Showing posts with label Alberta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alberta. Show all posts
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Bragg Creek Foothills - New Paintings -2013
I have just finished up a small series of 10x8 oil paintings which are of the aspen trees in the foothills around Bragg Creek, Alberta. Hope you enjoy them.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
ROSEBUD THEATRE'S "My Name is Asher Lev"
We went to spend the week-end at Rosebud, Alberta. The well known theatre company here is performing "My Name is Asher Lev" adapted from the book by Chaim Potok a famous Jewish American author and Rabbi.
The play follows Asher Lev a young Hasidic Jew who has an incredible passion for drawing and painting, but his conservative parents consider his creative gift to be a waste of time and foolish. They try to stop him from persuing his art, but his passion is so strong and he is forced to choose between his faith, his art, his parents, his passion, his calling and his God.
Giovanni Mocibob does an excellent job in acting the part of the young artist as he tells the story of his early life, the choices he makes, the rift it causes between himself and his parents, and his Orthodox Jewish community. This was an excellent performance.
Nathan Schmidt plays Ari Levi, the strict committed father. He also plays Jacob Kahn, Asher's artistic mentor. He easily accomplishes these changes of characters right before you on the stage and his acting is intense and real. Again an excellent part.
Heather Pattengale plays Rivka, Asher's mother. She also changes to act out the other female character roles in the play, too. I actually didn't believe that she played the mother role and was the same person that played the other female roles - so she did a great job with the changes. You could sense the pain that she was going thru as the mother. Excellent job.
"My name is Asher Lev" contains quite a bit of Yiddish. I found this to be interesting and also a chance to learn about a different culture and life. When I get home I feel I must find this book and read it.
To sit there and watch these people struggle with the choices that they have to make is heart-wrenching at times. But I also found this play to be inspiring, gripping and heart-felt.
Once again, it was delightful to see this level of talent at Rosebud and I was most grateful that we had decided to spend our evening seeing this play.
The play follows Asher Lev a young Hasidic Jew who has an incredible passion for drawing and painting, but his conservative parents consider his creative gift to be a waste of time and foolish. They try to stop him from persuing his art, but his passion is so strong and he is forced to choose between his faith, his art, his parents, his passion, his calling and his God.
Giovanni Mocibob does an excellent job in acting the part of the young artist as he tells the story of his early life, the choices he makes, the rift it causes between himself and his parents, and his Orthodox Jewish community. This was an excellent performance.
Nathan Schmidt plays Ari Levi, the strict committed father. He also plays Jacob Kahn, Asher's artistic mentor. He easily accomplishes these changes of characters right before you on the stage and his acting is intense and real. Again an excellent part.
Heather Pattengale plays Rivka, Asher's mother. She also changes to act out the other female character roles in the play, too. I actually didn't believe that she played the mother role and was the same person that played the other female roles - so she did a great job with the changes. You could sense the pain that she was going thru as the mother. Excellent job.
"My name is Asher Lev" contains quite a bit of Yiddish. I found this to be interesting and also a chance to learn about a different culture and life. When I get home I feel I must find this book and read it.
To sit there and watch these people struggle with the choices that they have to make is heart-wrenching at times. But I also found this play to be inspiring, gripping and heart-felt.
Once again, it was delightful to see this level of talent at Rosebud and I was most grateful that we had decided to spend our evening seeing this play.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Sandy Point Bridge, Alberta ...Spring 2012
Earlier in the spring, we took our fifth wheel trailer and made a loop in Alberta and Saskatchewan for a couple of weeks.
I love this spot on Highway #41 on the way to Empress, AB. The South Saskatchewan river valley with it's badland hills, river and turquoise bridge is very picturesque.
I decided to paint this scene for my neice to give away as a prize for their Barrel Racing Finals.
After painting this from my memory, I would like to spend more time and go back and paint it plein air style in acrylic
I love this spot on Highway #41 on the way to Empress, AB. The South Saskatchewan river valley with it's badland hills, river and turquoise bridge is very picturesque.
I decided to paint this scene for my neice to give away as a prize for their Barrel Racing Finals.
 |
| Sandy Point Bridge, South Saskatchewan River, Alberta Oil Painting 10x19
|
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Canmore
Today we went for a drive out to Canmore. This is one of my favorite day-trips as there is plenty of scenery along the way, a great path along the river to walk Jake on when we get there and then a few great art galleries to get inspiration from. Plus there are some great restaurants to have lunch at, too. What else can a person ask for?
 |
| Three Sisters, Canmore, AB |
Friday, October 21, 2011
Bragg Creek
These are some pictures I took down just down the hill from our house at the Elbow River. We are so grateful for the beautiful scenery we see every day living here.
 |
| First snow on the mountains - Bragg Creek,Alberta |
 |
| Fall Color on the Elbow River at Bragg Creek, Alberta |
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park
The Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park was officially opened August, 2011 as a day use park. It is located on Hwy#1A between Calgary and Cochrane. Watch for the Glenbow Road turnoff on the south side of the highway. Go south on it and it will take you down thru a coulee to the parking lot.
