Forest Fire Season

I had never truly appreciated forest fires until I moved to Montana a decade ago. I now have a true respect for their power. Last summer was pretty much flame-free, but just a few days ago we had a fire flare up one or two stops over on I-90. When this one popped up, we thought it was just over Mt. Jumbo and coming our way. The pictures are views from our street. It was quite the neigborhood affair watching the plumes of smoke and glow of flames. It spread to the east (away from our house), but it was still something to watch.

Annie's Birthday & Biking/Fishing Blackfoot

Annie has turned 6! I was so busy running around at her party, that I didn't have a chance to take pictures. I'm going to ask another mom for a copy of some pics, and I'll try to get them posted. It was a great celebration, and thanks for the many well-wishes. The other pictures are from a bike ride & fishing along the Blackfoot River. The bike ride was an old railway road, called Going to the Buffalo, which followed the banks of the river. We rode for a bit, until the kiddos got grumpy and hot. Then we fished, played around, and watched the multitudinous floaters - you can tell the college kids are back. Brian, of course, caught some fish, but the prize of the day goes to Jacob. He caught a cut-throat trout, and he kept the floaters entertained with his excitement. He found a small pool, and could watch the fish checking out his bait through the clear water. He has learned that trout are trickier than perch and pumpkin seeds.

Aunt Annie's Visit and Glacier National Park

Aunt Annie came to visit for a whole week! We tubed the Clark Fork River, and Aunt Annie was shocked by the chilly waters of Montana. (Not that any of us disagreed with her.) We also went to the top of the neighboring ski hill, Snowbowl, for some pizza and a chairlift ride. On a local hike, we encountered a rushing herd of sheep. Sheep are trained to eat weeds and roam around the local hills. They are noisy, baaing creatures who made the hike a bit interesting. But the highlight of the trip was a camping trip at Two Medicine in Glacier National Park. It has to be one of the most majestic parks in America. We took a ride on a 100 year old boat through Two Medicine Lake, hiked the Continental Divide Trail and hiked to Twin Falls, Upper Two Medicine Lake and around Logan Pass. The wildflowers were in full bloom, snow still graced many peaks, and we had perfect weather. We saw some marmots, and a moose with a full rack bathing itself. The boys fished with little luck - Brian got a few trout and Jake was skunked. He struggled with the concept of not catching anything after a string of successful fishing excursions. We were glad Aunt Annie came and that we made it up to Glacier with her. Come again soon!

Camping - 2 weekends

We've been camping the last two weekends. First we went to Holland Lake, which is so picturesque. Its surrounded by snow-capped, rugged peaks, has crystal clear water and has a dramatic waterfall plunging into its north end. We fished, cooked, hiked to the falls and tried to swim. The water was too cold. Jake is now truly obsessed with fishing, and he's mastered bait (worm) fishing for small perch. We finally let him go down to the lake and fish by himself, since that is all he wanted to do. He said, "really, I can go my myself!" I swear he thought he was so grown up, even though it was really close. He's also been particulary kind to Annie, and has taken on showing her how to fish. The next weekend was at Lake Alva, in the same valley and chain of lakes. It was closed in by tall pines, so it lacked the scenery. Though the lake was warmer and full of lots of fish.

4th of July & Scout Camp

We've stayed rather busy since our vacation, but things are quieting down. It seems we front-loaded our summer with activities (vacation, outdoor camp, scout camp), and now we are coasting through the remaining summer days. It will go very quickly!

Jake had scout camp and hung around other soon-to-be 2nd graders for three full days. His favorite activities were, to no surprise, bb gun shooting and bow and arrow target range. He is still very excited about scouts.

The 4th of July weekend had absolutely perfect weather and fun, low-key activities. We went up to Snowbowl Ski Resort to ride the chairlift, hike around, and to have a drink and pizza at the little lodge. There are still snow patches at the top, as it has been a record winter for snow. Brian found the ski pole he dropped from the chairlift on the opening day of the season last November. Quite a find! We also went up to Pattee Canyon National Recreation area for a little picnic & hike. Then we had 2 bbq's at friends' houses, including one on the 4th that came with fireworks in front of the house and a kids' bike parade.

We are camping for the first time this weekend, so hopefully I'll be quicker about getting the pictures posted.

McVay's in Mexico

My side of the family all met in Puerto Aventuras, Yucatan Pennisula of Mexico for a week of family and beach fun. It was Aunt Annie, Grampa John, Uncle Mike, Aunt Kathy, cousins Kelli & John, and of course, the Sweatlands. Getting together like this is a rare occurrence, and we all fell into an easy, relaxed routine. The beaches were white-sand with turquoise water, and we had outings which included boat-fishing and seeing the ruins of Tulum. On the fishing trip, each kid caught at least one fish. Johnny took the prize for first fish and Brian took the prize for biggest fish. Jake was thrilled to catch his relatively smaller fish, but also knows first-hand what sea sickness means. The heat and sun-tan lotion got the best of little Annie at the ruins of Tulum, but a cool coca-cola seemed to be the magic cure. This is not surprising to those who know Annie. Kelli, Annie, Jake and Aunt Annie got to swim with the dolphins, each getting to ride and kiss the dolphins, except Jake did not want to kiss the dolphins. He steadfastly refused and opted for a handshake instead. This is also not surprising for those who know him. Other than that it was a week of swimming, sand, drinks, food, games and family. The blog limits me to 5 pictures, but I have about 75 more that capture the memories of a fantastic week. We are very fortunate to have taken this trip, and hopefully our future will hold more.

Fishing Memorial Day Weekend

Just a quick post to show some pictures Jake is excited to share. He kept asking me if I made the 'poster' yet. I explained that is not really a poster, but a post. Yesterday we went to the fishing pond, a stocked man-made pond in a local park near downtown. We dug up worms from our yard, packed the poles and went down to fish. Jake's first cast got a bite, but no fish. After that he cast and sat for about two hours watching his bobber. It was a good lesson in patience, because after a long while the fish began to bite. Brian caught a perch and a rainbow trout. And finally, Jake's bobber went under and he grabbed his pole. He was afraid his pole would break, and he was surprised at the fight the trout put up. It was a fat 'monster' rainbow trout, about 14 inches and 3.5 pounds. Annie fished some, but she was more interested in climbing trees and picking dandelions. We also saw an osprey fly overhead with its own catch.