More Montana - Helena!

Another fun part of our trip to Montana was a little exploration of the capital, Helena.  Even though Helena is the capital, it is not a very large town. It actually was really pretty quaint.

I need to tell you, in case you don't know, the correct way to pronounce Helena.
It is NOT Hu-lane-uh.  It is Helen (like the name) + Uh (like you can't think of what you want to say next. Really.

One of our first stops was to the capital building itself.

Is that really the governor sitting there? I am not sure. There was a sign welcoming us in but we aren't technically Montana citizens right now so it seemed rude to interrupt him. So, we may or may not have spotted the governor.

Capital buildings are great places to see interesting architecture.

We pretty much had access to all the big rooms as nothing was going on at that time. Mike & I were there in the 70's when our high school sent two classes to watch the legislature in action. I don't think I learned anything then but I'd like to sit in on it now. I'd pay more attention. Back then, I think I was mostly paying attention to Mike.

That is not a real couple up there... it is a statue.

There! Now you can see Mike and Maureen Mansfield. They were very friendly.

Can you see that flower garden? It is in the shape of the state of Montana!

The next day we went through the nation's saddest mall. There were so many empty stores!  The hallway felt dark with all the darkened spaces.

After that, we went on a touristy "train" ride. Here's our engineer who went around greeting folks before we started our tour of Helena.

I love being a tourist. There is so little pressure to be "cool".  Good thing.

We saw a lot of interesting homes!

Many were old mansions with historic stories to go with them. Too bad I can't remember which home belonged to whom. It would have been a more interesting blog, wouldn't it?

He drove us down their "walking mall". They have a hilly downtown area and they've made it an outdoor mall where there are several blocks with no cars allowed. Trains WERE allowed.  Our engineer cheerily rang a little bell and store owners came out to greet us and to remind us to come back later to check out their stuff.  We did.  It would have been rude if we had not.

Aren't they friendly?

This cathedral was beautiful.  Our engineer told us a tale of a pilot flying his little plane between those steeples!  We were told that military pilot was quickly reassigned to the infantry. Who knows how much truth was in that story. Did he turn the plane sideways or what?

We also returned to the cathedral and went inside. They give tours but it was pretty quiet at that moment.

Really beautiful...

I think the ceilings were the most fascinating.

I loved the old, old buildings downtown.

We had a delightful little time in Helena.  I wouldn't mind living in a place like that.

Next up...Gates of the Mountains!  

Montana Vacation

We just returned from a vacation to Montana.  We did things a little differently this time.  This trip wasn't so much about visiting people but rather about visiting places.  It was also an unstructured vacation.  We didn't plan too far ahead, sometimes only minutes!  I'm a planning kind of gal so I had to let loose of the reins a bit, but I really enjoyed it.

One of our stops was to Big Timber Waterfall in the Crazy Mountains.  When we last lived in Montana we went there from time to time for a little day trip.  I love that place!  The last time I remember being there was 22 years ago.  Our son, Sam, was only 2 weeks old and Ben and Maria were only 8 and 12 years old. This return visit was overdue!

Do you ever try to imagine yourself back to a favorite spot? Well, this is a place I go to in my mind sometimes.  That visit 22 years ago, for some reason, was special. Part of it was that we had a new baby and I remember feeling that our family felt just right, complete.  I just remember feeling a strong sense of peace and joy.

I took this photo of Mike at the waterfall on that visit 22 years ago.  He had just been sitting there relaxing and looking handsome.  One year I framed it as a gift for him.

Years after that, Maria did a painting for him, based off that photo.

And then, her painting became the cover for one of his CD's.

Of course, I wanted him to recreate that photo.  You wouldn't believe how many times I took his picture, making him move this way and that way, until I settled on this one.  It isn't perfect but close.  It makes me happy!

After that "photo shoot" we just hung out there. We saw a few people early on the trail but seemed to have the place to ourselves after that. It was so lovely! It was so perfect.

Early in our marriage we lived on a farm in Montana and had most of our hours spent together.  It was one of my favorite times for just that reason.  Now, with both of us working, it isn't that way.  Like most couples, we really have to be intentional about making time for each other.  I loved this day because it was just us, reliving memories and making new ones.  Such a day is a gift, nothing less.

We talked about our sons and our daughter and their childhoods. It went by so quickly.  It was fun reliving those memories, just a little bittersweet.  Still, it made me think about how precious a memory is! We can go back to those times whenever we wish, as long as we have our memories.

