Preparing….

Winter sun in the Southern Heaven

clouds boiling over Jewel Basin

Frozen passage on the Lake

Winter Greetings from  Latitude 48.  ( Aye , I know that my friends in Canada and Alaska are more North ) On the winter solstice the sun will make it to 18.4 degrees on the horizon. That is low enough for me . I will be glad to see it's return to a warmer and more elevated position . For those in Montana Winter solstice will be here at 4:03 PM MST on December 21st. It amazes me how astute our ancestors were in noticing the turning of the stars and our sun , all without that annoying voice on the GPS. Although GPS is certainly a fun gadget , is it making us dumber and less aware of how to navigate? Brave our ancestors were to board rickety wooden ships and cross the oceans with hand held instruments. No GPS in sight .

This is a good time to take stock of where your footprints have been . Take a moment to consider how many people have received your kindness and compassion  Are you taking care of those things that have been put into your trust ? 

After the Storm: Happy in Montana

striking out

 The day after the snow storm. There is something hypnotizing watching the flakes swirl from the blackness of the sky and collect on the deck. A foot of snow in the yard and a lot still on the county road. The plows do not run on the weekend. Or at least not yet in our neck of the woods. 3 distinct tracks which works well until you have oncoming traffic then someone has to go into the snow . As it turns out the majority of the snow fell in and next to the Foothills. Once I drove out of the Foothills, the snow was extremely light and the roads were dry. Onward with the day's errands.

North Shore of the Flathead

 The wind was blowing at a pretty good clip on the north shore. The Lake is always a welcome sight. It is like a mirage. As you travel south it rises out of the blur of the horizon and then makes itself known. At first you can't believe it is there in all of it's bigness , then you realize it is indeed real. It catches the sun and makes a grey day shimmery.

Wind picking up and making some white caps

 The water towards the north west area of the lake was a beautiful glacial green with white caps from the gusty bursts of wind.

Wetlands

The land on the north shore of Flathead lake is flat and full of wetlands and waterfowl nesting areas. Of course this shoreline is low and subject to flooding as well especially for high snow pack years. All of the snow melt from the western slopes of Glacier Park eventually finds it's way here to this lake via the Flathead River.

Echo Lake and the wintering waterfowl

On the way home I dipped down to see what was going on at Echo. Dozens of ducks and geese were swimming in the unfrozen part of the lake. Their squawking fills the air. I am not sure why I am drawn to ducks and geese. They seem to be so happy and they love their flocks. Their togetherness. Sometimes in this connected world I wonder if we have more togetherness or less?

Solo

 A cute solo duck paddling in the still waters of Echo Lake.

Snow transforms life to Still in Black and White

 Jewel Basin in still life and black and white. The snow has transformed the surrounding area into an Ansel Adam's like print. The north end of  Echo Lake is shallow and has started to freeze over. Echo is a gift of quiet whereas the Flathead Lake is a dynamic windy movement filled place.

Jewel Basin 

 The drive home is punctuated with dramatic skies and quiet snow covered meadows. As I drove past this coyote meadow a bald eagle flew over head. Greetings to the Eagle spirit. It is good to get back to the cozy house in the woods.

Happy in Montana : Fall Visions

afternoon snack

Echo Lake sitting at the foot of Jewel basin

 Just a bit of a jaunt to the nearby lake . It is a peaceful day with little wind . A muskrat swims near by but is too fast for me today. The air has a hint of winter in it today with the cloudy skies.

Lakeside goodness

Reflections

Peaceful Duck 

 Little Miss Duck hanging out in the reeds . She is quiet and hardly takes notice of me.

Little Half Dome

Red Maple goodness

Waiting all year for this moment when the chlorophyll takes it's leave and allows the reds to shine through. A short week or two in the fall but worth the wait.

Stillness and other musings ....

Bee friend gathering wild Montana Rose pollen

A tribute to our bee friends who are struggling .Is it the cell towers,the high fructose syrup fed to the bees, the mono crops or the neonicotinoid pesticides we liberally sprinkle on everything? Whatever it is we as the human guardians need to get busy to find the cause and eliminate it. We will not do well with out our bee friend. As a small start I am planting my yard with a variety of bee tasty flowers emphasizing the native species. The Montana wild rose may not be much of a looker but this lucky bee had a giant ball of pollen gathered so they must like this wild flower.

