Time for me to take the defensive driving class for my school bus job, and the class is in Lewistown – way out in central Montana.  Driving a school van (with A/C and CD player!) I hit the Lewis and Clark trail in Missoula this morning.  Heading east on Highway 200, I drove through Bonner, the location of one of the West’s biggest Superfund sites.  The pair of explorers would be as appalled as the rest of us over the disaster at the confluence of the Blackfoot and Clark Fork rivers, the result of old mine waste that came from upstream.  The dam is gone now and things are improving, at least visually.  (The Blackfoot was made famous by A River Runs Through It, though at the time of movie production it was too polluted to use for filming.)

I followed the river east, the air yellow with summer heat and haze.  After crossing the divide the land and geology actually reminded me of areas in Northeast Arizona.

It was 96 in Great Falls so I thought maybe I was in Arizona!!!  I saw a white pelican – will try to get a picture of one on the way back!

Actually no vacation for me.  I worked, and worked hard.  And, as a surprise, I learned something!  Sitting in the faculty lounge for lunch I scrounge for reading material – there’s a bookshelf full of interesting titles, mostly about art.  One book I pulled out was on famous paintings.  Mind you this is a kindergarten and first grade school.  This book had little arrows pointing out features of famous paintings – like the Mona Lisa.  I never thought much about her, and the fact that she has no eye brows.  I never noticed.  Apparently it was vogue in her time to pluck them all.  And did you know she’s wearing a veil?  I sure didn’t!  Okay, so first graders are ahead of me in art, who cares 😉
To give an idea of some of the bizarre things I did this summer (two weeks of this left) I’ve included two pictures.  One of the school –

I washed every exterior window on that building, including ones on the roof looking into the cafeteria, and most of the interior ones.  There aren’t as many on the south side of the school but enough.  One of the other hard workers removed all the hand and foot holds off this climbing wall in the cafeteria/gym.

I put them back.  Use your imagine, I was told.  Have fun with it!  I tried, I really did.  I also tried recruiting some kids to help and couldn’t even convince them it was fun.  I failed as Tom Sawyer 😦

For the summer, in addition to the occasional bus trip, trolley drive, and new bookkeeping job, I’m cleaning at one of our schools, the kindergarten and first grade school.  It is not a glamorous job and I wouldn’t recommend it.

There have been some interesting happenings though, unexpected and good for much needed humor, given the circumstances.  I probably spend half my time cleaning and the other half moving furniture, cabinets, desks, chairs, easels, book cases, filing cabinets, and even a plastic fireplace so the carpets can be cleaned.

In the process I’ve rescued  triceratops from a market awning, had a runaway teddy heading for the cafeteria, corralled out of control glue sticks, cleaned up a major train wreck in a hallway and woke up a sleeping bear.

I have moved untold numbers of little plastic chairs and sleeping mats.
I wonder what class in college teachers learn that primary colors are such a necessity to child education?

That I don’t dream in red, yellow and blue is a miracle, though I did dream one night of missed erasers and sequins in a corner after vacuuming.

School has totally changed since I went.  No more blackboards and chalk.  There are white boards and smart boards and computers in every room.  There are rocking chairs and bean bag chairs and toy kitchens.  There are stacks of toys and games, puzzles and Legos.  One room has a red-eared turtle named Michael Angelo, who begs for food if one gets too close.  The one familiar and comforting thing is the alphabet – still strung around the top of the boards in the front of the classroom, each letter with a matching picture.  A is still for apple and Z is still for zebra – phew!

I will not end the summer any smarter for the three months in school, but I will be in better shape.   Silver linings are sometimes scarce but always there.  🙂

A soggy field trip to Kerr Dam, southwest of town on the Flathead River.  Three buses went and, lucky for me and my group, we stopped at the dam first while the other two went down to the power station.   See one of the other buses down there?!

There are over 200 steps down to view the dam, but the climb is worth the effort.

They are filling the lake now (the lake is allowed to drop over the winter, partly to leave room for runoff but also to keep docks from being damaged by ice) so very little water is coming through the gates.   Runoff should have the lake at “full pool” by June 15 this year and then the gates will be opened to keep the lake at summer level.  I had never been to the lookout so was glad for the chance.

Then we took our turn down at the power plant.  I’ve been to the park area there to run the dogs along the trails that lead down to the river but never had a tour.  An impressive operation, the dam was completed in the 1930s.  The second picture is a bearing that connects a turbine to a generator; there are three of these.  It is moving VERY fast.
This was one field trip I was happy to tag along and be a student!

A ranch visit and a farm visit, all in one day!  The kids must sleep well after these field trips!  This one included apple pressing, tree house climbing, horseback riding and learning everything they could want to know about local agriculture.  Even I checked out this tree house, the coolest one I’ve ever seen.  I want one!

Then patient teachers and parents took kids for rides around the barn, again and again, on three very patient horses, who I had a nice chat with before they were saddled up and put to work.  Another gorgeous place to wait with my book and my camera.

Then on to a very big farm.  This farm in on my bus route, so I was glad to learn something about what goes on here.   I sent pictures of grain bins a few weeks ago and those are on the same property.

We learned that cattle forage grown here consists of peas, wheat and barley.  They ship 115 million pounds of potatoes a year – yikes – that’s a lot of potatoes!  And they turn on their big irrigating systems with their cell phones – high-tech farming!

During my lunch and reading time, enjoying the view from my bus, I was kept company by this big fella, a chukar, an introduced game bird.  It’s the first one I’ve seen!  He’s pretty smart, there’s spilled grain all over the place!

“This is my favorite spot,” Everett said.  “Pretty good fishing in that hole over there.”  He pointed to a deep pool in the shade of the big cottonwoods.  Blue damselflies flitted about the reeds in the shade there, adding bright points of color to the washed-out afternoon.  The Sparrow’s Choice
I sure get to go pretty places 🙂  I was joined this time by two other buses for a busy day at the fish hatchery on the Jocko River!  The river was moving fairly fast but there were also ponds, still and quiet.

Because of my need to go exploring, I missed all the info on the facility, which provides rainbow trout stock.  I’ve never seen such big rainbows, and there were tanks of babies in all sizes too.

In my coming and going I saw fish being sketched, heard a lecture on what legends are, fish being fed, and happy kids eating lunch.

No fish were caught.  The only thing we actually brought home were memories of a warm day with friends learning more about how the world works!

“They have a heritage to share with the other students and those of us who know nothing about their true culture; it gives them a sense of pride.  We set up a little fire inside the tipi and do a little cooking, some storytelling.”  The Sparrow’s Choice

Last week was river honoring for the Salish and Kootenai tribes.  There is a lovely spot along the Flathead River set up for sharing and educating local school kids each May.  There was a tipi for each of, I believe, ten “stations” where students could learn fish and water bug identification, about local trees, Native American stick games, about power provided by our local dam, and touch animal hides and bones brought by the Forest Service.

There was a raptor rescue organization, the station I visited the most.

An elder from the tribe sat at his big powwow drum and when he played and sang the kids moved on to the next station.  The only thing that damped the activity was rain the second day, but in between squalls the field was alive with happy children.

Not one to sit still, I had to explore.  The river is running fast these days with runoff.  I tromped up and down where the willows didn’t block my way and ate lunch in the shade of a juniper.

I’d heard about an old flume up in the hills and it was an easy search.  It and the scenery were worth the short hike.  This not an hour from my house, unbelievable to me.  I spent a couple of hours of up there and will likely hike up there again given the chance!

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…