Still water, so still that without the perspective of the shoreline there was that illusion that it was possible to fall into the sky.
Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
I can’t help but think of that verse when standing at this point on the lake on a day like this day.
Be peaceful, be quiet, be still.
Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park, January 29, 2010.
For the forseeable future I have a Friday online meeting, a kind of “show and tell” as we proceed through development on the current project. At the end of the meeting we promise what is to be done by the next Friday and all through the week we push to keep to that schedule. The goal is to be in good shape by the end of Wednesday and have Thursday to test and tweak. The reality is that we are generally coding like “madmen”, doing minimal testing before and then crossing our fingers and toes through the Friday meeting…
Afterward, we have a hurried wrap party and then call it a week. This has worked nicely for the family Douglas as we’ve instituted a kind of Friday afternoon out. Yesterday was perfect for this – the sun was out, the roads are bare and dry and the only difficulty was deciding which direction to head.
We headed back to the park (Glacier National Park) to see how things looked in the sunshine, having seen them in mostly fog last Sunday. Oh, MY! – Lake McDonald was like glass, a mirror to the surrounding scenery…so clear and sharp in reflection that you almost lost your sense of up and down and felt like you could fall into the sky and the “bottom” of the mountains.
We also discovered that Apgar campground is open for winter camping. And there were spots cleared that would hold a Winnebago. Plans were discussed – our departure for New Mexico is on hold pending some things that need to be done here but an overnight or 2 in the park, with a view of Lake McDonald and probably no neighbors, has its appeal.
Then we headed for home…
You were expecting the lake reflection mountain shots???
Later for those park photos…
photos taken 1/27/2010, first 2 about 15 minutes before sunset at 5:15, the moon an hour later.
This is what the Lord says – your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.
If you pay attention to my commands, your peace will be like a river.
Isaiah 48:17,18*
Peace like a river.
photos taken on January 24, 2010, McDonald Creek in Glacier National Park, Montana
*my edit of verse 18
With everyone feeling in tip-top shape and the weather calling for partly sunny, we loaded Karl, snowshoes and provisions in the Explorer and set out for parts East. The plan was to head over Marias pass, skirting the south end of Glacier National Park and then north towards the Canadian border to see what we could see.
However, the weather was not as advertised. It was snowing – heavily at times. The road south of West Glacier, MT was starting to get slick. The skies were heavy and gray. We turned in to the park to see about winter rates for entry with the idea that we would save the gas and go home but be armed with knowlege about the winter park fees….summer one time entry rates are $25 per car!
Well, now…the park has “senior” rates of $10 for a lifetime pass and “senior” is 62…and Steve is 63, so “Yippie – cai – oh – cai – ay”! – we got a pass and having it in hand we decided to drive the 8 miles of Going-to-the-sun Road that is open in the winter and at least let Karl out for a bit.
First stop, Apgar, where it was snowing heavily.
We continued on…
Ha – a bit of blue sky! This is close to the classic composition of photos of Lake McDonald excepting that most choose to take this shot on a blue sky, sparkling water, bright summer day…
That little bit of blue sky was the last blue we saw…
…until we hit the valley floor. And in the photo above – around the bend…there lies the road home.
It was a beautiful day.
Weather:
Sunshine is off and on…kind of a bit more off than on. No new snow (mixed reviews from the Douglas household on this…) and not much old snow left. We are all in agreement that as long as it has mostly melted and nothing new is in the works, it might as well go all the way!
Work: Busy!! That’s good and I enjoy my work and my team.
Bob: see above. And enjoying 2 people doing the food bowl filling…I think we need to get a blackboard to mark off who gives him what durng the day as relying on Bob “telling” us seems to have its problems…
Karl: wishing for snow and colder temperatures and also enjoying the 2 people thing regarding treats and playtime.
Steve and I: We’re giving the “in sickness and in health” part of the marriage vows a bit of a workout. Steve has been fighting a cough turned pneumonia that finally turned the corner to better…we think. He’s felt better and worse over the last 3 weeks. We’ve been out and about a bit as he’s felt better and still planning on an early to mid-February launch in the motorhome for parts south – New Mexico. Meantime, work, weather and feeling less than 100% has kept us mostly home. On a positive note, we upgraded his camera to a Nikon D90 and WOW! – nice camera and he’s enjoying getting to know what it will do. I’m thinking about a new lens before we head south…something to capture the New Mexico landscape a bit differently…we’ll see.
As always, much gratititude for every part of our days – for each other, for Karl and Bob, for this warm house, for good food, for friends and family. Despite the winter gloom and health stuff, our days are full of simple pleasures and joy. Hope yours are as well!
