Continuing my random approach to getting caught up with old pictures, here are a few from not so long ago at the Calgary Zoo.  We spent a long time watching the spider monkeys, and it’s not clear which side of the glass all of these pictures are taken from.  Who’s watching who??

I was asked to take a picture of Grandma and Opa with the kids.  Nothing fancy, just a nice picture.

So of course I set up my lights and took it as an opportunity to practice!  I think they turned out pretty nice!

We went for a family weekend in Lake Louise and kicked it off by having a picnic lunch and going hiking in Banff on the way. We had lunch at the end of the parkway at Vermillion Lake with a nice view of Mt. Rundle in the background and a posse of Columbian Ground Squirrels nearby, and then we went for a short hike up Silvertip Creek to Silverton Falls.  This trail is only a few kilometers away from Johnston Canyon, but it is almost unknown and doesn’t see anywhere near the huge crowds that travel to Johnston Canyon every day, yet it is arguably more beautiful and definitely made for a really nice hike!

Although we stayed in Lake Louise, one of the main reasons for the trip was to travel up the Icefields Parkway to take a tour of the Columbia Icefield in the Icefield Explorer.  Basically the explorers are massive buses built specifically to travel on ice, snow, and rock.  They are extremely impressive machines and they take thousands of people up onto the Columbia Icefield every day in the summer months.

The weather wasn’t great while we travelled the parkway, but we still managed to take in some amazing views and we stopped for some really nice hikes.  And while it started raining at pretty much the worst possible moment (right at the very top of the Icefield tour) we still really enjoyed the trip.

We ended our family weekend with a trip up to Moraine Lake.  This is one of the most beautiful places in the world and I could spend days hiking and photographing there and still not see everything I want to see.  It was a great end to a really nice weekend!

Although I know that it won’t take all that long once i get started, it’s still quite a daunting task to look forward to.  Many efficiency experts will tell you that the best way to get caught up on something is to start with what’s in front of you, rather than worrying about what’s behind you.  Once you get the now figured out then you can pick away at the old stuff gradually.  And so after a particularly plaintive call from a far away Aunt wanting to see Halloween pictures, I’ve decided that today is the day to do just that!

I still plan to go back and dig into the older stuff and post it here too, but I’m not even going to pretend to give a timeline as to when that will be finished.  As I’m sure you know I have many projects on the go, mostly related to photography.  While I haven’t got my plans fully mapped out, I have taken some pretty big steps to move beyond the happy snaps (that I’ve traditionally posted to this site) and to actually do something with my art.

If you haven’t done so already please check out my new personal photography website at http://www.Sean-Phillips.com to see a little of what I’ve been up to!

Halloween 2008

Anyway, I’m sure that most of you have just skipped on down here for the good stuff, but for those that read my intro, thanks!

Here is an album with a whole pile of pictures of Melanie and Andrew enjoying a very successful Halloween. We started off with a photoshoot to show off their costumes.  The were hilarious and as usual they both hammed it up for the camera.  Andrew was particularly crazy and loved hiding behind my backdrop (aka the blinds in the sitting room) and playing peekaboo for the camera.

The night continued with a Trick or Treating adventure, followed by pure bliss as the kids checked out their loot bags! Check it out…

Press play to watch the video.

Melanie has been really enjoying her soccer games so far this year. One of the really fun things is that she is playing with and against her friends from school and the neighborhood. One of the kids from just down the street was on the other team for this game and Melanie was really happy to see him!

Andrew also enjoys going to the games and loves to crawl around (and now run and walk too) on the sidelines. He’s more and more trouble every week!

As you probably know we really like the Calgary Zoo, and we go there often. We love to see all the birds and the animals, and there are always zookeepers and handlers about that are willing to chat about the latest and greatest news. It is clear from talking to the zookeepers that they really love their jobs and the animals they care for are extremely important to them.

After this particular visit to the zoo we were particularly disturbed to hear the news that many of the Cownose Rays in the brand new touch-tank exhibit had died. We had been in to see this exhibit several times, but this was the first visit where we were actually allowed to try to touch the rays. Or more accurately, we were allowed to put our hands on the bottom of the tank and allow the rays to touch us if they chose to. While a couple of them came pretty close, we really didn’t actually get touched at all. Regardless it was very interesting and exciting to be able to interact with the animals in this way.

I won’t even get into the ethical arguments of whether or not we should be interacting with wild animals in the this way or not, other than to say that we all loved the opportunity! Melanie was extremely excited when the rays came close, and even more sad when they chose to avoid us.

Anyway, I don’t think they have determined yet what actually caused these animals to die. I really hope I’m wrong, but at this point I have no doubt that it must have been an intentional act by someone that wanted them harmed. We were in the exhibit a little over an hour before they started to appear sick and while we were there they appeared to be normal, active, and healthy. We will likely never again be able to interact with the rays in this exhibit, and that makes me very sad…

We went for a walk in the snow at the Ann and Sandy Cross Conservation Area recently.  This was our first trip there and we really didn’t know what to expect.  And we were underdressed.  The park is quite exposed and seems to collect snow even though most of the surrounding area was dry.  Of course the worst of it was right on the trail, and none of us thought to bring boots.  There was a wee bit of complaining about that from Melanie…  But we soldiered on and enjoyed the trip anyway.

The website talks about stunning views and lots of interaction with animals.  Other than a few very small birds, we really didn’t see much in the way of life at all. Until the end.

We were very lucky to come across a Red Fox while it was hunting in a field.  It completely ignored us while it went about its business.  It found several creatures to pounce on while we watched, jumping high into the air for each.  We were never really sure if it caught anything as it never stayed in one spot for long, but I have since heard it described as the pounce, bite, swallow technique.  Coyotes apparently hunt the same way.

We stayed to watch the fox for a long time and I took many pictures!  Seeing the fox made the whole trip worthwhile!

Melanie moved up a division in soccer this year, which means that she can play at home in Riverbend instead of having to travel to another community. And I don’t have to coach!

She plays 2 nights a week, which is a little bit hectic for us, but the team is very organized and they actually play positions. She’s having lots of fun and gets to plat with (and against) several of her friends from school and the neighborhood.

These pics are from here first game of the season. Andrew came along to the field and was showing off his new walking tricks…

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted here, which definitely does not mean I haven’t been taking pictures. Quite the opposite in fact. I’ve been taking so many that just dealing with them takes up a lot of my time, and I haven’t gotten around to posting anything here for your enjoyment. Because it’s been raining here for days, and because I really do need to catch up, I will be posting a few albums over the next few days.

Here are a bunch of pictures from Andrew’s birthday party. Although it was a relatively low key affair (we just had some friends and family over for dinner), it really was quite a large event. It’s amazing how much bigger parties are when all your friends have 2 kids!

The kids had a great time playing games and riding their bikes in the alley. Andrew was a happy kid all day and had lots of fun watching all the commotion going on around him. He also really enjoyed his chocolate cupcake. It was very messy!!