Mosaic Monday #169: Two Anniversaries!

March 2, 2017 was my first ever blog post, and March 3 marked 5 years since my retirement.  My goodness, where did that time go?  I took the opportunity to review the nine posts I have made about retirement, prompting several observations and some resolutions.

In my first retirement post on March 13, 2017, I wrote: "I have paid my dues with hours worked over the last 28 years.  Let's do a quick calculation: assuming an average of 45 weeks of work a year and 66 hours a week, that is 32,670 hours more than a 40-hour week.  So, even though I have retired young by normal standards, I actually already worked the hours that equates to another 18.2 years."  In other words, I still have another 13.2 years to go before I recoup that overtime!!!

That post has been read 88 times and had no comments.  By the time I penned my next retirement instalment on March 27, 2017, I had picked up a few more readers (116) and two of them were commenting!  One was Tammy at T's Daily Treasures (tsdailytreasures.blogspot.com).  Tammy was instrumental in leading me to many of the other bloggers that are an essential part of my blogging community today!  The other was a former neighbor in Cleveland - you know who you are!

Cooking and food have been consistent themes in my posts, and April 7, 2017 is a good example.  In perusing these posts, I have realized that there are several recipes that we enjoyed that have since gathered dust.  We will have to remedy that situation!

My fourth retirement entry, on May 27, 2017 was a popular post - 205 readers and 23 comments.  In re-reading the comments, I was delighted to realize that I "go way back" with so many of my fellow bloggers - Sallie of A Full Time Life, Miyako of Orchid's Daily Voice, Wren of Little Wandering Wren, Sylvia of SMD Paper Arts, Mary of Red-Shouldered Hawks of Tingsgrove and Beyond and LeeAnna of Not Afraid of Color.  It also made me wonder about some bloggers I "knew well" and have not heard from for quite a while - I want to reach out and see if we can reconnect.  By May of 2017, I had discovered Mosaic Monday and had begun linking to it - in that period, it was hosted by Maggie of Normandy Life - she has since changed her blog to turning the page (hazelbarn.blogspot.com) and does not post as frequently.

Faithful readers of my blog have become accustomed to my nicknames for the people in my life - #1 Daughter, #1 Son, Spousal Unit, Dear Neighbor Friend.  When I first began blogging, it was intended to protect our privacy.  In addition to avoiding the use of names, initially I didn't even include photos with our faces .... I am over that now, but these pseudonyms have taken on a life of their own, and I can't change it NOW!  This is especially true of Man with Hat, who was introduced in my fifth retirement post on July 14, 2017.  Some of my fellow bloggers, such as Phil of Another Bird Blog, join in the game.  Phil recently referred to my husband as Man in a Plane!  By summer 2017, Lorrie of Fabric Paper Thread and Kit of A Montana Life were regular commenters, and my posts were typically garnering more than 210 readers.

With my December 15, 2017 post, I paused to reflect on retirement thus far, utilizing recommendations from my work colleagues at my going-away party.  "Don't forget to start a new hobby, enjoy reading a book, stay active, laugh every day and eat, drink and be merry," they said.  I must have taken their advice to heart, because my next retirement post was March 3, 2019, a full 14 months later!  Along the way, I met Tom of Tom the Backroads Traveller, Margy of Margy Meanders, Carol of Comfort Spring Station, Eileen of Viewing Nature with Eileen, Ellen of The Happy Wonderer, and Lady Fi.

Yes, life was pleasantly busy in those 14 months - we moved into our dream log home, we were hired as Ambassadors at Whitefish Mountain Resort for the winter seasons, and several volunteer activities had landed on my plate.  I was also well on the way to becoming best friends with my dear neighbor.  So many blessings!

I can't explain why that March 3, 2019 post had 409 readers, but I won't dig too deep!  Perhaps it was the fact that I included the speeches my kids made at the time of my retirement.  Or my reflections on the fortune cookie fortunes I have collected over the years.  Or that I had begun hosting Mosaic Monday by this time, which drew more readers.  Who knows?  I had made some new blogging friends, such as the delightful furbabies at Brian's Home, Jenn of Cottage Country Reflections, Pat of Mille Fiori Favoriti, Heidrun of Soul and Mind, Riitta of Floral Passions, Jill of Life Images by Jill, Su-sieemac of Barefoot Susie, Melbourne Daily, My Desktop Daily, Jan of Low Carb Diabetic, William of Ottawa Daily Photos, Linda of  The View from Squirrel Ridge, David of Travels with Birds, Bob of Birds and Nature in the Forest of Dean, Debbie of Its All About Purple and Bill of Somewhere in Ireland.

A year later, in the March 8, 2020 post, I reported that I had become over-involved.  "Looking in the mirror ... I have not succeeded in letting go of perfection and structure, and, despite my desire to enjoy more time crafting, these activities continue to get deferred because I have jumped head-first into volunteering, working and many other activities, which I give priority."  Sadly, in the two years since that post, this has not changed.  If anything, I have even more on my plate now.  This time, I AM resolved to make changes/room for craft projects, jigsaw puzzles, and flying my drone!  

