Canon SX60

For now, I am going to add the description I posted under my photos from a previous visit to this amazing place. I will add a few changes to go with yesterday's visit. If/when I have the energy, I can always post a different version to describe yesterday's visit. Right now, I feel overwhelmed with all the information I have about the Akesi Farms and the most enjoyable time we spent there. Our temperature is 30C this afternoon, expected to rise to 32C. My home is like an oven (no air-conditioning) and I think I am going to have to go for a short drive later, just to sit in an air-conditioned car for a few hours. We were out in the heat all day yesterday and I feel totally worn out. www.fungiakuafo.com/ "On 3 July 2015, four of us were lucky enough to visit and botanize the farm belonging to Meghan Vesey and Kwesi Haizel. This 53 acre farm, Akesi Farms, is a 90 minute drive from downtown Calgary and is near the town of Sundre, NW of Calgary. It is permaculture based with future crops of eggs, mushrooms, fruits and nuts! Hard to believe that this beautiful place has only belonged to this young, hardworking, enthusiastic couple since November 2014. A tremendous amount of work, thought and planning has already gone into adding to what was already there, with a little help from family and friends. Meghan walked with us to show us the different parts of the acreage - forest and grassland. Everything seen was listed, including plants, birds, fungi, insects, animals and so on. This list will then be given to Meghan and Kwesi, along with any photos taken while we were there for the day. We are always happy to visit someone's land and compile a very detailed list of our findings for them. It's always a win/win situation - we enjoy what we are doing and love to explore a new location, and the owner ends up with a record of what was found on their property. There are several wooden buildings on their property, including this large, fine barn which I had been longing to see. As you can see from this photo, the weather was beautiful, though still much too hot for me. Having been out on several outdoor trips recently in very hot weather, as well as being home in a place that felt like an oven, I really was not feeling all that great yesterday and perhaps did a bit too much walking. I do have to also mention that we had the company of their three gorgeous dogs and one cat. As for the cat, she followed us when we were walking around one of the ponds near the house, obviously hunting for "something". At one point, she disappeared a short way up one of the trees, only to come flying out of it a few seconds later. Judging by her behaviour afterwards, I suspected she had been stung in the eye by one of the bees and, sure enough, that's what had happened, poor thing. We were treated royally when we sat down outside to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate a delicious lunch of different salads and goodies - and cold lemonade that was more than welcome! Thank you so much, Meghan, Kwesi and Meghan's mother, Maurita, for all the work you put into preparing this feast for us - most generous! We all wish you the very best with your endeavours. With such hard work and obvious enthusiasm, I'm sure you will do well. On the way back to Calgary, we stopped and walked down to the Elkton Bog. I had been there before, maybe a couple of times. We wanted to see how wet or dry the area was, at the same time seeing a few plants including carnivorous Sundew and Cotton Grass. I knew I would be so disappointed if I hadn't gone and the others had seen Sundew. This little toad was seen - I think it's a Western Toad. This walk on extremely uneven ground (and very wet in many places) finished me off for the day - I was utterly, totally, completely exhausted!!"

