The Trip - Day 14

July 23, 2011

You certainly can't visit Grandma and Grandpa's house in Idaho without a walk in the nature park.


Sylvia loved waling Jagger. He was just her size.

Sylvia even tried to show Jagger the joys of playing on climbing equipment. He was not looking very convinced as he toppled down the slide behind her.

Grandpa figured if Jagger could do it, he could too.



The ducks were glad for the morning snack of bread.

When we walked back home, Sylvia pulled out her loose tooth. It is her first one to fall out, and she was very proud.


With all of our other kids, we would invite neighbors over for an impromptu "Lost Tooth" party when this happened. So, Mattias got busy baking a chocolate cake, and I called the cousins to inform them we were having Sylvia's Lost-Tooth party that afternoon.

Since none of my siblings were in Montana when our older kids lost their teeth...this was a first for them. They were a bit baffled by the concept, but gamely played along.

First we had to have the traditional dancing of the Lost Tooth story. (You pretend to be a tooth, growing in a baby's mouth, then learning to eat, and finally falling out, and flying away with the Tooth Fairy.) It is just your basic interpretative dance, with a few scarves, and a few musical instruments.... pretty goofy.

My dad thought the dance needed an international twist, and came to do a little Mexican dance for us.



After a game of Pin-the-Tooth on the Mouth... we all enjoyed cake by Mattias.


The picture above shows my brother in law, Kevin, keeping a close eye on the wheat thin box, while Addy, Sylvia, and Spencer smile for a picture.



Above is Spencer, Daniel and Kaydee's youngest. -He is a natural ball player already.

The little boys were fascinated with Maya. Caleb (Becca and Kevin's boy) is on the left. Maya was very good natured about having them climb all over her, with sticky cake fingers. Hmmm... Maybe it was the sticky cake fingers that she liked best.


Sylvia and Addy had a tea party on Grandma's front lawn. These two girls got along so well. Noel loved getting to know this cousin better.

Later that night, we all went swimming in Daniel's office building. The place was empty except for us. We swam, then ordered pizza. After eating, some fierce ping-pong matches ensued. I also learned that Noel is pretty good with a pool stick.


I decided to resign our game, and let the little girls play with the balls, instead of having Noel crush me.

The Trip - Day 13

July 22, 2011

We packed the van this morning, and my heart was so sad to be leaving Missoula. It is nice to know the mountains do not change. They will be waiting for us next time we visit.

We drove Asher to his last day of camp. They made T-shirts, and got ready for the poetry reading/ pizza party that all the families were invited to at noon.

While he was at camp, I dropped Noel and Sylvia off at the library for a pre-school storytime. Mattias wanted to climb the "M". It was the last thing left on our "Things to do in Missoula" list. We had one hour to get it done.

For some reason, the girls did not want to join us. Sylvia is somewhat traumatized by the mega Fuse Lake hike we did earlier in in the week, and refused to climb any more mountains.

The hike was great. With the help of 11 switchbacks, you climb a steep 630 feet.



We made the climb in 22 minutes. We took only one break for water. I think that was even faster than I climbed it when I was in college. Mattias is such a solid trooper. He hikes steady, and doesn't complain. He said this hike was his favorite part of the trip.

The view was great. Mattias would like to continue up over the top of the mountain and explore the trails on the backside next time. - Yet another thing we will have to look forward to next trip out West.

After our descent from the lofty perch of Mount Sentinel, we picked up the girls, and Grandma and Grandpa met us on campus for Asher's poetry reading party. He read loud and confidently. I was so proud of him! Then with lots of hugs and farewells, we drove south to my the land of the Idaho grandparents and cousins.

Here are the two poems Asher read:


The River

I flow in silence
moving with grace
my long blue arms
and flowing face.

I sweep trees
and branches away.

I am home for fishes
and a road for travelers
who sit on my back
scratching me
with long wooden oars.

I am a hunter
for unsuspecting prey
for those who fall in
and I carry away.

I am a river
proud and strong.

I am a river
finding my way.

The next poem is the one he did from a piece of art in the museum. He said the sculpture looked like a man hiding behind a bush, with a bird sitting on it.

The Lie

He ran.
He ran through the forest

Fleeeing
Fleeing from the truth.

He knew he could not escape it
but he ran nevertheless.

