Letting Go of the Bay Leaf: Elk

Showing posts with label Elk. Show all posts

Thursday, March 9, 2023

March Melange

Time waits for no woman - hence the diary page twitches to March 9 without my having paid homage to the thrills and frills of February! It just will not do. So I bring you my melange, my medley, my potpourri of happiness and happenings. I care not if I hop like a bunny from March to February and back again - if it will bring you even a smidgen of joy, my job here will be done!

Speaking of bunnies, this little one posed motionless outside my bathroom window, less than three feet away, for at least 15 minutes. Do you suppose it thought it was invisible?

Snow - an amazing miracle. Have you ever really thought about it? All those teensy individual flakes, piled up, one upon another. Strong enough to support a bunny, a cross-country skier, a snowmobile. (It is still at least a foot-and-a-half deep on our property.) And the sculptures it can create. The scenes befitting of a Currier and Ives plate. I never tire of its beauty and I hope you don't grow weary of my snow photos!

The next photo is closer to home - our "side yard"! I love how the (rare) sun is casting long shadows of the trees. The sun is still low at this time of year, but at least the days are lengthening!

I celebrated another revolution around the sun last month, and of course snow sports were part of the festivities. Here I am posing with the "snow ghosts" at Big Mountain on my birthday. This phenomenon is the result of layers of rime ice accumulating on the trees throughout the winter. For more information, check out this link for a quick read.

(Note: the name of the mountain is Big Mountain - the ski area is called Whitefish Mountain Resort.)

I am grateful for all the warm greetings, cards and gifts I received. Spousal Unit took me out for dinner, followed by a winter film festival. It is thrilling to watch other people ski/ride off cliffs into deep powder!

In late February, we took a trip to Portland, Oregon for a Bruce Springsteen concert. A few days before we arrived, Portland had over 6 inches of snow and then temperatures plunged into the teens. It left roadways, parking lots and sidewalks quite treacherous. We had to forego some of our planned sightseeing (parks and other outdoor venues) because we feared falling and suffering serious injuries. But we could not resist visiting several of the waterfalls along the Columbia River Gorge, made all the more spectacular for the ice around them.

Check out these videos.

You could spend days exploring the street art scene in Portland. As I already mentioned, the icy sidewalks rendered lengthy walks out of the question, so I only captured three murals that I saw during one brief stroll. If I went back again, I would make it my mission to scour the Central Eastside Mural District and the Alberta Arts District.

(The Blanchet House mural was especially poignant in light of the homelessness crisis in Portland. Everywhere we went, tent cities dominated the landscape. Blanchet House was founded in 1952 by a group of University of Portland alumni as a house for hospitality in the model of those established by the Catholic Worker Movement. With an original focus on feeding the unemployed, Blanchet House has grown to provide clothing, hygiene items, community, and transitional recovery programs to thousands of people every year.) The subject of homelessness cropped up in most of our conversations that weekend; we did not identify many new solutions, but we sure agree that our country can do better than this!

If you search for "things to do in Portland", you can be sure that Powell's City of Books will be near the top of the list. Covering an entire city block, Powell's has grown into a Portland landmark and the world's largest new and used bookstore. The place was teeming with people and so many books that I might have been forever discouraged from my on-and-off again thoughts of writing a book. I did make note of several books that I would like to read!!!

Would you be surprised that donut shops would also make the list of must-dos? I can't tell you how many boxes of "Voodoo Donuts" that we observed as we gingerly picked our way along the sidewalks of the Pearl District. It made me wonder about the blogger that recommended Blue Star as the donut of choice. I can tell you that I sure savored my Lemon and Lime Curd Donut!

As we maneuvered our car to a new parking spot (time limits on parking,ok?) we spotted a World Market. Oh my. I don't know (and I am not sure I want to know) how much more the population needs to grow in our area to merit a World Market, so we go and salivate at every installation that we come across. Just look at these tulips! (but no, I did not buy them. We did find some Tete de Moine cheese. Ooh la la!) We had an early dinner at Jake's Famous Crawfish Restaurant - yum!

And what can I say about Bruce? The man is 73 years old. He has released 21 studio albums during a career spanning six decades, most of which feature the E Street Band. And I swear that he did not break a sweat during the 2 hours and 45 minutes that they played! Young folks, take note!

Back at home, I launched into March with a shamrock frenzy.

Meanwhile, the critters confront the daily challenges of winter. Twenty Elk waiting to cross on Big Mountain Road.

