Lots of pics and few words, because pictures are more interesting anyway, right? (Though as a writer I suppose I'd better not really believe that . . .)
Enjoy.
Back to June and Alaska . . . and magnificent Denali
The Baker Beauties (this was BEFORE the bear got them . . .)
Sunrise (not that it exactly ever set . . . ) over our campsite at Toklat
A midnight shot after our writing and wine night
Summer ain't summer without a trip (or seven) to the Big Dipper! Guess who DIDN'T order the huckleberry ice cream!
A mariposa lily, giving a shy smile
Setting up camp at the June Shy Bear contra dance
Oh, those tree huggers! Just can't get away from 'em!
Stacey in the lupine
Basil being fierce (or just tired?) in the laundry basket
Afternoon sunlight and glittering summer bugs by the river
Sending Greg off to Namibia (only 16 days left, though!)
What's this? ANOTHER Big Dipper trip??
A lovely and oh-so-quintessential picture of Tricia and Benjamin (and, for that matter, Miriam)
Yet another typical, not to mention traditional, picture: Tricia and I on the Welcome Creek bridge
We spent a lot of time at Franklin Park's splash park . . .
. . . and got just a tad damp.
We also ate lots of yummy food . . . mmm!
Adult swim night at Splash Montana!
Which happened to be the same night two kids set Mt. Sentinel on fire--we had great views of the fire and smoke from the top of the water slides!
~400 acres burned
I've also spent a good few weeks doing a very late spring cleaning.
The contents of the Recycling Cave of Death:
The newly-organized RCoD:
I also decided to paint the meditation room (finally!)
Despite the strong paint smell, Basil's curiosity got the better of him:
and the lure of the window was too great to resist.
A job (mostly) well done!
I also washed the rugs, and then sat out on the balcony and read while they dried. Mmm, balcony.
The last big project was rearranging the living room thus, and suddenly it seems much more spacious. Huh.
But I had plenty of time to play, too! Here we are in Butte, heading downtown to the National Folk Festival
For those who seek an alternative energy mode of transportation:
I also decided to plant a garden this year--though I bought starts rather than plant seeds:
They were so little! So cute!
And for some reason I didn't anticipate how much they would grow!!
So now everything's a little crowded . . .
but it will still all taste very, very yummy.
the best of both worlds: mint chip and huckleberry
I had a lovely day today. I took off work early and went with my friend Greg up the Swan Valley, where we proceeded to canoe on a beautiful little mountain lake, and I proceeded to take my first gorgeous scenery pictures with my brand-new camera!! (Had to practice in preparation for my Alaska adventure . . . which is starting on Saturday!)
So enjoy.
(Later I will post pictures of my fantastic weekend of contra dancing and sister time in Seattle, but said sister has to give me the pictures first. Since the Folklife Festival occurred before I bought my new camera.)
Testing the zoom capabilities . . . 
Testing close-up shot capabilities (and isn't the moss gorgeously green?)
The Swan Mountains across the lake
Kinnikinnick flowers (isn't it a fun name? Makes me think of Vicious Knids, for some reason)
Ooh, a bald eagle! Isn't it pretty? Wait . . . where is it?
Ah, here he is! Mere feet away . . . or so it seems.
Yes indeed, it's May in Montana! Snow blowing across the Swans.
On the drive home, we paused to watch an elk trot its way across a marshy meadow . . .
. . . while a sandhill crane picked his way through only a few feet away.
Choosing the camera with the great zoom was most decidedly a good move.
Oh, and while I'm at it, I think I'll put up a couple of sister pics from my weekend with Andrea in Lynden at the beginning of May.
Andrea at Deception Pass (and obviously thrilled to be there):
Yay, sister picture!
Of course, the requisite silly shots:
. . . or are they (gasp) normal!?
I love my sister. :)
Next post from . . . Alaska?? Stay tuned for moose, Denali, caribou, bears, and more!
"Be not the slave of your own past.
Plunge into the sublime seas,
dive deep and swim far, so you shall
come back with self-respect, with
new power, with an advanced experience
that shall explain and overlook the old."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
Yes, indeed, BOTH Democratic presidential hopefuls were in Montana last weekend. I went with some friends from work to hear both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton speak at the Mansfield-Metcalf dinner in Butte. We waited outside, shivering in the Arctic wind, for nearly two hours, and amused ourselves by taking pictures.
