Family Birthday Week

 It's our last night in Polson, Montana and before we go any further I want to show you some pictures of our time in Canada with Jesse, Erin and sweet Anabel.

We didn't do anything earth shaking or really exciting (well, it WAS exciting when the train passed by directly behind the house and blasted it's horn unexpectedly) while we were in the Nelson/Proctor BC area.  That wasn't the goal.    We enjoyed quiet, quality time with family, ate good food (thanks Erin), and reveled in the spectacular mountain and lake views in front of us.  

can you see the ferry crossing the lake?

 Dave and I (Taos too) stayed in a beautiful BnB in Balfour.     We took our morning second cup outside on our private patio, walked Taos in the small orchard and slept peacefully each night.   

There was a small pickleball court in front of us that Dave and Taos used a few times....

The owner gave us a few suggestions on some unused logging roads that would take us up into the mountains behind us.    One day Jesse, Erin and Annie packed us all a lunch and joined us on the long, pretty drive.   

I was surprised at the number of wildflowers that were still blooming along the roadway and at the lush, laden berry bushes everywhere.   We were warned that this was peak season, and that bear were abundant.   We were watchful and didn't wander far from our vehicles.

Up and up we went.   Not too many places along the narrow dirt road to find some shade for a lunch break   I couldn't imagine driving a huge log truck down these tracks!    We finally just took what came along and enjoyed our sandwiches together.

Annie and Taos keep busy while we unwrap lunch

roadside repast

Jesse and Erin rented a cool house (The Rusty Bear) across the lake from our BnB so every day we got to ride the little cable ferry over to spend the day with them.   

It seemed to always be waiting for us....we never waited more than 5 minutes to board and once on, it moved silently to the other side.   So nice and peaceful, so Canadian!

I think I'll just show you pictures of our time together now.   Each day was much the same as the other.     Second cup on our patio, ferry ride across the river, lunch at the house, water time, happy hour wine with our feet in the lake, dinner then back on the ferry and "home".  Nice....very, very nice.

Taos and Molly got along well enough.   Taos doesn't have much dog experience and Molly is sometimes protective of her family but, with us all supervising carefully, they existed in the same house together without incident. 

they studiously ignored each other

Molly was mostly interested in retrieving her ball in the lake.   Nothing much else was even close.    She kept it within reach in case someone, anyone, would notice and throw it far out into the water.    She's a very focused dog.

he explains why she must take a break....she respectfully disagrees

Taos was immediately in love with Annie and followed her everywhere.   If she cried, he ran to her and licked her face gently.     She returned his affection.   She enjoyed grabbing his tongue when he licked and it made her laugh, big belly laughs.     So fun.   

 She enjoyed playing with his ice cubes also.   He was quite magnanimous.

They were very slippery and she had trouble keeping track of them.     And they melt.....

where is it now?

Erin made cupcakes for Annie's birthday and it became a family effort to frost them.    

Annie enjoyed hers on the beach.    

nom nom nom

While Molly retrieved, and Jesse/Erin/Annie floated, and Dave and I sat in the water, Taos found some water activity that made sense to him.   

Selecting the perfect rock, carrying it gingerly to the shore and placing it on his blue beach towel.   Back and forth, back and forth.   Ah well, to each his own.

 Annie, too, was enthralled by the stones and rocks along the shore and in the lake.

nom nom nom

So went our week.    

who needs a walker?

Our time together went by much too fast.    We spent a few days back in Spokane before packing up and heading on.   

 

Another catch up......

Ok, I'm still playing catch up with the blog. We're no longer with the family in Canada, we've moved on to Polson, Montana.

he's very relaxed with Dave behind the wheel.....

 We arrived last Sunday and are parked under some beautiful old blue spruce trees, alongside a lovely, green golf course at Eagle View RV Park.

Relaxation is the name of the game for this stay.   Flathead Lake is just down the street but it's hard to see through all the wildfire smoke.   The Rockies are close by also but they, too, are hard to make out. 

 It's quite hot but our shady site has allowed us to enjoy second cup and happy hour outside.  

 Today, Taos made a friend.... his first!   We met neighbors Cindy and Rick and their yellow Lab, Tica.    They assured us that she was a quiet and submissive girl so Taos invited her into his "yard".     It was interesting to watch him interact with another dog, up close.     She is a nice girl and they got along well.    Another good experience for Taos. 

 Jesse's sweet Lab, Molly, has some territorial, and protective issues that did not allow Taos to interact with her while we were all together for the birthday week.   As long as he respected her space and didn't intrude, they were able to exist in the same house without trouble.    That's all we asked.

Tica (Tika?)  then, was a totally new experience and he enjoyed himself.     

The lake was calling us, smoky or not, so we took Taos and found a fishing access point to wade in and cool off.   The water was clear and warm. 

 The undulating floating dock didn't bother him in the least.   What a guy!

 

 He continues to think we're crazy for enjoying large bodies of water but is willing to humor us.....to a point.

come get the stick.....

On our way around the lake, we stopped to buy a couple bags of the area's famous cherries.      I almost bought a cherry pie also, but when I saw the price tag I put it right back  $40 for one 8 inch pie!   "It's organic", says the salesgirl.  I left with two bags of cherries instead.....I can make my own darn pie.

The last time we were in this area it was just a bit too early for them and we were tantalized by the acres and acres of cherry orchards lining the lake.     This time our timing was perfect, and we've been gorging ourselves on the beautiful, sweet little bombs.   

Taos is extremely tough on toys (I don't want to think how much we've spent on toys for him!)   We started out with a whole bin of toys, balls, stuffed animals, squeaky things, floaty things, Nylabone, elk horns, Kongs, treat dispensing toys, puzzles, large and small, hard and soft, chewy and  leather.    He takes them all down in short order.   Seams rip, stuffing flies, monkeys lose their limbs and ears, lobsters lose their claws and eyes, puzzles are figured out immediately, cows lose their horns and hooves, sheesh.    Yesterday we took him into Murdoch's Farm Supply for some experience walking calmly in a large store and, perhaps, to pick out his own d amn toy!

 

This is what he (we) chose.     He was thrilled with his choice, started working on it as soon as he got back in the car......by the time we got home he had bitten it in half.    Ah well, as I said, he's rough on toys.       sigh.

I think this post has gone on long enough, so I'll leave you with one, or maybe two tantalizing photos from our week in British Columbia and the birthday week.    Next post I'll tell you all about it, I promise!    Stay tuned....

buddies