Hawrelak to See the Geese

Hawrelak with Geese

I wanted to see the geese at Hawrelak before they bugger off south, so Tom and I started from my place, walking to the park via the Victoria road trail, over the LRT bridge and then through Emily Murphy Park.

The view from Victoria Park Road, on the way to Hawrelak

I am writing this on Thanksgiving Monday (October 14). It’s 2C and raining, but still no snow. Nice to think back a week ago when it was gorgeous and warm. I’ve been seeing and hearing the geese practising overhead. Hard to say when they will make the trip. Southern Alberta has already seen a lot of snow. We’re just lucky so far, I guess. In 2017, it snowed on November 1 and stayed. Last year, it was a day later, on November 2 (with snow episodes in September and October). Let’s hope we can make it longer this year. I have my snow tires on, but that doesn’t mean I’m daring winter to start. When I first began walking in 1994, I was still a winter person. Now, I am solidly on the summer side. I still think fresh snow and blue skies are incredibly beautiful, and I would not want a Christmas without snow, but it’s just getting harder and harder to deal with ice, and the endless days of cold.

North Saskatchewan River from the LRT bridge

To be honest, though, what I want are blue skies, regardless of the temperature. It’s amazing how down I can get on an overcast day. Not big puffy clouds, but that grey, unvaried and suffocating blandness that sucks all the colour and life out of the landscape, and apparently me.

Even if it’s not raining, I find it harder to motivate myself to go for a walk when it’s overcast. Sometimes it’s nice, out in the woods, with the subdued colours, but most of the time I just want blue. It’s some kind of miracle that we get this amazing colour above us, most days.

As I write and look out the window, the rain is getting suspiciously white, but whatever happens, it won’t stay. Not today, anyway. And by Wednesday, two days from now, it will be 15C and sunny.

I am thankful for all the days I have, and that my family and friends have, but yeah, a few more blue sky days would be much appreciated. And how about those geese!

11 am to 1 pm/17C

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