2nd post about SkirtsAfire design competition

Wish I could say making a plastic tablecloth skirt is an easy-breezy chore, but, I cannot. Its a good thing I didn't procrastinate on this project as there have been a few minor set-backs. First was breaking threads and screwy tension on the sewing machine. I figured the top tension was askew so I went online to investigate how to remove the top cover. Frustration set after a few hours searching. Thank goodness Super-hubbies excellent google skills got it figured out. The cover was removed to reveal an astounding amount of dust and fibre lint staring me down. After a bit of dusting and finagling with tweezers removing thread from deep moving parts I was impressed that I was able to put everything back together; good thing attention was paid to how hubby removed it.

 My initial idea was to use tinsel held together at one end figuring I could just stitch across the top attaching it to the plastic. Well, not to be as the plastic is too fragile, too thin, too old, tears easy. Yes, tears easy, oh my the words emitting from the depth of the studio was… well lets just say its a good thing hubby has a sense of humour and finds my outburst funny. So time for a rethink. I dig through more old recycle stuff destined for the Reuse store and find the mangle of tinsel you see above.

 Since the tinsel cannot be sewn to the plastic I decide to loop it through the strainer parts instead, whoohoo, looks like it going to work. So after three hours looping and tying progress is made.

As the skirt needs a display stand during the SkirtsAfire Festival an old dress form purchased for an art project years ago needed bulked up as its a good six inches smaller than the breadth and depth of my body shape. I cut up an old quilted coat and hand stitched it to the form filling in the waist area, then wrapped and stitched an old blanket to fill out the rest of the form topped off by a t-shirt to hold it all intact. Oh shiiii..t the legs on the stand wobble and tip the form over. Once again Super-hubby to the rescue to tighten bolts. The skirt is placed on the form and ahghhhh... the tinsel has shook loose due its slipperiness and is falling to the floor. NOooooo!

Rethink time!

Tea time.

My Achy Breaky Heart cassette is cut and tied in with silver, red and gold tinsel for varied texture. 

The fix is thick pink cotton thread from a rummage sale. 

The re-thread job after two days of work as it is a finicky slippery process.

As one may now realize I've only given a glimpse of materials, the reason for this tease is that the completed skirt will be shown in a fashion show on february 23, so please be patient as the completed skirt will be after that date.

Haiku # Three

I'm quite enjoying pairing freeform Haiku with photography. 

I wish you joy and blessing.

Haiku in the Mountains

After spending 4 nights at Waterton Lakes At Crandell Mountain campsite I have been inspired and refreshed by nature. Stirrings long and deep have surfaced as free-form Haiku. Now I've never considered myself a poet till the nest project of working with natural materials begged for poetic titles. Titles, some of which needed as much contemplation as the works themselves.

So in combination with photos taken I present to you a few poems.

Enjoy, and please do share if you wish.

Playing catch-up, Dinosaur Provincial Park

My intent of posting photos from camping areas this summer has already gotten a bit behind as I realized I have yet to post photos from Dinosaur Park and Emerson Bridge where we camped June long weekend.

Dinosaur Provincial Park.

From atop the Prairies looking down into the carved out canyon of the Red Deer River system.

Many dinosaur fossils have been uncovered in this area, but old bones don't call out to me, what does though are the fascinating carved structures and the bright, almost glowing orange lichen encrusted rocks and the subtle variations of sandstone.

 Lark Sparrow

 As having a passion for sculpture, viewing the sculptures of Creation is breathtaking.

 One of the many small blossoms of spring in the desert, though we were too early for cactus blooms.

 Variation in coloration to delight the senses.

 Swallowtail Butterfly

 Meadowlark hilltop performance.

 Typical scrub brush for the dry desert area.

Stand-alone formations. There is a neat pyramid rock in the badlands but we were getting hungry for supper and headed back to our camp at Emerson Bridge so didn't get the chance to go visit it. There is a campground at Dinosaur Provincial Park down by the river but I don't do well in the heat and it was getting quite warm already when we visited the park in June. The campground looked pretty full when we were there so I was happy to be camped elsewhere in the shade of the big cottonwoods as I enjoy solitude and quiet.

Final Irricana post of birds and critters

Our final morning in Irricana produced a drizzly morning mist fog as in a surreal dreamscape, it was beautiful soft and grey, though slightly chilly and the birds were fluffed against the cool breeze that kept them grounded.

 The clay-colored sparrow sang no matter what the weather was doing, sporty bird he is.

 The chipping sparrow priceless expression makes me think he may be grumpy about the rain.

Wet Warbler in a soft rosy hued drizzle.

 During spring a lot of chase happens on ponds across the county as males defending their females chase off interlopers or chase their females.

 Shorebirds flight, take notice as there is a Phalarope amongst the smaller birds.

 On the drive home we take backroads and came across a large pond and as we had seen only one other vehicle on the highway we stopped for our lunch by the pond. It looks like Muskrat had the same idea.

We ate while listening to a froggie choir, nothing like dinner and a musical.

 American Robin, I love how the beak of the Robin turns a brilliant yellow for a short time in spring.

 Bees at the pussy-willows. Though there were plenty of bees at this clump of bushes I've seen very few in the City this year so far.

I leave off with another frog, isn't it beautiful.

