One of those nights... Summer I miss you.

A perfect (Winter?) day with warm, warm weather and sunshine all around. Fritz and I spent a good hour outside basking in this special day in what normally would be cold and frosty. Moving on into the afternoon, fresh breezes came drafting through the kitchen window. Ahhh. Smelling that fresh breath of air it seemed that with the night approaching it would be perfect for a BBQ. Chancing it? If a BBQ happens are we challenging the weather to say "Hold up there, it's still Winter! What'cha think you are doing?". Maybe.

~~~

Man was the food good.

~~~

The perfect ending to the sudden special day was the sunset that has been missing for months. It seemed a summer sky sunset of warm, rich colors. Mind tricks. And really so now as the forecast is saying cold and snow to be headed our way. Damn.

Never Forget.

Today. 9/11. I can still smell and hear all in the lobby of the hotel I worked. I was stuck behind the desk, answering phone call after phone call. Trying to help people in the fact that we were all stuck. No planes, no flights to anywhere. People booking extra nights, or checking back in. The lobby filled with people staring at the TV with solemn expressions.

~~~

And me? Confusion. Because I was really the only one working at the hotel during those hours (I'm not kidding, all other personnel were watching the TV-managers, housekeeping, bar staff). I didn't really fully get to understand what was going on until after work, after my dentist appt, after traveling home.

~~~

Then it hit me. At home with my roommates, the exhaustion and sadness of the day left me speechless.

~~~

After hearing news reports full time for days on end, my boyfriend at the time and I decided that we needed to get away. So we loaded the car for a quick camping trip with no radio and no TV. But the crazy part was the silence...

~~~

No planes in the sky. I remember that most from those days. It's a wonderment to have a particular sound coming from the outside world in your everyday life. And then to have that gone. I remember being outside my town house, looking up at the sky and hearing, nothing. It was eerie in a way that really felt empty, for lack of a better word.

~~~

So here we are, nine years later, but still feeling so recent in time. Still the questions in the air of why, and how could they do this to other humans no matter our problems. To know that our world has come to this where others hate so badly, they would do anything to show power over others. So how do we find peace? Maybe in the everyday sunset, where the beauty of our world can help us heal and know that there is always a tomorrow.

~~~

It hurts to watch video of those days, but important, I think, at the same time. So that yes, we never forget.

~

There is something so special about holding on to a little boys hand on a cool evening, and going for a nice long walk. Enjoying the last bits of Summer in an amazing Sunset. Then watching that boy run with delight to chase grasshoppers and stop every few feet to find rocks. Nothing can ever compare to those precious minutes with a calm evening, and one amazing little man.

~

I could have stayed outside for hours on end looking at this wondrous sky. I'm very thankful that I live in the place that I do. Of course there are places I would love to live at for awhile, but nothing compares or comes close to the beauty of Montana. ~

Enjoy the Light

A cool rainstorm late in the evening.

Glowing light pushing back the darkness of storm clouds.

And of course, the ever awesome peaceful sounds of soft raindrops.


How was your night?

Orange Ya Glad I'm Glowing

Some how the little tangelos and oranges looked extra wonderful to me and so much more extra delicious. Very late in the evening sun the warm glow turned from a light yellow to that deep orange hue. Yes, I did enjoy two or more right then and there. Yum...

Free From the Trees

Now at the new house, I have a different lighted view. Refreshing, beautiful. Before, at the old house the sunsets would whisper through the swaying branches of glorious old cottonwood trees, letting only a little light peek out. I would close my eyes and try to see past the leaves and limbs to what lay beyond them, but could never get the full wonderful picture.
-------
Now looking straight through our front windows, I have the whole world to watch the fading star slink slowly to the night. Opening my eyes bright, I no longer have to wonder what's on the other side. It's right there, waiting for me.

Bits of Orange

Another thing that I love about living in Montana is the beautiful sunsets we have here. I realize that most parts of the world have breathtaking colors as the sun sets for the day, but for some reason they feel more special to me here. Last week we had a huge cloud filled evening that absorbed every last bit of light the clouds could find. From minute to minute it is such a wonderment how the colors in view can change drastically.
-----------
Here are two pictures from last week that I was able to capture. Notice the tiny white dot in the second picture. I was surprised with my little digital camera that I could actually catch the moon too!

