moving – Skelton Sketches

2016 in Review

Posted on January 6, 2017April 29, 2017 by lindaskelton

I am ready for a New Year. The old one sputtered to a finish with colds and flu that made this the quietest holiday ever—just the two of us commiserating, napping, and idling about hoping to feel better in the morning, for days and weeks… P1220903

So, I am glad to be able to look back to sweeter memories of the old year and thankful for the energetic times we’ve had and the good things God has done for us in it!

We were still living with Jim’s dad in the BC Kootenays last year at this time and loving all the snow and learning to X-country ski in a pristine wooded wilderness. It was amazing!

IMG_20160220_122640123 All through January and February we skiied and I discovered doodling… IMG_20160104_221802890 P1190843

Then came an opportunity to live and work nearer the Calgary kids and the end of March found us exploring Canmore, Alberta.

IMG_20160330_151243778_HDR where Jim became a bicycle mechanic!

April 1 we moved into a sweet little suite…

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with the help of this great moving crew!

7 The Moving Crew roosting

It’s been a dream come true to live just an hour away from them all ( :

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The spring found me hiking with new found acquaintances…

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Finding my first Prairie Crocuses…

Crocus chorus

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…scaling a couple peaks nearest our home with Jim…

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And taking it easy on the neighboring golf course as I recovered from Shingles!

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There has been so much to discover…

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And always the stately Three Sisters providing the backdrop from our doorstep…

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A niece’s summer wedding was the perfect opportunity to return to my childhood home in New Jersey…

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and see family…

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Siblings

and all the wonderful cousins I grew up with!

Weaver Cousins

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This is my sis (could you guess?)

Then back in Alberta there was more hiking—and our first hike in a hail storm!

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And there were visitors, both people and animals…

deer with fuzzy new headgear

And flowers blooming on my doorstep…

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In August our middle daughter married, luring us back to Powell River for the occasion!

Sarah and Jim down the aisle

And we got to meet our newest grandbaby girl for the first time! the latest addition to our family

new grandbaby, Alexis

Then back home to the mountains…

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And hikes with the kids…

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And endless views… IMG_20160901_114248794_HDR

And then it was fall rutting season and the stately elk were back in our yard, plundering my flowers and providing awesome scenery!

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The meadow mellowed…

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And the aspens began to turn…

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And the mountains got their winter powder…

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Leaves turning gave inspiration for art all through September…

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And with October’s coming we had our first dusting of snow in the yard…

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The elk came calling often…

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And the trees out the window made beautiful silhouettes…

Evening falling silhouette

And finally, in October we got to take a trip north to see that new grandbaby in her home ( :

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October had its inspiring moments…

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And November its practice alphabets…

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And the cross-country season opened at the local Nordic Center!

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And holiday time came round again…the most low-key holiday ever and one we gladly leave behind to get on with a new year and a new season in our lives…

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…a cold one! But not without a beauty all its own…

Thanks for joining me for the reminisce! ( :

–LS

Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Ps.90:1-2

A Little of this and a little of that…

Posted on June 19, 2016April 28, 2017 by lindaskelton

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.

It’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…

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

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!

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…

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

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

. ahhh…that’s better!

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

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

God does this too–

And that’s the latest from our nest.

–LS

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

Our Moving Company

Posted on April 6, 2016April 28, 2017 by lindaskelton

Backing up a bit today to replay our recent move in slower motion…

Easter weekend “Grandad”s Crocuses saw us off with just a small contingent of our possessions to head to Alberta and start work in hopes of also finding a place to call ‘home’.

We took the Kootenay Lake ferry to spare the heavy-laden old Toy a steep mountain pass…

Yay for a free ferry! (Too bad this idea couldn’t catch on back in Powell River.)

We spent Easter with the Calgary kids…

before heading into Canmore (an hour’s drive) on Monday morning to our temporary lodging for the week…

While Jim worked I scouted about…

looking and waiting for the right doors to open in a tightly closed up housing market… We considered even just renting a residential room for the month at the tune of $1000!

…But then I saw it, on Day 2–

A picture perfect suite with endless ‘yard’ space, far exceeding anything we had yet seen, and I thought of my city grandkids and how perfect this would be… and then it was only a matter of waiting to see if the property management’s vision concurred with our own!

How had this place not been snapped up sooner—we are confident God was holding it for us. The timing of its availability was impeccable. As we checked out of the hotel we were free to pick up keys for our new home on April 1!

All that remained was to fetch our trailer load of goods and get a moving crew ( :

Saturday was move-in day…

HOME!

The moving crew…

Time for treats and a rest…

And when all the boxes were in there was time to play the day away…The parents got time out in town while the kids and I went for a nature walk…

Elk droppings and spruce cones were the highlight!

I sent them home with pockets full (of cones!) in hopes of many nature walks to come, now that we live so near!

And Monday morning the sun came in to say ‘Good Morning’ and we old folks shared a cup of tea before Jim went off to work in his new career as a Bicycle Mechanic in a town that thrives on bicycle use…

God has done great things for us. Our hearts are full of wonder and joy.

–LS

“He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.” Ps.145:19

My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! Ps.34:2,3

Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! Ps.34:9