Linda's Hiking Club

(Guest post from Linda)

This is my hike last week in Waterton. We had stopped at Paula's cabin in the townsite, and saw these brand-new fawns, just hours old. None of us had ever seen any so young. They could just barely stand up.

I LOVE hiking every Thursday...I am SO lucky. This is our eleventh year. Yesterday we went to Iceberg Lake down in Manyglacier, across the border. It's a 10 mile hike, and very scenic through forest and streams, cliffs and waterfalls, and we walked through snow for the last quarter mile or so. The lake is in a bowl of glaciers and really craggy mountains surrounding it.

Absolutely spectacular.

Out of the Blue.

About an hour ago, i noticed big black fumes of smoke coming off the back of the Rossdale power plant. Something other than wood was on fire, i would say. Seconds later, fire engines shrieking from every direction, took them about 10 minutes to put it out. The white smoke in the last pic is the steam coming off the spent flame.

My only indoor flowers.

Give an idiot a crappy camera and an internet connection, you may well get a self indulgent blog about practically nothing, like right here, the blog of sentiment, people-pleasing, familammadingdong, pictures and stuff. I have shamrocks in one of my plantpots, growing with about a 10 year old draceana, which i've cut back over the years from two growing tips to about 17, i think, depends on how the most recent cutback turns out, best to do these things just as summer swings into town. There's not much happening on the tops (apices) of the draceana, popular name as houseplant, 'dragon tree', so i can't sow much beauty up there. And, it's right in the window, so you wouldn't be able to see it with this crazyhead Alberta sun flyin' out of the sky.

Last Two.

I'll finish up my Father's day series of posts with the last two photos Linda sent me, as some of her favourites of Dad. So, where were these pictures taken, anyone? I don't recognize the background.

Post 80. Guess what?, it's FLOWERS.

A few days ago, i noticed while walking about the outdoors, how many Alberta wildrose's there are around here, growing in yards, streetsides, anywhere really, i should really take a walk in the random part of the river valley, these two stands of wildrose might have been planted, by the city, or the apartment mgmt. involved. Nonetheless, it is a beautiful flower, and characterizes the Alberta spirit aptly.
The first two are a stand across the street, some few steps from where i catch the bus each morning on my way to work. Then i walked a half block, from Bellamy Hill, to 103rd street, and ran into a lovely bloom of irises, and another bush of wildrose.

WELCOME, AUNT JOAN!!

HELLO EVERYBODY!! I hope you've been enjoying the father's day series of photos we've put up thus far. This post is a series of pictures on a different matter, that being, the mini Morrison family reunion that recently happened in Southern Alberta. AND, to welcome my Aunt Joan to the family BLOG..just found out through Mother that she reads and enjoys the blog. These are her pictures of the reunion.

This first picture, is my Aunt Jean Morrison, Uncle Jack Morrison, Stuart and Linda Fairbanks, my cousin, Arla (Nielsen) Wilding, and, Mother's forearm. Has to be in every pic, that one. (Just kidding).
Then we have, at the same table, my Uncle Bob Morrison, and my Aunt Chris (Morrison) Nielsen.
And, again at the same table, My Uncle Bob Morrison, and my Mother, Marion (Morrison) Naylor.
Next we have, of course, Stuart and Linda, whose table, and home, were main base for much of the visiting time of this mini reunion, and who i'm told were the most gracious and hospitable hosts.
Then, several pictures of the four Morrison siblings...you know who they are.

And last, Uncle Jack and Aunt Jean, i'm not sure where this is, but someone can fill us in, in the comment section.

We had been waiting on some pictures to share of this get-together, and so here they be, THANK YOU, Aunt Joan, for these. Looks like a good time was had by all, Mother certainly loved seeing you all again.

And oh, on the subject of reunions and get-togethers, i thought i'd include this picture here also, it is one of Linda's favourite pictures of our Dad, and whole fam damnly, from August 4th, 1997, at Mom and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary, held in the Mackenzie Park community hall, borrowed on our behalf by Sister Debbi, and, to my knowledge, this might be the only picture of all 9 of us in one spot. Picture taken by Uncle Bob.
My most distinct memory of this little party off the lake, is, after the 'mysterious' gift of a Carribean Cruise was revealed, was Mother bouncing around the room like a schoolgirl, grabbing everyone's hands, repeatedly, and saying, I'M GOING ON A CRUISE!!....over and over again. Apparently she was excited to be going on her first cruise. I wonder if she has any pictures from said cruise to share.(On the picture itself, i did a certain amount of tweaking, but there's only so much correction i can do in Windows Photo Gallery. This picture has been on BLOG before, or maybe an earlier incarnation of BLOG, but, being backlit by a large picture window, with lots of light coming in off the lake, the foreground is just too well lit for me to do much about the darkly lit third row, my 3 brothers. So don't listen to any stories someone might mention about which dastardly dark fiend(s) they might appear as.)