The view from the top of the hills will take your breath away. You will look out over the rolling native grasslands, the Bow River valley, the foothills and then the mountains in the distance. This is a great place for walking, biking and taking pictures. We enjoyed our afternoon here.
The park will serve as an important environmental educational site for many students in the years to come. As well there is a rich cultural history in this area as bison kill sites and tipi rings are evidence of native people on the land years ago.
Also, the Glenbow Quarry operated here before the First World War. Sandstone from this quarry adorns the Alberta Legislative Building, the Calgary Court House and many other buildings. There is the abandoned town site of Glenbow which housed the workers. It is said there were 150 residents at the height of the quarry's success.
The main trail running through the park is now part of the Trans Canada Trail System. Make sure to take a sun hat and plenty of water to drink as it gets very hot here this time of the year. Remember for every hill that you walk down, there is one to walk back up.
The park is still a working ranch where cattle are still grazing the grassland and birds and other wildlife enjoy their freedom here.
A big thanks to the Harvie family and the Province for preserving this land from the developers and from urban expansion! I am sure it will be enjoyed by many in the years to come.
The view from the top of the hills will take your breath away. You will look out over the rolling native grasslands, the Bow River valley, the foothills and then the mountains in the distance. This is a great place for walking, biking and taking pictures. We enjoyed our afternoon here.
 |
| Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park |
The park will serve as an important environmental educational site for many students in the years to come. As well there is a rich cultural history in this area as bison kill sites and tipi rings are evidence of native people on the land years ago.
Also, the Glenbow Quarry operated here before the First World War. Sandstone from this quarry adorns the Alberta Legislative Building, the Calgary Court House and many other buildings. There is the abandoned town site of Glenbow which housed the workers. It is said there were 150 residents at the height of the quarry's success.
 |
| Trails in the Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park |
The main trail running through the park is now part of the Trans Canada Trail System. Make sure to take a sun hat and plenty of water to drink as it gets very hot here this time of the year. Remember for every hill that you walk down, there is one to walk back up.
The park is still a working ranch where cattle are still grazing the grassland and birds and other wildlife enjoy their freedom here.
A big thanks to the Harvie family and the Province for preserving this land from the developers and from urban expansion! I am sure it will be enjoyed by many in the years to come.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Rosebud Dinner Theatre
Tues., August 9, 2011
We both enjoyed our drive out to Rosebud this morning. Rosebud is a hamlet located about an hour and a half north-east of Calgary. The rolling hills are green and lush because of all the rain we have had this year. We are staying in our 5th wheel trailer right in the Rosebud campground. The people in this small community are very friendly.
Rosebud School for the Arts is a 4 year theatre training program in which students specialize in performance or the technical side of theatre.
Wed., August 10, 2011
Today we are taking in the Dinner Theatre over at the Rosebud Opera House. There is a full house today with 200 people attending. We had a small waiting time before being ushered to our table, but there is lots to look at in the lobby. The buffet is delicious with lots of variety. We both enjoyed the seafood salad as it was different and very tasty.
After lunch we did a quick tour of the museum across the street and a few of the gift stores.
The acting in "Jake and the Kid" by W.O. Mitchell, which is the current production, is first class. We thoroughly enjoyed it as it is heart-warming with lots of laughs, a few sad moments and is a typical story of early prairie life. We were both glad that we had decided to spend our day watching this.
We both enjoyed our drive out to Rosebud this morning. Rosebud is a hamlet located about an hour and a half north-east of Calgary. The rolling hills are green and lush because of all the rain we have had this year. We are staying in our 5th wheel trailer right in the Rosebud campground. The people in this small community are very friendly.
Rosebud School for the Arts is a 4 year theatre training program in which students specialize in performance or the technical side of theatre.
Wed., August 10, 2011
Today we are taking in the Dinner Theatre over at the Rosebud Opera House. There is a full house today with 200 people attending. We had a small waiting time before being ushered to our table, but there is lots to look at in the lobby. The buffet is delicious with lots of variety. We both enjoyed the seafood salad as it was different and very tasty.
After lunch we did a quick tour of the museum across the street and a few of the gift stores.
The acting in "Jake and the Kid" by W.O. Mitchell, which is the current production, is first class. We thoroughly enjoyed it as it is heart-warming with lots of laughs, a few sad moments and is a typical story of early prairie life. We were both glad that we had decided to spend our day watching this.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Highwood Pass, Kananaskis Country, Alberta
Kananaskis is located west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the front range of the Rockies.
It takes about an hour from the south end of Calgary to get there. Our trip today took us five hours, including many stops and a picnic lunch.
We left our home in Bragg Creek and travelled to Turner Valley, Black Diamond and on to Longview. On the north side of Longview you head south-west on Highway 541 toward the foothills and then loop back to the north thru the Rockies on Highway 40.
The Highway 40 going thru the Highwood Pass is only open from about the end of June to December. Winters find the pass closed as it is goes thru a classic arctic tundra. The Highwood Pass is the highest navigable pass in Canada. Highway 40 climbs to an elevation of 7,200ft at the top. The summit is about at the tree line, and the alpine areas are accessible here with interpretive trails thru the Highwood Meadows.
