We woke up yesterday to sunshine. Bright, glorious sunshine. That may seem normal to most people, but in Missoula, where we have a scant 75 days of sunshine a year, that warm light triggered a forgotten primal reaction: the need to be outside. Our Sunday drive plans immediately changed. Less driving, more exploring. And a picnic.
We drove to Rock Creek (famous for fly-fishing, yes, but also perfect for snow picnicking), and set out down the Spring Creek trail, reveling in the almost-balmy 54 degree fresh air. Mamma hesitated and nearly called it quits when we spotted a whole trail of these:
...but we decided, with the number of noisy people in our little party, the bright sunshine, and the abundance of fly-fisherman in the vicinity, to keep a wary eye in the trees, stick together, and forge ahead.
I'm so glad we did.
Not only did we not see any mountain lions, we also did not see any cabin-fever grumpiness, it's-too-cold-shivers, or let's-go-home long winter blues. We got hot. We (at least Brian and I) got a little bit sunburned. And we spent the day basking in the magical crossover of winter's beauty and the hope of spring.
p.p.s. A couple of people have asked me about the boots I am wearing in these shots. They are the Joan of Arctic by Sorel and if you are a winter outdoors kind of girl, they are the Best. Boots. Ever. A little pricey, but I got them on a screamin' mid-winter sale at REI. Worth it.
A We-Can't-Wait-For-Spring picnic.
We drove to Rock Creek (famous for fly-fishing, yes, but also perfect for snow picnicking), and set out down the Spring Creek trail, reveling in the almost-balmy 54 degree fresh air. Mamma hesitated and nearly called it quits when we spotted a whole trail of these:
(Yes, those are mountain lion tracks. I should have set something else in the picture to show the size--those bad boys were huge.)
I'm so glad we did.
Not only did we not see any mountain lions, we also did not see any cabin-fever grumpiness, it's-too-cold-shivers, or let's-go-home long winter blues. We got hot. We (at least Brian and I) got a little bit sunburned. And we spent the day basking in the magical crossover of winter's beauty and the hope of spring.
I hope your spring comes soon.
xo
p.s. Thoughts on spring from my favorite poet, William Carlos Williams.
Beautiful photos of a fun outing! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletei love your boots!! super super cute...i need those. except here in seattle it hardly ever snows. it did snow an inch last night. ugh, i hate it. it was supposed to be sunny!!! i miss the sun. your pictures are beautiful as well!
ReplyDeletenice to "meet" you!
i just tried to reply to your nice comment on my blog through my email and you're a no reply blogger!! do you know that? so, i'll answer your question here, hope you don't mind.
ReplyDeletethey taste exactly the same, i think. the only real difference is the yolk color. in a "fresh" chicken egg the yolk is super orange. but, from the store, the yolk is much lighter.
oh, and the veggies? my husband is a wonderful cook. he makes the most delish meals for me. his breakfast scramble (what you saw) is absolutely divine. i could eat it for every meal....i'm super lucky!! ;-)
~tiffany
Tiffany,
DeleteWell, I am glad you find my blog, and in so doing, I found yours! But I have to tell you...I'm not the one who left the comment!:-D I think I've identified the trail...the lady who left the comment, Malisa, follows my blog, so maybe you saw AmberJuneStudios on her profile. Anyway, thanks for clicking and commenting! I am intrigued by the goose egg scramble and will have to visit your blog again...
Smiles,
Amber June