It was Saturday morning, just after breakfast, and Calandra and Everett were going over to watch the tipi being put up.  “We’ve never seen this done before!”  Everett had his neck craned back, looking straight up to the tops of the first four tipi poles already in place…”  The Sparrow’s Choice
Off to the museum on this field trip, the Ninepipes Museum, to learn about the history of our valley, the Salish and Kootenai tribes living here and the early days of the Hudson Bay Company.

It couldn’t have been a prettier day.  This area is a refuge and a wetland management district.  I’m always hopeful to see swans here, a fairly rare treat, but always there are geese and a variety of ducks swimming in the runoff-filled ponds, nests tucked in the cat tails and along the grassy shorelines.

I stopped here for breakfast in 1992, I think it was, when I was wondering around the West looking for a place to settle.  It was the dead of winter but I remember the Ninepipes Lodge and the view.   Now coming into spring, there is no better view of the Mission Mountains than across this sweet pond in the back of the restaurant, complete with geese and their goslings and turtles out sunning themselves.  No way I could have known all these years later I’d get here in a school bus!  🙂

I wish I’d remembered about this great old buckboard, I’d have taken my own picture for the cover of my book!  

Over the river to Glacier Int’l. Park we went! Lucky for us it was a gorgeous day. Also lucky for us the chaperoning teacher wanted to talk to the kids at Lake McDonald first, so we stopped there briefly. I couldn’t help but take more pictures.

Then we went the back way out of the park over the North Fork of the Flathead River. There is true wilderness up this road, a rough, dusty road during traveling weather. It’s not uncommon to see bear and elk in this area, and campers must be cautious. Just before it ends at the Canadian border there’s a tiny community with a general store and a bar/restaurant, the Northern Lights. There are no utilities there, save propane for the restaurant, and you can order a fabulous pizza and eat by lantern light.

This day we stopped at a lovely camp, a learning “institute” for both kids and adults. I dropped off a class and came back empty so stopped along the way and took a few pics – I just can’t help myself!!!

“The valley below was lost in the night, and at a particular spot Sky pulled the sleigh to a stop, looking north. ‘Let’s sit here and wait for a few minutes.”Wait for what?”You’ll see.’ Sky pulled the robe closely around them and Calandra leaned into his body. They were quiet for some minutes, the barest whisper of a breeze toying with Tom’s mane.” The Sparrow’s Choice

It’s finally light enough in the mornings to share some morning route pics. Really loving sunlit mornings after too many dark, icy, winter starts. Keeping to a schedule is important picking up kids, don’t want them standing out in the weather too long, don’t want to miss them by showing up too early, so we all have waiting places in case we get ahead of schedule, either because roads are better than we thought or we don’t pick up as many kids as usual and get ahead of schedule. It’s also the only way for me to snap a few shots – can’t take pictures while driving, of course!

My first waiting spot is along a long straight road heading into the mountains, surrounded on both sides by farms – grain, potatoes, and I don’t know what else. If I was early I had been waiting by these grain bins, often parked with potato trucks ready to load or full and ready to head out.

I’ve become friends with the mom who waits with my first pickup, and now I do my waiting there. The road ends there, tapering down to a trail leading into the woods at the base of the mountains. She brings her Yorkie and we chat and I cuddle the pup and then Zack and I get on our way. Before heading out the other day I took a picture at the top, and one of Zack, looking down a steep block or so and out into the valley. In the distance are the Salish Mountains, kinda hard to see, and I just missed them being rosy, but this gives an idea. My house is tucked in those hills. It’s looking the other way than the shot from the grain bins. I often have to wait for deer to get out of the way at the end of this road or for turkeys to figure out how to get through or around fences so I can pass.

Then I take a loop and wait here – sometimes I pretend I have to wait here for a minute just to enjoy the view before moving on. My last waiting/catch up stop is at Les Schwab – I didn’t take a picture 🙂

Though waiting may take up less than ten minutes of my morning, it’s become an essential part of my daily routine, me and the mountains communing, silently watching, and waiting…

It doesn’t feel like spring but it looks like it! Gotta grab what we can 🙂 There are daffodils coming up everywhere – my yard, the neighbor’s yard, and all over in town. Tulips won’t be far behind! Fritallaries and star flowers are doing the wild flower thing and bitterroots are showing their green skirts, long before they grace us with their blooms.