These are just a few of the chickens belonging to Meghan and Kwesi at the Akesi Farms, west of Bergen, Alberta. For now, I am going to add the description I posted under my photos from a previous visit to this amazing place. I will add a few changes to go with our latest visit. If/when I have the energy, I can always post a different version to describe this visit. Right now, I feel overwhelmed with all the information I have about the Akesi Farms and the most enjoyable time we spent there. www.fungiakuafo.com/ "On 3 July 2015, four of us were lucky enough to visit and botanize the farm belonging to Meghan Vesey and Kwesi Haizel. This 53 acre farm, Akesi Farms, is a 90 minute drive from downtown Calgary and is near the town of Sundre, NW of Calgary. It is permaculture based with future crops of eggs, mushrooms, fruits and nuts! Hard to believe that this beautiful place has only belonged to this young, hardworking, enthusiastic couple since November 2014. A tremendous amount of work, thought and planning has already gone into adding to what was already there, with a little help from family and friends. Meghan walked with us to show us the different parts of the acreage - forest and grassland. Everything seen was listed, including plants, birds, fungi, insects, animals and so on. This list will then be given to Meghan and Kwesi, along with any photos taken while we were there for the day. We are always happy to visit someone's land and compile a very detailed list of our findings for them. It's always a win/win situation - we enjoy what we are doing and love to explore a new location, and the owner ends up with a record of what was found on their property. There are several wooden buildings on their property, including this large, fine barn which I had been longing to see. As you can see from this photo, the weather was beautiful, though still much too hot for me. Having been out on several outdoor trips recently in very hot weather, as well as being home in a place that felt like an oven, I really was not feeling all that great yesterday and perhaps did a bit too much walking. I do have to also mention that we had the company of their three gorgeous dogs and one cat. As for the cat, she followed us when we were walking around one of the ponds near the house, obviously hunting for "something". At one point, she disappeared a short way up one of the trees, only to come flying out of it a few seconds later. Judging by her behaviour afterwards, I suspected she had been stung in the eye by one of the bees and, sure enough, that's what had happened, poor thing. We were treated royally when we sat down outside to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate a delicious lunch of different salads and goodies - and cold lemonade that was more than welcome! Thank you so much, Meghan, Kwesi and Meghan's mother, Maurita, for all the work you put into preparing this feast for us - most generous! We all wish you the very best with your endeavours. With such hard work and obvious enthusiasm, I'm sure you will do well. On the way back to Calgary, we stopped and walked down to the Elkton Bog. I had been there before, maybe a couple of times. We wanted to see how wet or dry the area was, at the same time seeing a few plants including carnivorous Sundew and Cotton Grass. I knew I would be so disappointed if I hadn't gone and the others had seen Sundew. This little toad was seen - I think it's a Western Toad. This walk on extremely uneven ground (and very wet in many places) finished me off for the day - I was utterly, totally, completely exhausted!!"

I love this barn and I was so happy to get another chance to see and photograph it. It has been three years since our previous visit. For now, I am going to add the description I posted under my photos from a previous visit to this amazing place. I will add a few changes to go with our latest visit. If/when I have the energy, I can always post a different version to describe this visit. Right now, I feel overwhelmed with all the information I have about the Akesi Farms and the most enjoyable time we spent there. www.fungiakuafo.com/ "On 3 July 2015, four of us were lucky enough to visit and botanize the farm belonging to Meghan Vesey and Kwesi Haizel. This 53 acre farm, Akesi Farms, is a 90 minute drive from downtown Calgary and is near the town of Sundre, NW of Calgary. It is permaculture based with future crops of eggs, mushrooms, fruits and nuts! Hard to believe that this beautiful place has only belonged to this young, hardworking, enthusiastic couple since November 2014. A tremendous amount of work, thought and planning has already gone into adding to what was already there, with a little help from family and friends. Meghan walked with us to show us the different parts of the acreage - forest and grassland. Everything seen was listed, including plants, birds, fungi, insects, animals and so on. This list will then be given to Meghan and Kwesi, along with any photos taken while we were there for the day. We are always happy to visit someone's land and compile a very detailed list of our findings for them. It's always a win/win situation - we enjoy what we are doing and love to explore a new location, and the owner ends up with a record of what was found on their property. There are several wooden buildings on their property, including this large, fine barn which I had been longing to see. As you can see from this photo, the weather was beautiful, though still much too hot for me. Having been out on several outdoor trips recently in very hot weather, as well as being home in a place that felt like an oven, I really was not feeling all that great yesterday and perhaps did a bit too much walking. I do have to also mention that we had the company of their three gorgeous dogs and one cat. As for the cat, she followed us when we were walking around one of the ponds near the house, obviously hunting for "something". At one point, she disappeared a short way up one of the trees, only to come flying out of it a few seconds later. Judging by her behaviour afterwards, I suspected she had been stung in the eye by one of the bees and, sure enough, that's what had happened, poor thing. We were treated royally when we sat down outside to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate a delicious lunch of different salads and goodies - and cold lemonade that was more than welcome! Thank you so much, Meghan, Kwesi and Meghan's mother, Maurita, for all the work you put into preparing this feast for us - most generous! We all wish you the very best with your endeavours. With such hard work and obvious enthusiasm, I'm sure you will do well. On the way back to Calgary, we stopped and walked down to the Elkton Bog. I had been there before, maybe a couple of times. We wanted to see how wet or dry the area was, at the same time seeing a few plants including carnivorous Sundew and Cotton Grass. I knew I would be so disappointed if I hadn't gone and the others had seen Sundew. This little toad was seen - I think it's a Western Toad. This walk on extremely uneven ground (and very wet in many places) finished me off for the day - I was utterly, totally, completely exhausted!!"

Calgary is under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch today, 1 August 2018. Risk of thunderstorms for tomorrow and the next day, too. We have had rain on a number of days recently, which has been good. Our temperature is supposed to get up to 29C this afternoon. For now, I am going to add the description I posted under my photos from a previous visit to this amazing place. I will add a few changes to go with our latest visit. If/when I have the energy, I can always post a different version to describe this visit. Right now, I feel overwhelmed with all the information I have about the Akesi Farms and the most enjoyable time we spent there. www.fungiakuafo.com/ "On 3 July 2015, four of us were lucky enough to visit and botanize the farm belonging to Meghan Vesey and Kwesi Haizel. This 53 acre farm, Akesi Farms, is a 90 minute drive from downtown Calgary and is near the town of Sundre, NW of Calgary. It is permaculture based with future crops of eggs, mushrooms, fruits and nuts! Hard to believe that this beautiful place has only belonged to this young, hardworking, enthusiastic couple since November 2014. A tremendous amount of work, thought and planning has already gone into adding to what was already there, with a little help from family and friends. Meghan walked with us to show us the different parts of the acreage - forest and grassland. Everything seen was listed, including plants, birds, fungi, insects, animals and so on. This list will then be given to Meghan and Kwesi, along with any photos taken while we were there for the day. We are always happy to visit someone's land and compile a very detailed list of our findings for them. It's always a win/win situation - we enjoy what we are doing and love to explore a new location, and the owner ends up with a record of what was found on their property. There are several wooden buildings on their property, including this large, fine barn which I had been longing to see. As you can see from this photo, the weather was beautiful, though still much too hot for me. Having been out on several outdoor trips recently in very hot weather, as well as being home in a place that felt like an oven, I really was not feeling all that great yesterday and perhaps did a bit too much walking. I do have to also mention that we had the company of their three gorgeous dogs and one cat. As for the cat, she followed us when we were walking around one of the ponds near the house, obviously hunting for "something". At one point, she disappeared a short way up one of the trees, only to come flying out of it a few seconds later. Judging by her behaviour afterwards, I suspected she had been stung in the eye by one of the bees and, sure enough, that's what had happened, poor thing. We were treated royally when we sat down outside to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate a delicious lunch of different salads and goodies - and cold lemonade that was more than welcome! Thank you so much, Meghan, Kwesi and Meghan's mother, Maurita, for all the work you put into preparing this feast for us - most generous! We all wish you the very best with your endeavours. With such hard work and obvious enthusiasm, I'm sure you will do well. On the way back to Calgary, we stopped and walked down to the Elkton Bog. I had been there before, maybe a couple of times. We wanted to see how wet or dry the area was, at the same time seeing a few plants including carnivorous Sundew and Cotton Grass. I knew I would be so disappointed if I hadn't gone and the others had seen Sundew. This little toad was seen - I think it's a Western Toad. This walk on extremely uneven ground (and very wet in many places) finished me off for the day - I was utterly, totally, completely exhausted!!"

The largest mushroom even has a mosquito on it : ) For now, I am going to add the description I posted under my photos from a previous visit to this amazing place. I will add a few changes to go with our latest visit. If/when I have the energy, I can always post a different version to describe this visit. Right now, I feel overwhelmed with all the information I have about the Akesi Farms and the most enjoyable time we spent there. www.fungiakuafo.com/ "On 3 July 2015, four of us were lucky enough to visit and botanize the farm belonging to Meghan Vesey and Kwesi Haizel. This 53 acre farm, Akesi Farms, is a 90 minute drive from downtown Calgary and is near the town of Sundre, NW of Calgary. It is permaculture based with future crops of eggs, mushrooms, fruits and nuts! Hard to believe that this beautiful place has only belonged to this young, hardworking, enthusiastic couple since November 2014. A tremendous amount of work, thought and planning has already gone into adding to what was already there, with a little help from family and friends. Meghan walked with us to show us the different parts of the acreage - forest and grassland. Everything seen was listed, including plants, birds, fungi, insects, animals and so on. This list will then be given to Meghan and Kwesi, along with any photos taken while we were there for the day. We are always happy to visit someone's land and compile a very detailed list of our findings for them. It's always a win/win situation - we enjoy what we are doing and love to explore a new location, and the owner ends up with a record of what was found on their property. There are several wooden buildings on their property, including this large, fine barn which I had been longing to see. As you can see from this photo, the weather was beautiful, though still much too hot for me. Having been out on several outdoor trips recently in very hot weather, as well as being home in a place that felt like an oven, I really was not feeling all that great yesterday and perhaps did a bit too much walking. I do have to also mention that we had the company of their three gorgeous dogs and one cat. As for the cat, she followed us when we were walking around one of the ponds near the house, obviously hunting for "something". At one point, she disappeared a short way up one of the trees, only to come flying out of it a few seconds later. Judging by her behaviour afterwards, I suspected she had been stung in the eye by one of the bees and, sure enough, that's what had happened, poor thing. We were treated royally when we sat down outside to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate a delicious lunch of different salads and goodies - and cold lemonade that was more than welcome! Thank you so much, Meghan, Kwesi and Meghan's mother, Maurita, for all the work you put into preparing this feast for us - most generous! We all wish you the very best with your endeavours. With such hard work and obvious enthusiasm, I'm sure you will do well. On the way back to Calgary, we stopped and walked down to the Elkton Bog. I had been there before, maybe a couple of times. We wanted to see how wet or dry the area was, at the same time seeing a few plants including carnivorous Sundew and Cotton Grass. I knew I would be so disappointed if I hadn't gone and the others had seen Sundew. This little toad was seen - I think it's a Western Toad. This walk on extremely uneven ground (and very wet in many places) finished me off for the day - I was utterly, totally, completely exhausted!!"

For now, I am going to add the description I posted under my photos from a previous visit to this amazing place. I will add a few changes to go with our latest visit. If/when I have the energy, I can always post a different version to describe this visit. Right now, I feel overwhelmed with all the information I have about the Akesi Farms and the most enjoyable time we spent there. www.fungiakuafo.com/ "On 3 July 2015, four of us were lucky enough to visit and botanize the farm belonging to Meghan Vesey and Kwesi Haizel. This 53 acre farm, Akesi Farms, is a 90 minute drive from downtown Calgary and is near the town of Sundre, NW of Calgary. It is permaculture based with future crops of eggs, mushrooms, fruits and nuts! Hard to believe that this beautiful place has only belonged to this young, hardworking, enthusiastic couple since November 2014. A tremendous amount of work, thought and planning has already gone into adding to what was already there, with a little help from family and friends. Meghan walked with us to show us the different parts of the acreage - forest and grassland. Everything seen was listed, including plants, birds, fungi, insects, animals and so on. This list will then be given to Meghan and Kwesi, along with any photos taken while we were there for the day. We are always happy to visit someone's land and compile a very detailed list of our findings for them. It's always a win/win situation - we enjoy what we are doing and love to explore a new location, and the owner ends up with a record of what was found on their property. There are several wooden buildings on their property, including this large, fine barn which I had been longing to see. As you can see from this photo, the weather was beautiful, though still much too hot for me. Having been out on several outdoor trips recently in very hot weather, as well as being home in a place that felt like an oven, I really was not feeling all that great yesterday and perhaps did a bit too much walking. I do have to also mention that we had the company of their three gorgeous dogs and one cat. As for the cat, she followed us when we were walking around one of the ponds near the house, obviously hunting for "something". At one point, she disappeared a short way up one of the trees, only to come flying out of it a few seconds later. Judging by her behaviour afterwards, I suspected she had been stung in the eye by one of the bees and, sure enough, that's what had happened, poor thing. We were treated royally when we sat down outside to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate a delicious lunch of different salads and goodies - and cold lemonade that was more than welcome! Thank you so much, Meghan, Kwesi and Meghan's mother, Maurita, for all the work you put into preparing this feast for us - most generous! We all wish you the very best with your endeavours. With such hard work and obvious enthusiasm, I'm sure you will do well. On the way back to Calgary, we stopped and walked down to the Elkton Bog. I had been there before, maybe a couple of times. We wanted to see how wet or dry the area was, at the same time seeing a few plants including carnivorous Sundew and Cotton Grass. I knew I would be so disappointed if I hadn't gone and the others had seen Sundew. This little toad was seen - I think it's a Western Toad. This walk on extremely uneven ground (and very wet in many places) finished me off for the day - I was utterly, totally, completely exhausted!!"

This is a long weekend here, thanks to a Civic Holiday on Monday. "In 2018 Civic Holiday is on Monday, August 6. The Civic Holiday is celebrated on the first Monday of August and it's a public holiday in some provinces and territories. The civic holiday is not a statutory holiday although it's a day off for many employees across the country." www.statutoryholidays.com/civic-holiday.php Last night, I happened to check the weather forecast for our city and was shocked to see a very hot week coming up, with 34C for next Friday! This morning, that has gone down to 33C, which is still far too hot without air-conditioning. Today is a dreary day, but the temperature is only 16C this afternoon, which is great. So thankful for some cool air coming in through my window. Yesterday morning, 3 August 2018, I left home around 7:45 am and drove SW of the city to Rod Handfield's acreage. For a number of years, this has been one of my favourite places to explore, as Rod's forest tends to be full of all sorts of beautiful treasures. It is one of the two best places that I know for mushrooms, though I am sure there are many others that I have never visited and don't even know about. Our last fungi foray at Rod's was one year ago, on 6 August 2017. That was such a dismal year for fungi everywhere - we saw maybe three very small mushrooms that I didn't even bother to photograph, plus a little cluster of Oyster mushrooms. Yesterday was much better, as we have had a number of rainy days recently. Certain species were missing, including one of my favourite kinds - Fly agaric / Amanita muscaria. Two years ago, on 6 August 2016, we found a wonderful display of these mushrooms deep within the forest. There was one small group of Magpie Inky Cap / Coprinus picaceus. So delicate and gorgeous. The previous photo shows one of the participants holding up one of two beauties that were trodden on by our main Naturalist. I was taking photos of them when suddenly a boot appeared and came to within an inch of them. I told him not to move, but after stopping for a second, he then accidentally trod right on top of these and crushed them, to our 'horror'. I asked someone if she could hold one of them for me, so that I could take a shot or two, seeing as the stem had been broken in two. While I was taking photos during the morning, I suddenly noticed that the image seen in my FZ200's viewfinder was smaller than it should be and also that I could no longer take 48x zoom, just 24x. I had no idea why this was happening, until I got home and downloaded my photos to my computer. Somehow, no idea how, I must have caught the "burst" button, setting my camera to take multiple shots at a time - and when I say multiple, I mean MULTIPLE! I couldn't tell that the camera was taking more than one shot. I found that the default setting in my camera for burst was 60 images. So, every time I thought I was taking one photo, my camera was taking 60 basically identical shots. Sigh! Normally, I never use burst mode. Worst of all, the resolution of each shot is ridiculously tiny, so they are useless for anything other than displaying on a computer screen. The photo above is only 1920 x 1440 (1.38 MB after processing). Many thanks, Karel, for leading this foray and for identifying some of the mushrooms that were seen. Others would need tests such as spore prints, etc. in order to be identified. Our thanks to Rod, for once again inviting us to explore his amazing forest. He and his wife are such hospitable people, and we really appreciate their generosity in sharing their beautiful land that is so rich in diversity.

