Mid Summer

August 1st marks the midpoint between Summer and Fall. In some cultures, it was celebrated at 'First Harvest'. If you ask my beans and zucchini, they'll tell you it's the 4th harvest. Despite the devastating drought, some things are growing and blooming and the bees don't mind at all.

Dandelion in my yard.

My son and I took a drive down Valley Road and the crops looked so dry. I stopped for some roadside pictures and it was unreal how filthy the flowers were from lack of rain as they sit by the dusty grid road. I did manage to photograph over the ditch and into a past-bloom flax field for this shot.

Happy in the dust without much of a drink.

It was so nice to cool off in the river. It was hot out and we jumped right in. The water was nice, and some folks were walking across. It's moving fast but it's shallow. It comes from the Rocky Mountains and runs all the way to the Atlantic via the Hudson Bay in Manitoba. We met some tourists from Berlin, and one asked how far he would go. I joked that it would at least carry him home. lol

Looking back at the river bank, this was an interesting vantage point.

Wolf Willow at the top, layers of earth exposed (mostly sand).

It's interesting how the land wears away in the shape of bricks that are stacked. How does that happen? 

As we walked along in the water, we could see holes where birds lived inside the cliff face.

Look here, this was a great find! This is a new plant I had not seen before, but then again, I haven't gone searching around the water before.

Arrowhead at the edge of the South Saskatchewan River

We didn't see any wild life, but back in the city, we have huge jack rabbits everywhere. Three massive pelicans were sailing in circles over my yard the other day, and our entire neighborhood has Peregrine Falcons training up their young. If you are in Saskatoon, yes, that's the noisy 'screaming' you're hearing all the time. Apparently these birds were once on a watch list for being at risk. Now they have found new life on city rooftops. They hunt pigeons, smaller birds and dragonflies, if you can fathom that one!

Fastest recorded species on the planet when they dive-bomb.

By the end of the day, there was a full moon. That moon was a Super Moon! And as night set in, the lightning began. The thunder rumbled for a long time and then finally, the sky let go and WOW did it ever RAIN.

I guess the flowers got a good rinse after all.

xo

Monika K.