I remember a time when I was younger where I first fell in serious love with the evening light during the great Yellowstone fire in 1988. My hometown is close to Yellowstone but still a couple of hundred miles away from the main part of where the fire was at, but I can still see and smell the smoke in the air that had drifted our way. Even though it was such a horrible fire, the sunsets that came of it were those of a dream land. So vivid and rich in the colors with the deep pinks floating in the fluffy clouds, the iris purple hiding the sun, and the golden orange hues stretching out to fill the rest of the sky.

-------------

One night in particular, I rode my bike up to the top of the little hill behind our house (our house was on the edge of town) and just sat there staring at the sky. I had my little 110 camera and took a picture of that once in a lifetime sunset. I still have that picture floating around somewhere, but I have never needed to look at it to refresh my mind as it is still completely captured in my memory.

The Color of Green

It's here! Spring can be seen everywhere! The Hubs had to stay in town today for some appointments, so Fritz and I decided to take advantage of an extra day with him home and go for another nature walk. We took the trail that we found a week ago, and man what a difference! Not all of the trees had their leaves yet, but most did.
----------
It was such a perfect few hours. The day was quite warm, the sun blaring brightly and the sweet song of birds and rustling leaves in a breeze could be heard without the noise of town. I feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful place where nature is so close to us. We could be in the mountains within ten minutes and ten minutes to this new found lovely trail. There are more awesome trails around here for hiking or leisurely walks, and I plan to have us together as a family for a few more in the coming months before we move (still planning to) to the Eastern part of Montana. Eastern Montana is not as pretty but is in its own way. With vast plains of rolling hills or flat lands, Eastern Montana has a different beauty from the mountain ranges that we are use to being closer to the Rockies. It will be different to look out a window and not see peaks peeking back at me. But I truly believe that no matter where you live, if you just look closely, anything can have a sparkle of delight.
---------
Here are a few pics from the beautiful day we had.

Pretty leaves.

Spotting a wildflower.

Late evening thunderstorm.


After the storm sunset.

Tumble

touch the Sun
and

breath in
taste

the Sky above

and hold it

We can be Here

Always if we

Let us be

the Strength

Surround us

gather us

Treasure it

this new found

warmth

cement it

in the Purest of stone...

Let it embrace
this

Magic that

we have chosen

tumble those Walls

tear them

down

can't let them keep us

from Reaching
this love we Can give

It's too Beautiful to

stack them up again
maybe a Risk

but the worth?

see it Shine

in my face

in my eyes

feel it

in my Skin

Beauty. Love. Us.

don't Fade away...

4.27.09 Sage Parks

*Dedicated to the Hubs, when we first fell in love.

A Beautiful Day

The sun was shining in all of its wonderful glory and the birds were chirping a sweet happy song. With this start of Earth Day, I couldn't resist taking Fritz on a walk. We headed out to discover some new neighborhoods and marveled at how fast the grass was turning green. Below is a picture of a long sidewalk that we took on our adventure. Now if only the trees would hurry up to match the grass!

This is a strange building that is close to where we live. I loved how the clear blue sky complemented the strangeness of the roof. This building is now a daycare center but I am not sure what it used to be? With these angles a church comes to mind.

Later that evening when the sun was finally setting on a perfect Earth Day, my entrance way was caught in the most golden of hues. Sadly our front door blocked half of the picture in shadows, but the orange yellow glow was just too delightful not to pass up without taking a picture.

Still later... In the last few minutes before the sun said goodnight, the trees out our front were slowly waving goodbye in a slight breeze that refreshed the staleness of the last bits of winter air.

A Pavement to Follow

I was thinking today how lovely it would be to find a different road that I have not traveled on and to follow it. Where would it lead? Would I drive straight through or find the nook and crannies and turn to those? A little adventure would be pleasing. My husband has been in a different town for work for the past five weeks, only coming home on the weekends, so just me and Fritz and our three cats are keeping me company. Yes, I have been a bit lonely, so why would I want to take a road trip by myself? Even though I have had limited adult interaction of late, feeling the freedom of solitude on the open road with me, my car and a bit of music is sounding very appealing.

---------------------

Before I had a family I would do this impromptu drive whenever the mood struck. I worked nights for almost two years in a previous job so on my days off (roommates asleep) there wouldn't be much for me to do. Grabbing a coffee and my keys I would be off at two or three in the morning, never adventuring very far but always lost in my thoughts. The city would be silent, houses dark, an occasional vehicle passing me. Oh, how I loved to have nowhere to go! Following no specific destination just going where my hands on the wheel took me.