But then, as long as I have Mike it is as though I still have a child, right? Get off that log before you fall in, Mike!

This man... I know that I am so blessed to get to go through this life with him. I better stop with the mushy stuff, though, or I will embarrass him. 

Water! I just love being near water!

I have aged in the 22 years between visits to Big Timber Waterfall.  So many things have happened in our lives, mostly good things.  We could not have dreamed of how our lives would be, all the places we'd go, the new people added to our family during those years. It makes me wonder what new experiences are ahead for us.  Now matter what lies ahead, I'm certain I will look back at this visit to the waterfall as one of my favorite days.

This last photo was one of my favorites. Sunshine through the trees in the mountains always makes me feel closer to God somehow. It is almost as though his love and caring is coming down with those rays. Peace.

Nights in Rodanthe - Or Afternoon in Rodanthe

Did you ever see Richard Gere and Diane Lane in "Nights in Rodanthe" based on a Nicolas Sparks book? I saw it some time ago and although I can't say it was a favorite movie or anything, I DO remember loving the scenery. I remember thinking I'd sure love to see a place like that.



Well, last week-end we were in Rodanthe! It is part of the Outer Banks (OBX) and we were actually there. I mean...right there! Sara and Ben and Mike were helping me look for the house from the movie. It wasn't hard to find.  What I didn't know was that we could have rented it for our vacation! Of course, I don't know what that would have cost.

The ocean is just over that pile of sand on the right but you may notice that it isn't quite as close as it was in the movie. Click here to see how it once looked and where it once sat.

I read more about the house and learned that the house was originally built in the 1980's and had over 400 feet between it and the Atlantic Ocean. Over the years all the storms, including hurricanes, put the house in jeopardy. After the movie it was further damaged and actually condemned. It became a hazard as movie fans were going to see it and were in danger of being injured just climbing up the damaged stairs. It was going to be torn down.

A couple ended up purchasing the house and had it moved back from the ocean. They worked to bring it back to code and to replicate the way it looked in the movie. I read that the interior shots of the movie were actually shot at a sound stage, not inside the house. However, the new owners used some of the actual props and made it as close to what we all saw in the movie as they could.

This place was not actually an inn but was just named the Inn at Rodanthe for the movie. They have that sign on it still and now rent it out as a whole house for vacationers. Actually, there were many, many houses quite like it all up and down the 200 miles of the Outer Banks. Most were empty this time of year and most are available for rent, just in case you need to plan a vacation.

I still have more to tell about our North Carolina trip but it'll have to wait.

From Forest to Hockey Rink

Mike and I just returned this week from a wonderful vacation in North Carolina. We went there to visit Ben and Sara, our son and daughter-in-law. We had a great time there! I took a lot of photos, not all of which turned out quite as I'd hoped. Still, I have some good ones to share.

We always enjoy pleasant hikes near Ben and Sara's house and that was our first order of business. These photos were taken as we were walking into Duke Forest. It was pretty cool and windy but still so pretty and I was so happy to be with Ben and Sara. Their little dog, J-rake, led the way when allowed. I was impressed when Ben called out, "J-rake, Caboose!" That cool little dog stopped, walked backwards a few steps as we walked forward and then walked behind us all.

I enjoyed this area where the layers of grasses, little evergreens and then bigger trees lined up in order. The contrast was pleasing to me.

Just a pretty, crisp day and a stroll with our far-away kids. I felt so happy.

Later that evening we went to see the St. Louis Blues play the Carolina Hurricanes. We're talking hockey here people.  I'm not exactly a hockey fan but I was pleased we got to attend as I AM a Mike fan and this made him very happy.  I don't know that Ben and Sara are hockey fans in general but they seemed to have fun. For some ridiculous reason they felt  that since they live in North Carolina, they ought to cheer for the North Carolina team. They are lucky we acknowledged them at all!

The hockey game started right off with the St. Louis Blues making two goals. For those of you who follow hockey, you know that sometimes those games can go a looooooong time without a score. As it turned out, it was a pretty exciting game and I had fun as well.

And, yes, the Blues won!

I'll stop here for now but the vacation got even better the next day!

Mom's Vacation

Last week my Mom had some adventures. It isn't my story so I won't go into details but I will say that my Mom has a funny way of vacationing. Some people enjoy special attention at a spa but Mom received her special care in an ER followed by some days in ICU. She didn't have to cook or clean or even choose her own clothing each day. That must have been relaxing.

