I need a weekend to recover from my weekend.

We had absolutely beautiful weather over the weekend which was good and bad. The great part was that it was perfect for walking and planting and going to the Farmer's Market. The bad part is that it also melted a lot of the remaining snow pack which put the Big Creek camp in danger of flooding.

The office had its volunteer work weekend so I spent some time up at Big Creek camp. Refinishing and reconstructing picnic tables was my job. We didn't have to sand bag just yet so the crew was able to accomplish a lot more than just flood control. Big Creek is running very high now right next to camp so we're watching it carefully.

Played a little ultimate frisbee on Sunday and managed to somehow bang up my knee pretty good. Not sure just how I did it but its swollen and sore today. A night of rest is what I have planned so that should help.

Our big spring fund raiser is this weekend up at Lake McDonald Lodge. It means a busy week for me and a lot of running around on Friday night in heels (uugghhh) and some fancy, schmancy dress.

There's just no rest for the wicked ;)

Don't be such a 'fraidy cat

A quiet weekend at the homestead. I made plans that included some outdoorsy stuff, hiking etc. I also planned a nice dinner out with some live music afterward.

It ended up being a weekend spent around the house and in bed - sleeping. Somehow the plans didn't really come together for one reason or another but it was still a good weekend. Although it seemed to fly by at times.

Oh, and we got a cat. I'm not convinced as of yet that this cat is THE cat for us. So far he has stayed under the bed in the guest bedroom, afraid to come out and explore. I heard him early this morning getting something to eat and walking around a bit but other than that, nothing. He's scared and very anti-social. Because of that I am not convinced he's the cat for us. The reason I wanted a cat was for the social interaction (with me, with the dog etc.). This cat wants NOTHING to do with us so far.

I have until Saturday to make a decision. I'm torn because on one hand this cat is not the personality I was hoping for but on the other hand he came from an environment that I'm not too excited to return him to either. Honestly, if things don't improve I can't see myself falling in love with this cat.

Any hints or advice on socializing a cat would be appreciated. It's been ages since I actually had a cat and I've never been around one this freaked out.

I'll keep you posted.

The service was so so

The food was not good

The music was a lounge singer...

with a mullet

But it was still a really great weekend!

Leave me here every day, all my life

My weekend

Every once in a while you need a change of scenery; brush the dust off a little. I headed north toward Glacier. I took my time on the drive home and grabbed my camera to bring some of it with me.

Flathead, southwest of Glacier ParkSwan Lake

I love it here!


(Please don't remind me that I turned down a job here.)

Cabin fever

I got to get movin'
and find a cure for the cabin fever
got to break out of here
get myself out of town

Sperry Chalet

I got the chance to go hiking this past weekend in Glacier National Park to Sperry Chalet.


It was my first time hiking the Sperry Trail, my first time to the chalet and what a great experience. The hike was fabulous, all 13.2 miles of it.

Glacier Park is one of my favorite places and once again it didn't disappoint. The views were amazing and I got to see a part of Glacier that I've never seen before.

Beaver Chief Falls

It was incredible to see Glacier in a way that many people don't. Tourists often come to Glacier and drive through but there really is so much more to the park that I now can't wait to explore.

The last bridge before the chalet. We crossed some snow on the trail before this point but not that much. This is where the snow got interesting.

My first view of the chalet

Check out the view from this back yard

Amazing from every angle

A marmot that paid a visit as well

The return trip was very exciting. About 1/3 of the way down the trail we noticed a marmot starting to squeal and thought it was making noise because of us. It turned out that marmot had another reason for squealing.


We were on a very rocky section of the trail so I was busy paying attention to where I was planting my feet when I get this sharp tug on my pack and hear "STOP!"

The two grizzlies on the trail ahead of us scattered, one going down and one heading up hill. I didn't manage to take the photos since I very quickly went for the bear spray (not gonna mess with the bears). Fortunately he got some pretty good shots as they made their way back to the trail. We decided to move back up and give the bears their space. About 10 minutes later we were able to move along down the trail.

The rest of the hike down was beautiful and we managed to avoid any more grizzlies. We did however, get to see a cute fawn barely able to walk. It was definitely an "awwww" moment.

It was an amazing trip and I loved every minute of it!

(Interesting article on MSNBC re. Glacier National Park and parks in general.)