Happy new memories never take the place of old ones, just add to a treasured collection of good times.  I have a particular trove of kayak memories, dating back 20+ years, every one still precious.  We explored many lakes over those years in numerous states.  And I’ve had the pleasure of taking numerous 4-legged passengers along, some having fun, some not so much.

With life changes, some things must be relinquished but the memories survive.  And, of course, new ones are created.  With a new vehicle I had to part with my faithful kayak, Joe (named after my grandfather, whose fishing boat he named Little Cindy some 60 years ago, a memory unto itself).   Joe took me to intriguing places.  We explored quiet bays, beaver dams and peaceful shorelines.  He bumped over many dirt roads with me and my buddy to a new or favorite launch site.  He hauled camping supplies or souvenirs I’d pull out of a lake or shoreline debris.  Sometimes he just held a thermos of coffee for me.  Joe was a faithful servant, as was the truck that hauled him on all those adventures, both forever in my memory files of love.  

Now Coco and I are making new memories with a new kayak and a new van (neither has a name yet).  We’ve already racking up memories that we’ll cherish for years to come.  It’s fun anticipating memories yet to be made.

It’s interesting how memories work, sometimes appearing for no reason, sometimes triggered by a current event or repetition of something in the past.  There’s always room for new ones.  Let’s keep track of how many fun ones we collect this week!

I love taking pictures through the seasons as I walk each day, looking back on them later to see the changes in scenery – ice along the river, dormant trees in the foreground of snow and cloud covered mountains in January, and then in May the river rushing along, covering logs and gravel bars exposed all winter, green trees appearing before mountains clear and bright in warm sunlight.  Or in the fall with calm water, ducks paddling lazily through water reflecting unbelievable autumn colors.  In one year’s time so much can change. Here’s some spring versus winter scenes:

Sometimes two times can coexist.  I recently camped in a 100-year-old mining town with a dozen cabins in ruins in a forest that has continued to fill in and ignore the old human debris.  And there was my van by the remains of someone’s home. What would those pioneers think of the changes?  Are they sorry they left?

On the same trip I visited Garnet, a same-age ghost town that has escaped some of the ravages of time, receiving a bit of TLC over the years.  What would the people who lived there think?  Now people poke through their homes and a few of their left-over possessions, marveling at that way of life, the fortitude and adventure those folks ventured into.  I sat at a nearby bench and worked on a story.  What would those miners think about a woman sitting at a lighted box overlooking their main street?  Why would she do that? 

Having recently moved, I’ve been re-setting my collection of photos that have, for years, decorated entry tables, end tables, book shelves and dressers.  In the process, I have recognized a similar pattern with astonishing changes – me at age 25 in California, me at 35 with my favorite dog in Arizona, me with two dogs at 45 in Washington, and me all the time changing, getting older, with backgrounds of ocean, desert, snow-covered peaks and forests, time-changing places I’d never have imagined.  I’m not going to include then-and-now pictures of me 😊  It’s amazing how quickly things can change. Comforting to know some things never do.  Would I change things?  Maybe. Do I count blessings?  Look back and recognize mistakes?  Wonder about a road less traveled?  Of course.  The choices I made are recorded in my many pictures but now is the time to be thankful for my many experiences that got me where I am now, which is a fine place, where I walk daily along a scenic river taking pictures at my leisure!

Winter in Montana turned quite severe the last ten days or so.  More than just normal Montana weather, it beat records for cold.  It snowed, making it a little pretty, but no dramatic ice or anything to wish for it to repeat those temperatures any time soon.

In weather that severe, we have to be careful with our 4-legged kids.  My kid only weighs 18 lbs., and extreme weather can be dangerous.  Coco already had a couple of sweaters and a jacket but at -15 they weren’t enough.  A generous friend gave us two jackets that her kids had refused to wear.  Coco was also given some boots, a well-wisher hoping to keep her petite feet from freezing. 

Coco loves going out but when I start pulling out winter wear she hides out –

And so we started trying things on.  It’s amazing how much Coco can say without saying a word.  A look or a stance can say volumes and she gave me an earful :D Layering seemed the way to go.  Coco wasn’t so sure.  We tried a variety of mixes and matches.

