Positively Purple

I headed home early from work today to break my Monday January dull-drums.  I was determined to get some fresh air and forget about work.  By the time I had a little snack, the sun was beginning to set.  My son gladly agreed to take a break from his studying for his final exams and accompany me on the adventure of the day.  

We headed off together to one of my favourite spots in the west, near the South Saskatchewan River, to capture a positively purple sky.  It was a race against time and against our memory of the exact road to venture down.  

The range road we took was full of ice and made me extremely nervous when the ice covered dirt road bordered a cliff.  All went well, with a little patience.  The wind made our eyes water, our cheeks prickly and our noses red, but it was well worth the spectacular scene.

Most of the snow has disappeared on the eastern side, but hints remain.

On the western side, snow still is nestled in the animal trails and eroded paths.

Within a few moments, a glorious palette of colour was painted across the horizon.  

I have a myriad of photos and have to show restraint in sharing them with you.  My intentions were to paint a watercolour landscape tonight, I even had on my painting clothes.  But when my son asked if I could help him review for his test, I thought it only fair that I help him, since he was so understanding, patient and supportive as we stood in the freezing blasting wind, our eyes tearing and our bones stiffening, while I snapped hundreds of shots.  Our skin turned positively purple like the magnificent painted sky, my dull-drums gone and my heart full of gratitude.

One last shot for the road...ice face... not our ice faces, but another ice sculpture from the artist Chinook de West.

P.S.  I think this ice face looks a bit like Richard Nixon.