My last retirement-themed post was March 21, 2021.  Montana was starting to emerge from the pandemic, but not to the point of throwing a party!  Serving as my own DJ, I spun up 5 songs/videos that represented freedom, "rocking through the wilderness", good friends, "lighting a fire for the silent and broken-hearted" and the desire for new experiences.  I reflected that "if I want to have freedom, I have to choose carefully where I invest my time."  As much as I prefer to know my schedule, I also regret the times when I have turned down an invitation to hike (or some other event) because I am committed.  So, my friends, as I enter the sixth year of my retirement, most activities are candidates for the chopping block.  I may give up volunteering at the Museum.  I am actively recruiting a replacement for my role on the Carnival Board.  I have even thought about how much time I should be devoting to blogging!!!

I am resolved to honor our family motto:

Watch this space!

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All of the pictures above were from the last 12 months.

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In the last two years, a few more bloggers joined my cherished circle: Sally of Crafts, Cavies and Cooking, Sue of Kiwikids Page, Diane of Lavender Dreams, Maria of Love the Planet Productions, Alan of Yogis Den, Sharon of Sharon's Souvenirs, Monica of Nature Footstep, Gillena of Verses, Jocelyn of Canadian Needle Nana, Judy of Life in Kentucky, Yoko of Stardust Talk, Raewyn at Stitching Farm Girl, Traude of Rostrose, Daniela of My Little Old World and Kim of Sarah Lizzies.  I apologize if I have inadvertently left anyone out!  Thanks to all in blogland that have made my blogging journey so fascinating and inspiring!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time).

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.

As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.

Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.

Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Mosaic Monday #143: Up, Up and Away

Our final day of hiking in the Belly River area, measured at 11.72 miles, was not the longest section of our July backcountry camping trip (see first/second day and third day).  On the other hand, the 2,445 feet of elevation gain - now, that would get anyone's attention!  It was three times more than any previous day.  Using one formula I found on the web, this equates to 244 flights of stairs!  But you won't catch me complaining!  Elevation gain = extensive views!  Elevation gain = workout!  And we knew a special reward awaited us at the end.  If you want to know what it was, read on, my friend!

As I mentioned in my last post, we rose at 6 am with the intention to dry our tents and depart by 8 am.  (When hiking steep terrain, it's always better in the cool of the day.)  However, due to the rain the day before, and the time it took for the sun to peep over the mountains, drying was a slow process; it was closer to 9 am by the time we bid farewell to the Elizabeth Lake campsite that had been home for two nights.

1.6 miles into the hike, we paused at the foot of Elizabeth Lake to replenish our water and to drop a layer of clothing; we knew we would heat up quickly as the trail immediately began to ascend.  Initially winding through forest, the trail eventually emerged onto a massive red scree field that extended as far as our eyes could see.

Without trees to obscure the view, Nephew could capture panoramas such as the one below.

Redgap Creek crossed our path, offering a welcome opportunity for a break and a water refill.  This butterfly seemed to be after a drink too, perching on Nephew's Camelpack mouthpiece!

As we continued to climb, we gained a unique perspective on our whereabouts for the last two days.  The sandy bay in the picture to the right is the spot we saw the moose, and around the corner from that is our "beach".  Directly above that, high on the mountain, is Old Sun Glacier.  From down in the valley, we could glimpse only a small section of the glacier.  At this height, the ice mass is visible in all its glory.  

The vegetation became quite sparse on the upper reaches of the scree field.  It always amazes me that there is vegetation at all, and that it seems to be thriving!

Yes, the landscape below can support many forms of life.

I reveled in the blue skies and puffy clouds.  In the picture below, I love how the trail disappears around the corner.

A solo hiker passed us on our way up, and we saw no one else until just before the section of the trail that is enclosed with a stone wall.  A couple were headed down, and we carefully perched on the uphill side of the path so they could squeeze around us.  Tumbling down this scree field would not make anyone's day!

As we approached the path on the rock wall, we could see something falling from the trail.  What???  Three members of a trail crew were shoveling rock chips from the path onto the scree field below.  One winter's worth of accumulation was enough to almost fill up the path to the top of the rock wall.  Apparently, this is what kept the tunnel closed until a few days ago (as it does every summer).  The trail is not deemed safe until the chips are removed - walking on them without the protection of the wall would surely lead to a rapid slide downhill!

This is the panoramic view that the hoary marmot enjoys every day (of the summer)!

This video shows the marmot picking up a rock in one paw, and appearing to eat or lick it.  I have seen other animals in Glacier National Park licking rocks for essential minerals, and I am guessing the marmot was after the same.  Or maybe he dug up a forb that we could not see!

As you can see in the video, plants manage to find a foothold in this rocky environment.  I snapped a few of them.