Echo Lake sunset

After chores a quick trip to the lake for a walk at sunset. The air is gentle and the Osprey are calling out to each other .Ospreys are big birds if you have never seen one up close .  One bird parent stays in  the nest and the other bird parent fishes. I wish I was fast on the camera draw as one of the parents flew down to the lake surface and snagged a fish that was a least 18 inches long. The adult flew back to the nest holding the dinner in it's feet. The fish glistening in the setting sun. The osprey have a very definite call . Their conversation back and forth bring the lake alive along with other evening bird song. As we know a wise person once said that "birdsong sings life forward". In the stillness of the evening that feels true down to my toes.

Osprey Nest

 No flooding this year . The waters are still and not even close to breaching the causeway road as in years past. The snow pack was adequate but not excessive this year.

Reflections

Marsh at the North end of the Lake

 The north end of the lake eventually dries out leaving a marsh as Fall approaches. For now it is home to the water fowl with good nesting grounds.

In stillness we hear the voice of wisdom

 When you walk in nature are you at peace? Is your heart content? Do you have positive feelings about your life choices and the good you do with your hands ? If you can say yes to these questions then you know you are turning your footsteps towards the path that leads away from misery and towards enlightenment. The human soul makes choices every day ,all day long that either encourages or stunts the growth. There are a lot of deceptive distractions that can lead the soul to stagnation and then death. If you can be quiet inside and leave the clutter of the external world behind then you are well on your way to connecting with the ancient wisdom and light that is available to us as we travel this land.

Volunteer flower

 We are lucky to have 2 and 4 legged companions on our journey. When you look in the mirror and see as much compassion as this kind four legged carries in his heart you will be close to soul completeness. Many people think animals are not our equal . I for one beg to differ. Safe journey my fellow seekers. Protect yourselves and be aware. Look for the beauty in life, the stillness and peace around you , but be alert to those who might cause you to stumble. Love is the answer . Always..

The eyes of compassion

Memories of Late Summer

 Last lazy warm days of summer looking over Jewel Basin. A trip to Echo Lake and a chance for the most coveted Marley to go swimming.

 The great leaping dog. He would do this for hours .

 What a big splash! Marley is about 70 pounds and makes quite the entry into the water.

What a strong swimmer! What a great delight watching him swim in the clear lake. Animals bring so much joy to life. They have such a happy spirit! Enjoy your pets today.

Life on Echo

 In the Great NorthWest one would not expect to find so much life. Logic dictates to fly south to enjoy the balmy breezes. . However in the distance across the frozen marsh are water fowl calling out to each other of perhaps warning the fish they are on the way. Today there are Canadian Geese and perhaps the white birds are Snow Geese. In the picture below you can see them circling to land on the open patches of water.

 Prior to my trip to Echo Lake I was invaded by the rats with Antlers. Ok just one had antlers. At any rate I had plans to haul off the trash today. However the deer decided to graze the yard . All eleven of them. The most coveted Marley watched from the window . Whining in a high pitch that could only mean he wanted out for a chase. But 11 of them . Where does one start if one is a dog?

the girls

Echo Lake looking south. Clear water and ice slipping away in the warm March sun

I am always amazed at the clarity of the water. A beautiful sunny afternoon enjoying the sun and reflections on the lake.After the sun and fun Marley is ready to lie down for a snooze. He has a wonderful surprise this afternoon. His Mom is on the way!

Reflections

 Reflecting on the flooding of Echo Lake this year brings to mind all the things that have stopped. Fast boating is prohibited because of the wakes that erode the shores. The Causeway is flooded and you have to go the long way around to the highway. But in the still and the quiet , the lack of disturbing waves, the loons have returned to nest. Always when we lose something if we open our hands we also gain the universe.

Flooding .... gently

 More Little Feet adventures! Today it was wet Feet. The Echo Lake Causeway disappeared this week as more snow melted in the Foothill Mountains. Beautiful reflections as the lake eased its way higher.

 The lake has an amazing way of capturing the clouds. No wind today so the surface was like glass.

 Walking around the lake it was hard to ignore the squawking of a young Osprey. At least that is my guess as they had white underbellies.

 One of the bridges over the Flathead River as it makes it's way to the Lake. Apparently the bow of the steamship Helena is sunk here. We will have to look in drier times

 At one point there was a brisk steamboat business on the Lake . This is the remains of the propeller and other parts of the steamship as well as the wheel house below.

 It is hard to resist one more shot of the beautiful Arnica during a short hike in Jewel basin. Little Feet covered a lot of territory this afternoon!

Last stop before arriving home to admire a field of brilliant orange flowers. Another Little Feet adventure comes to a close ! Happy Fourth of July to All !

Snow melt

Echo Lake fills to the brim

Surreal clouds in the mineral rich waters

The Marsh is full with snow melt , just a couple of months ago this was wavy golden grasses.

Wild strawberries and Yellow arnica

The motley crew, home again.