Adventurous August

Oslo Gardens

Three countries. Five major cities and three towns. Highs (mostly) and (one) low. All in 31 days of August. It seems impossible. But as Winnie the Pooh says, "People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day."

ONE: Over the pond

We began August in Norway, covered extensively in a previous post. I offer you a few 'leftover' pictures from that trip - I love leftovers, don't you?

Upper left: Lillehammer Commemorative Piggy Bank

Upper right: Horse and Cart at Folkemuseum

Lower left: Oslo bench

Lower right: Crochet projects at Folkemuseum

Oslo zinnia

Do you ever wonder how airlines price their tickets? We have traveled extensively, and yet we still had a bit of an education when planning our Montana/UK/Norway/Montana trip. Booking on the web (as you do) was turning up truly exorbitant flight prices. To cut to the chase, after spending several hours on the web, we made a phone call (imagine that!) and found out that the airlines were considering each leg of our trip as one-ways. By adding a stop in Newcastle on the way back from Norway, it would qualify as a round-trip, much less than a one-night hotel stay near the Newcastle airport. Done! What does this mean for you? Pictures of our 'last supper' in Newcastle before returning to the US.

Port and a cheese board - hard to resist

TWO: Back home again

Red Columbine in our garden

As much as we enjoyed our three weeks of vacation out of the country, it was sublime to return home. Having left our new landscaping and our two cats in the care of our neighbors, I was anxious to return and relieve them of these tasks. Maggie and Josie had adapted well to the female teenage caregiver, and the landscaping was thriving. It was a pleasure to watch our friends open their gifts from our travels abroad.

During our vacation, I finished the last of my tea towels, and I was able to join "Sunday" with the others for a picture of the full set.

Summer isn't summer without a picnic; a neighborhood couple invited us to their ranch for supper and kayaking. Although the picnic had to be moved indoors due to the vicious yellowjackets, the winged ones didn't keep us from paddling around Lone Lake. Much to his delight, Spousal Unit hooked a large Northern Pike.

Smoke, not clouds!

Summer in the Northwest increasingly means forest fires, and this season has been no exception - hence the low point in this post. We joined friends for a hike to the Grinnell Glacier Overlook (subject of a future post), and as we drove along the Going to the Sun Road at 7 am on August 12, we could see a small plume of smoke on a northern ridge above Lake McDonald. A lightning strike the night before had ignited the forest. Twelve hours later, as we re-traced our way west, the plume had expanded into a raging fire that scorched everything in its path, right down to the water's edge. For us, it was almost inconceivable how rapidly the fire had grown in such a short period of time. Standing on a south-side Lake McDonald beach, we watched tree after tree suddenly flare like bright torches. We could hear the 'boom' of propane tanks exploding as seven private residences on the north side of the lake were destroyed (many were historic buildings more than 80 years old. One of them had recently been renovated by our general contractor …) We could feel the heat of the fire, from 600 yards away. Below is a video of our view of the fire.

The small crowd gathered on the beach was mostly silent. What could you say when your heart is breaking with grief over the destruction? (As of last evening, the fire has consumed 12,432 acres and is 12% contained. Cooler temperatures and some precipitation have considerably slowed its growth.)

THREE: Colorado

Evening sun dapples the hills of Glenwood Springs; view from the

home of my brother and his wife

After 7 days at home, we jetted off to Aspen to visit #1 Daughter (see previous post). My youngest brother and his wife live in Glenwood Springs, an hour from Aspen, and they generously opened their house to us during our stay. After a day of rafting on the Colorado River, expertly guided by my brother, we soaked in the pools of Iron Mountain Hot Springs.

Later in the week, we savored the tasty offerings at the Riviera Supper Club in downtown Glenwood, and walked a bit of the town at night.

All of our wildlife sightings occurred on our last day in Aspen/on our way to Denver. On our hike to Maroon Bells (see previous post), we saw a pika by the trail but I was not quick enough to get a picture. I had more success with a video of a family of pine martens - check out this short clip.

View eastward from Independence Pass

And then, on the east side of Independence Pass, we came across a bull moose grazing less than 25 yards from the 2-lane highway. Amazing!

FOUR: Back home again (reprise)

This time, I could put away the suitcases - our next trip in December is a long way off! We caught our breath, and started planning for family who arrive on September 7. Two big projects loomed: the screening room and the outdoor fire circle. Our new couches arrived on August 9, and in the last couple of weeks, Spousal Unit has installed the screen, projector and speakers. For many of you, it won't be a surprise that a Bruce Springsteen concert will be the first show to be viewed on the 135" screen!

The fire circle is coming along well, especially now that Spousal Unit found a company willing to deliver 7 cubic yards of yellow gravel without charging us an arm and a leg! And today, Stage 2 fire restrictions have been lifted - we won't have to use our imaginations while sitting around the fire pit, or make s'mores in the microwave and bring them outside!

FIVE: In the rhythm

Top: Josie and the box

Bottom: Maggie and the sun

Despite the projects, life has begun to fall back into its normal rhythms. Morning coffee. Lovin' on the cats.

Running the back hills - fall is on its way.

Gardening. Cleaning. Checking the trail cam - the badger is STILL AROUND!

Volunteering. Blogging. Evening walks with Spousal Unit.

P.S. If you haven't seen the Christopher Robin movie, I highly recommend it. The bear with little brain has some remarkably profound things to say.

"Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."