Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: concrete

My daughter finally had a day free for us to get together on 23 September 2018. She suggested we could go to the Saskatoon Farm, a place we both love, for breakfast and a wander round the grounds with our cameras. After that, we drove west to Granary Road. Though the Active Learning Park had closed for the fall and winter, it was open for the day on the day we went. It covers a large area and has all sorts of educational areas, including a mushroom area and a farm animal area. We had fun trying to photograph a group of funny Alpacas there. A Turkey took me totally by surprise! I had never seen a white Turkey before, only the darker Wild Turkeys. This domestic Turkey was beautiful with its white feathers edged in black. I had been hoping to get over to Granary Road all summer, but it just didn't happen. This is a fairly new market garden, SW of the city, with an Active Learning Park, too. Before this, the area was simply a huge, empty field, except for the row of five old, red granaries/sheds. I was very disappointed some time ago, when I first saw what was being planned for that particular area. Most of all, I and many other photographers, were horrified when we discovered that the row of old granaries had been removed from the landscape. Some of you may remember my photos of these granaries, which I called "The Famous Five". They have been replaced by five new, red sheds which, I have to say, look better than I had originally thought. Link for my album, "The Famous Five" - 25 images of the original, old row of five, red granaries. www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157648910659879 There was thick fog in places on this day, but it didn't seem to affect photographing objects that were close. My favourite kind of day, spending time with my daughter.

On 30 October 2017, I spent the day driving mostly roads that I had been along before (a round trip of 230 km). I still found a few roads so confusing! My destination was partly to check on two old, red barns. Having been there once before, with my daughter in January 2015, I knew that there were several other old barns and homesteads en route. This day was definitely a barn day, not a bird or wildlife day. The much larger barn of the two was one that I had been looking forward to finding and seeing for the first time, which I finally did in January 2015. I would love to have been able to get photos from both sides of it, but it was in a farmer's field that was, of course, private property. The second old barn that I saw in this area is in far worse condition, but I love it. It was funny, because I was standing in the road and had already taken a handful of photos of this crumbling, weathered structure, when I noticed someone walking towards me in the distance. Talk about deja vu! I started walking towards her and it turned out that she lived at the farm just down the road, but had previously lived in the house next to this decaying barn, and it was her property. She told me to wander wherever I wished, take as many photos as I wanted. I laughed and said that in January 2015, when my daughter and I had been standing right there in the road, a lady came by on her horse and told us the very same story - it must have been the same person! Felt so good! Another place I stopped at on this day was a farmyard full of old barns, sheds and vehicles. I pulled over and got out to take a quick shot of an old, blue truck from across the road. A person happened to just appear, walking across his farmyard, so I called out to him and we had a delightful chat. I think he was very amused at my passion for old things and told me to walk around and take whatever photos I wanted. Which I did, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself! I told him what an amazing place he had, full of interesting things - some of which are seen in the next photo. I got the impression that he saw things very differently - lots of old things that needed fixing or tidying up : ) On the way home, I called in at the Saskatoon Farm to see if the restaurant was still open, but it had just closed (3:30 pm). I realized I had been enjoying myself so much that I had totally forgotten to eat anything all day. Managed to get a much-needed cup of coffee, though, and I did buy a box of frozen, uncooked Saskatoon Berry and White Chocolate scones. I bought some of these last time I was there and they are SO good, piping hot, straight out of the oven.

Two mornings ago, a few of us went on our very first Botany outing of the year. Yes, it is still winter, but the winter of 2015/2016 has been so ridiculously mild for most of the time, that it feels like spring. It didn't matter that there were no flowers in bloom or buds bursting, as this walk was to look for lichens and mosses. The list of these for this area, Sandy Beach, needed to be updated and any new species added. I hadn't been down to this area for quite a few years. "The Glenmore Reservoir is a large artificial reservoir on the Elbow River in the southwest quadrant of Calgary, Alberta. The Glenmore Dam is the concrete structure that holds back the reservoir. The reservoir is a primary source of drinking water to the city. Built in 1932, with a cost of $3.8 million, the dam controls the downstream flow of the Elbow River, thus allowing the city to develop property near the river's banks with less risk of flooding." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenmore_Reservoir On 21 June 2013, for only the second time in the history of the Glenmore dam, the gates were open to relieve pressure. See YouTube video below. youtu.be/FJ6EZ0QDi1U

Egg – The Unity of Diversity is a giant seven and a half metre (25’) illuminated egg, made of steel tube, aluminum and concrete, greeting transit riders and zoo visitors outside the zoo's main entrance, north of St. George's Island. “The sculpture, entitled Egg – The Unity of Diversity, is a stunning, three-dimensional art piece that you can walk through. As you explore the inside you’ll find a colourful collection of two-dimensional cut-outs and three-dimensional relief sculptures – all celebrating the diversity of life on earth. The piece was commissioned back in 2011, after an international Call to Artists. Working with the City of Calgary Public Art Program, we wanted an art piece that would be both unique and beautiful, capturing the essence of the zoo and speaking to our mission. We think the final piece, created by artist Brower Hatcher, from Mid-Ocean Studios, fulfills all our criteria. Brower Hatcher describes his creation as 'an image of the sacredness of the biodiversity of the planet and our responsibility as earthlings to respect all living things'. What a fitting way to sum up our role here at the zoo as advocates, stewards and leaders in conservation.” From the Calgary Zoo. www.calgaryzoo.com/keep-it-wild/calgary-zoo-egg-sculpture...

This grain terminal is one of the larger ones in southern Alberta and is about 14 km. southeast of the southeast corner of Calgary, not far from Indus. A big terminal operated by Viterra, this one must have a capacity of over two million bushels, possibly much more. It has a total of 24 concrete silos served by a large and complex head. The railway siding, four abreast, is large enough to handle over 100 railway cars. Actually, when I saw it from the gravel backroad that I was driving along, I decided not to stop and take a photo as I don't find these huge concrete terminal at all attractive. A minute or two later, I changed my mind and took this distant shot, which really isn't from the best angle. Very little information on the Internet, other than that in the paragraph above.