Another day closer to spring

Snow is in the forecast for later today, so it feels good to see bright colour and things from summer. Actually, when I look at my recent photostream, there is quite a surprising amount of colour for this time of the year. This winter has turned out to be another great one, like last winter, milder than most. We all know that more snow and very cold temperatures will have to be faced before spring arrives - can't believe how this winter seems to be flying by.

On 12 September 2015, I drove further than I'd ever driven before - a total of 410 km (254 miles). I met my daughter at 9:00 am and we headed northwards, with our main destination being the Bowden Sunflower Maze. She was feeling well enough after her recent hospital stay, to get out for a day trip. (She is having surgery in 5 days' time, so once again, she will be out of action while she recovers).

The quickest route from Calgary to Bowden is a distance of 96 km (60 miles), but I wanted to avoid the main, busy route. The backroads are more pleasant to drive - less traffic and, if one is lucky, the occasional old barn. There was one barn in particular that I had seen last year, that I really wanted to show my daughter and this took us a little out of our way.

We drove through the town of Olds, stopping briefly to take a couple of photos of the bright orange grain elevator. Going north, we drove the roads to the west of the main Highway 2, and on our return trip we drove the roads to the east of Highway 2. I think this trip really convinced my daughter, more strongly than ever, that sadly she has a mother with almost zero sense of direction!

"A young sunflower's flower head faces the sun to receive the sunlight it needs for photosynthesis. Heliotropism is the term for a plant's ability to follow the sun. That ability allows a sunflower to move with the sun as it arcs across the sky from east to west; the sunflower's bloom always faces the sun.

When the sunflower plant matures, the neck of its stem no longer grows, and tracking of the sun's arc ceases. The blooms of most mature sunflowers face east, but some face other directions." From homeguides.

homeguides.sfgate.com/sunflower-move-73855.html

A very short (2 minute) time lapse video showing how Sunflowers move to face the sun. Quite beautiful:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8mr0R3ibPU

This was the first time I had ever been to Bowden and the Sunflower Maze. For years, I had wished we had a field of Sunflowers somewhere within reach, as I had seen so many gorgeous photos taken by other people in various parts of the world. I certainly didn't get photos like those, but I was happy to get the shots I did get. Many of the flowers in my photos seem to be facing every possible way, giving a rather messy look! Maybe that's what always happens when the flowers are past their prime? Apparently, that weekend was going to be the last chance to really see the flowers, so we were just in time. This maze at Eagle Creek Farm is apparently the only Sunflower Maze in Canada. There is also an adjoining Corn Maze, but neither of us wanted to walk through that one, thanks to remembering the horror movie, "Children of the Corn"! The farm also has U-pick vegetables and flowers.

www.sunmaze.ca/

Thanks, Rachel, for spending the day with me - and for all your directions getting us there and back to the city! Lucky we went when we did, as it rained the next few days.