A jacket with a hood?  Are you kidding? Socks tied on? How humiliating.

I borrowed a scarf and stocking cap from a stuffed animal but the hat was too small – I thought her ears standing out oddly was hilarious but Coco not so much.

When it came to the boots, her eyes and posture and one indignant, stumbling step summed up her opinion. 

One stunning jacket, clearly a boy’s Sherlock Holmes jacket, fit her well and she might have actually enjoyed modeling it but she wouldn’t look me in the eye and admit it 😊

So nothing profound about my blog this week but hopefully it gave you a chuckle.  And when the next cold snap comes hopefully you’ll have some ideas of how to keep your sweet fuzzy baby warm and safe!

I’ve always loved watching for footprints and tracks in the snow.  It’s rare to know the story behind them.  What critter made them?  Where were they headed?  Sometimes the print is clear, sometimes not so much.

I was sure I saw a wolf one day.  I checked out prints after it left.  There were tracks coming up the hill and then going off into the trees.   The snow was fresh and fluffy so hard to tell but maybe not big enough for a wolf?

Sometimes there are enough hints to speculate.   I hiked at a lake over the summer where I’d been told to watch for moose.   I don’t get up early, especially while camping, like mooses do, but found some fun prints in the sand along the lake.  I can’t read “sign”, but a smaller print over a big print should mean a baby is following close behind mama, right?  They were just coming out of the trees for a drink, right? Looks like a little bird tagged along.  I took some fun pics of those and included some of mine and Coco’s.

Deer leave pretty obvious prints but I still wonder what the story is.  Why are they going from here to there and not somewhere else?  What do they think is over there?  All I know of is a fenced property and a road.  I guess there’s no reason for them not to check it out, could find food anywhere.

Sometimes tracks look like there was a traffic jam.   In this pic the deer prints do not overlap the turkey prints so did they pass each other without leaving this narrow path? 

Turkey prints are fun.  They look like they’re pointing one direction but the turkey is actually going the other direction, except in this pic it looks like nobody knew where they were going!  What was happening?

I saw wet prints at the river the other day.  No dog or anything in site.  I don’t think a ghost dog would leave tracks?

We walked along abandoned train tracks this week.  Guessing they’ve been there 80 some years and I’d love to hear their stories.  Who came and went?  How much copper or gold rolled over them?  Did they get a break in the winter?  Guessing at this point those old tracks are too tired to tell stories, they’ve had enough.

One morning out my back door I found this – teeny bird prints in snow that was melting by the dog house. Not sure how this happened but they left me a little heart – how precious is that?

It’s going to snow later this week.  We’ll be out looking and making our own prints again!

Coco’s idea is to soak up as much sun as possible before the snow comes.  She’s got it figured out. 

My idea is to enjoy the colors and the last of the warmth as much as possible, keeping perspective as I have to clean up fall’s mess 😊 

Some of the trees are slow to get started, but whether here or in town, when the trees reach their luminous peak they scream for attention, overwhelming us onlookers with their saturation of color.

Not all the colors are from maples.  There are willows, cottonwoods, birch and ash.  There is a deciduous conifer here, larch, but I couldn’t capture the depth of color as they turn gold high up on the peaks of the Bitterroot.  Going out into the wild to enjoy the show has fringe benefits – like seeing moose!  And, though common, seeing deer, geese, mallards and kingfishers up and down the river are still a treat!

Each season has its pros and cons.  The trick is to enjoy the best each has to offer, forgiving them for their hot, cold or messy quirks, and embrace them before they move on. It will be a year before you see them again!

It’s that time of year again, and my sister suggested I run this blog again, first posted in 2012. Nice knowing she liked it so much! Can’t be reminded too many times to count our blessings and it’s the time of year when we’re publicly reminded. Here’s my input:

Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away. The weather confirms it, as do the grocery stores and radio ads. Wet cold days spent inside make it the appropriate time for reflection, to look back or ahead, to be totally present in the moment, and to give thanks in all things.

