A Mountain Day

Yesterday, was a big, long day, starting with a morning visit to my sacred place, Grassi Lakes. Because it's such a short hike it is often very busy. On a weekend, the trails around the shores can look like a shopping mall before Christmas. It's also a favoured sport climbing spot, but there were no climbers or hikers. Zelda and I couldn't believe our good fortune of having the beauty all to ourselves. Leaving the lakes we passed hikers in small clusters and huge gangs.


The Calypso Orchids are blooming at the trail head ...


And the momma owl is back in her hole in the wall above the upper lake ...


Morgan joined us for lunch. He looked so well it was difficult to fathom that just two months ago he'd had a brain tumour removed. May his remarkable healing continue at this accelerated rate!

I then drove to Banff, where Liz and I talked art at her place before parking at the golf course club house and hauling all our gear to the edge of the Bow River. With the idea is that the light is better at this hour, we began painting after 5pm. But sunlight was evasive and the sky a high grey. Still, it soothed me to be out there pushing paint around a small panel for four hours. Was I really having trouble with the painting, or did I simply not want to leave Liz and the scene?


Liz was painting this ...


The elk were an added bonus, pausing in the water to cool down.


I loved being able to look over at Liz, while she worked a few feet away from me, with Cascade Mountain as a magnificent back drop. And beyond the trees to my left loomed Mount Rundle.


Exhausted as I was when I got back to Canmore last night, my heart and soul were/are filled.