river walk

Yesterday was a beautiful day. It was chilly and muddy and a bit windy, but it was still a fantastic day to embark on a walk by the river after months of being walled in by ice and snow. Spring has officially been upon us for weeks now, but Saskatoon is always a bit late to the party when it comes to warmer weather. But no matter - a bit of fresh air, cheerful company and a new skookum camera all make for a good day.

South Saskatchewan River

Of course I may have been more appreciative of the beauty of the day because the shadow and gloom of my little basement suite was depressing me a bit more than usual. There are rarely days when I feel claustrophobic in my little home, but yesterday was one of those days. It was just so very convenient that I happened to have a new camera to break in and a favorite hiking trail.

Richardson's Ground Squirrel

It can be fun to discover the city. I had made this walk many times before, but it was interesting to see the city with different eyes. I need to redevelop my animal hunting skills because there were many times I would have walked right by critters and would have missed some pretty good shots. The geese were out in full force, however. It doesn't take anyone too observant to catch them and their drunk-frat-boy party noise.

What was supposed to really only be an hour or so walk ended up taking a couple of hours - to be quite honest I actually lost track. A lot of the side walks were flooded out which I discovered only by falling through the ice on top. Several hours and two wet, cold feet later and I was honestly ready to get inside and get warm.

Canadian Geese

Best part of the walk? This little guy, who was so busy stuffing his cheeks that he spent about five minutes posing for us. I was concerned at first that I might not get my camera out in time to catch him, but it turns out I had all the time in the world. Good eating, little fellow. Enjoy.

Eastern Chipmunk