Bountifully Blessed

Afternoon sky in North Dakota

It's been a week of introspection.  Looking back, and forward.  A celebration and a bit of a self-assessment.  A (sometimes surprising) re-affirmation of my passions.  On the whole, an eminently satisfying catalog of a year well-lived, well-loved, and bountifully blessed: it has been 12 months since I retired and started documenting my voyage with this blog.

Calypso Orchid

I won't apologize for my method to outlining this post: I organized my notes around the objectives stated in my blog profile.  I re-read all 72 of my blog posts, beginning with the first.  I perused (ancient!) notes I kept leading up to retirement and for the first 9 months post-freedom.  After all, even the most ad-lib writers structure their prose in some fashion ... but in the end, I sat back and let my emotions speak to me.  Here is what I heard:

Family game of Kings in the Corner

1. Letting go of perfection and structure is harder for me than I ever thought possible.  I deliberately bought a simplified Franklin planner that only has room for 10 Daily Tasks during the week and 4 on the weekend.  Nevertheless, my list often extends to a dozen or more, and I certainly don't finish them all.  I am learning I CAN give myself permission to engage in the 'fun' items even if there are still 'work' tasks on the list!  Enjoying the beauty of a moment can be difficult when my mind strays to tomorrow and its events and tasks.  With some effort, I am becoming more effective at re-directing my attention to my current environment and its gifts.

Sunset on Whitefish Lake

2. I am jazzed by the simple things and by traditions.  As I looked back through my blog posts, Fall Frolics, Autumn Antics, October Wind-down, The Spirit is a-Movin' and Treasured Traditions jumped off the page.  So maybe embracing adventure is not my bag; simple traditions ignite my passions.

3. If I could spend all day every day outside, I would.  This is not new and I am in 'outdoor' heaven here in Montana.  Hiking.  Snowshoeing.  Kayaking.  Skiing.  Outdoor dining.  All of which are even more special for the presence of Spousal Unit (also known as Man with Hat) by my side.  Our journeys frequent this blog, and you can be assured of many more in the years ahead.

Man with Hat among bear grass in Jewel Basin

The kids and Spousal Unit with

snow ghosts on Big Mountain

4. Family is a constant, a solid mooring, a source of pride and joy and new experiences.  Some of the posts that brought me to (happy) tears are those about family; we play together and make new memories, all the while recalling the family tales of yester-year.  Our children are adults, and times with them are at once simpler and more complex. 

Strolling San Francisco with 

#1 Daughter

We couldn't be prouder of their achievements - #1 Son has earned Dean's List honors for two semesters (Engineering Physics major!) and landed a teaching assistant position.  #1 Daughter will graduate from college in April, and has secured two jobs that will carry her through the summer months while she locates her first long-term stage management role.

5. Travel is a given that is interwoven with my other passions: family, the outdoors and time with friends.  It would be easy to turn this post into a month-by-month re-cap, but that would be predictable, structured Angie.  Where's the emotion, the importance?  These last 12 months, travel has meant catching up with college friends, making dreams come true for others, discovering new mountains, sharing UK culture and beautiful landscapes, and supporting our kids.

Upper left: Trout Lake Trail, Glacier National Park

Upper right: Palace Hotel in San Francisco

Lower left: Oughtershaw, UK

Lower right: Bow River, Banff, Alberta, Canada

6. Cross-stitch, embroidery and knitting offer an opportunity to relax while investing my love in a piece of lasting beauty.  I would like to produce more pieces, but this activity often gets sacrificed when I run out of time at the end of a full day.  As I look forward, I will consider how I can let go of some of the 'work' tasks on my list to make room for more craft time!

Hawes, UK

7. God is generous.  My relationship with Man with Hat.  Our relationships with our children.  Our log house. Our siblings.  Our friends.  Our health.  The stunning world in which we live.  In my retirement, I have made the time to pray every day.  A healthy chunk of my reflection time involves giving thanks, the other side of prayer.  Almost every week, I can add something new to my gratitude list.

