Busy Weekend

I got up moderately early and went out for a day trip with my friend Jon.  With all the camping we've been doing this summer this was the first opportunity for a day trip in quite a while.  And, it was the first time that Jon and I had been out together since the spring trip to the Crooked Trees.  We left the city around 8:30AM and headed to the northeast.  We drove the backroads and came across a couple of interesting old farmyards.  We stopped in a couple of places to take photographs.  In one of them we spooked a big Mule Deer buck with a huge velvet covered rack.  He bolted out of an old barn and took off across the pasture.  Later we found ourselves up at the Desjarlais river crossing on the North Saskatchewan.  As we made our way back in the general direction of home we decided to stop and explore the town of Hairy Hill.  Although there are still a handful of permanent residents left here, pretty much all of the stores, businesses and schools have been shut down.  As we continued on our way home we came across a field of sunflowers.  I had always wanted to photograph one, and so had Jon, but neither of us had ever come across one in our travels.  Although we were running a little later than expected, we both called home to our families and let them know that we simply had to stop and take some photographs.  I'm anxious to see some of the large format black and white images that I shot here, but like usual, it will be some time before I get around to developing them.  I did capture a number of color digital snapshots as well.  We eventually arrived back in the city, later than expected, but satisfied with the images that we made.  

Later that evening, after seeing the girls very briefly, I headed back out to play hockey in Sherwood Park.  This was just shinny with friends, but an opportunity to get in a skate before the upcoming winter hockey season starting in early September.  I also wanted to find out how my knee and ankle would stand up as both are just recovering from sprains sustained in the summer playoffs back in July.  I am still sore, and my mobility is limited, but I can tell that I am on the mend.  Of course if I had actually iced the sprains when they happened, and not been riding horses and packing around heavy camera equipment all summer, the recovery might be a little further along...