In the early morning I feel a whiff of fall in the air. Leaving for work at 6:30 I often find heavy dew on the windshield. Because of the chill I sometimes have to turn on the heat to clear it. I neglect to crack the windows when I exit the car and later in the afternoon the suffocating heat greets me when I return. My little car is black inside and out: not a great choice for Alberta weather. The last several summers we've experienced severe thunderstorms, with hail and tornado watches. While we are tempted to grumble about the ongoing drought conditions, we only have to check the news to see that we are privileged to live where we do. When I watch the aftermath of the latest hurricane ravaging the coastal Texas regions, with rescue workers chest deep in water on Houston streets, I am stunned. I like to use the fine weather of early fall to examine the landscape. A few weeks ago I was out to Camp Harmattan. The crops were looking good, although much shorter than usual. There is still a lack of moisture and the vegetation is withered and brittle here in town as well. The botanical gardens and the grounds at the college look faded and several trees are already changing colour. Too early, I think, but the dryness is a factor. We saw a family of ducks with fairly small ducklings. Will they mature in time to make the arduous flight south? One fall there were several young ones late in October still in the park. I'm sure they didn't make it. Another visit revealed several juveniles huddled together with no adults to instruct them.
I haven't seen the families of geese lately. They are faithful in training their young to fly and strengthen themselves and follow in formation. I like to follow the footpaths throughout town. Around the Imperial subdivision the path is well shaded, a definite bonus this summer. Hartman Green behind the elementary school is beautiful, with many of the huge trees still intact, but the central part of the park is totally exposed. When we first moved to town, the area was still the local golf course. There was some concern when permission was eventually granted to sell the outer edges as residential lots. Many feature some of the first larger homes. There are several paths between houses that give access to the park with its trails and benches. The southwest corner of town with its expanding new development also has walking paths, giving quicker pedestrian movement with the closes, cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets. Because I choose to walk, I frequently have drivers stop me to ask for directions. That's tricky with the layout of the town. With only three streets crossing the tracks, it alters my instructions. The same issue exists in the college and high school area with many roads that go nowhere or are harder to reach. I almost want to say, "You can't get there from here." I was stopped last fall in the botanical garden area by someone looking for the Pomeroy. She was going to come upon it shortly, but didn't realize it was actually on the main drag. The driver in question was my nephew's wife, from Cochrane! We were both surprised to see each other.