8.  I am finding a niche in our community, from volunteering at the Whitefish Museum to activities at St. Charles Borromeo Church (lector, Eucharistic Minister, fourth grade religion teacher, prayer shawl ministry).  It feels good to give back, and to know people in town as we go about our routines such as visiting the library or eating out.  Looking forward, I know I will have to start over in Kalispell, which is closer to our new home, but I am sure I will maintain some of the relationships established in Whitefish over the last 12 months.

Top: September sunshine 

Bottom: December brings winter white to the same field

Near Whitefish

Scenes along Whitefish Lake and Whitefish River

McDonald Creek -

Glacier National Park

9. For me, blogging has blossomed from a tiny mustard seed of an idea to a tree with many branches.  A creative outlet for me.  (Hopefully) an inspiration to others who may have a down day, or dream of life in the American West.  A diary that is open to the world, allowing me to 'keep in touch' with old and new friends alike. A popularity contest for Man with Hat (he always wants to know the standing of 'his' post on the Popular Post list!)  A source of inspiration for me - my blogging buddies around the world can pick me up, teach me new blog tricks, help me find long-lost embroidery patterns and show me the beauty of the world around them.  A well-spring of affirmation - comments from fellow bloggers and others are priceless; I feel valued as a member of a community teeming in variety and geographic diversity.

10. I am not bored (this is for the people who asked me, before retirement - 'won't you be bored?') 

----o----

It is quite hard to recall the minutiae of my working life, 12 months on.  This quote from Without Reservations: the Travels of an Independent Woman by Alice Steinbach captures my feeling perfectly:

One morning while having breakfast on the King's Road I suddenly realized how foreign my life as a reporter now seemed.  When I thought of it now - the deadlines, the constant search to find material for a story or column, the compulsive need to read three newspapers daily, the fear of getting something wrong or not getting the whole story - it was like imagining a country I haven't visited in some time.

Keld, UK

And that's OK.  Because I have new 'countries' to visit: Having fun before my 'work' is done - especially my craft projects.  Being totally immersed in the moment.  Celebrating simple traditions. 

Stay with me and you'll have an inside track on the journey!

P.S.  I am starting now - I tweaked the content of my Profile/About My Blog, and have changed my background to something totally fun - jelly beans!  I saw it and had to have it!

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Thankful Thursday

Spectacular Parks Canada - 150 and counting

We are so grateful that Canada opened its parks for free this year to celebrate 150 years of its park system.  As I mentioned in a previous post, we fulfilled a long-lived dream for two of my family members, and saved some bucks along the way!  Thank you, Canada, on today, your Thanksgiving!

Day 2 of our summer road trip traversed the byways from Banff to Jasper, 182 miles featuring an endless progression of mountains.  Pyramids, jagged knife edges, plateaus.   And did I mention glaciers?  

Lake Louise with glacier at the far end

From Lake Louise to Jasper, the road is aptly named the Icefields Parkway.  It has been called one of the world's most scenic drives, because around every corner, the route offers fresh wonders - waterfalls, pristine lakes and broad sweeping valleys to ancient glaciers flowing down from rugged mountains.  (Since we would be returning home on the Parkway, we chose a few stopping points in each direction to spread the wealth!)  Let's start with Lake Louise.

Lake Louise was very crowded, and so we took advantage of the shuttle buses to avoid the stress of finding a parking spot.  Mom was able to negotiate the short path from the shuttle stop to the lake, and boy, it was worth it!

As you can see, the clouds were hanging low, but I felt it added to the beauty of the creamy blue water.  

On the Parkway once again, we noticed an RV stopped on the road ahead.  Hmmm.  The reason was soon apparent - a black bear on the side of the road!  Major tour guide points for me!!!  (Because of course I had arranged for the bear to be there.)

Our next stop, Bow Lake, was chosen for picnic tables with a view - a lake, a glacier, and if you looked closely, waterfalls emerging from the ice.  It was pretty nippy for al fresco dining, but we braved it anyway.

The elephant's head plants near the stream did not seem to mind the temperature or the brooding clouds - I would like to see it all on a sunny day!

