July Photo Blog Challenge: HAPPY!

Oh, what a lovely theme for a photo blog challenge:  HAPPY!

It was hard to whittle down my collection of photos to select five which represent that which makes me happy.  But whittle I did.  I must confess, in previous months, I had specifically gone out to take photos to post in the challenge with the theme in mind.  This month, I didn't do that.  I take photos profusely, all the time.  So it was a matter of going back through my photos to pick.... just.... five.

Here we go!

1.  Family Time

What makes me most happy is spending time with family.  This month, I got an invitation to join my son, daughter-in-law and two year old granddaughter as they christened a pair of paddle boards at Cascade Ponds.  You see, my son is manager and half-owner of Wilderness Equipment Rentals here in Canmore, an expansion of their Rent-A-Tent business.  They had been patiently waiting for the arrival of stand-up paddle boards and eBikes for their business.  These items were long overdue for delivery.  My son, Mark, actually drove all the way out to Vancouver to pick up the SUPs once they had arrived in Canada.   He asked me if I would like to join them in checking them out.  No hesitation there!  It was a chance to spend some quality time with them and in the great outdoors, being active.  Double win!  Then it became a triple win as this photo, which I posted to the Outdoor Canada Facebook page was rewarded with being photo of the day.  This was also special because I rarely post photos of my granddaughter on the internet.  But as this one was not a close-up, that was okay.  So here is my adorable Emily, who always, always brings me such incredible happiness with her presence, along with my son Mark:  

2.  Finally, After Many Attempts:  Photographing a Train at Morant's Curve

Many a time I have stopped at Morant's Curve to try and get one of those iconic photos of a CPR train, with the stunning backdrop of mountains and the Bow River.  I have never had any luck being there as a train passed by.  This particular day in July was also almost a bust.  We were cycling the Bow Valley Parkway, which was closed to car traffic and I told my husband I wanted to make a point of stopping at Morant's Curve for quite a while, until a train passed by.  After about 20 minutes, he lost patience and as he was hungry, he proceeded on to Lake Louise without me.  I waiting for about another 30 minutes with no luck.  I knew Colin would be beginning to wonder where I was and 3 pm would be pretty late for lunch!    On the way back, I begged him to stop again, for at least a little while.  He reluctantly agreed.  There was another individual there who advised us he was on his way to Banff when he saw a train heading towards the curve so he turned around and came back to the viewpoint.  Yah!  The moment was at hand.  But wait.  That train would be heading westbound. The classic shots are all of an eastbound train.  Then, the fellow who alerted us to the train's impeding arrival mentioned there was a locomotive at both ends of the train.  So I confess that a little deception was involved in this shot as it is actually the tail end of the train, moving westbound.  The locomotive in this shot is actually travelling backwards.  Shhh, don't tell anyone!  I think it is a pretty dramatic shot, with the smoky skies and sunbeams lending a unique quality to this photo.  You know why else this made me happy?  I also posted this to the Outdoor Canada Facebook page and this time, it was awarded the honour of "photo of the weekend."  This has certainly inspired me to work harder to develop my photography skills:

3.  Surgery Recovery, Well Under Way

On May 14th, my husband Colin had pretty extensive knee surgery.  He was on crutches for six weeks.  A friend loaned us a bike trainer.  Before long, Colin was using the bike trainer indoors as a crucial part of his rehab.  Mid-way into July, he was able to cycle outdoors again.  At least there would be one outdoor activity we could enjoy together this summer.  His successful rehab has made me very happy.  The fact that we could resume an outdoor activity together that we both love also made me happy:

4.  Cuteness Overload:  Flopsy Bunny

More than anything else, I love to photograph wildlife.  I have had the opportunity of taking loads of photos of deer, elk, moose, big horned sheep, goats, marmots, squirrels, chipmunks, ground squirrels, foxes, coyotes, bears, beavers and birds of many feathers.  What has eluded me to date are photos of cougars (never even seen one), lynx(ditto), bobcats (ditto), wolves (seen and heard but not photographed), wolverines, snowshoe hares and funny enough, bunny rabbits, even though feral rabbits abound in Canmore.  Happily, this past weekend, I got a shot of a rascally rabbit when we were camped in Rosebud, Alberta.  It was a very cute rabbit with a floppy ear.  The cuteness overload of this bunny made me laugh and made me hoppy.  I mean, happy!  

5. Farley!

Named in honour of Canadian author, Farley Mowat, Farley is the name we have given our T@B400 NuCamp travel trailer, new to us this summer.  We have now taken Farley on five short and easy camping trips to get acquainted with all the features of this unique tear-drop travel trailer and work out the bugs.  At this point, we are sure that Farley will provide us with years and years of happy adventures, especially as we move towards retirement and the possibility and probability of much longer trips.  Watch for Farley to play a starring role in next month's photo blogging challenge with the theme of ADVENTURE.