To Have and To Hold

I love beauty.  I'm deeply stirred in that fairytale, believer-in-wonder side of me when my eyes happen upon something beautiful.
People that can create beauty fascinate me.  What a gift to be able to encapsulate ambiguity and make it tangible; able to be held & not simply behold.

Our family loves pottery.  There is something so earthy in it's tactile quality that we find ourselves often just holding pieces of it, turning them over in our hands, running our fingers over the sweet imperfections.  That's another reason for our love of it, I think.  That it isn't perfect.  Each piece has it's own personality and character.
When my Mama was alive we were both early risers.  Both of us were up and ready for our days to begin by 4 AM.  She would sit on her bed for the first hour or 2 reading, journaling, praying, or just being.  Then she would wander out to the dining room and we would have tea/coffee together.  Right before she passed away she gave me some money and told me to get something for myself.  It was silly to me at the time.  All I wanted was her.  When she did pass and I was missing our morning chat over our steaming mugs, I knew what I would use her little gift for.
I began to search for a creator of beauty.  Someone that could stir my heart; make me want to hold and feel, not just see, what they created.  Emily Davis @ DiTerra Pottery was just such a creator.

4 months (nearly to the day) after Mama's death I'm sitting at my table, reading, listening to the geese setting off for distant horizons, watching the sun rise over the mountains, and cradling beauty in my hands thinking about how much she would love this morning.  She would love these mugs too.

Thank you, Emily.  Thank you.

Joining in the Rhythm

Autumn has such a sweet cadence to it.  Crisp mornings, warm afternoons, early evenings.  Soups begin to be simmered, ovens are warmed after the long summer dormancy, and the scents of home glow with kindly invitation.  And there are apples!  Red and yellow and green; sweet and tart and crunchy.  In WA where I grew up we had them coming out our ears, but here in MT they are a treat.  And so ... we treated ourselves to a day in the orchard and came home with a bushel of delights.

I see apple pie, & apple crisp, & applesauce, & apple cider in our future!

School Days

A dream came true for me last week.  One I seriously thought was just going to remain in the 'dream realm'.   I became a student.  A Rocky Mountain School of Photography student.  What an empowering, liberating feeling it is to learn and grow; to be challenged and encouraged to go beyond the boundaries of what you have experienced up to this point. 

One of my only complaints is that classes are held in Missoula when Bozeman would be so much more interesting and fun to photograph.  I'm biased, I know.  :)
Thank you Kathy for your patient and continual support as we learned.  Thank you Jen for being such an encourager and being excited to see us succeed.
And thank you Neil for making it possible; for giving us a place to come, discover, & become.

Off to go capture my world (with my tripod attached, Kathy)!

Courtyard Luncheon

 Seafood Fettucini w/ Lavendar

Rosemary Garlic Parmesan Fries with Mint and Lemon. 

One Last HOORAH! {day 3}

Look familiar?  Pickleball was played more than once a day usually.  In fact, after I was in bed on this last day, the 3 night owls went out for a moonlight set and one of the guys from the bar joined Minda as her doubles partner.

 

Lunch @ the lodge again.  This time overlooking the water and pickleball courts.  Our waitress was so great, and the food didn't disappoint.  I had Mahi Mahi tacos and they were the best I had had since Kauai!

The girls had Huckleberry Lemonades, with berries picked that morning! 

She seldom takes a serious photo - so why should I?

Poke wars.  Yes, they still act like children. 

The Sour Hucks and their imbibers.

Cassia and J are so alike.  It's always reiterated when we are together for long amounts of time.  One thing they both enjoy are long, deep, philosophical conversations.  Minda and I just sit and make faces at eachother while they wax eloquent.

Fire, lakeshore, prawns... Ahhhhhhhhhhh ...

We had leftover black bean salad that we didn't mind a bit having a second time, and I added an Peppered Orzo pasta with Feta & a dilled mustard vinaigrette to the mix.  It was gone by the end of the meal.  :D 

Can you blame her for hoping?

Then it was time for some S'mores action! I went a little different direction with them.  We had Reeses Peanutbutter Cups instead of plain chocolate, and I found graham cookies instead of crackers! 

Cassia and J hunted up some roasting sticks.

Needless to say, they needed no encouragement to dig in!

I can't have chocolate, but it didn't stop me from gobbling one marshmallow sammie!

 

Savoring the moment...