This is a long weekend here, thanks to a Civic Holiday on Monday. "In 2018 Civic Holiday is on Monday, August 6. The Civic Holiday is celebrated on the first Monday of August and it's a public holiday in some provinces and territories. The civic holiday is not a statutory holiday although it's a day off for many employees across the country." www.statutoryholidays.com/civic-holiday.php This morning, I checked the weather forecast for our city and I see that we have a very hot week ahead of us, with temps in the 30C's (up to 33C) for Tuesday to Friday inclusive! Much too hot without air-conditioning. This morning, it is only 15C so far. So thankful for some cool air coming in through my window. Two mornings ago, on 3 August 2018, I left home around 7:45 am and drove SW of the city to Rod Handfield's acreage. For a number of years, this has been one of my favourite places to explore, as Rod's forest tends to be full of all sorts of beautiful treasures. It is one of the two best places that I know for mushrooms, though I am sure there are many others that I have never visited and don't even know about. Our last fungi foray at Rod's was one year ago, on 6 August 2017. That was such a dismal year for fungi everywhere - we saw maybe three very small mushrooms that I didn't even bother to photograph, plus a little cluster of Oyster mushrooms. Our latest visit was much better, as we have had a number of rainy days recently. Certain species were missing, though, including one of my favourite kinds - Fly agaric / Amanita muscaria. Two years ago, on 6 August 2016, we found a wonderful display of these mushrooms deep within the forest. There was one small group of Magpie Inky Cap / Coprinus picaceus. So delicate and gorgeous. A photo I posted yesterday shows one of the participants holding up one of two beauties that were trodden on by our main Naturalist. I was taking photos of them when suddenly a boot appeared and came to within an inch of them. I told him not to move, but after stopping for a second, he then accidentally trod right on top of these and crushed them, to our 'horror'. I asked someone if she could hold one of them for me, so that I could take a shot or two, seeing as the stem had been broken in two. This morning, I am posting a photo of the two fungi just before they were stepped on. While I was taking photos during the morning, I suddenly noticed that the image seen in my FZ200's viewfinder was smaller than it should be and also that I could no longer take 48x zoom, just 24x. I had no idea why this was happening, until I got home and downloaded my photos to my computer. Somehow, no idea how, I must have caught the "burst" button, setting my camera to take multiple shots at a time - and when I say multiple, I mean MULTIPLE! I couldn't tell that the camera was taking more than one shot. I found that the default setting in my camera for burst was 60 images. So, every time I thought I was taking one photo, my camera was taking 60 basically identical shots. Sigh! Normally, I never use burst mode. Worst of all, the resolution of each shot is ridiculously tiny, so they are useless for anything other than displaying on a computer screen. The photo above is regular size, taken before I somehow caught a wrong button, but the next photo is only 1920 x 1440 (1.57 MB after processing). Many thanks, Karel, for leading this foray and for identifying some of the mushrooms that were seen. Others would need tests such as spore prints, etc. in order to be identified. Our thanks to Rod, for once again inviting us to explore his amazing forest. He and his wife are such hospitable people, and we really appreciate their generosity in sharing their beautiful land that is so rich in diversity.

After the mishap with my photos three days ago, on 3 August 2018, I decided to spend a bit of time yesterday afternoon at a park SW of the city. Two days earlier, while I was taking photos at Rod Handfield's, I suddenly noticed that the image seen in my FZ200's viewfinder was smaller than it should be and also that I could no longer take 48x zoom, just 24x. I had no idea why this was happening, until I got home and downloaded my photos to my computer. Somehow, no idea how, I must have caught the "burst" button, setting my camera to take multiple shots at a time - and when I say multiple, I mean MULTIPLE! I couldn't tell that the camera was taking more than one shot. I found that the default setting in my camera for burst was 60 images. So, every time I thought I was taking one photo, my camera was taking 60 basically identical shots. Sigh! Normally, I never use burst mode. Worst of all, the resolution of each shot is ridiculously tiny, so they are useless for almost anything other than displaying on a computer screen. This is a long weekend here, thanks to a Civic Holiday today (Monday). I was pretty sure that there would be plenty of people at this park, so I felt somewhat more confident about going a bit further into the forest. Also, there was a cycle race (?) going on, along the road that runs alongside the park. and there were a few more people in the area - just in case I came across a bear or a cougar! "In 2018 Civic Holiday is on Monday, August 6. The Civic Holiday is celebrated on the first Monday of August and it's a public holiday in some provinces and territories. The civic holiday is not a statutory holiday although it's a day off for many employees across the country." www.statutoryholidays.com/civic-holiday.php On the way home from the park, I stopped to see if any Mountain Bluebirds were still around. This male of one pair looked so dishevelled - I don't remember it being windy. So much work goes into feeding a young family.