Bald Eagles fishing at Hodge Lake.

And my favorite - the Ermine bounding along the front edge of the house.

Maybe they should take a page from these pink beauties and be a greeter at Hobby Lobby. (LeeAnna - this is for you!)

This week, LeeAnna's prompt is "What would you like to have in a dream studio space? Have you ever seen a studio space you wish you had?" In this post from two years ago, I wrote about my new standing desk in our loft. It satisfied much of my dream studio wish list - a terrific view, lots of light, a standing desk, large working surface. The one thing it lacks is adequate storage for oddly shaped craft items such as rolls of cross-stitch fabric. My sister-in-law in Utah has a large room she uses for quilting - the previous owner was into card-making and had specially designed cabinets for card stock - turns out they are perfect for fat quarters. I would love to have her storage options!

Hop on over to I Like Thursday at Not Afraid of Color to hear more!

Linking to Monday Murals

Joining Eileen for Saturday's Critters

Linking to Mosaic Monday

Sunday, October 2, 2022

Mosaic Monday #192: Summer Farewell

My dear friends, this will be my last post as the host of Mosaic Monday, so it is fitting that I close this chapter with a final set of summer photos.

August featured no less than 3 backcountry camping trips. Too many pictures for one post, but I can sure show you some highlights.

Our first trip, with an intended destination of Gray Wolf Lake, is a story in itself. We fell short of our destination, and it rained while we gobbled our dinner, and for most of the night.

Rain is such a unique event during the summer in Montana that we were a bit surprised by this rainstorm. The thunder and lightning that accompanied the storm ignited one significant wildfire some 15 miles from where we camped for the night. But I will never complain about rain in the summer, given the extreme drought conditions in the Mountain West!

Between two camping trips, we spent one night in a hotel situated midway from the trailheads. We were a bit early to check in, so we stopped at a nearby eatery for a treat of coffee and ice cream.

The next day, we worked off that ice cream with more than 3,300 feet of elevation gain in 5 miles. But this is the reward: Mollman Lake.

The day of these photos also happened to be our 31st anniversary. I had drawn this card and brought it with me.

"Husband" is just a title every man can have. But it takes a heart and life to live by it. You have never failed to show me how much I mean to you. Happy Anniversary!"

Can you believe we had this whole place to ourselves? Priceless!!!!

Of course, you don't always have to go far from home to capture beauty. The next two photos were taken on August 16, right in our own neighborhood as I came home from town one evening.

August brings the Northwest Montana Fair to the fairgrounds, complete with wall-to-wall 4-H competition, food you shouldn't eat and rides that light up the night sky. I went two days to support the grandkids of my Dear Neighbor Friend, and trust me when I say the kids cleaned up in most of their events! I continue to learn the finer points of showmanship, and the importance of udders and other body parts on goats, sheep and cattle! On rodeo night, I worked the funnel cake booth for St. Matthew's Church - I think I can still feel the skim of frying fat on my skin, and smell funnel cake batter in my nostrils. I took a little time to spin through the quilts/home-made crafts section - always inspiring.

In this post in December 2021, I wrote about discovering Spanish blackwork. I was thrilled to see this example of it at the Fair! (By the way, I have purchased a design utilizing blackwork, and I am anxious to get started on it!)

At the end of August, rolling over into September, a three-night backcountry camping trip in Glacier National Park checked all the boxes: wildlife, fishing, jagged mountains, glacier-blue lakes. Let's take a look!

Video of waterfall along the trail.

Video of bighorn sheep ewe and young one.

Back at home, it was wildlife of a different sort and proportion that attracted my eye. Check out this video of the largest bumblebee I have ever seen.

Grasshoppers pick on the Russian Sage, climbing its stalks and nibbling through the very peak, toppling the lovely, symmetrical flower pyramids. In the process of hunting the grasshoppers, I spotted this precious little frog. It is you, my dear, that I hear singing after the sun goes down.

In early September, we were delighted to welcome my oldest brother and his wife, who flew their "Blue Eagle" plane from Morgan County, Utah, to Kalispell.

Over the five days of their visit, we kayaked on Lone Lake, hiked in Glacier National Park, and were treated to aerial touring in the Blue Eagle. I was thrilled to provide a garden tour, and Head Chef kept us well fed as usual. A lovely visit all around.

