Mosaic Monday #58: Flat Stanley Visits Montana

Helping me check the trail camera

Allow me to introduce you to Flat Stanley.  He is a new friend of mine; we just met in Ohio while staying with my sister over the Thanksgiving holiday.  She mentioned taking him on her recent trip to Hawaii, and you can bet that piqued my curiosity.  I have since learned that Flat Stanley is quite the popular fellow among the elementary school set. 

According to information I received from one of my nieces, her son's second-grade class recently finished the story Flat Stanley.  Originally, Jeff Brown wrote this tale about a boy who is flattened by a bulletin board and the many adventures he has while being flat.  He even traveled to many places through the mail!

Filling the feeders - can you

see the chickadee on the suet?

For a class assignment, my great-nephew made his own Flat Stanley, and the goal is to see how many places he can travel by April 30, 2020.  The instructions are to take him everywhere, including famous or historical landmarks if possible, and to document his experiences with photos.  So, I thought it could be fun to show you a little slice of my recent activities, through the eyes of Flat Stanley!

Volunteering with me at the Whitefish Museum, housed in the historic

Great Northern Railway Depot

Decorating outside the house.  In the bottom picture, Flat Stanley

is posing on the step to the front porch

First day of skiing at Whitefish Mountain Resort

Flat Stanley accompanied me to tea hosted by my Dear Neighbor Friend;
I met two new lady friends!

Refreshing an arrangement with new greenery

In order to maximize Flat Stanley’s experiences, it was suggested that we keep him no longer than two weeks.  So I will shortly be chronicling his time in Montana, complete with the photos I have taken and a letter to describe them.   The letter and Flat Stanley will travel back to school in Ohio, and it gives me great joy to think of the class studying the photos and reading about Montana. It's not hard to deduce that many grade-school classes are learning about geography, history and culture, all through the adventures of Flat Stanley.  How cool is that?  

Flat Stanley assisted with mailing Christmas cards; soon he will pass 

through here himself on the way back to Ohio!

Update: Sue of Kiwikids has volunteered to host Flat Stanley, so he is on his way to Australia - thanks Sue!

Mosaic Monday

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March Magic

Lake McDonald

Glacier National Park

Wow, 90 days of 2018 are history!  As I reflect on the month, I am pleased.  I have made progress on my most meaningful goals.  Celebrated special events.  Welcomed a friend from Ohio.  And rejoiced with the magic of the moment.  Lots happening in the month, so let's get to it!

ONE: Culinary delights, take two

As you know from my January re-cap, my 2018 goals include cooking once per week.  Lent presented a unique opportunity to explore vegetarian options, and we discovered several 'keepers' this month. (Links for all recipes are at the end of this post.)

Vegetable Soup

Avocado is a tasty glue for this delectable dish.  Add a dollop of salsa and sour cream and you won't even miss the meat!

Your recommended daily allowance for vegies will be met with this nutrient-packed soup.  Paired with a cheesy bread roll warmed in the oven, you have the perfect antidote for a snowy winter day.

This is such a keeper, we have already made it a second time!  We speculate this could also be served cold in the summer time as a variant on macaroni salad.  Rock on summer!

Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowl

If you like peanuts, this is a recipe for you.  The sauce is light and flavorful, an ideal complement for the tofu and broccoli.

TWO: Charming embroidery, continued

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to calculate twelve (months in the year) divided by seven (days of the week).  In other words, how much time should I allot to complete my seven-piece tea towel project?  I decided I should target one per month, giving me wiggle room for unexpected delays, not to mention time in the second half of the year for Christmas-related ventures I have waiting in the wings.  The good news?  Third month of the year.  Third day of the week - complete!

 THREE: Captivating events

If you've been reading my blog for any amount of time, you have probably cottoned to our love of attending events, the quirkier, the better. March is no different - take a look!

Upper right - see the snow pile behind the photo booth? 

