Tomorrow is the official day for Thanksgiving in Canada. However like almost all Canadians, the whole of the three-day weekend is treated as Thanksgiving. Actually, for many, the holiday begins at some point on Friday. On Friday, I went solo hiking, as the previous post explained. Yesterday, I went hiking again, this time with my wife who had booked the day off. Today, she is back at work until the middle of the afternoon, at which point, we will work together to prepare our Thanksgiving feast, including the obligatory turkey.

Yesterday began with a long drive to reach a new hiking trail. Along the way, I managed to take a few wildlife photos of Pronghorn antelopes, Sandhill cranes, and a Coyote. It seemed that the animals and birds were patient while I set up my camera to get a collection of images. Of course, I took other photos as well as we were travelling down a road not yet taken in the past. However, that drive to our hiking destination was filled with wildlife. I was thankful for such a wealth of images and scenes that illustrated just how beautiful our world is.

Once we began our ten and a half kilometre long hike, with about half of it on loose sand, the energy levels rose. I love hiking, both clothed and nude. About two and a half kilometres into our hike, a small herd of Mule deer appeared. And like the other animals, they stopped and waited patiently for me to get a couple of photos.

At just over the halfway point, we stopped to get the sand out of our shoes and to enjoy an apple before walking the last four kilometres. My wife decided that I needed another photo taken of me. What was one of the things that made the day’s hike extra wonderful was the warmth and the sunshine. According to the two-week weather forecast, it was the last day of warm temperatures, meaning that we celebrated the end of Indian Summer together outdoors.

I have a lot to be thankful for. Having someone to share the days and the years has been the greatest blessing that I have been given. Having someone who shares my passions, well most of them, makes our years together even better. This day of hiking accented the need to recognise that I owe thanks to Mother Nature and our planet. For a wondrous day, the Internet and social media were set aside.

Once we got back home, the warm temperatures continued through the evening. We had wine on our back deck and some warmed up pizza. It is unlikely that we will have another evening of wine and relaxing music on the back deck where I don’t have to wear clothing until sometime next spring. I realise that it isn’t Thanksgiving Day in the rest of the world, yet I do know that regardless of an official day of thanksgiving, we all have so much to be thankful for in our lives. Happy Thanksgiving!