Posts Tagged ‘alberta’

July Hike in Kananaskis Country, Alberta

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

In July, I went hiking in Kananaskis Country with my friends.

The scenery was beautiful with large rock faces and trees in the valleys, seemingly clinging to nothing on the rock.

Even though we weren’t super high up in the sky, clean white snow was still around in patches. Thankfully, it wasn’t too cold as most of Alberta was pretty much into its summer by the end of July.

About 3/4 of the way, there was a lake with more mountains away in the distance.

The view from the top!

A clear trail marks the best way through the mountains on this long, but beautiful hike.

Near the beginning of the trail, a stream runs though. There were actually several streams. After over 6 hours of hiking, we were anxious to find the parking lot again on the way back, but this is what we kept seeing instead!

After the hike, we had dinner in Canmore before returning to Calgary. I look forward to more hikes again next year after Calgary’s 9-month winter is done for another year again!

 

University of Calgary Convocation

Monday, September 19th, 2011

In June, I officially graduated from the University of Calgary with my Master of Science degree in Computer Science.

A few seconds followed by a walk across a stage caps off over two years of research and hard work.

One highlight of my time in academia the media exposure received by my emotional robot control project, leading to dozens of blog posts and articles around the world, and a live television interview on Breakfast Television Calgary.

I’d finally like to also share some photos from an iLab party shortly after my defence in January.

My time in the Interactions Labs broadened my interests and changed my view of the world more than I imagined it could have. So much has changed in my life since I flew into Alberta for the first for a tour of the university in April 2008. I am grateful for the experience.

You can view a few more photos of my convocation in my gallery.

Family Visit 2011 (Drumheller, AB)

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

While my family visited for my university convocation, we took a side trip to Drumheller.

Until you are near the town, it seems like a normal highway. Then, the badlands appear, and you’re there.

This is the view of Drumheller from inside the world’s largest dinosaur.

The dinosaur bones are quite fascinating to see in person at the Royal Tyrrell Museum. It’s hard to tell from this photo, but this display was quite large. I was only as tall as the legs, if that.

This display showed a neat little bird.

Another one of Drumheller’s attractions is Little Church. It is designated as an actual place of worship that seats six at a time. At one time, it had stained glass windows and a brass bell according to the town web site.

Check out my gallery for more photos of Drumheller.

 

Family Visit 2011 (Banff & Lake Louise)

Monday, July 11th, 2011

In June, I officially completed my Master of Science in Computer Science at the University of Calgary. To mark this occasion, my family came out from New Brunswick (by car) and North Carolina to Calgary.

This post is my first in a series. I haven’t had much time to update my blog yet this year, but I plan to do this more frequently since I now have quite a growing backlog of photos to go through!

Our first trip outside to Calgary was of course to Banff and Lake Louise. This beautiful vista is a popular photo spot on the way to Banff.

My parents.

Beautiful downtown Banff boasts an impressive mountain backdrop.

My mom and my uncle.

The Banff Springs Hotel.

Me with my family in front of Lake Louise. There is still some ice covering the lake, but most of it is gone.

Me and my uncle.

A bird was seemingly quite eager to pose for photos. What else can you do besides relax beside Lake Louise?

View more photos in the gallery. Check back soon for more summer blog updates.

 

Fall 2010 in Calgary (Part 3 of 3)

Monday, October 18th, 2010

In this post, I will focus on a few close up shots taken in Prince’s Island Park.

Leaves have fallen quickly. On this tree, only one remains in this area.

A bright white flower beams against a darker background.

An up-close view of a public art piece. These are actually colourful marbles that form an image when viewed from a normal distance.

I took many shots of this “threshing machine”, though its name plate appealed to me the most!

Another view of the threshing machine. Black and white suits this view best, I think! I didn’t notice it at the time, but a spider web is visible inside the chain!

That’s all for now. Thank you for visiting my blog! Please leave a comment! =)

Fall 2010 in Calgary (Part 2 of 3)

Sunday, October 17th, 2010

In this post, I continue my series of fall photos in Calgary.

Two bridges are stacked over the Bow River.

I was actually exploring the Centre Street Bridge for the first time in this shot. This shot is somewhat misleading since the building at the left, The Bow, isn’t nearly finished yet. When it’s done, it will be Canada’s second tallest building.

Before the leaves fell, the pathway in Prince’s Island Park was a tunnel of Autumn colours.

The Calgary skyline looms above a much lower residential area on the north side.

Check back soon for more of my Fall in Calgary photos!

Fall 2010 in Calgary (Part 1 of 3)

Sunday, October 17th, 2010

Since getting my new camera, I’ve been taking lots of pictures around Calgary. I’m sharing a few photos in this post with more to come soon!

Here is a beautiful shot of Bragg Creek during one of the last weeks for good Autumn colours. Wedding photos are being taken at the left.

Here is a close-up of a flower in Nose Hill Park. I enjoy the texture visible here.

Mountains are visible in this view of northwest Calgary. Canada Olympic Park is visible at the left.

Here’s a slightly unusual view of some sort of radio tower in Nose Hill Park.

A pathway runs parallel to Nose Hill. The leaves are already gone from the trees in this shot.

Check back soon for more Calgary photos!

Bow River and Bowness Park

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

The weather was actually so-so one day last week after many cold days, so I took the opportunity to go biking and use my camera again.

Autumn is already in full swing in Calgary with leaves changing and starting falling off trees.

Three bridges are visible below the mountains in this shot, including the very long and very high Stoney Trail bridge.

These houses in Bowness are surrounded by trees.

Calgarians are out on the trails, enjoying the day, and taking pictures.

Another photography session by the river, with another young child as the subject.

Geese and ducks are incredibly tame at Bowness Park.

Although packed on a hot summer’s day, not many people were in the park on a cold, cloudy day.

Joggers run through falling leaves next to the Bow River.

Train tracks run through Bowness Park for kiddie rides.