Only in Whitefish is Prom held in March.  And only in Whitefish is there a Grand March OUTSIDE.  Couples promenade down the sidewalk in front of their parents and the community - brrrr!!!  Our next-door neighbor's son is a senior - this was a must-see (on March 10, no less!)

St. Patrick's Day is cause for celebration in many locales, and our town is no exception.  At our favorite local pub, we encountered friends from church, whose daughter JUST HAPPENS to teach Irish dance.  She performed a couple of dances while the Irish band played.  Then, a four-person bagpipe corps entered the bar.  Spousal Unit JUST HAPPENED to run into a piper in the men's room, and he requested Amazing Grace ...

R2D2!

As the ski season draws to a close, Whitefish Mountain Resort pulls out all the stops for tourists (but probably even more so for locals, who are already mourning the end of winter, and the resort employees, who are rejoicing the end of winter).  This past Saturday witnessed the Dummy Derby - crash test dummies on skis meet demolition derby!  Of course, it helps that the event is preceded by the Mountain Brewfest, a fundraiser for the SNOW bus (but really just an excuse for a lot of people to drink beer).

Sunny skies draw a crowd for Brewfest

Check out the Minions as they make their run for the prize money - all of the dummies in the mosaics below ultimately joined them in the snow pit under the jump!

The fine art of dummy design: a sturdy base.  Low to the ground.  Weighted forward.

Upper Left: Liftys Rule

Lower Left: Huckleberry Shake

Upper Right: Cannon with white streamers

Lower Right: Darned if I know

Aerodynamic.  Artistic merit - wackier means points!  Test your dummy.  Have fun!















FOUR: Companionable visitor

We've told everyone they're welcome to visit so we're delighted when we get a taker!  (and more of you should do it!)  See, this is the lemon cheesecake with huckleberries that awaits you ...

We had 5 glorious days with Tim, who drove all the way from Chagrin Falls, Ohio for a western road trip including Montana, Utah and Colorado.

We were so proud to show off Glacier National Park while snowshoeing on a bluebird day.

Tim at foot of Lake McDonald with mountains of Glacier National Park in background

In the winter, Glacier National Park is practically deserted (as compared to over 3 million visitors seen in the summer months).  It's a boon for those who don't mind a few extra layers of clothing and 'tools' such as snowshoes!

Due to snowfall, the main road through the park is not plowed after the 10-mile mark, Lake McDonald Lodge.  (This is normal, folks!)











This day, we covered 5.3 miles.  One of the many highlights of the journey was Sacred Dancing Cascades, the location of our lunch break.

If you doubt the snowfall, consider these pictures:

Left - yes, those are traffic cones - big ones!

Upper right: buses WILL park here (in the summer)

Lower right: No fire exit today!

Plow crews have begun the daunting task of clearing the Going to the Sun Road, which typically opens at the end of June (and closes at the end of September).

Just to give you a sense of the level of effort: the "Big Drift", located east of Logan Pass, can reach depths of up to 90 feet.  Every year, the plow crew working on the west side of the road and the one working on the east side meet at the Big Drift and together tackle the challenge.











FIVE: Cherished moments

So maybe you think all of the above is 'magic in the moment'.  And it probably is.  But one of my exhilarating moments this month came from a couple of grainy trail camera photos - because they show something other than deer!

Hare

Coyote

Linking to

All Seasons


I Like Thursdays

Mosaic Monday


Nature Notes


Saturday's Critters

Willy Nilly Friday

Recipes:
Avocado Quesadillas
Vegetable Soup
One Pot Spinach Feta Macaroni and Cheese
Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowl

Can it be real?

Pinch.  28 days to delivery of household goods from storage.  Pinch.  50 days to final move-in.  Pinch harder!

Balcony railing overlooks the

kitchen, complete with over-

and under-cabinet lighting,

island pendants and

refrigerator (stove on right

is out of position awaiting installation)

It's been 306 days since excavation began, our lodge cabin shed log home is almost finished, and I can't quite grasp that the end is in sight.  Just the thought makes me tear up - this keyboard is suddenly blurry.

