The Moose

Last week I had the pleasure of spending time alone with my daughter-in-law, Susan.  We shared a room at the Mount Rainier Lodge in Paradise, WA. (Where, by the way, there is no cell phone service or wifi.  I had to use a pay phone make a call.  I didn't know pay phones even existed any more!  But that's another story…)

Taking this picture was scary for me.  That is a dramatic ledge in the foreground.

On Saturday, we took a five-hour hike at high altitude.  We had a blast slipping and sliding through deep snow and drinking in spectacular vistas.  We truly do live in America, the beautiful.

Snow…in July?

 Back at the lodge, we plopped down on our beds and began reading.  Soon though, I fell asleep.

In addition to her other skills, Susan is an accomplished animal tracker.

When I awoke, Susan was so excited.  "I heard a moose!!"  she said.  "I jumped up to look out the window but I couldn't see it.  So I tracked the sound to its source and I found…
…..it was YOU."

www.StillSwimmingUpstream.com

The Lucky Storm

It's Raining Ice!

We live in South Carolina and yesterday it rained ice for over an hour.  The forecast was for a low of twenty-three.  That's freakishly cold for here.  Freakishly.  And providential for my husband, as it turned out.

Ice on our deck

As it was storming, a box arrived.  For Jerry.  This is only one in a long line of packages that have been delivered lately.  They all contain mountaineering gear - Jerry is planning a summer trip to Mount Rainier so he's acquiring  equipment.  Ice axes, coats and boots have already arrived. This newest box had an ultra-lightweight sleeping bag in it that compresses to the size of a loaf of bread.  (Space and weight are important considerations for mountain climbing gear, or so I'm told.)     

Jerry was jubilant that this sleeping bag arrived on this day.  It's raining ice!  It's going to be cold tonight.  It stands to reason that my husband would want to sleep outside.  This seemed sane to him, I might add.

Warm and toasty outside

I was happy to do my part for the experiment in the form of providing the cushioning between Jerry and the porch decking.  In other words, I let him use my sleeping bag with my yoga mat stuffed inside.  

My sleeping bag keeps me warm(ish) in 50 degree weather if I'm wearing fleecy pajamas.  It weighs more than all the loaves of bread you could fit into a grocery cart. (When I think about it, it might weigh more than the cart itself does.)  The good news is, I did not sleep outside in it and I'm not taking it (or any other gear) to the mountains.  As an added plus, my sleeping bag is a pretty purple.  

As Jerry was getting ready for work this morning, he declared the night a success.  He was quite pleased with himself and the experience, too.  

…and our friends think I'M the crazy one!   

www.StillSwimmingUpstream.com