Even though we are back in Calgary this week

my thoughts often return to our cabin especially 

as I have hundreds of photos to go through. 

We started the cabin last summer but it was only

at the end of this trip that we ( my wife and I ) spent 

one night there instead of returning to the farm. 

We have made

some vague plans about what we would do with

the 80 acres but we have concentrated largely on

the cabin. The night we stayed there we sat in the 

screened porch constructed by my brother in law 

Brian ( thanks Brian without you and Ralph this would 

not have been possible). As it was not yet screened

we had a mosquito coil however we shared it with

a family of Barn Swallows so that was just as well.

One conclusion I came to was since the area directly

to the side of the porch had housed large number

of Garter Snakes the first year,  all sitting on the rocks

pushed up by the construction I would build a large

rock garden there. The area in front and to the right

of the cabin actually has a large meadow which is

one reason we picked this spot. It was covered with

wildflowers, Bee balm, Roses, Thistles, Vetch and 

Daises among others and with the flowers came birds

often in pairs either perched around the edges on the
poplars or perched on the flowers themselves. It was 

then we agreed that with the exception of a path/firebreak

right by the cabin the meadow and hopefully the 

flowers and birds would remain with no interference

from us. Okay I might add feeders. The following 

pictures we taken that evening or early the next morning.

If I misidentify someone please let me know.

" In all the world no place was mine

because I was driven like the other things.

But then I found the tumbleweed secret,

bounding along saying, "Where is my home?"

And the voices began to come at night,

warning. "We're lost-don't be like us."

                          Arrival

                                                 William Stafford

Eastern Phoebe

Savannah Sparrow

While I did not see any brown streaking I think

these are Yellow Warblers

Cedar Waxwing

American Goldfinch

Add caption

Purple Finch

" I waited for my life to start

for years, standing at bus stops

looking into the curved distance

thinking each bus was the wrong bus;"

                                Waiting for My Life

                                           Linda Pastan