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!

Linking to

All Seasons

Floral Friday Fotos

Mosaic Monday

Nature Notes

Our World Tuesday

Skywatch Friday

Thankful Thursday

Strolling San Francisco, Arm-in-Arm

The holidays are now past, the kids have flown back to college and winter has clenched its icy fingers around our town.  Methinks it's time to return to the regularly scheduled programming for my blog, such as retirement updates, last summer's trips to Canada and the UK, hikes and status reports on log house construction.  Today we commence with the third and final day of our August visit to #1 Daughter in San Francisco.  (See Day 1 and Day 2 posts)

We began our day at the San Francisco Railway Museum, a free gem stuffed with memorabilia of the antique streetcars of the F Market and Wharves, and national landmark cable cars that continue to run along the city's major arteries.  Cable cars run on steel rails with a slot beneath them.  Under the slot, below the street, is an endless cable powered by elaborate winding machinery in a central powerhouse.  In 1957, San Fran became the last city to operate cable cars as something other than a tourist attraction. 

Streetcars also run on steel rails, but have a trolley pole on the roof that connects to a single overhead electric wire.

Clock Tower of Ferry Building peeks out behind sculpture

After negotiating massive Market Street, we entered a food and beverage paradise known as the Ferry Building.  I was immediately jealous of anyone who lives or works near this mecca; the options for breakfast, lunch and dinner are endless!  Designed in 1892 by American architect A. Page Brown in the Beaux Arts style, the building was completed in 1898.  The entire length of the building on both sides is based on an arched arcade.  Brown designed the clock tower after the 12-century Giralda bell tower in Seville, Spain; the 245-foot-tall tower has four clock dials, each 22 feet in diameter.

And elements of the structure, such as its mosaics, are captivating. 

Bottom: the Great Nave

With the decreased use since the 1950s, after bridges were constructed across the bay to carry passenger traffic, the building was adapted to office use and its public spaces broken up.  In 2002, a restoration and renovation were undertaken to redevelop the entire complex.  The 660-foot long Great Nave was restored, together with its height and materials.  A marketplace was created on the ground floor, the former baggage handling area.

With our eyes and nostrils satiated by the culinary delights of the Ferry Building, by pure chance we stumbled upon Bechtel Plaza in search of a quiet spot to enjoy our cake and coffee.  What a find!

A plaque to one side of the square notes: "Dedicated 4/29/1978 in observance of the Bechtel organization's 80th anniversary and the dedication of its 45 Fremont Street Building.  This plaza honors the warm and gifted leader who guided Bechtel to a prominent and honorable worldwide role in engineering, construction and management of projects."

Tastefully tucked behind branching trees, a railroad car beckons gently with its curious name and ornate glass windows.

In the 1920s, the WaaTeeKaa was home to Steve and Laura Bechtel and their family at remote construction sites in the west.  This vintage car has been restored to replicate the original.  On 9/24/88, to commemorate Bechtel's 90th anniversary, the car was dedicated as the Bechtel Museum (free!) in honor of the can-do spirit of Bechtel's men and women: past, present and future.  Inside the railroad car, the engineering achievements of the company's employees are documented, from public sights such as Hoover Dam and the Oakland Bay Bridge to less visible endeavors such as military ships and solar arrays.  I didn't know much about Bechtel when I entered the plaza, but I was certainly educated and impressed when I left.

The Concord Coach - an original!  One of ten

Wells Fargo ordered in 1867

Ironic, then, that our next stop should be the Wells Fargo Museum; Wells Fargo seems to be on the opposite end of the corporate spectrum with embarrassing scandals.  But that didn't hold us back from enjoying its historic exhibits (free!)  The Abbot-Downing Company of Concord, New Hampshire, crafted these 2,000 lb. coaches from stout oak, ash, hickory and elm.  The exterior was brightly decorated with gold leaf, and the interior featured fine leather and plush fabrics.

Only part of the map is shown

This 1874 map shows Wells Fargo's express routes by stagecoach (in red), by train (in black) and by steamship (dotted).  Even with the expansion of the railway lines, many towns still depended on the stagecoach for connections to the world.  From 1866 to 1869, Wells Fargo operated the major overland stagecoach routes west of the Missouri River, covering 2,500 miles of territory from Nebraska to California and north into Montana.  So, the next time you want to complain about air travel, consider sharing the coach with 8 of your closest companions at a rate of 5 miles per hour!

While travel may have been challenging in those days, opulence and luxury could be found by those with the cold, hard cash.  The famous Palace Hotel, upon its original construction in 1875, was the best and grandest hotel in America west of the Mississippi, and an icon of San Fran wealth and pride.