May we all walk softly upon this earth and care for her in a gentle and kind way. All the beings, mammal, bird or bug are our relatives in the big circle of life. We are all community and must go back to relating as community for if one is endangered, we all are endangered.

More birds from Irricana area and fox

 Willet?

 This bird had no concern for me. As I stood still it ventured closer though it did assess me at one point and must have deemed me as of no threat. Being about twenty feet away when I decided to return to the truck I slowly backed up till I was at the pavement before turning. When I looked back I was happy to note the bird was still feeding.

 Marbled Godwit flight. I spotted this bird lift off from the marsh in the distance and luckily it flew closer heading to the field. I quite like the soft blur of the landscape behind the Godwit.

 Ibis sunset.

 White-faced Ibis foraging in flooded roadside ditches. An excitable moment to say the least as I've only seen these colorful birds from a far distance at Frank Lake a few years ago.

 Amazing iridescence these birds possess. I'm now wondering how best to represent them in paint. May have to consider doing a large 3x4 foot canvas. Oh ya, another winter project coming up, but for now its camping and birding, time to gather reference and enjoy being in the field watching and soaking in the essence.

 Have no idea what this bird is, but it flew above the campers every night chattering and making a fuss. I must have taken about fifty photos but as it flew so fast and being dusk this was the best shot the camera could capture. 300 prime lens and extremely heavily cropped as this bird was quite a ways up.

 Red-winged Blackbird female? 

I have never seen one with such bold markings before, hence the questioning.

 Another special surprise, a Swift fox hunting in the pasture, behind to the left a duck pair can be seen.

 We watched him or her catch and eat a few rodents before trotting off with one in its mouth. I figure it must have a den in the area.

Say's  Phoebe

Even though I have many bird books its sometimes its hard to figure out who's who. I am thinking  Kingbird though the underside looked quite cinnamon rather than yellow.

 Savanna Sparrow. Such a lovely wee bird.

 Hawk. 

 Another who am I; this one was very difficult to spot, I saw the garbage and peered through my lens to see what it was and behold, saw the bird. Solitary Sandpiper identified by John, thank you.

  Chipping Sparrow in the rain.

 Clay-colored Sparrow all puffed against wind that blew cold on this drizzly monday morning.

Want to see more? 

photos as promised

Though I'm still busy working on the painting submission as well as a proposal I could do no more today due extreme tiredness. A darn squawky pain in the ear male house sparrow woke me at 5:30 am. Now as it takes hours to drift into sleep at night an early awakening I could do without. Seems we have three species vying for the same dead stump, a single wren whom is attempting to sing in a mate is provoking two nuthatches whom have cleared out a hole with a front and back entrance by going in and out of their construction site, and a damn introduced foreigner; the house sparrow. I admit we spend a lot of time chasing the house sparrow away as I refuse to give ground to the aggressive beasts. As for the nuthatches and wren, well they will have to decide who gets the nest site. Last year the nuthatches nested first then the wren, but this year the wren has showed up earlier.
But this post is really about birding in Irricana AB, so on we go.

Flycatcher?

Willet?

I would think this is a yellowlegs but the strongly defined eye ring has me confused.

Yellow-headed Blackbird, male.

Yellow-headed Blackbird, female.

Yellow-headed Blackbird landed on a fence post right beside the truck gifting me a wonderful close-up pose.

Then a Meadowlark flew in, and seemingly took no notice of my big lens peering out the truck window.

Male and female Brewer's Blackbird.

American Avocet, this wee blue legged bird is smaller than I initially realized. Another than I was able to capture without leaving the truck-blind. She was foraging in the ditch right beside the road and took no mind to us at all. This photo is not cropped, she just fits in the viewfinder. You may wonder how I assume female as both gender look the same? Well, the female has more pronounced recurved bill, a bent beak.

I spotted this wee leggy one and called out for Gerald to pull over. As the pond was right beside a rail track he stopped up the road while I walked back, and being so focused on this fella that I missed seeing one in between us it till it flew, hence this one left with it. Note to self; do better scan of an area before proceeding. I do try to leave quite a bit of space between myself and the birds with concern not to add extra migratory stress, but I blew this time.
If anyone knows which shorebird this is please do tell, as I am not up on the shorebirds yet. It seems as though the bill is yellow with a black tip.

A vulture scouring the treetops. 

A vesper sparrow. These birds are so tiny I have to use manual rather than spot focus to capture them.

Sparrow

  Wings level, check.

 landing gear out, check.

And we have lift off.

I love the that in one day I was able to capture a Mallard male landing on a pond in front of me as well as later in the day capture a Mallard lift off from a pond. The lift off was a treat, its as though he jumped into the air and was air born, absolutely amazing.

A sure sign of spring, the warblers are back.

Yellow-rumped Warbler, Myrtle, male. Don't you just love his lone ranger mask.

Yellow-rumped Warbler, female showing her yellow topknot. Notice her coloring is softer compared to the male.

Snipe.

Two snipe flew over my head landing in the marsh, and I could not see them till I looked through my 300m prime lens. I would love to have a binocular but man-o-live a good one is way out of my price range, so I will continue using my camera as a spotting scope.

And again, Snipe.

More to come, so stay tuned.