He looked behind him.
The while dove followed him.

It was the essence of truth.
It seeks lies
never ceasing.

The man hid.
He jumped behind a bush
where he could hide from the truth.

The dove alighted next to the man
Its bright presence illuminated the lie he had spoken

and he hid no longer.

The Trip - Day 12 - Noel's pics

July 21, 2011

Asher had writing camp again this morning. They went to an art gallery on campus, and had the curator speak with them about art. They each picked a piece of sculpture to write a poem about.
Asher's poem was good enough that the instructor wrote it up on the board for all the groups to see. People thought it was done by a professional. He is really enjoying this camp experience.

We spent the afternoon having a picnic, then swimming at Frenchtown Pond. Brad tried teaching Mattias to fly fish.. but he didn't catch anything.

I spent most of this day lying in the sun on the grass, watching the kids in the water. I the evening we watched a movie. Since I don't have any pictures from this day, I'm going to post some of my favorite Noel-pictures. She enjoys seeing what different effects she can get with nature photography.

I think she has a wonderful eye for taking beautiful pictures. She spent most of her free time on the trip reading, or taking pictures.

The Trip - Day 11

July 20, 2011

I will never forget how stiff I was this morning, crawling out of my tent at 6 AM, to go run Maya. I thought I'd never be able to bend down to get out the door... I did make it out though, and the stiffness from yesterday's hike eventually wore off.

Asher went down the Clark Fork River with his writing group this morning. They had a geologist come and speak with them about Glacial Lake Missoula, and talked with them about the river's rocks. Asher thought it was neat you could see the water level lines high up on the hills surrounding the town. They found favorite river rocks, and wrote river poetry.

We did some serious napping this afternoon, then Brad took us out to Frenchtown Pond after dinner. The idea was, to get Asher to catch a fish - since he lost the one at the lake yesterday.
Sylvia and Mattias had a good time swimming (sylvia using emply milk jugs as floats).



Asher caught some very tiny sunfish, he was not impressed with the size... but he did finish his scout fishing requirement with them. Brad taught him to clean, and descale the fish. They cooked them, and we all got a tiny bite.



I think we will have to go back to Montana and spend more time fishing.

The Trip - Day 10

July 19, 2011

This was the epic adventure day of the entire trip. It started out like a normal vacation day, with Asher attending his writing class (learning about short story forms), Sylvia playing at the children's museum, and Mattias programming at the library. After lunch was when the excitement began - little did we know how long and exhausting the day would become.

Here is a picture of Fuse Lake, our end goal.



To get there, we drove down the Bitteroot valley, and up to the top of Skalkaho pass. There is a very fun waterfall right at the edge of the road. Along the other side of this one-car-wide dirt road, is a cliff drop off, down the edge of the mountain. It was a tense drive up, always wondering if we'd meet another car coming around each corner. Blessedly, we survived to tell the tale.

Because of the road, (and stopping to play and hike around the waterfall), it took a couple hours to drive up and find Fuse Lake's trailhead. Once we got there, everyone was ready to hike.


The older kids and Brad made good time, heading up through a forest trail, covered with bear grass and other wild flowers.




Sylvia and I walked went along at Sylvia-pace, discussing the wildflowers and rocks as we walked along. I also counted to 100 with her, before we would stop and take a drink of water.
The scenery was beautiful, ,and I loved seeing the wildflowers along the trail.


It was almost 3 miles in, and the last half mile was steep and rocky. Sylvia was not going to make it up some of the steep parts, so Brad climbed the last part with her sitting on his shoulders.

Sylvia was not sure about this arrangement at first, but they quickly became good hiking buddies. When grandpa (and I) needed a break, we would plop down on a tree, and catch our breath.


We made an exciting discovery as we came within a few hundred yards of the lake - SNOW!
Sylvia thought it was great to make snowballs in July. Maya loved eating it. The lake is at 7,400 ft, so it makes sense there would still be snow after such a wet winter and cold spring.



The older kids had gone ahead to the lake. We got a good picture of everyone with Grandpa before they set off for serious fishing. Or should I say, before we got hit by a quick downpour, and then they set off to fish.


