During the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic, my family and I started birding since we were stuck at home a lot. I decided to develop my photography skills and one of the first amazing birds I was able to photograph was this Great Horned Owl. She was sitting in a tree at the Cochrane Ranche, and just above were her two chicks. She was eyeing everyone who walked below, and the chicks were focusing on stretching their wings. It was quite incredible to see these beautiful birds right here in town, and it started my bird photography journey. Since then, my family and I have become quite the birders, and I think my children have a greater appreciation for nature because of it.
Mika Pratt

Au début de la pandémie, ma famille et moi avons vaincu le sentiment de confinement en allant observer les oiseaux. J’ai décidé de développé mes talents de photographe et j’ai réussi à photographier le majestueux Grand-Duc. La femelle était perchée dans un arbre à Cochrane Ranche et juste au-dessus d’elle se trouvaient ses deux oisillons.
Alerte, elle gardait un œil sur les personnes qui passaient tout près pendant que ses jeunes ducs étendaient leurs ailes. Quelle expérience incroyable que d’observer ces magnifiques oiseaux en pleine ville et c’est ce qui m’a lancé dans la photographie d’oiseaux. Depuis ce temps, ma famille et moi sommes devenus de véritables amateurs de l’observation des oiseaux et je crois que, grâce à cela, mes enfants ont développé une plus grande appréciation de la nature.

Celebrations for 2019 Canada Day looked very different. We were unable to gather in large crowds due to the COVID pandemic. In an effort to provide some type of “safe” entertainment, CAES brought the celebration to the streets. We had community Parades for Canada Day and it involved a whole bunch of Jeeps as well as Superheros for the little ones.

Cochrane and Area Events Society

Samantha Nickerson
The people of Alberta started enjoying their own backyards.

The story behind this picture:

I contracted Covid a few weeks before my daughter’s wedding. I was still very weak and tired, and the drive to Edmonton seemed daunting, so a friend offered to drive me to the wedding so that I didn’t miss it. What really touched me about the whole experience was the number of people who came up to my friend at the wedding and thanked her for getting me there. I was so overwhelmed with gratitude for these friends of my daughter and son in law (some of whom I hadn’t met before) who made a point of thanking her. It was a beautiful moment in a beautiful day.
Thanks,
Erika Richards

Jennifer Jackson
Having 3 young kids at home, my son Liam and twin daughters, Paige & Quinn, I wanted to still bring fun, excitement and imagination into their lives while isolating at home to reduce the risk of getting Covid.

One of our super fun days was when we dressed up and pretended we were characters from the Toy Story movie all day!

Theodore Nickerson
I always loved the forest and felt safe and peaceful there, and I used to have a job as a landscaper during summer 2021. I got to hang out in the old yards with big trees and it was so much fun, very relaxing. I got my passion for plants as well as painting plants during that year.

Does it get any happier than a sunflower!? Finding sunflowers blossoming around town always puts a smile on my face and sparks a conversation with the gardener. There is just something so captivating about sunflowers, especially when they are pollinator attractors. Captured in this image is a bumblebee extracting pollen.
Amber Hall
Y-a-t ‘il une meilleure représentation de bonheur que l’image d’un tournesol? Je ne peux m’empêcher de sourire à chaque fois que je trouve un tournesol dans toute sa splendeur dans un jardin de Cochrane. De plus, c’est une belle occasion de commencer une conversation avec le jardinier. Les tournesols sont captivants sans oublier qu’ils servent à attirer les pollinisateurs. Cette image capture un bourdon en train d’extraire du pollen. Amber Hall

I collect rocks around Cochrane on my walks and paint them. They are then returned to their original place to provide a smile for all who see them.
Je collecte des cailloux quand je prends des marches tout autour de Cochrane et je les peins. Ensuite, je les remets à l'endroit où je les ai trouvés afin de faire sourire les personnes qui les verront.

Wendy Walker
“The most beautiful part of my garden is when these stunning irises appear each year and bloom in early summer. They remind me that being together as a community continues on through our many friendships and connections.”
La plus belle partie de mon jardin apparait avec l'arrivée des iris et leur floraison tôt l'été. Elles me rappellent que tous ensembles nous formons une communauté grâce à nos amitiés et à nos connexions.

God writes straight in crooked lines.
Dieu écrit droit avec des lignes courbes
In that strange time of isolation and uncertainty, where life became a constant frustration and sadness due to fear of the unknown, and due to the pain of so many goodbyes drowned in absence, a new form of spiritual communication was opened in the distance through prayer. And as soon as the spiritual life grew, the heart felt connected to the whole world... a light of hope began to shine.

For me, this time of pain was also a time of growth in my soul, and a deeper relationship with God. And in the Lord, I was able to live the 2020 quarantine, the time of Covid, with joy and gratitude.
Faith and Hope rooted in Jesus help us to live Love in new ways, and despite suffering, life can be lived with joy and gratitude.
Maria Cecilia Arango M.
Cette période étrange d'isolement et d'incertitude, quand la vie est devenue constamment frustrante et triste à cause de la peur de l'inconnu et à cause de la douleur due aux nombreux adieux assourdis par l'absence, une nouvelle forme de communication spirituelle s'est dévoilée dans la distance grâce à la prière. Dès que la vie spirituelle a grandi, le cœur s'est senti connecté au monde entier... une lumière d'espoir a commencé à briller. Pour moi, cette période douloureuse fut aussi une période de croissance dans l’âme et une relation encore plus profonde avec Dieu.
Dans le Seigneur, je pouvais vivre la quarantaine de 2020, pendant COVID, avec joie et reconnaissance. La foi et l'espoir ancrés dans Jésus nous aide à vivre l'amour de nouvelle façon et malgré la souffrance, la vie peut être vécue avec joie et reconnaissance.