When Mom seemed to be getting kind of tired of the fun she was having at one hospital, she accepted an offer for a 2 hour ride with a comedian in the back of an ambulance. It was actually a trip out of state. Again, she got a lot of special attention. Again, she had people waiting on her hand and foot. They brought her injections, bags of fluid as well as special drinks that she usually did not get to enjoy at home... barium, potassium, etc.

While I was doing the tag-along thing on my mother's vacation, my family at home tried to get their own special attention. At least 3 other family members during that week required medical attention, including 2 trips to the ER. Talk about trying to steal Mom's thunder! We received word of the most recent one just as Mom was finally discharged from the hospital. It upset us both and kind of took the "fun" out of the whole experience. You can read about that situation right here. It is actually kind of a horrible/sweet story so I hope you will hop on over to my daughter's blog for a second.

Anyway.

I think the drama may be over. Mom is recovering well, although a bit worn out. You know how vacations can do that to a person. I am home. Life is getting back to normal. I am doing laundry and it just does not get any more normal than that!

When I first returned to town yesterday I went directly to check on the little granddaughters. I was so sweet to get hugs from Cordelia and Elise. Elise greeted me with, "I'm okay!" She told me the doctor made her all better. I noticed that she pretty much just ignored her broken arm and did fine with just one.

As a special bonus, my niece, Stephanie, and her boyfriend stopped in as well. That was a nice surprise!

So, what did you all do last week? What do you like to do for a little time away from it all?

Vultures - Another Point of View

What one word comes to your mind when you hear the word "vulture"? I think for many, that word would be death.

I go years and years without thinking of vultures at all but last week, when we went on vacation, they were a source of conversation on a couple of occasions. The first time was when we were driving in NE Wyoming on our way to the airport. There was a big vulture cleaning up some road kill as we drove by. I forgot just how big they are! Here is a close-up photo taken from Wikipedia.

 They seem kind of ugly at first.

In flight, though, they are quite beautiful.


 They hop-walk when on the ground and look pretty awkward. Their take-off involves and lot of hopping and flapping as well. What I didn't know, though, was that when they soar, they are really quite lovely. They often tip from side to side, catching the light with their lighter feathers. They can soar for hours, yes hours, without flapping their wings!

While I've always known that we needed to appreciate their work as garbage collectors, cleaning up after nature, I didn't realize that other cultures have really honored them. When we were on the cruise on Saguaro Lake in Arizona the captain told us that in a Native American culture (sorry, can't remember which) they were thought to be messengers from God. They were respected!

Some places in the world continue to show respect for these interesting birds. There is even an International Vulture Awareness Day every September. Who knew?

When we were in Arizona, I got a photo of this beauty overhead.

I never did see him flap his wings.

Saguaro Lake

One of our days in Arizona we enjoyed a cruise... on water!  It's true! There are lakes in the middle of the Arizona desert and it turns out there are some not far from where we were staying in Mesa. Who knew?! Well, actually, Joe (brother-in-law) knew and at his suggestion we decided to go on a 90 minute cruise.

Now, if you've never traveled with someone in a wheelchair, you maybe haven't realized all the complications that can entail. We made sure ahead of time that this cruise was handicap accessible. There were many steps on the way down to the boat but there was a special route involving a hill, a long bumpy dock and a bit of faith to get Tina on the boat. Picture a boat tied to a dock. There is that gap between dock and boat that is kind of scary to walk across and I felt a bit nervous to push Tina's wheelchair over that opening. She, however, didn't show any fear at all. Being handicapped requires a good deal of courage I've learned.

Although everything is harder from a wheelchair, sometimes there are perks. That day it was nice that the captain let Tina and me board early. We got to sit right up front to enjoy the view!

The rest of the family had to wait in line.

Can you see them up there?

They eventually joined us and we all got good seats close together.

Sue and Joe (Mike's sister and her husband) were nearby.

For those readers who know them, 

don't you wonder why they don't age?

It's weird, really.

Sam was looking handsome.

As it turned out, this was a lovely way to spend a February afternoon.

The weather was perfect and the

views were stunning.

Our captain was quite informative.

He pointed out this rare saguaro cactus that had crested.

That is to say its arms had turned inward and were grown together. 

I was intrigued by this one that seemed to be growing straight out of the rock.

I never really thought of cactus as a lakeside kind of plant.

There were so many different colors and shapes in the rock formations.

Doesn't that look peaceful?

What a lovely afternoon...