Running back to Saskatoon 2

The dragon fly is the last photo from at our lunch stop.



Please click this photo and look at the large size








July 21
After our lunch stop we continue on to Saskatoon. Saskatchewan is known as the land of living skies. I have uploaded quite a few prairie scenes, mostly of elevators or grain storage and trains today. This trip has been very good for prairie scene photos. I have had the camera set for wide angle format with the wide angle attachment on it. Some of the photos I have cropped even more towards the panoramic view and I have left them at a wider size than usual because the height is less than usual. The photo of the North Saskatchewan river indicates that at this point we are nearing our coffee stop shortly after the Borden bridge.

At home today: I managed to get the old black garden hose out to replace the damaged green one, and topped up the garden pond. We had a good rain yesterday and still have cooler temperatures today. It was just right out side for gardening. I clipped back the topiary and swept up all the leaves and clippings off the patio area. The virginia creeper got a bit of clipping back and still needs more. I took out the finished bloom stalks on the agave. The rose of sharon is in bloom. I might be able to fit in a butterfly bush where we took out the big thorny rose bush. I recently watched a video that said to cut the buddleia down nearly to the ground in the late winter/early spring.

The yellow plums are ready and so are the blackberries. I must get out and pick and freeze some of both of them!

Dragon Fly

I had my Canon S3 IS zoomed to the max for these shots as the Dragon Fly was across half the back yard and up a tree, so I was shooting from on the deck At one point I attached the teleconverter for an extra 1.5 reach. No longer sure which photos used that, but I imagine it to be the larger ones. There is a bit of noise but no intolerable. I think this is mostly due to using the digital zoom that says it is 48X when the optical is only 12X. There is no cropping on these, so the size of the dragon depends on how much is zoomed.

I started the rum pot today with a package of strawberries. I did not cut them this time, as they dissolve by the end of the time anyway. I used 1 1/2 cups of brandy and only 1/4 cup of sugar this time. I think too much sugar and it will ferment. It already tastes yummy. Strawberry brandy! Should have put some over our icecream and flambed it.

We visited Barbara and James to see the trailer that Pat is going to rent from them to take to Chilliwack next week for the Antique Car Club run. Then the following Monday Pat and Dan are going to LA with Dan's truck and trailer to bring back the new Torpedo Roadster. Oh boy, this is too exciting. I should have calmed down by the time they get it home. I hope Irene can come over with them. Hope they can get a dog sitter for Hagar.