Summer 2012

Elizabeth and Kevin made these paintings for my birthday - so sweet!

The first set of kittens. We had them for 9.5 weeks and my heart was completely broken when we brought them back, but they all got adopted!

 Sometimes at the end of the summer we lament that we didn't take more backpacking trips or finally get to Banff or the Tetons, but when I collected this smattering of pics of various things we did, I realized we had lots of wonderful experiences (and a few heartbreaking ones). We fostered 2 sets of kittens for the humane society and loved each one of those 13 cats (this includes the Moms).

Smudgey.

Bunny, the runt of litter #1 who eventually became Cornelia or Corn, the beloved child of Elizabeth and Kevin.

One of my favorite things about this summer was playing my flute again.

We didn't hike as much as usual, but when we did, it was glorious.

We took some spins on the bikes.

There aren't many occasions to dress up here in MT, but playing in the orchestra gave me a good excuse to fiddle with my hair.

The pieces we played were extremely challenging for me, but it is an incomparable feeling to be in the middle of the music as it is being created. So fun!

A super fun trip to Alaska with Ben to see Mark and Kristen. He has the bug for travel now!

We always get one day of skiing in when we get home.

A trip with Ben to Garnet Ghost Town

I love having the kids close by!

My plot at the community garden, 6 miles away.

We ate fresh things from May through September. I hardly had to grocery shop.

The soil is remarkable!

Every time I harvested, I brought home more than I could carry in one trip. So abundant!

Late summer bike trip with Kathy and Jess in Idaho

Blackberries!

Bannack Ghost Town with Elizabeth and her childhood friend, Becky

Elizabeth and I made lots of pickles this summer.

I'm not sure what new things I can say about life in Antarctica since this is our 5th season, but I will try :)