Radically Retired

Category: Landscape

  • Late Greens

    Late Greens

    My Sept 09 post featured a bridge photo framed by foreground shrubs in their autumn colours.

    The scene in that photo is the exception this year, and you’ll notice that beyond the bridge, the trees are still quite green.

    I caught today’s feature photo about 20 minutes before the one of the bridge.

    Today’s photo demonstrates how the late August and early September rains in this area, along with mild temperatures, have largely delayed the turning of the leaves.

    Usually, by this time of year, autumn is in its full show regalia of yellows, golds, reds, and oranges.

    I love the green because it gives the feeling of extended summer and possibly delayed frost.

    An unfortunate thing about the extended summer appearance is that our farmers are struggling to get the crops in and the fields that were swathed but not yet combined are losing quality by the day.

    What looked to be an upcoming bumper crop (our way of saying a huge and high grade yield), in many cases will be lucky if it meets feed grade.

    Agriculture is one of the main drivers of our economy, so if our farmers suffer, so do we all.

    We also have many friends and family members who farm. It’s their livelihood, so we truly feel for them in a year such as this.

  • Sometimes Nasty

    Sometimes Nasty

    Blue green is one of my favourite colours except when it applies to the type of algae on the river that meanders lazily through our prairie city.

    I still enjoy my early morning power walks on the trails and paths alongside the Souris River.

    I’m just not enjoying the views as much now that the annual algae bloom has set in.

    The Souris (turns into the Mouse River in North Dakota) is very shallow here. As a result, a rainy summer (which washes nutrients from nearby fields into the river) followed by heat in excess of 30°C (86°F) for an extended period, and an unusual zero wind for weeks on end, makes for perfect conditions for an extreme algae bloom.

    And blooming it is! This year, in places, the algae mat is so thick it looks like a wrinkled carpet.

    The next photo shows opposite sides of one of the bridges I walk across on my trails.

    It must get trapped under the bridge for a bit before it moves on

    Blue green algae is toxic to pets and livestock and the usual big flocks of ducks and geese have chosen elsewhere to have their last summer swims before making their way to warmer climes for the winter months.

    Thankfully, our drinking water supply isn’t sourced from the mighty and currently nasty Souris.

  • Friday Freestyling … Reflection Perfection

    Friday Freestyling … Reflection Perfection

    On recent morning walks, there has been virtually zero wind. This is a rarity in these parts.

    Besides adding to the comfort and the peacefulness of my morning power walks, the reflections on the river have been outstanding.

  • Friday Freestyling “Muse-ical”

    Friday Freestyling “Muse-ical”

    Do you use photos to guide your posts?

    Sometimes, a blogger will write that they’ve run out of ideas for a post, or that their writing well has run dry.

    Something that always works for me is to review my thousands of photos.

    There’s almost always an idea amongst them.

    Yes, I take lots of photos. I’ve done that since I was a teenager and was gifted my first camera.

    Photography to me is a magical hobby where I can explore the world either close up or from a distance. Looking for subjects while I’m out for my walks, while we’re out for a drive or on vacation, or even when I’m just hanging out in the house keeps me grounded in the present.

    Almost all of my photos are time and date stamped, so they’re also the diary of my life.

    Whenever I wonder about a future blog post, I just go to my Amazon photos and start browsing. Before too long, a photo or group of photos (from the over 8,000 I have stored there) will turn on a lightbulb and away I go.

    My photo muses lead the way.

  • Happy Birthday, Friends and Neighbours!

    Happy Birthday, Friends and Neighbours!

    We’re currently spending half of our lives living in the USA, where we’ve made many very good friends over the years.

    Through WordPress, I’ve also been blessed with many cyber friends who live in the USA.

    Have a Safe and Happy 250th Birthday! 🇺🇸 🎂

  • Friday Freestyling … Directionally Challenged

    Friday Freestyling … Directionally Challenged

    On a recent morning walk, I decided to check out a route I hadn’t been on in almost two years.

    I was curious to see if a new walking path had been paved there.

    As you can see from my feature photo, that wasn’t the case.

    I decided to forge on ahead along the grassed and gravelled paths.

    I don’t love walking on gravel because it’s easy to hit a large stone and twist an ankle

    When I was there last, I turned left at the end of the gravel path above.

    This time, the left turn was blocked off, so I carried on ahead. The path had a few twists and turns, and before long, my sense of direction was gone completely.

    When I finally reached pavement again, I looked at a street sign when I reached a corner, and in my mind, it was all wrong.

    My entire life, I’ve been directionally challenged in big buildings, but seldom outdoors.

    I did see some familiar landmarks off in the distance, so I knew I wasn’t completely lost.

    Along my new and unplanned route, I did find our city school bus yard, which I didn’t even know existed.

    All in all, it was a nice long walk with some unplanned new scenery. I wasn’t at all panicked because I knew I’d eventually find my way home. We’re a small city and the people are friendly and helpful … once you find some people, of course.

  • Happiness is … Tatagwa Parkway

    Happiness is … Tatagwa Parkway

    Tatagwa Parkway is the name of the trail system developed in our small prairie city for hikers, bikers, and walkers.

    The system includes 180 acres of land adjacent to the Souris River and encompasses two large nature habitats.

    The paths that make up the trail also run alongside city streets, down a long lane towards health care facilities, and along the river boardwalk.

    The majority of the paths are peaceful and away from housing and city traffic, and even the ones that run alongside a street can offer something new to keep an eye on (such as the progress on our new hospital) and the many beautiful yards along the way.

    Slated to open fall 2026

    Because hubs and I live close to the centre of the city, I walk from our condo to all of the trail heads.

    I choose path combinations that add up to the 5 to 6 Km (3 to 3.7 miles) distance I aim for in each power walk. This allows me to have many different experiences vs walking the same route day after day.

    Tatagwa is a Cree word that means, “It is flat” … definitely apt for this area of our province.

  • Happiness Is … Walking

    Happiness Is … Walking

    My Monday posts will now focus on happiness. The goal is to start each week on a positive note.

    I ’ve recently been seeing lots of clever memes from a Facebook page called “Hippie World”.

    The memes are ai generated, so aren’t subject to copyright (I figured as much, but checked anyways to be sure).

    Because, when I was a teenager, I was a wannabe hippie, because I’ve been an avid walker for many years, and because many of the songs referenced are on my walking playlists, this one spoke to me:

    📸 Hippie World
  • Wordless Wednesday

    Wordless Wednesday