Flying over the landscapes we see every day, but flat-footed, is a gift. Is that hill really that steep? Does Ashley Creek wind in such a serpentine manner? The area around Whitefish has many more lakes than I realized. Do they have fish?

I love this video of Ashley Creek in Smith Valley.

The latter part of September has brought wildlife of every description. One night, sitting in the great room, I imagined an owl calling. Going out on the deck, I was thrilled to hear Barred Owls echoing each other. One is a blessing; two or more feels like a miracle.

The cygnets that I featured in this post are growing up. On September 17, they were swimming together, but without their parents. And they came so close to me - no fear?

While I was at the lake's edge, Spousal Unit called me. "Can you see the elk? It's a mama and a baby, in the water." I scouted the lake, with the binoculars and without. Nothin'. I worked my way north, and then I heard the splashing. Mama saw me or sensed me first. The best I got was the baby running away through the woods.

Meanwhile, our neighborhood black bear has been roaming, building up fat for the winter. We have seen him at least once a week, and in one case, I saw him while running out in the woods ... I took the long way around that day! These shots were taken as I came home from town one day - less than a half mile from our house.

Thistles are one of the many species that we combat for preservation of the native habitat, but before I cut the seeds off and put them in the trash, I momentarily admire their beauty. In many ways, they represent the fleeting nature of summer. Weightless. Perfectly designed for purpose. Ephemeral. Majestic simplicity.

And so, we bid farewell to summer and to Mosaic Monday.

*****

My dear Mosaic Monday friends: I am pleased to tell you that Heidrun @ Soul and Mind and so on will be taking over Mosaic Monday, starting next weekend. She carries on the fine tradition established by our previous hosts – Mary @ Little Red House through August 4, 2014, Judith @ Lavender Cottage from August 10, 2014 through July 24, 2016, and Maggie @ Normandy Life from July 31, 2016 through October 29, 2018. I hope that you will continue participating in Mosaic Monday – your posts through the years have inspired me more than you know!

Some of you have asked if I am leaving the blogosphere altogether; I will still be posting occasionally, and linking to Mosaic Monday as well as other link parties. So, I will see you around, my friends!

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.

Sunday, September 4, 2022

Mosaic Monday #189: Trail Cam Treasures

We are so blessed to live on the edge of the wilderness, with all the wildlife that comes with it. (Did you know they have a term for this? Wildland-urban interface = a zone of transition between wilderness and land developed by human activity. Unfortunately, the most common definition relates to increased wildfire frequency and risk. As houses are near wildland vegetation, they are susceptible to wildfires. I prefer to define it in terms of proximity to flora and fauna!) So, let's cast our eyes over some of the critters that have wandered in range of my trail cam!

Elk on the move - same day as the Sandhill Crane - May 18.

Did this elk get lost? May 29 - and look how much greener it is!

I have had many reports of the neighborhood black bear, and finally I got a shot - from the back, but better than none! (and the clock was off - this was 11 am)

A young buck in early June - he'll be searching out does pretty soon!

And this will be the result! (June 16) This momma looks pretty skinny ...

I never cease to be amazed by the capability of the trail cam to capture motion, such as this Tree Swallow in flight on June 3.

Sandhill Cranes dance for three primary reasons: To find a mate, to strengthen the bond between a mated pair, or to express aggression or territoriality. Based on my experience with our Cranes over the last five years, I believe these two are "strengthening the bond" (June 4). We could all learn from this, yes?

As you may have noticed from the photos thus far, the camera had been in two locations - the meadow you see above, and the road where I hoped to capture the bear (and I did.) It was time to try another locale - the lake! And it delivered in spades!

A parade of mallards.

Mallards with one Greater Yellowlegs (I welcome correction from any of the birders out there).

Three Greater Yellowlegs taking flight.

Great Blue Herons. Jaw-dropping majestic creatures.

Speaking of majestic, check out the Trumpeter Swans and the 2 cygnets. This is the first time (since we have lived here) that they have nested on the lake below our property.

I have written in the past (April 25, 2021; September 19, 2020) about the beaver who lives at the lake - we estimate the presence of nature's engineer has raised the water level by two feet. I wonder sometimes how much of the wildlife we see now has been brought about because of the deeper water.

For priceless photos like the one below, I am grateful to God, the beaver, and the many factors that led us to Montana and this superlative piece of wilderness.

** I may be slow in commenting this week since we have family visiting.

**Also, Mosaic Monday will take a break on September 11 - come back and link up on September 18!