clawingmywayin

This black-capped chickadee chirped and sang from the woods beside a small peninsula on Upper Kananaskis Lake.  I sat down and waited for a little while to see if it would come into view.  They are curious little birds and it didn’t take long for this one to perch among the golden leaves nearby.  With a quick check done, it soon flitted off and I continued on towards the windswept side of the lake across the peninsula.

Michael Pappas

In the northeastern Greek town of Didymoteicho (just two kilometres away from the Greek-Turkish border), December 27 is the day of Purpuris—a character who visits the houses of neighboring villagers, dances around their yards, wishes prosperity and fertility for the year ahead. The house owners must treat him with food and drinks, specially Tsipouro, a pomace brandy.

Athens-based photographer Michael Pappas travelled all the way to the administrative region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace to meet Purpuris, a funny and frightening masked and bearded figure that seemed to me part-Santa Claus, part-Billy the Puppet of the Saw horror movie franchise.

Michael—born in 1980 in Kirinthos village, Euboea island and educated at the Academy of Leica, Athens—is dedicated to exploring local Greek customs and events. These could be weddings, christenings, litanies, processions, firewalking, Easter celebrations, feasts of the Holy Spirit and a variety of saints, boar sacrifices, national…

Power balls are an easy way to make sure you are getting all the protein, nutrients, and energy you need throughout the day. Easy to make, easy to pack, and easy to snack on even during the busiest of days. Make a big batch in advance and store them in the fridge or freezer. You can pack a couple in a baggie and bring them with you where ever you go. They’ll fill you up more than a big dinner without weighing you down and are easily customizable if you feel like changing the flavor by switching the nuts or seasoning. his recipe is light, sweet and orangey to wake up your senses just when you feel your energy levels begin to drop.

You’ll need:

• 3/4 cup dried apricots
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp orange zest
• coconut flakes (sugar free)

This was easily one of the sweetest moments I’ve seen when this bull moose nuzzled with his calf.

The bull is likely mating with the cow again this year which brings him into the same area as the calf. I didn’t expect them to have a bond but when this tender moment happened on the weekend, I was obviously wrong.

This calf was born in 2016 and still stays close to his mother. The three moose have been hanging around each other again during this year’s rut. I don’t know how long they will stay together as a little family before the bull returns to the solitary life.

When I started watching them, the calf was laying down while the parents grazed separately nearby.  Over the next hour they all moved slowly around the small meadow and the edge of the forest.  It was a relaxed atmosphere which I think is…