Change ~ Embrace It

How many changes have you seen around your town lately? Has a building been torn down?  Has a new store been built? Has a business relocated? Does a parking lot now cover some green space? Is there a new signal light where there wasn’t one?  Look around, I bet you’ll find lots of little changes. Did you take any pictures of the old place?  No?  Uh-oh. These changes whether subtle or not, sometimes creep up on us and before you know it you can’t remember what used to be on that corner.

I got the idea to write this post after I had finished reading a book to my grandchildren the other day via Skype. It’s an old book we’ve had around for a long time titled, Up the Trail and Down the Street. The story begins with construction workers going home after a busy day of road work on Main St. They leave some of their equipment and Old Pete is left to put up red warning lights around the construction site. A curious boy named Larry comes along and admires the really big power shovel. Pete likes it too and begins to explain to Larry how Main St. keeps changing. He tells the tale of how long ago, Main St. was just a wilderness. As the story unfolds, we hear all about the past when Indians had lived in the area and made a trail through the woods so that no hunter would ever get lost again. Larry becomes intrigued and returns each day to hear more about the early trail and how it became Main St.

The city of Kalispell has been around since 1891, so you can imagine that it has seen a lot of changes over the past 119 years. It still has its charm though, considering there are more people, more stores, and less farmland. It’s got a rich history which I’ll save for another post.  Today, I just wanted to share some of the most recent changes around town.

This beautifully tiled shelter was built a couple of years ago in Woodland Park.

They are now building a swing set to accompany the other playground stuff.

And have removed some wooden playground equipment at school park.

They’ve put metal signs all over town so you can follow a  historical driving tour of the lower valley.

And paved a bike path through the swamp.

They have added a parking lot next to the Hockaday Museum of Art.

And begun construction in earnest on the Hwy. 93 bypass.

 Change is inevitable.  So why not embrace it?  Just remember to keep a notebook and a camera handy to record it. 

I like this quote from an Unknown Author ~  If nothing ever changed, there’d be no butterflies. 

Before I leave, there is a bit more trivia I’d like to share with you about skipping stones.From the North American Stone Skipping Association website:

• The very first NASSA World Stone Skipping Overall Champion was a 22 year old female with 23 skips.  (Just in case you thought this was just a guy thing)

From Travel Montana magazine:

• “There are things in life that everyone should experience at least once.  Skipping stones over a stunning postcard-perfect lake in  Glacier National Park is one of them.”

My daughter stands silhouetted as she stands on the rocky shore of Lake McDonald.

Canoes beckon visitors for a ride on Swiftcurrent Lake.

For more about our historic neighborhood read:

• A Stop at Willoughby

Until next time,