Valerie arrived Saturday afternoon and of course we gabbed the whole way back to suwarrow. Having one of my main buds here was a real treat for me – lots of catching up to do! We do all that and more…rocking and reading time, walking through suwarrow an the Forks campground and riding Maryann with Lance to walk a new trail he discovered on a mountain bike ride. Valerie had no idea she was in for a course in being a naturalist! We identified scat and various bushes and munched on thimbleberries (relative of raspberries), and we encountered a wild turkey and grouse along the path. You just never know what’s in store for you on any given day!
Lots of relaxing, movie watching, laughing and eating out on the screened-in porch. Monday we headed out on the Clark Fork for a float, and our intrepid visitor took a turn at rowing:
but we both left the small, narrow whitewater to Lance:
A bit of harvesting in the garden added to dinner:
(those strawberries somehow found themselves being dragged through melted dark chocolate some time later. poor things!). And a new one for me: fresh squash blossoms cooked a la Leonardo:
and a fitting ending to any day out in the wilderness – the campfire:
always the occasion for thoughtful, mesmerizing hours of warmth! and s’mores, of course.
next year, V, polishing up the rowing, and the walk to the watchtower. or huckleberry picking. definitely fly fishing!