Life is pretty quiet up here, not much to report. I dropped my bus off yesterday to get some painting done on it and, lucky me, while I waited for a ride home I had the company of two doggies who had designated spots on the couch to watch the scenery. Both were in and out of my lap at one point or another. Later I drove some kids to the aquatic center and watched typical spring squalls of corn snow blow around by the mountains.

I hope all is peaceful in your worlds, blessed Easter to all!

Yesterday I drove another group of kids up to Glacier Park for snowshoeing.  Still lots of snow and ice but much warmer and prettier, unless you prefer fog.  The ice was doing weird things – I’ve never seen ice form like this, must be from waves?  Chunks ranged from 1 inch to about 6 inches and some made great skipping stones:

The sun was just hitting the mountains when we got there and the lake was smooth as glass.  I can’t help but take dozens of pictures when it’s that pretty!

And, though I can’t seem to get the pics side by side, below are fog and no-fog shots from the same spot so you can see what the fog was hiding!

Then:Now:Then:And now:And now you know why I love going there!  Can’t wait for the next excuse to drive kids up there!

Lucky me, I took another bus to the ski slopes in Whitefish, and with four weeks left to the season I sure hope I get to go again!  I’m hoping this is a better portrayal of the activity going on there than my last tranquil-looking pictures!  And this time I got a lift ticket, complimentary for bus drivers, and rode to the summit, where coffee tasted better than I’ve ever had it.  Guessing the temp was a single digit, the ride up was more than cold in a few places where the wind hit the lift full force.  Which made the coffee absolutely necessary  🙂 I rode up with a group of very nice Canadian gals.

Ski slopes are good places to people watch.  Being a Phoenix girl I never learned to downhill ski, and I really admire the grace, skill, and coordination of some of those skiers.  Watching the kids in different stages of training and all the patient parents is a pleasure!

I had not seen snow making in action, interesting and noisy!

This time the weather, sun wise, was fully cooperative and I made the most of my day.  If anyone told me even a year ago I’d be spending the day at Big Mountain waiting for kids I took up in a school bus I never would have believed them!!!

Wear fleece and bring gloves 🙂  We’ve had such a mild February that my friend, Dayna, and I have played tennis a couple of times.  Just ’cause the temps have dropped a bit doesn’t mean we’re not still game.  The courts are dry, what more could we want?  The city had left a couple of nets up through all the snow and ice but put them all back up this month – must be some tennis fanatics working for the city parks department!   The digital read out of the temperature at the real estate office in town didn’t pick up on my camera but it said 38 degrees.  It was calm, the view was exquisite, and I wanted the exercise so I met Dayna before my afternoon bus run and had a ball – no pun intended!  So glad she loves it as much as I do!!!

Snoopy may be upset but I can’t complain about the gentle snow we’re having – the first in weeks and not too threatening. And me and my kids eat our French toast inside 😀

As she poked the fire in the stove, Calandra went over the calendar in her head, mentally listing all the things to be done before the holiday. It was just before dawn as she stepped out the back door of their apartment with the wood basket. It had snowed during the night. An ethereal glow lit the fields east to Pony Ridge, white as far as she could see. The distinct hush of freshly fallen snow filled the valley. She held her breath for a moment, becoming part of its presence. The Sparrow’s Choice

Luxuriance

Restocked firewood this week – yay! A dear friend came and sawed some big chunks into a more manageable size for me and then the splitting began! I moved what I had left from the driveway to the house and shazam!!! Heat for the rest of the winter!!! No snow in our future but I’ll be ready when it comes!

Splitting operation, supply before and after

A gloomy, foggy day hovered overhead as I took a bus-full of kids and adults up to Glacier Park. Taking the shortest way, up the east shore of Flathead Lake, we were treated to great scenery the whole way, despite the fog. It was in the teens when we arrived in West Glacier, very cold and damp. The kids were being treated to snowshoeing and info on weather reading, moisture measuring, local flora and fauna, etc., courtesy of the Park Service. I think the parents that went were very brave 🙂

There were no facilities for the waiting bus driver, but I was able to tromp where I wanted – the snow was hard packed and snowshoes weren’t necessary, though I put yaks on my boots for the ice-packed pavement. I ate lunch in a cold bus and by then one hard-core shopkeeper opened for business and was willing to share her warmth with me! The fog moved in and out while I waited, making scenery change by the minute. The sun came out for about fifteen minutes right before we left and I took a bunch more pictures – I couldn’t help myself.

This is my favorite shot; I may print it as a reminder of a fun day when a big kid had a blast!