We turned off on the Smith-Dorren Spray Trail to go to the Kananaskis Lakes to check out the campsites for future visits. The Lower Kananaskis Lake is a natural lake that was turned into a reservoir. It is in the Peter Loughheed Provincial Park, along with the Upper Kananaskis Lake.
These lakes are part of a series of natural and man made reservoirs in the Kananaskis and Bow Valleys used for hydro electric power, flood control and water reserves for the City of Calgary.
 |
| Upper Kananaskis Lake |
These lakes are also used for many recreational activities. Several campgrounds are found here. It seems that there are only a few sites that actually are close to or back onto the lakes edge. There are several paved bike trails connecting the campgrounds.
 |
| Upper Kananaskis Lake |
There is also a golf course nearby, along with fishing and hiking. In the winter there is skiing and cross country skiing.
If you are going to hike here remember this is Bear Country so travel in groups, make noise, and carry bear spray. Often trails where bears have been sighted will be closed or will have warnings posted.
Also, think twice about drinking from the icy cold clear mountain streams that can look so tempting. You can get giardiasis, parasites and bacteria by drinking this untreated water and the results are not good.
It is Monday today and the highway is not busy, so we see alot of wildlife along the way today. There were many mangy looking mountain sheep right on the road licking up salt and minerals from the asphalt.
Along with a long-legged young moose who was drinking from a small stream that was trickling down the ditch.
There were many white tail deer and even a smaller black bear that ran out of the bush and turned around to run right back in it. The ground squirrels were very active today, too. The wild flowers are in full bloom right now and the hillsides are covered in purples and the ditches have alot of red flowers in them.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Bragg Creek Pow-Wow
July 24, 2011
Represented were the Treaty 7 First Nations of Siksika, T'suu Tina, Nakoda (Stoney) and many others.
Represented were the Treaty 7 First Nations of Siksika, T'suu Tina, Nakoda (Stoney) and many others.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Blackfoot Crossing, Cluny, Alberta
July 1, 2011
Today we visited the Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park located in the Siksika Nation at Cluny, Alberta. It is 100km east of Calgary on Hwy 1 and then 7km south on Highway 842.
This area of the Bow River was traditionally a gathering place for the Siksika and Blackfoot people where they hunted for bison. The crossing is an important place in Canadian history as the Treaty 7 was signed here between the native nations of what is now southern Alberta and the Canadian government on behalf of the Crown in 1877.
Crowfoot, chief of the Siksika, is to have died and been buried here along with Poundmaker, a chief of the Cree who had been cermonially adopted by Crowfoot in order to create peace between the Blackfoot and the Cree.
In 1925, the federal government declared the traditional gathering site and the treaty signing site as one of the "National Historic Sites of Canada".
In 2007, a stunning new facility was built which is a historical site and a tourist attraction. It includes an interpretive centre, monuments, tipis and hiking trails.
The new centre is built along the top ridge of the Bow River valley yielding a great view of the whole valley. Being up on this naturally elevated look out point gives you an idea about what it would have been like years ago looking out over the whole valley and it has a spiritual feeling.
The building's unique design includes elements of the plains tipi and feathers. There are excellent exhibits and at certain times there are films and other cultural events such as ceremonial dancing. There is a gift shop that has several beautiful native art pieces and paintings.
You can also take a walk to an archiological dig where it is believed Mandan Indians established an encampment hundreds of years ago.
Today we visited the Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park located in the Siksika Nation at Cluny, Alberta. It is 100km east of Calgary on Hwy 1 and then 7km south on Highway 842.
This area of the Bow River was traditionally a gathering place for the Siksika and Blackfoot people where they hunted for bison. The crossing is an important place in Canadian history as the Treaty 7 was signed here between the native nations of what is now southern Alberta and the Canadian government on behalf of the Crown in 1877.
Crowfoot, chief of the Siksika, is to have died and been buried here along with Poundmaker, a chief of the Cree who had been cermonially adopted by Crowfoot in order to create peace between the Blackfoot and the Cree.
In 1925, the federal government declared the traditional gathering site and the treaty signing site as one of the "National Historic Sites of Canada".
In 2007, a stunning new facility was built which is a historical site and a tourist attraction. It includes an interpretive centre, monuments, tipis and hiking trails.
The new centre is built along the top ridge of the Bow River valley yielding a great view of the whole valley. Being up on this naturally elevated look out point gives you an idea about what it would have been like years ago looking out over the whole valley and it has a spiritual feeling.
The building's unique design includes elements of the plains tipi and feathers. There are excellent exhibits and at certain times there are films and other cultural events such as ceremonial dancing. There is a gift shop that has several beautiful native art pieces and paintings.
History and culture of the Blackfoot combined to make an interesting outing. During our visit today there was only a handful of other visitors to the site. I would highly recommend this museum to learn about the Blackfoot history, their traditions and culture, their clothing and even their language.
There are no photos allowed inside.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Elk by Priddis
Wishing I had my new 35mm digital camera with me when I came across this big herd of elk by Priddis, I still took pictures but the distance seemed a little far and I was not about to go walking any closer.
Elk Herd by Priddis
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)