Summer . . . well it hasn't really arrived yet!

The summer solstice came and left.  We still don't really have summer.  I am not really complaining at all as heat is not my thing!  I lived in Africa and the middle east.  I know heat and I know I don't like it like other people.  The flowers are all doing great with all this rain and cool temperatures. Whitefish is green, lush, and colorful.  The heat of summer is just on slow-mo this year.  Rumor has it after the 4th we will be in the 90s!  One extreme to the next!

Biking has been great! I am not injured this year, we are riding or hiking just about every day.  I would be on the river paddling more as we have wheels to haul our Native Boards down easily to the Whitefish River.   At 46ºF this morning I am not too eager to get on the river and freeze—-been there and done that enough in my lifetime!

Reading the 3rd book in "Summer King Chronicles" YA fantasy series by Jess E Owen.  I am in awe of Jess's work.  She even made time to meet up with me and to share her thoughts on self-publishing. 

MTN Bike riding on the Whitefish Trails

Feeling so grateful that I can bike, paddle, ski and move after my small knee surgery!

Here in Whitefish after decades of dedicated folks, the Whitefish Trails were established, built and now used/loved by walkers, bikers, runners, young & old!

Dogs have many swimming spots along our rides and on the trails if you pick wisely.

Yes, I am a wimp when it comes to the twists and turns of the downhills!

My best buddy Miss Sadie she is my companion!  Although she loves to scope out the surrounding area around the trails at times.  Sadie is an explorer!

Riding up Taylor Creek in the fog this weekend.  It was really cool and mysterious and I just love it when the mountains are covered in fog.

Indian Paint Brush in the background.

So far this summer has been rather cool and rainy.  This photo was taken in earlier June when summer came by for a visit.

Cooling off in Haskill Creek at the end of a mountain bike ride.

Earlier June snow on the ski hill.

I am loving these geraniums I planted this summer.  They just remind me of an old fashion floral print for a summer dress.  Which I will point out is nothing I would ever wear----

Sadie loving her dog ice cream from #sweetpeaksicecream.

Look at that tongue and empty ice cream dish!

Christian and his Haskap berries and crisp below.

One of the things I carve all winter up north is the Farmers Market here in Whitefish!  Oh so crunchy!

Witches feet from the Wizard of Oz!  Nice early morning bike ride under the Montana Big Sky looking up Whitefish Lake.

Stumptown DK yarn hand dyed right here in Whitefish at the Knit'N Needle!  I needed up some fingerless mittens for my sister.  I am going to work on this simple design a bit to come up with a better pattern.

Ah, Huckleberries are beginning to turn bluey-purple and I am sure would be bursting with ripeness when the rain stops and the sun arrives!

Knitting, Biking, Berries, Paddling, Art, & Hiking

I am busy enjoying summer here in Montana.  June started off pretty wet and then summer arrived in full force.  They say by the 4th of July 97ºF! Yikes, that is too hot for ME! My grand niece has been here visiting and will be taking off later this coming week.  She is a great person and it is always fun to have her visit.

I think the best way to show what we have all been up to is a bit of a photo essay post.  The weather has been great and we have been out playing under Montana's Big Sky!

This is a great little fast knit in Malabrigo Rasta Yarn.  Downtown Crossing is a fun fast knit that produces a great hat.  This hat will head over to the Knit Girls in WA.

I need some new dish clothes and this is the first one I knitted up in Lion Brand Cotton.  The design is Sea Salt.

One of the things I look forward to all winter long is returning to my front porch.  This is just a great space, flowers, nice light, ceiling fans, a nice view, and so relaxing.

I just love getting a yarn order from Schoolhouse Press wrapped in tissue! This yarn is for swatching out my new Norwegian sweater design.  This design is currently running around in my head.  I am not sure of the colors yet.  I ordered a variety of colors to mess around with.  I promise myself I will not touch this yarn until my vest is done.

I currently have a plain pair of socks on my needles.  This yarn is from Knit'N Needle.  It is called Tender Foot which is their locally dyed yarn.  The colorway, I named, actually is Summer Storm.  I thought of huge charcoal gray clouds to light gray clouds rolling in with the hint of summer flowers such as Fireweed.

No summer is complete without a bike ride up Going To The Sun Road in Glacier Park. The road is closed while the road crew is removing snow to the pass.  There are sections that bikers can bike during this time.  We biked from Avalanche Campground up to the loop.  Heavens Peak is in the background there which is my favorite mountain in the Park.

Biking up in one of our favorite spots close to home.  This ride has many small creeks for the dogs to cool of in and nice shaded sections.

Lupine on a rather hotter ride and we will leave it at that!

Heading back to the rig as we finish up a ride in a new area for us.  Nice country but a bit of a dry ride.  We all even the dogs carried extra water which was a great idea!

Worn out pups happy to be back home, cleaned up, cooled off, and well fed.

We grow Haskap Berries and most people have never heard of them.  We love these berries and find their flavor fascinating.  Here are a few links about this great tasting unusual berries: http://haskap.ca/about-haskap-2/, http://haskap.ca/, https://lahavenaturalfarms.com/what-is-haskap/

I have been making a Haskap Crisp this summer with our berries and sever it with ice cream or whipping cream.

The Huckle Berries are now turning to reddish-purple-blue!  These are an all time favorite here in Montana.  We know a few great secret picking spots!

Time for paddling both on the river and the lake as the temperatures heat up.  Our boards are called Versa Boards.

Last weekend we paddle from Les Mason Park home on the river.  It was a great 2-hour paddle. 

Heading down to the lake to start our paddle home.

We paddle about 2/3rds of Whitefish Lake and then floated/paddled down the river.

There is always time to rest in the hammock or the hammock chair with a dear 4-leged buddy.

Another summer goal is to try to sketch and paint.  The goal is to get more art into my life and to challenge myself in developing this skill.  I am a stick figure one dimensional artist at best!

I enjoy working with watercolor pencils.

Hiking into Link Lake in the Whitefish Range.

Link Lake surrounded by snow but it was totally open.  The trout were surfacing!

Sadie is always up for a cool down!

Indian Paint Brush is looking stellar this summer.

An old favorite hike to Lupine Lake.

Bear Grass is outdoing itself this summer.  Every 5-7 years the bloom is amazing.

Little Miss Tally doing her thing---she loves the air time as she splashes into the water!

Yesterday, I discovered the joy of Glacier Park's Shuttle service!  Why I have not been using this over the years is beyond me.  The service is fast, smooth, FREE and wonderful!  I knitted all the way from Apgar to the Pass and never had to worry once about tourist and their lack of driving skills.

Garden Wall in the background and tons of snow at the pass.

Just a great morning hike as the shuttle got us up to the pass in about 1 hour.

A little sock knitting with Bear Hat peak watching over.

This is why I travel with socks. They are portable, small and easy to pull out and knit.  Nothing like a nice knitting break on the trail. 

Remember to get out and enjoy the world around you! Let your feet take you on your next adventure . . .