The scar in the rock leads to the Ptarmigan Tunnel, built in 1930 through the Ptarmigan Wall at an elevation of 7,200 feet.  The 250-foot manmade tunnel allows hikers to avoid a strenuous climb over very steep terrain between the Belly River Valley and Many Glacier.   Two opposing steel jackhammers drilling from either side of the tunnel, and a series of ten-hole rounds of dynamite gradually broke through the mountain in less than three months.  

As soon as we reached the tunnel, I felt like Alice in Wonderland: the whole world turned upside down.  Near total isolation transformed to a return to civilization.  People everywhere.  People who want to hike only as far as the tunnel.  People carrying silver umbrellas to protect themselves from the unrelenting sun on the south side of the mountain.  "Surreal" does not seem to capture it.   We enjoyed well-deserved snacks on the Many Glacier side of the tunnel, and then we hoofed the remaining 5 miles to the parking lot without any real stops.  

It was hot on this side, and I believe I drained my Camel Pack by the time we reached Many Glacier.  I can't tell you how satisfied we were to reach the parking lot and see my vehicle waiting for us!

And even better was to find that the RTIC cooler kept the beer, cider and wine cold for 5 days, in fairly warm temperatures!  Cheers to my nephew and Man with Hat - a glorious adventure in every way!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time).

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.

As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.

Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.

Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Mosaic Monday #142: A Slice of Paradise

On our third day in the Belly River area, we saw a slice of paradise, and it is called Helen Lake.  (See previous post for the first two days of the camping trip.)

The day began indulgently.  With no need to break camp, we could sleep in a bit.  Our nephew took advantage of this, while we grabbed some coffee and headed down to Elizabeth Lake.  A fellow camper told us he had just seen a moose, but there was no sign of it by the time we arrived at the beach. 

Spousal Unit relished his fishing, while I enjoyed observing a plover working the shore edges.  Ducks dove under the water repeatedly - could they have been fishing as well?  Eventually we made our way back to camp for breakfast, and joined in a lively conversation with the three campers that had arrived late the night before.  One of them was the person who had seen the moose, and I eagerly looked at the photos on his camera.  They reported seeing a bear on the way in, and the lady camper showed us a brief video.   We learned they live in Pittsburgh, but we still liked them after we ascertained they are not Steelers fans!

We set off for Helen Lake, sparingly loaded for the 2.6 mile trek.  Once again, stunning vistas enthralled us.  Abundant waterfalls threaded through avalanche chutes on their way to the valley floor.  Above them, two glaciers shone down with their unique blue-white color.

On the final approach to the lake, a waterfall with a "single-lane" log bridge greeted us.  It's hard to imagine something more picturesque.

Here is a video of the falls.

The turquoise water sparkled and shimmered in the afternoon sunlight as the men took a dip in the crystalline lake.

This panorama shot by my nephew captures the spirit of Helen Lake, which we decided was the best part of our trip thus far.

I wandered the shoreline, taking in the pristine meadows.  When I returned to the men, they suggested I point my binoculars to the distant hillside.  A moose!  We took turns observing it until the large mammal disappeared into a copse of trees.  We lingered, and watched clouds start to scud across the mountain tops.  Then, the young ranger we had met the day before appeared, and when we asked her about the weather, she noted that some lightning was in the forecast. 

We headed back to camp at a steady clip, but we still got caught in the downpour.  Neither man had his rain coat (breaking the first rule of mountain hiking), but even with my rain coat, I was drenched below my knees!  The rain ran straight down my legs, and the heavy brush contributed enough water that my boots squelched loudly as we re-entered camp.  Our nephew had run ahead since we had also left tent flaps open!  We know better than to assume a sunny start to the day means it will end that way, and this was a good reminder.  We got lucky that the rain didn't last long, and came straight down so that nothing inside the tents got wet.  Whew!

We hung wet clothes to dry and headed to the beach.  While the men fished (yes, again), the mist clung stubbornly to the mountains.  But there was enough sun to dry our boots for the next morning.  Nephew had the clever idea to take out the insoles, and that sped up the process.

During the fishing, Spousal Unit spotted a moose in the bay, beyond the sight line of me and my nephew.  We scrambled for a better view, and my nephew captured a few still photos and a video.  Two moose in one day!  My cup overflowed!

That evening, two couples and a single female hiker joined the cooking circle.  The two couples, one from Wisconsin and another from California, were hiking as a group and, while cordial, kept pretty much to themselves.  The solo hiker seemed to need some company (and some help, such as hanging her food bag).  We were intrigued (and I was privately alarmed) to learn she planned a total of 110 miles of hiking in one fell swoop.  She entertained us with a number of critter stories, including one about a marmot that stole her solar charger.  (She got it back by waiting for the marmot to come out of its hole and then putting her arm down there ...)  As much as we wanted to hear more, we planned rising at 6 am the next day to dry our tents prior to departure, so that also meant an early bedtime.  As I drifted off to sleep, visions of Helen Lake flickered before me like frames on a movie screen.  It was so close to perfection that, if I hadn't seen it myself, I could have been convinced our little slice of paradise was nothing more than clever CGI.  

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time).

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.

As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.

Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.

Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter