Updates – Page 6 – Shelley Banks

Stumbling Across the Berlin Wall

Six years ago, while wandering through the underground shopping and business concourses of Montreal, I stumbled across the Berlin Wall.

I hadn’t realized a section of the Berlin Wall had been given to Montreal, or that it had been set up in its Centre de Commerce Mondial.

But there it was — one side grey with crude markings, the other bright with 1960s student graffitti, an eerie reminder of the divided city, one ignored (that day, at least) by the stream of underground shoppers and stockbrokers rushing by.

Continue reading Stumbling Across the Berlin Wall

Sunset on the Night of the July Supermoon

Some nights, you will see beauty in all directions… Behind me, the July Supermoon was rising; before me, peachy pink clouds silhouetted the Abbey church against the sky.

St. Peter's Abbey, Muenster, SK; Copyright Shelley Banks, all rights reserved. — St. Peter’s Abbey, Muenster, SK

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ShelleyBanks.ca – or ShelleyBanks.com

Well, this is exciting — for me, if perhaps for few others…

My website can now be reached through either ShelleyBanks.ca (the host site) or ShelleyBanks.com (the site with the at-least-for-now redirect).

My name, by either domain.

And one day soon, I shall write about my name…

Till then, here’s a shot of Shelley, at Shelley.

B.C., that is.

(And yes, that’s me. And yes, that’s is a real railway whistlestop sign, somewhere east of Prince George, somewhere west of my mountain birthplace.)

Sunset on the Lake

As the sun sets, the water glows with apricot lightning over the pale moss of rippling waves.

Sunset on the Water; copyright Shelley Banks; all rights reserved. — Sunset on the Water

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Ginger – my favourite dog model

Ah, Ginger was a lovely and loving dog.

Ginger. Copyright Shelley Banks, all rights reserved. — Ginger.

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Prairie Crocus on the Hillside

Because it’s still Spring, even though the Prairie Crocuses have stopped blooming for another season…

Prairie Crocus. Copyright Shelley Banks, all rights reserved. — Prairie Crocus

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Male and Female Rose-breasted Grosbeaks

New to our bird feeders this year: Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.

Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak; Copyright Shelley Banks; all rights reserved. — Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak; Copyright Shelley Banks, all rights reserved — Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak

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Ring-billed Gull on a Rock

Spring, and the birds are returning north — and Ring-billed Gulls are flocking to Wascana Lake.

There have been times in the past when gulls have seemed merely annoying, with their screeching, squawking, food-stealing gall… But they, too, are a sign of spring. A welcome one.

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Regina Glory:
Seen on Landing at YQR

All the way from Vancouver — over the Rocky Mountain and across the Prairies — a glory shone in front of our plane.

And when we approached for landing at the Regina International Airport, that glory turned sunset pink and gold.

I’d seen the same phenomenon on the way West, when the glory hovered below the propellers of the plane during the approach and descent into the Calgary Airport.

But this, my January landing in Regina, was magical. The glory was a circular sunset rainbow along the horizon — so beautiful, I wasn’t even sure if it was real… But I had the pictures. And it was a rare, sunset glory.

Continue reading Regina Glory:
Seen on Landing at YQR

Christmas Eve

Many years ago, I found glass reindeer ornaments in a gift shop in Seattle. They reminded me of the small glass reindeer that hung on our family Christmas tree when I was very young. I bought a pair and every year since, they’ve glowed high on my tree, above cats’ playful paws and dogs’ wagging tails. One day, perhaps my kids will see reindeer ornaments for sale in a dusty corner of yet another gift shop, and remember this tree.

Christmas Reindeer; Copyright Shelley Banks; all rights reserved. — Christmas Reindeer

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