My sister, Lynne, and I email back and forth on the days our work shifts over lap. We are not texters, Heavens no, but have developed a number of our own acronyms for comments or phrases that seem to work themselves in our conversations regularly, so we’ve made our own shortcuts for time saving. We have OOTROW, which can be a good thing or a bad thing – out of the realm of words! It’s for something that happens or an emotional response that the English language just has no words to describe. This happens surprisingly often! We also use SNWI. This applies to a new ice cream flavor or a movie we took our time and money to see – so not worth it!!!

Two of my favorites are IAR, it’s all relative, and PIE, perspective is everything. Lynne and I use these often as reminders, in reference to work, relationships, finances, or how we spent the weekend. We don’t tolerate much whining. We are blessed in countless ways. Though there’s always something we’d like to be different or better, or one more thing we’d like to possess, we are lacking nothing! Almost more important than being thankful for the blessings in our lives, is support, prayers and anything else we can give to those who are not as well off, financially, emotionally, or health wise. Many people in the east won’t be spending this holiday in their home because it’s gone. Many kids won’t be getting the dozen toys they want because their parents can’t find jobs. Not everyone will spend time with their entire family, as one may be overseas in the service or sick in a hospital.

Right now I’m sitting by my nice warm fire. I whine plenty about using my free time to cut firewood, that I get sore and tired and filthy from doing it. But how lucky am I that I’m able to do it! In a place that I love! Is it hard spending an afternoon in the woods with the fresh smell of cut pine, listening to Stellar jays chat in the tree tops? Hardly! Do I love my little wood stove radiating free heat? Absolutely! So once again I remind myself that perspective is everything. Wishing you some PIE thoughts for your holiday, along with warmth, happiness, and full tummies.

Coco’s idea is to soak up as much sun as possible before the snow comes.  She’s got it figured out. 

My idea is to enjoy the colors and the last of the warmth as much as possible, keeping perspective as I have to clean up fall’s mess 😊 

Some of the trees are slow to get started, but whether here or in town, when the trees reach their luminous peak they scream for attention, overwhelming us onlookers with their saturation of color.

Not all the colors are from maples.  There are willows, cottonwoods, birch and ash.  There is a deciduous conifer here, larch, but I couldn’t capture the depth of color as they turn gold high up on the peaks of the Bitterroot.  Going out into the wild to enjoy the show has fringe benefits – like seeing moose!  And, though common, seeing deer, geese, mallards and kingfishers up and down the river are still a treat!

Each season has its pros and cons.  The trick is to enjoy the best each has to offer, forgiving them for their hot, cold or messy quirks, and embrace them before they move on. It will be a year before you see them again!

We’re never too old to have firsts.  Coco and I have had a lot in the past 10 months.  

My first summer in the Bitterroot Valley is winding down.   I did my first exploring within days of moving here.   Fall was in full swing   I discovered river accesses by accident, visiting the bank or the grocery store, looking past back parking lots or poking around dead-end streets and, wow, there was the river!  It runs right through town!  The colors, the mountains and the gentle water combined to make a memorable first impression.  We’ve watched the palette of the scenery change and the seen the water roaring but we’ve only become more enamored. 

Coco loves splashing in the river, no matter how cold.  She saw her first moose, lounging in a clearing by the river, and was not impressed.  It was not my first but only the second moose I’ve seen in Montana since moving back in 2004 – I was thrilled.  

It’s the first time in 30 years that I haven’t had a truck.  We’ve done our first camping in a van, spacious and comfy.  For the first time not sleeping in a tent in a very long time it’s quite the treat.  So far the van has taken us to remote lakes and river banks. 

Sometimes getting there has been interesting.  The van does great on long dirt roads.  Just gotta be careful ‘cause sometimes cattle guards don’t work!

I’ve done my first lawn mowing in almost 20 years.  It’s Coco’s first lawn ever and she likes it! 

I’m adjusting to not being out in the woods. It’s the first time I’ve had close neighbors in almost 20 years too, including a view of garbage cans, street lights, and kids next door.  Our first impression hasn’t changed though.  My desire for a simpler life is proving successful with time for more firsts.  We all need more firsts and they can happen at any age with a little time and desire.