In reflection, you can see some of the 63,000 panes comprising the glass ceiling

Every room had its own bathroom, a novelty even among luxury properties, and rooms could communicate by interconnected pneumatic tubes.  The original building was destroyed by fire following the 1906 earthquake; today's building dates to 1909.

I found the marble, glass and crystal of the atrium mesmerizing.

Top middle: I wouldn't want to be the fellow in charge of cleaning the chandeliers!

Reluctantly, we parted ways with #1 Daughter; she split for work at the theater and we moseyed back to Berkeley from some nosh.

Yes, that is Man with Hat!

Our memories of San Francisco will always be inextricably intertwined with our daughter, and this exceptional visit to the city.



I think I left part of my heart in San Francisco ... strolling arm-in-arm with #1 Daughter, a little bit of love and contentment spilled out. 
 

Linking to:

Mosaic Monday

Our World Tuesday

The Many Faces of San Francisco

Mural in Chinatown

Why do you travel?  For most people, it's for the newness, to simultaneously feel the discomfort and the thrill of the quirks and peculiarities of a place.  On our second day with #1 Daughter (#1D) in San Francisco, her tour showed us new faces of the city, diversity on vibrant display. (see previous post of Day 1)

Down a random, semi-concealed cobblestone alley?  The Irish Bank Bar and Restaurant.  You might think you are in Dublin!

  

Chinatown is a bit more conspicuous with its ornamental gate, lanterns and lampposts.

It's the tourist district, and we comply, stopping at the bakery that advertises its moon cakes in the front window ("The Only Moon Cake Made in America; Best Moon Cake in the Whole USA) - who can resist?  We buy three different cakes and munch as we admire the murals that are on every spare wall and some delivery vehicles as well.

Mural on left says "In Progress"

A few blocks more, and in the peace of Portsmouth Square, old men are playing vigorous card games, and others are focused on Tai Chi.  Not many tourists here - locals always find a place to hide from tourists!

A small alley hides the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, with its tiny storefront that opened in 1962.  Women sit at a conveyor belt folding messages into 20,000 fortune cookies a day.  This is the only bakery in the city where cookies are made by hand the old-fashioned way.

Up one block and suddenly we are swimming against the tide of Chinese shoppers, who are navigating a myriad of open-air stalls - dried seafood of every type, fruits and vegetables, fresh fish, and many curiosities that we could not identify.


By now, all this food has whet our appetite, and soon enough we are sampling the wares of one of the countless restaurants in Chinatown.

I wonder if these fortunes were made down the street?

Re-energized, we ascend Nob Hill, poles apart from ChinaTown.  Posh hotels, classic architecture, people walking dogs in the park, the hushed serenity of Grace Cathedral.  

Brass Christmas ornament

Of course, no visit to Nob Hill would be complete without a stop at the free Cable Car Museum, which houses a collection of historic cable cars, photographs, and mechanical displays.  And, most stunning to me, it is located in the Washington-Mason powerhouse; it is the site that generates the power for ALL of the cable cars in the city.  From the museum deck, you can see the huge engines and winding wheels that pull the cables plus the person perched above the cables monitoring their smooth operation. Downstairs is a viewing area of the large sheaves and cable line entering the building through the channel under the street.  Mind-boggling!!!

Like Spousal Unit and me, #1D is a coffee fiend, and she has a nose for unique coffee shops.  This day, her choice is a short cross-walk from the Museum.  And how fun it was!  Board games, quirky and eclectic decorations, wine and beer, and just the right amount of attitude to be amusing without being annoying - for example, they put their bad reviews in the bathroom for everyone to read!

Maybe I liked it because I won the game of Sorry!

Afternoon was moving toward evening, and #1D took off for work after ensuring we made it safely to our BART station.  A short time later, we navigated our own way through the BART to arrive at the enchanting California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda, where #1D has invested her summer honing her skills as a stage management intern.

All the theatergoers were making the most of a glorious evening - sunny with a bit of nip in the air - partaking of picnic dinners in the grove near the outdoor venue.  We are here to see #1D and black odyssey, written by Oakland native playwright Marcus Gardley.

We move to our seats, and are struck by the simplicity and beauty of the set.  And so begins a classic tale (and classics always evoke the full range of human emotion) that jogs our memory about the importance and power of stories. 

We clap, we shout, we sing, we cry.  It's that kind of performance, that kind of tale.  How fitting that #1D is here for the summer: to be reminded that our history is both chain and freedom, depending on how it is used.

#1D on set at intermission, deploying props

And so the second day ended, once again, to a standing ovation.

Linking to Our World Tuesday

Linking to Mosaic Monday