Zoe stops to smell the roses

The cat approves of the wedding bouquet!  I'm not sure what it is with our cats and flowers.  Crazy kitties!

Zoe has great taste in Chairs

I tricked Zoe into giving me back my desk chair by feeding her.  She likes chairs - especially comfortable ones... and how can you not love this belly :D.

Plain of 6 Glaciers

After a year of almost no hiking it was amazing to finally go on a real mountain hike and get to see alpine wildflowers and be close enough to glaciers to hear the thunder of an avalanche.

A lovely specimum of columbine

Columbine is a pretty flower in any colour, but this peach and yellow variety is especially charming.

PAINTBRUSH EVERYWHERE

Today was one of those magical days where the weather was perfect and the view was amazing.  We hiked up to the Plain of 6 Glaciers Teahouse - surrounded by stunning flowers.  Lots of colombine, arnica, paintbrush, butterwort, violets, vetch and so much more.  The mountains are amazing, but Lake Louise Area is extra beautiful.  The only slightly irrating thing that happened all day is that people were constantlly trying to run us over - one guy litterally ran between S. and I and pushed him out of the way while he was carrying a baby... Grr... and then there was the guy who wanted the bathroom right now - even though we weren't in there very long - he kept pounding on the door as we raced to change the babies diaper...  which we told him we were doing.... 

Up the Stairs that Said "Climb Me"

Its funny how when you live in a place for a while you get into patterns and don't always know how much there is nearby to hike.  I've walked passed the stairs beside the power plant probably over 100 times and never decided to go up - that is until yesterday - just because the baby was happy in her carrier and the weather was perfect - cool, but sunny with not a cloud in the sky.

So up, up, up we went accross a field and then up a steep hill until we got to the Rundle Forebay, just a bit before the Nordic Center and then I walked all the way to Quarry Lake.  The best part was that there were tonnes of Indian Paintbrush and a few lovely western wood lilies.

Then we finished with a lovely hike down Canmore Creek, back to the Bow River.

So lots of new trails and a much better understanding of local geograhy.

Mountain Morning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was the view outside my window this morning.  The weird thing is that I'm not facing east - at least I don't think I am because it is generally in the direction of Banff.  Still.  Had to grab my camera and take a few shots.

Shortly after the pictures were taken - clouds rolled in and the mountains disappeared and then an intense thunderstorm rolled in and crazy hard rain fell.

Now it is misty and cool and drizzley.