But when we finally got inside (and through security, where the security peeps made sure that our cameras and phones were truly cameras and phones, and that we weren't carrying any weapons), we found decent seats, grabbed the provided box lunches (courtesy of Costco) and sat in eager anticipation while the Civic Center filled to capacity.
When Barack Obama was introduced, the roar of applause and shouting was overwhelming and lasted for several minutes. Throughout his eloquent speech--he spoke of universal health care, improvements in the educational system, new tax requirements for wealthy individuals and corporations, the need for all people in this country to have equal opportunities to meet their basic needs, and his hope for CHANGE--he was constantly interrupted by further cheers and fervent clapping. We couldn't stay silent; we couldn't stay seated. We were inspired. Refreshed. Energized. Full of hope that, come November, we will have the chance to vote for a political candidate who cares about the same things we do, who has vision and compassion and determination . . .
GO OBAMA!!!!
All righty . . . that's my moment on the soapbox.
In other news,
I mopped my porch floor this morning and organized my cupboards and basked in the sunshine.
I'm in the process of putting together an Earth Day liturgy for my church, and I get to be the assisting pastor for the service! A little daunting but mostly exciting. I've gotten to meet with Pastor Jean several times this week and it's been refreshing.
The cats are going wild with the coming of spring and are constantly tearing around the house, knocking things off the shelves, and getting into places they're not supposed to.
Work on my thesis is going slowly. Good thoughts for creativity and motivation are much appreciated. :)
I opened the windows in my house today (first time this season!), and am reveling in all the fresh air!
I bought my first pair of of Danskos. I could rhapsodize over how much I love these shoes, but I'll simply say that they kick ass.
Well, the weather is gorgeous today and I'm about to take off for a hike up Mt. Sentinel for some exercise, Zen time, and journaling. Happy Saturday a todos!
In the midst of disjointedness and randomness and utter chaos, occasionally a bit of unexpected order creeps in. When it does, one should probably listen to it, right? All those big questions are out there--What do I do with my life? Where do I go? What's the next step? etc., with no answers forthcoming. One of things I am sure about, however, is that right now I need to be working on my thesis, and I have seven weeks (well, six now) to work at Adventure Life only 25 hours a week, with my mornings fully dedicated to writing and researching. This year, Lent begins earlier than it has in over a century, and lasts 40 days (or six and a half weeks). Times like these, I think the cosmos is telling me something. My academic discipline is going hand in hand with my spiritual discipline, and there's some mental and emotional discipline happening, too. I'm curious to see where this Lenten journey takes me, where I'll be by Easter . . .
One result of earlier discipline (from about two years ago, actually) is the recent publication of one of my essays in Perspectives: A Journal of Reformed Thought. Exciting!
Besides the discipline, though, I've been having fun skiing in the all the great snow we're getting this winter, hanging out with Beth and Britta, having time to cook and bake again--finally!--and simply enjoying the season. Of course, we need some pictures.
Once again Christa and I drove over to Bozeman for a weekend of good contra dancing fun! Three cheers for dancing three days' straight on a VERY slippery floor! Ah, Wintergreen. It is a wonderful tradition. Check out the link and you'll see a familiar face.
Oh, and of course I don't have any pictures of the actual dance, but I do have pics of the gorgeous place we stayed!
And then, of course, there's been tons of snow this winter, and thus tons of fantastic skiing. I have gone with co-workers, like my friends Moe:
and Julia:
This past weekend I went up the Rattlesnake with Beth and Britta, and it was stunningly beautiful:
And we skied the WHOLE TIME . . . except when the expanse of perfect packing snow tempted us too strongly, and we succumbed thus:
creating a voluptuous snow goddess to reflect all our own goddess-like qualities. Ahem.
Below, our poles (and skis, for that matter, but they're rather buried), waiting for us to return from our creative work:
Then we skied away, quite merrily, until Beth called out in a resonant whisper, "MOOSE!" We turned, and there she was, not 20 feet away, munching on the shrubbery.
Just in case I needed a reminder of why I live in Montana.
