Peak foliage, as the leaf peepers say in Vermont, where watching autumn colors is a sport, has passed in Calgary. The leaves are swirling to the ground, dry and crunchy. Kinda like my skin, which, luckily is not currently yellow, orange or red.In my hunt for maximum pre-snow hydration, I turned to an old standby, Nivea. In Calgary I could wear this as a day cream during winter. Pure and natural moisturizing night care keeps my skin hydrated for hours. 95% naturally sourced incgredients. And no parabens, silicones, colorants or mineral oils.But when I want something a little lighter, ie an actual daycream, I’ve been using Aqua Effect nourishing daycare. Don’t let the almond oil worry you,  it goes on as a nice, light lotion with the classic Nivea baby soft scent. Creamy but easy to smooth onto your skin without any oily feeling.This stuff makes your skin feel like velvet. Body Milk goes on thick and creamy, but doesn’t leave your hands sticky afterward. The only sticking point is that it goes on more like a cream than a milk, so it takes a little more time to apply. It’s worth the effort, but if I need a faster slap and dash to softness I usually go with the Shea Butter Hydra IQ Smooth Replenishing body lotion, not pictured here.

All photos taken on the pedestrian bridge to Lindsay Park, home of the huge Talisman sports complex. It’s looking a lot better than in did during the June floods, above.My favorite pedestrian bridge, just a few miles up the Elbow River, doesn’t exist any more. All three super-bouncy suspension bridges got washed out and won’t be rebuilt til next year. City engineers tell me they’ll be more solid, aka more safe and less bouncy. Here’s a run down memory lane, across the old bridge. At least this winter I’ll be more moisturized.