On the road again ... Mistaya Canyon entranced me just with the name.  The trail to the canyon descends slowly through thick woods, and then suddenly you are looking into a deep chasm from the safety of a footbridge.  Yes, worthy of the name!!!





Considering we were there in August, the water level in the canyon was eye-popping.

The goodies just kept coming - a grouping of bighorn sheep were grazing near Tangle Falls.

As if that wasn't enough, our next stop, Athabasca Falls, came on like Mistaya Canyon was just its little sister.  Clearly, down through the eons, water is winning the battle over rock.

A unique aspect of Athabasca: you can walk through a set of chasms that were long ago  abandoned by the river.

Our day concluded with our arrival at the Athabasca Hotel in Jasper.  The Atha-B, as it has been affectionately known for decades, was built in 1929 as a replacement for an original wooden structure constructed in 1915.  My Mediterranean Chicken Penne Pasta at the hotel that night was the chocolate icing on the chocolate cake of a day!

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Helping Dreams Come True

We recently had a hand in fulfilling some dreams for my Mother and my eldest sister, and boy, was it fun!  It started a long time ago, when my Mom mentioned her dream to sleep on a train that would also go through the mountains.

And so, with our planned move to Montana, it seemed the perfect time for her to climb aboard the Amtrak Empire Builder in Chicago and clickety-clack her way west to Whitefish.  It's a 31-hour journey (sleeping? check!) and the final part of the journey scoots around the southern edge of Glacier National Park (mountains? check!)  My Mom was accompanied by my eldest sister, who had dreamed of visiting the Banff/Lake Louise region of Alberta.  Isn't it wonderful that you can drive 5 hours from Whitefish to get to Banff/Lake Louise?  Check!

In the days leading up to our Canada road trip, I was monitoring fires in British Columbia and Alberta, since one of them had once already closed the highway we would take to Banff.  I can't tell you how happy I was when it began to rain close to site of the fire.  As we drove past the fire, clearly the rain was having a dampening effect.  It had been so long since we felt rain, or breathed in the earthy smell of rain - I rolled down my window!!!  The wonder of spray on the road, and puddles - I felt like a kid again.

Upper Left and Middle: Smoke rising

from fire along Highway 93

Bottom: Skies clear as we near Banff

Alberta and British Columbia provide frequent rest areas with facilities (can I make a crack about how important this is for a man with a small bladder?), and at one such stop we were also rewarded with Numa Falls.

Lower right: grooves from years of swirling water

Immediately before the Banff exit, there is an overlook that is a must.  As you can see in the picture below, you can't take a bad picture with Vermilion Lakes in the foreground and Sanson's Peak looming beyond.  That day, it didn't hurt that the clouds were clinging to the razor edge of the Peak!

As we entered Banff, my excitement kept building, because I had a secret.  My sister has always wanted to visit the Fairmont Banff Springs - we had taken it a step further and booked ourselves for afternoon tea.  I announced this as we pulled up to the "castle", and the delight on her face was ... priceless!

The Fairmont Banff Springs has been serving Afternoon Tea for over 125 years.  Guests from around the world have experienced Afternoon Tea precisely how Anna, Duchess of Bedford intended it to be when she first invited her guests for tea and scones.  Over the years, the pastry chefs have perfected scones, shortbread and other delicacies to delight the senses.

When we could tear our eyes away from the never-ending delicacies, we enjoyed this view of Stoney Squaw Mountain from the dining room.  (Don't you wonder where THAT name came from?)

After tea, we explored the hotel and I have limited myself to just a few pictures here.  Opened in 1888 by the Canadian Pacific Railway, this hotel was the inspiration of Sir William Cornelius Van Horne, 19th century railway pioneer and hotel visionary, who famously quipped "If we can't export the scenery, we'll import the tourists."

So, it seemed appropriate that we should end our day in Banff with a walking tour of the town, including the scenery along the Bow River.

 That night, it was sweet dreams for us all - and this was just the FIRST day of our road trip!

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