short rant

It's not even 9 am and so far we've have one tear-filled time out after Amelia pushed Aven off her chair, one horrid diaper that warrented a full shower for Aven (and made me long for the ease of disposable diapers - though not enough to actually put one on her) , after which she promptly threw-up blueberry/banana smoothie all over her white towel...the dryer is on strike so said diaper and towel will need to hang on the line after being washed...

Time to strap the little beasties in the stroller and run like a mad woman....until I feel sane again!

a new river

I have loved rivers everywhere I've ever lived; from Sourdough Creek that rambles through Bozeman, to lazy summer days floating the Blackfoot with friends and beers, to submerging my 8 days overdue! pregnant body in the Bitterroot River last August praying for those first contractions while trying to keep cool.

We've just met the Big Hole River....



but I think we'll get along, just fine...



why would my child rather eat rocks than food?...potting soil is a close second...

After leaving the river and admiring the cactus along the side of the road,


we made a quick stop at another fishing access...where I dropped my camera through the bars of a cattle guard that just happened to be filled with water...(sigh)

My camera's recovery is not looking very good at this point. So my blog may be a little short on photos for a while.

Hope to be back soon.

feeling independent

This place is my 'home base.'



Regardless of remodels and new furniture, it will always remain The Cabin,



where the air smells like lakewater, and reflected light is busy glittering and dancing to watery rhythms on your ceiling when you wake in the morning.





There is nothing like full-on summer at the lake; when the last of the snow recedes from the rugged mountains of the Bob Marshall Wilderness, trips to the Ice Cream Place are a daily occurence, and the water finally grows warm enough for more than just a quick dip.



It is so wonderful to watch my children discover this place.








To watch them breathe in air that tastes of glaciers, watch turtles lay eggs on the rocky shore, dip their toes and hands in the lake, and come away with a yellow bracelet of pine pollen.







There is the feeling of skimming across the top of the water in Grandma & Grampa's boat,







dinners on the deck,





baths in the sink,



cozy naps while changing altitudes,



and the tradition of the 4th of July Parade:



The morning of the 4th, I escaped for a few hours for my own celebration of independence; a hike in one of my favorite places...all...by...myself!!!!






The view from the top (in any direction) is incredible. To the east are the falls,



and to the west:



On the hike back down to my car I had to strip down and jump in the lake - ahhhh -
Go Independence Day!

the greatness of a kiddie pool

We finally had some warm weather...it actually made it into the 70s...woot woot!




Our headquarters for sunny summer days:




We lose whole parts of the day out here...







And then break for lunch...

zen and the art of driving to grandma's

It started out as a quiet morning of focused puzzle do-ing...


And letter 'H' drawing...


Not surprisingly, this peaceful self-occupation did not last through the packing process...So I packed for a typical Montana summer week at the lake; sun hats, snow hats, bathing suits, rain coats, fleece vests, life jackets...and lots of snacks...all while singing Baby Beluga and dancing like a mad-woman to keep their attention on me instead of on unpacking our bags while I'm not looking.

We hit the road by naptime - it's just shy of 200 miles from our front door to grandma's, so I guessed about three hours, which would make for a long nap, but I was feeling optimistic....

After driving 40 miles, we'd already stopped twice. Both girls decided they were starving the minute we hit the road, so I served up snacks like a good stewardess while piloting the car at about 75 mph...not for the faint of heart...

Then Amelia decided to share her string cheese with Aven, which is very sweet, except that I kept picturing Aven's giant front teeth neatly chomping off a perfect throat-plug sized piece of cheese, then quietly choking in the backseat while all I can see is the back of her rear-facing carseat. Stop number one - wipe slimy chewed-up cheese off of Aven while parked on the off-ramp and swap her a teething biscuit and her sippy cup of water.

15 miles later Aven is screaming her head off and Amelia has to "really really pee, mama." Stop number 2: a very windy rest stop with awesome rocks for Amelia to climb on while I change Aven out of soaking wet-clothes (apparently the sippy cup sprung a leak), and nurse the poor cold babe, and let Seeley run around and pee on bushes. Quick stop in the bathroom where the extremely heavy door nailed Amelia in the head, and we're off once again....


Look at my face - weary, weary mama!




But they both crashed and slept the rest of the way (whew)!


Then it became this beautiful, relaxing drive through places that contain all these old memories for me. This stretch of road was the first highway I ever drove on; when I was 14 with my learner's permit and my step-dad pulled over and told me to get behind the wheel.

I had all these wonderful full-circle feelings driving my own daughters toward the lake, remembering making this same trek as a child; the fullness of summer, the green fields and blue rivers that make me feel like this is home.

Then the first glimpse of the mountain lake that I first swam across 20 years ago, that I learned to sail and canoe on, sweet with the smell of pine pollen and cool, silty glacial sediment- even the air feels green with run-off, snowmelt, the essence of the history of the earth. I feel it all floating on my back in these waters that have held me as a child, that held me while I carried my daughters in my body.

Down the tunnel of red-dirt road and lodegepole pine...

and we are there.