Part of the reason for this outing was to take Asher to a place to fish. He had to catch, clean, cook, and eat a fish to complete his fishing merit badge. Brad said there are usually a lot of greyling in this lake. With dicey weather, and evening already upon us, they did some speed fishing.




Asher did catch one, and he was so excited! He said the feeling of catching that fish was one of the highlights of the whole trip for him. Unfortunately, while landing it, it flopped around on the rocks, and came unhooked. Back into the water it went.

Meanwhile, the rest of us were damp and cold from the rainstorm. Mattias gathered twigs, and started us a one-match fire, inside a ring of rocks. It was surprisingly warm, for being such a little fire. Sylvia was excited to try roasting some of the cherries we had brought along. She stuck one of the end of a stick, and put it in the fire.



Sitting here at the fire with the kids was one of my favorite times on the trip! It was warm and cozy, and beautiful. But most of all - it was totally isolated. No other campers, or hikers, or roads for miles around. I loved it!!

I wish we could have packed our gear in and camped there. That will have to be an adventure for another year.

Sadly, our cozy break was ended by a fierce hail storm. We heard it coming, and then saw the wall of hail pelting towards us on the lake. The kids were amazed that you could see it coming towards us like a wall. Here is the lake mid storm.

We huddled together in a cluster of trees. I had the older kids gather over Sylvia, I was worried about her getting hit by the marble sized pellets. They hurt.

When the storm was over, we threw handfuls of hail on our fire to put it out, and headed back down the trail. We did not want to get caught in another storm in the dark.

I jogged down half way with Sylv on my back, until my knees were about to give out. Brad came to the rescue and carried her the rest of the way on his shoulders. In the picture below, you can see them heading down the trail.



Even though our legs were tired, we were all satisfied. It had been a great day. I was so proud of the kids for not whining at all. They were all helpful and positive. The scenery had been great, and it was wonderful to see Grandpa Brad out in his element. We will definitely need to take him up on more fishing/backpacking trips in summers down the road.

We drove down the other side of the pass, to avoid driving off a cliff in the dark. It took a couple hours to get back home, but it was interesting to see some new country before dark set in.

Definitely an epic adventure to remember.

The Trip - Day 9

July 18, 2011

The sunrise on the mountains in the morning is so beautiful. Its beauty caught me by surprise each time. I would wake up between 5:30 and 6 each morning to take Maya on a half hour run. The cool, dry air, and the beautiful view made it something I looked forward to every day.


After running Maya, I would stretch on theback porch, while she would take up her usual post by the Ponderosa Pine. She was determined not to let the resident squirrel have a chance to cross to the bird feeder. It made for a loud and angry, tail-twitching squirrel. Maya though, would sit calm as a sphinx - until the squirrel made a move. Then she would leap off the porch and into the tree. She seemed to forget she can't climb trees. This was my daily morning action show.



Asher started a creative writing camp, "Words with Wings", at the University of Montana today. He was on the same floor of the LA building that all my English classes were on. It brought back wonderful memories of meeting inspiring professors and hearing about new ideas as I walked the dimly lit hall, and escorted him into one of my old classrooms, where they still had the same old wooden desks. I was proud my little writer was sitting where so many great people had sat before.
They ended up going to the Native American building on campus, and studied Native American poetry styles and tried their hand at writing in that style. Here is a sample of his writing from this day:

I am the one who moves with the water.
I am the one who hears music, just by listening to the air.
I am an archer, who makes arrows soar through air.
I am the one who sees crows, as they perch on high branches.
I am the one who slips and drops a rock in a stream,
then bends down to find it,
but only sees my reflection, swirling in the living water.

Later that night, we had dinner with the missionaries. One of the Elders had worked at a scout camp with the rifle classes. That led to Brad getting out his rifles and a pellet gun, and letting the boys try them out. Asher enjoyed shooting, and hopes to do more when we visit again sometime.

The Trip - Day 8

July 17, 2011

After church, and a nap, we again retired to the Rattlesnake. The kids found sticks to sword fight with and the rush of the river filled the air. It was Missoula perfection.



Asher wanted to try a noble stick fighter pose. I think he looks quite dashing.



Sylvia found forest treasures for the grandparents. A pine cone for Brad, and some moss for Liz.


I loved sitting on a log in the shade, watching the river roll over its white capped rapids. I dearly miss the Rattlesnake. It was like our second living room.