Between the four of us, we took thousands of photos in 2012. It was difficult to choose just 12 to represent our 2012: all the time we spent in our yard, the many beautiful hikes, activities enjoyed together, the world around us. I think this baker’s dozen does a reasonable job of representing our year…

Our 2012 apple harvest was mostly used for baking apple spice loaf and apple crisp and for making apple sauce. The apples didn’t last very well for eating fresh.

One benefit of the cloying crowds along the shore in front of the Chateau Lake Louise is that it’s pretty easy to find someone to take a family photo! This was at the start of a wonderful autumn hike up Mount St. Piran.

I’ve retrofitted my desk with a Kangaroo Junior and cushioned mat to create a standing desk.

We continued our annual tradition of taking another family out hiking, this time with most of the C family joining us for a late fall outing to Sunshine Meadows.

Our oldest son really developed his mountain biking skills this year, completing one full lap around the 24 Hours of Adrenalin course in a very respectable hour and twenty minutes.

After hiking to the headwaters of the Elbow River in the early 1990s, Mrs. GeoK waited almost two decades to hike to Bow Glacier Falls, headwater of the other big river flowing into Calgary. One of the highlights (for all but C) was crossing the big rock over the chasm.

One of the rams that seemed to be on guard duty on Grizzly Ridge. The opportunity to get such close-up shots of Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep was one of the wildlife highlights of the year, followed closely by the grizzly bear at Healy Pass and the bald eagle on the hike to Horseshoe Dam.

Hands down, the short hike up Jura Creek was the most fun hike of the year!

A small herd of mule deer regularly visits our backyard.

We enjoyed fresh produce from our garden for a couple of months this year, including a good variety of fresh vegetables and some very tasty berries.

Twice this year I had the pleasure of accompanying class trips to the Ann and Sandy Cross Conservation area, where the students are taking part in a study of beaver reintroduction to the area.

Sitting more than 2 m (about 8 feet) off the ground, this bald-faced hornet nest was about 20 cm (8 inches) across before we spotted it hanging in the branches of our crabapple tree. Our plan to grow flowers and plants that attract bees and butterflies worked better than expected!

…although I’m sure that as soon as I click “Publish”, I’ll think of one or two more images that should have made the cut.