Our thanks for allowing us to spend the day there and, even more importantly, thank you for your great gift to all Albertans, with your incredibly generous donation of Antelope Hill Provincial Park.
This is where the word 'generosity' comes in. Two years ago, Schmitty donated all his land to Alberta Parks, along with certain strict regulations (listed at a link below) on how the land was to be maintained. He was very warmly recognized for his extreme generosity. The Park is known as Antelope Hill Provincial Park and, when Schmitty is no longer able to visit and enjoy his old, family homestead, the Park will be opened to the public. For now, it remains his own, private property.
The highlight for us was meeting Schmitty himself. I can only hope that I might be lucky enough to be in half his shape if I ever reached that age! It was an absolute delight to spend a little time with this man with the big heart when we first arrived and again later in the day, when it was time for us to head back to Calgary. We also got to meet Schmitty's good neighbours, Donna and Ken.
www.albertaparks.ca/media/5788002/antelope-hill-pp-fact-s...
calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/you-can-thank-this-man-...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIVVBdkoUVY&feature=youtu.be
My friends (specialists in mosses, lichens and liverworts and other things) and I, were given permission to spend the day there, to list all our findings. Our time was spent climbing one main hill and walking part way around it, calling in at several of the small areas of woodland.
One of the highlights for me yesterday was seeing a patch of Amanita Muscaria (Fly Agaric) mushrooms. They were at various stages - for me, the earlier stage is the most exciting, when the mushroom has a round 'ball' cap, speckled with white flecks. It is quite rare that we come across one of these, and it is so exciting and such a treat when we do! They are so beautiful and amazing. Of course, it's just a "fungi nut" talking, ha. They are so attractive but also poisonous!
"A large conspicuous mushroom, Amanita muscaria is generally common and numerous where it grows, and is often found in groups with basidiocarps in all stages of development. Fly agaric fruiting bodies emerge from the soil looking like a white egg, covered in the white warty material of the universal veil... Amanita muscaria poisoning occurs in either young children or people ingesting it to have a hallucinogenic experience... A fatal dose has been calculated at an amount of 15 caps. Deaths from this fungus A. muscaria have been reported in historical journal articles and newspaper reports. However, with modern medical treatment a fatal outcome because of the poison of this mushroom would be extremely rare."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria
Various plants were good to see, too, including about four Prairie Crocuses that were still in bloom. I hadn't seen Skeletonweed for a long time, but there were quite a few small clusters of it. A new plant to me was a tall one with white flowers, that I still need to identify properly. The occasional gorgeous wild Rose made a bright splash of colour.
Of course, for me, any visit to a ranch would not be complete without wandering by any old barn/shed/cabin. I liked the texture of this decaying wall, revealing the layers beneath. Another find was the old, glass doorknob on one of the sheds - photo posted this morning.
After a few hours of exploration, the only things that we were so happy and relieved to leave behind were the mosquitoes! Never had I seen so many of them - the air was filled with these tiny, blood-sucking insects that followed us every step of the way!
Thanks so much, Heide, for driving Sandy and myself all the way out there - about a two and three-quarter hour drive. Much of the distance was on the same roads that I had driven last week with my daughter, but this was the first time I had ever been as far as Hanna and just beyond. Hanna now has a Tim Horton's, opened around three months ago : ) Thanks, Heide, too, for trying to find the old railway roundhouse - unfortunate that there was too much construction in the area, so one can't get to the roundhouse. And thank you so much, Peter, for arranging and organizing this wonderful trip! Most importantly of all, our thanks to Schmitty, who so kindly allowed us to share the special land that he has called home for so many decades. Our thanks for allowing us to spend the day there and, even more importantly, thank you for your great gift to all Albertans, with your incredibly generous donation of Antelope Hill Provincial Park.
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