Lush

The crabapple tree's flowers are mostly gone now, but it was a beautiful bloom. We've been weeding, and scattering seeds, and basically walking around saying "green!" to each other. (Yes, this picture focuses on pink, but you get my drift).

It's a rainy June so far, which is fine. More snow in the mountains, lots of free watering for the trees and garden, and when it does get sunny and warm up, it'll be all the sweeter.

We've lived here nine months now, and how time flies. Although the last snow melted from the field just over a month ago, it seems ages. The deer -- daily visitors throughout the winter -- are just now appearing again, having switched from their more reserved gray coat to the "traditional" tan spring/summer look.

We've taken the kayak out a few times, Monique having gone the furthest so far. It's a good little boat, and once I feel more confident in my balance, and once the river's dropped a little, I'll try it from upriver a ways. The water's still high, and the sound it over flowing by is one of my strongest childhood memories from the old cabin. Spring runoff is not done, but there's almost no "stuff" floating by -- the logs, branches, stumps, twigs, posts, and planks that were sitting low throughout winter have moved on.

Monique, me, and my uncle Bill cleaned out the swimming hole -- armed with rakes, we worked about 90 minutes to get the majority of stuff in our beloved swimmin' hole back into the current. I'm not a huge fan of making all that someone else's problem, but in this case, I guess I was.

Still haven't gone to Glacier Park, or the Jewel Basin, or Bond Creek. Maybe next weekend. Being around here is so fun and so energizing, I can only imagine what some of our favorite hiking places look like.