A Little of this and a little of that…

I Have been wondering where the sweet scent in the air lately is coming from—couldn’t see any flowering bushes, just a lot of silvery leaves, but then I took a closer look.  They may be tiny but there are profusions of tiny yellow bells dangling under the leaves and they give off a strong musky, sweet scent.

IMG_20160602_115738886It’s called a “Wolf Willow”, and produces a mealy berry, thus the alternate name, ‘Silver Berry’.  Apparently it produces beautiful seeds that have traditionally been used to make necklaces!  I’d better keep an eye on these bushes.  No doubt the bears and elk will be too!

Well since last post we’ve done a bit of riding on the tandem—climbed Mount Norquay in Banff in hopes of a fast descent, only to be foiled by a strong headwind.  Ski runs always look strange without the snow…IMG_20160602_134246052_HDR

And we had a bit of company this week and did a bit of hiking…IMG_20160604_171240397_HDRIMG_20160604_171453145_HDRIMG_20160604_171457102_HDR

We got to see an owl’s nest with its bumbling fluffy young hopping about on a cliff face.  But the pictures left everything to the imagination… so it was fun to find a close-up nest along the trail down, even if these aren’t owls!IMG_20160604_175515654

We’ve done a lot of settling into our own nest this past week—the best part is getting to unpack the kiddie books and toys for the grandkids… and cluttering the fridge with memories of when ours were young…

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I couldn’t get through spring without a few plants, IMG_20160605_140518835

so now there are flowers at the door P1200717and a fig tree on the mantle..

IMG_20160605_140542381.  ahhh…that’s better!

And we’ve had spectacularly warm weather, my favorite kind–IMG_20160606_160823378 though they say it won’t last…

 

And I’ve found a play/work space and have been dabbling in color.IMG_20160605_143016721

God does this too–rainbow out the window

And that’s the latest from our nest. P1200716

 

 

–LS

Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men… Col.3:23

Upward and Onward

By the weekend I had sufficiently recovered from my bout with shingles to attempt a real hike…

We started in Johnston Canyon (in Banff) with the lower and upper falls…IMG_20160514_142759917_HDR

And then traipsed onward and upward along a lovely forest trail…

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to the Inkpots—an area of natural thermal pools, reminiscent in a very small way of Yellowstone’s wonders.

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We munched our lunch and caught some shut-eye on the rocky shores of a beautiful creek before heading home. Our feet were ready to get out of boots seven and a half miles later!

Got a photo shoot of some bighorn sheep nibbling at the roadside along the way home… Is it winter’s leftover salt they’re after?

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It’s great to be feeling better, and to get to hike on such a lovely day!

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The mountains will bring peace to the people,
And the little hills, by righteousness.
Ps. 72:3 NKJV

–LS

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(Banff in bloom)

 

 

 

 

A Morning Stroll…

I’m not up to much these days but it seemed a perfect morning for a stroll…

We started up a mountain biking trail just beside our neighborhood (on foot!). IMG_20160511_121514343_HDR

It was all ‘rooty’ and rough…  But through the trees we caught a glimpse of green and turned aside…

IMG_20160511_114142375_HDRIMG_20160511_113443623_HDR AHHH… now that’s more like it!

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And so we had a peaceful stroll along this immaculately groomed course, just the two of us,IMG_20160511_114235898  soaking up morning sun and savoring spring’s tokens along the way…

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Tomorrow, we were told, the golf course will open and there will be no more walking here for us, but for today, it was perfect!

Except for one thing…we had to come back to our place to find the truest token of spring:IMG_20160511_122018928_HDR We’re keeping it natural here and we’ve got a bumper crop of these ( :

Coyote feels right at home and takes his strolls here each morning…P1200660

–LS

“The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you!” Ps.145:9,10