I love stopping at the fruit stands as we drive across British Columbia.
That lovely time between the heat of summer and the chill of winter.
Sunny days, warm weather, bountiful harvests.
I wish that autumn lasted longer.
I am enjoying Whistler in the fall.
The Village is peaceful. The crowds are gone. The weather is misty and quiet. The temperature hovers around 18, 19 and is perfect for walking or cycling.
And later today, it will be perfect for making a cup of tea, sitting on the balcony and writing a few pages.
Yesterday was officially the first day of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, a time referred to as the Autumnal Equinox. An equinox occurs about March 20 and about September 22. On this date, day and night are each about 12 hours long. This is an approximation because it depends on where you are on the planet.
The word equinox comes from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night).
To celebrate the equinox, and just because we wanted to, we spent the day in Banff.
After all the snow we had in the second week of September, the Indian Summer is beautiful. Nights are cool, days are warm, there is no wind and the sky has that haziness of autumn. We drove the hour and a half to Banff townsite and parked by Central Park. Walking along the trail by the Bow River, we passed the canoe docks.
boat house beside the Bow River in Banff
At this time of year, all the silt has dropped out of the river and the waters are green and sparkling.
The path links with the Fenland Trail, a 2 Km loop that winds through a forest of white spruce along Forty Mile Creek.
Forty Mile Creek
Forty Mile Creek
Vermillion Lakes, Banff
When we reached the creek, we crossed over and followed Vermillion Lakes Drive to the dock.
Vermillion Lakes, Banff
Perfect weather. Not too hot, not too cool. No bugs, since we are past the first frost.
Here I am, at the Vermillion Lakes
We relaxed, watched the ducks getting ready to migrate and enjoyed the sun and sparkling water.
Returning the way we came, we finished off the Fenland Loop.
We completed the day with a stroll along Banff Avenue, had a salad at McDonald’s and then—to make it a balanced diet—we had ice cream at Cow’s, Canada’s best ice cream. They make it in Prince Edward Island and my current favourite flavour is Moo Henry.
I love Banff any day, but on a Monday, it is relatively quiet. There are still lots of tourists, but no crowds for the in between seasons of Summertime and Skiing.
Bow River by Banff townsite
Today, I am back at my desk, refreshed and renewed, and ready to open the Work in Progress.
So, we had a little snow . . .
On Sunday, University of Calgary politics instructor Paul Fairie posted this on Twitter.
Paul Fairie spoof
I am probably one of those people you should ignore. I like the cool crisp days of winter. I like skiing. And I think the snow looks pretty. 🙂 However, I don’t particularly like September snow and I don’t like driving in it.
Here is what my garden looks like:
Nasturtiums
lavender
lilac
bird bath (poor birds)
This morning there is a snowfall warning in effect. The prediction is for “snow at times heavy beginning late this evening. Amount 5 to 10 cm.” It’s the same thing for Wednesday.
But not to worry, it will all go away by Sunday. And it will probably stay away for at least a couple of weeks.
What do you think of building snowmen in September?
image from thinkstockphotos.ca #178594130
Queen Victoria was the first sovereign of Confederated Canada. After her death in 1901, May 24th, her birthday, became known as Victoria Day. Not only is this a celebration of Queen Victoria’s birthday, it is also the officially recognized celebration of the current reigning Canadian sovereign’s birthday.
To most Canadians, Victoria Day means summer is finally here.
Or it’s supposed to be . . .
Nowadays, Victoria Day does not always fall on May 24th but rather on the Monday that occurs before May 25th. That could be May 24th but it could also be as early as May 18th. This year it was May 19th, and Mother Nature was simply not ready.
It’s been this kind of weekend:
Cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers this evening then partly cloudy. Risk of a thunderstorm this evening. Fog patches developing after midnight. Wind north 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light this evening. Low plus 5.
Obviously, not a good weekend for planting a garden, but I did prune the Nanking Cherry. And I brought some bare branches inside and put them in water. 
A couple of days later, the blooms popped. Nothing blooming outside yet, but my kitchen looks pretty.
Is it warm where you are?
calendar blocks from Depositphotos #104765076