Dad at 15.

This is one of the photos Em sent me, as one of her faves. She tells me it's the first formal photograph of Dad, taken at age 15.

(just housekeeping)

I was just thinking about how interchanges occur in the comment section, if anyone reading would find it easier to have new comments emailed to them, incase they might have a new comment addressed to them, please feel free to subscribe to new comments, Camille or Kristy can tell you how, or, Kristy or I, can put you on the new comment list, where new comments are emailed to you, from the blog, when they occur. Just send one of us your email address.

A favoured pic from Linda.

Debbie's back yard...5 years ago...Rachel and Derek's wedding...me and Dad and Ady Olthuis

Whitefish or Ashley?

(titled by Granny)
Kristy, funny you should mention that about seadooing at the lake, this is one of Granny's favourite pics that she sent me to post, just hadn't put it up yet. I don't know if she has one of him running the seadoo.

I love these ones too.

These are some of the favoured pics of Dad, my dear sister sent, AND, i'm listening to the BEATLES, hey....hey jude just started...weird. See what you pepple's dun ta me? I love this family so much. I've been bragging about you all all my life. My friends have always loved to hear of my loving family.

Dad enjoying himself on Steve's boat

(title by UNOHOO).

Guess who?

I've asked our dear Mother to scan and send me some of her favorite pictures of Dad, which she so graciously has, and i'll be posting them for the next few days. I'm such a baaad blogger, one pic per post, i think there's a rule somewhere against that.
This one came with the title, in her words, "Guess Who?".
Not that it's really a challenge.
I have two things on this, why am i looking so intently at Lr, like, "HELLO, could ya get me out of this crappy cart i'm strapped into?", and now that we know Judith Anne is reading BLOG, HEY, JUDE, nice hair. Very....mmmm....something. Luvya.

Where's this beach?

I can't remember where this might have been taken. Anyone know?

Purple Hawaiian Shirts.

So here's where my crazy connection to my Dad's tastes in colourful shirts started, or at least, was encouraged. Crafty sewing Em made these two very purple tops, i wish either of them had survived the years since, but i'm certainly glad mine was short sleeved. Still can't enjoy long sleeved shirts, too damn hot.
But, AREN'T THEM SOME STYLIN' LOOKIN' SHIRTS? She's very good with the sewing machine, our dear old gal, now she does her crafting on the PC. Less likely to puncture a finger. Though i've heard of it happening.

I have such a goofball grin in this one, like, what's with all the teeth?, and my hair is too long, but i promised myself long ago, (yeah, like 2 months ago), all the slides i've converted thus far will go onto BLOG. Anyone else have a coolie pic of Dad/Grandpa to include in my running f-day series of memory photos? If so, please send to Kristy or myself, for posting. (That girl's a treasure, DCN. I hope you're appropriately proud.)
Thanks y'all. Luvya.

Kelowna, dirt road. Dad's Dad.

Isn't it funny how much Dad and Grandpa looked alike, in stance and such, and Dad loved watering the lawn too. I don't remember this trip, not sure if i was there...but there's Mom's second Beetle, the white one. And those two chairs in the window, i think one of them is still in the family...is it Mom that still has one?

My Dad, some Naylor's, some Donelly's, a Morrison or two, et al, and sunny weather. (And Debbi in a bikini!, woohoo!)

I can recognize most of the people here....but not all...Mother, could you give us a rundown on who all is in this picture? It's from your slides, so i assume you took it.

My Father, and my Sister's first Car, I think.

I'm just guessing, but this might be when Linda Rae loaned us her first car, a Mercury Capri, for some trip into the hills of B.C.. Might also have been called a "Kharmann Ghia", i don't know, maybe some word invention of Ford, at the time.

Magpie Tree

Speaking of the magpie tree, here it is, today. Grown in a good bit, i can only see one of the three nests, at the top, where the branches are bare. I wonder if that's from disease, or car exhaust.Since i had the window open, i thought i'd take a larger pic, of the river valley, show how much it's leafed up, and 'cause Linda Rae says she always appreciates Edmonton pics. So, we have the Muttart, which i hope to get to soon to photo the new improvements, the James Macdonald, with our old house aside, (other side, ya can't see it, but it's there), and the baseball diamond in Diamond Park. Wink, wink, Lr. OOW, i just noticed the little placard, close to bottom, full left of frame. Can't see the words, but the shape of them says 'Diamond Park'. Cool, first time i've noticed there's a sign up naming that park. (Sooo many people play with their dogs there, fetching and such, and the baseball games are never ending, here in the summertime. Summer begins in 8 days, btw. Yay.)