I haven't counted the names (yet) but at least 40 talents have contributed to our dream - each time we visit the house, we meet new people and I am overwhelmed at the activity that is for us, our house, our dream.  Of course, we are paying for every minute, but how do you REALLY thank them for creating beauty from trees, metal, concrete, drywall, paint, tile?

Some members of the team have been with us throughout, and finding them at the house is like running into an old friend at the bar - hugs are exchanged, and we talk about our families (and, if it's in season, hunting.)

View from screening room toward basement family room and into

the guest bedroom beyond.  Carpet installed. 

I am in love with the deep wood trim around walls.

I can't wait for our first open house, when we can welcome them back, and honor them for the treasure they have built, bit by bit.  In the meantime, let me showcase the latest on our palace home.

In my last post about the house, I wrote about railings.  Well, I am tickled to tell you that we are as happy with them inside as outside.  Check it out.

Looking from loft toward great room windows; cables in railings

ensure a clear view

Looking from great room toward

loft and front door

So, what do you think about light fixtures?  Should be simple, right?  Well, it turns out that the word 'center' is all a matter of perspective - center from what?  Thank God our lighting guy is patient and WANTS us to be involved!  Spousal Unit and I chose all of the lighting fixtures in May 2017; how thrilling to finally see the porch and dining room chandeliers in place!

Left - before installation

Right - installed; note stove is out of

position awaiting installation

Stairs to basement; note trim

along entry tile on left, as well

as trim along the steps

I have bragged before about our general contractor and his prowess with woodworking.  As we go on, we have a growing appreciation for his approach to trim.  If you've never built a house, you probably take it for granted.  But when you've seen a project from the ground up, those finishing touches are the proverbial icing on the cake.

OK, time to talk about water closets (loos, bathrooms, restrooms).  For 306 days, it's been the gray porta-potty near the driveway.  Always stocked with toilet paper and hand sanitizer.  And the lid and seat are always down (thanks, guys!)  But, you know, it can be cold here in Montana (as my sister in San Antonio likes to point out, it was 68 degrees there on February 19 and minus 1 in Whitefish!)  So, I am hyper-pleased to tell you that the toilets have been installed and they FLUSH!  Of course, on our most recent visit to the house, I still had to go out to the porta-potty to nick some toilet paper! 

If you're going to put on a hat, ski coat, gaiters (for deep snow), and two layers of gloves in Montana, you make sure it's worthwhile.  So, as long as I was making a dash for TP from the porta-potty, I checked the trail camera as well.  And soon wished I had my snow shoes; in places, the snow rose halfway between my knees and hips!  But I knew my blogging buddies were relying on the latest camera captures, so I trudged on.  Here are the best shots from the last six weeks.

I think the folks staffing the registers at Lowe's and Home Depot recognize us by now; my sense is we are gracing their check-out lines at least once a week!  Or stopping in to pick up items ordered on line.  Here is a selection:

So, the last time we built a house (in Texas), the carpet was the last material to be installed.  You can imagine our joy when we arrived on moving-in day (the United Van Lines truck due to arrive in less than an hour) to find that our general contractor had not met his commitment from the day before to ensure that the carpet would be installed overnight.  Needless to say, we have had a special relationship with carpet ever since.

Character log chosen for its

resemblance to a climbing

frame; carpet will cushion

any falls!

Stairs to basement; bar and

bar fridge in view behind

extra rolls of carpet

Well, as I said, the clock is ticking down.  Hallelujah!  Especially when you consider that the clock really started 8 years ago, when we bought the property.  To dear Spousal Unit (a.k.a. Man with Hat; a.k.a. Head Chef): thank you for finding the parcel, and for shepherding this process from start to finish.  You are the architect of our dream, and I can't wait to join you in walking over the threshold to our castle home on April 14, with numerous new adventures ahead!


Why is this keyboard blurry again?



Linking to

All Seasons


Mosaic Monday


Saturday's Critters