At last – a forecast of “partly sunny” after several days of rain. Now was the opportunity to grab our packs and head out to the Jewel Basin for our annual fall hike.The Jewel has some of the best displays of fall color and I was looking forward to the drive up the mountain to Camp […]
Montana
Bear Fattens up on Grouse!
The air is cool, the leaves are changing and the bears are fattening. Fattening up with grouse that is! Lurking in the dark about 50 feet down the hill from our house, this black bear came for a visit one night to feast on the grouse that came crashing into our window a couple of […]
The Forest – My Muse
I sit at a desk positioned parallel to the railing that separates the loft bedroom and the open air between the floor and ceiling of the Great Hall below. Across this space are large windows revealing the world outside. To my eyes, this forest is like an infinite Matryoshka doll. I can peer into the […]
Canning Cherries-Best Freezer Cherry Almond Ice Cream
The best thing about making cherry almond ice cream is eating it! Plucking pits out of cherries with paper clips, sticky red juice splattered over counter-tops and walls, glass jars that must be washed and kept hot in sputtering vats of water lest they break when boiling fruit is added to them is not. But, […]
Tips for Picking Cherries
“See this little bud here, don’t break it off when you pick, it’s next year’s cherries.” Oh my gosh, what responsibility! One false move and my family and I could be responsible for the ruination of next year’s cherry crop! What if I accidentally pick off a bud – or two – or three? Would […]
Mom, the Bear, and Leo the Lion
It was the morning after my mother died that I saw the bear. It was early and I was lying in bed looking out of my second story bedroom window. I often look out of the window in the mornings to start the day while also hoping to get a glimpse of wildlife starting […]
Hidden Lake Trail, Glacier National Park
For the first time, we hiked all the way down to Hidden Lake – so glad that we did! The hike was amazing but the switchbacks on the way back were terribly steep! Glacier’s ever-changing landscape never fails to please. Snow and colorful wildflowers came together for a beautiful mix of breathtaking scenery. In this […]
June in Review – Cycling, Columbia Mountain, Mom Died
June was a flurry of outdoor activity. David and I cycled the Going to the Sun Road from Avalanche to the Loop, and our family hiking jaunts began in regularity. Mallory and Eileen took their first “real” day hike without their parents, and seeing them off was reminiscent of the Big Kids’ first day of […]
Eating Jake
Jake was shot to death on Mother’s Day. It came as a surprise even though I had been mentally prepared for it for some time. I didn’t know when or where it would happen, but I did know “how”. It would be at the hands of my husband who had been hunting for a tom […]
Showy Beargrass Popping Up all Over Montana
Beargrass is popping up all over Northwest Montana. It is a beautiful plant to see in nature and also to photograph. However, beargrass has very little to do with bears and isn’t actually a grass. Beargrass is part of the lily family. When not in bloom its slender leaves make grassy clumps that […]