Thursday, July 28, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Skiing Fleecer in May
Welcome back to NancyLand!
Every day I look out my kitchen window and see the northeast face of Fleecer Mountain, in the Pioneer Mountain Range. From my window, it looks to be a perfectly smooth, pointed, circular peak:
However, there are two peaks at the top. You can see this when you approach Fleecer from the south or southeast. A herd of elk calls Fleecer home, so Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks (FWP) tries to manage the area. They actually call it a wildlife management area and try to protect the elk herd by keeping the area closed until the 15th of May every year. Until this time of year, the elk stay at lower elevations (too much snow up high) in order to find food. This is their “winter range” and it’s a much smaller area than where they roam in the summer. Spring is calving season for the elk, so it is critical they are not disturbed or displaced out of their winter range during this time. The elk in the photo below, courtesy of FWP, is "in velvet" with his furry antlers. What a neat thing to see.
On May 22, 2011, I skied Fleecer with Carmen, Pat and Linda (and Linda's dog Zorra). This my second time skiing Fleecer after the May 15th opening. My first time was two years ago. I've skied, hiked and mountain biked on Fleecer. I'd like to camp up there some time. What a great (extended) backyard I have!
This first link will take you to a video of this year's adventure on Fleecer:
http://vimeo.com/25009688
This second link will take you to a photo montage of this year's adventure on Fleecer:
Until next time,
N
However, there are two peaks at the top. You can see this when you approach Fleecer from the south or southeast. A herd of elk calls Fleecer home, so Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks (FWP) tries to manage the area. They actually call it a wildlife management area and try to protect the elk herd by keeping the area closed until the 15th of May every year. Until this time of year, the elk stay at lower elevations (too much snow up high) in order to find food. This is their “winter range” and it’s a much smaller area than where they roam in the summer. Spring is calving season for the elk, so it is critical they are not disturbed or displaced out of their winter range during this time. The elk in the photo below, courtesy of FWP, is "in velvet" with his furry antlers. What a neat thing to see.
On May 22, 2011, I skied Fleecer with Carmen, Pat and Linda (and Linda's dog Zorra). This my second time skiing Fleecer after the May 15th opening. My first time was two years ago. I've skied, hiked and mountain biked on Fleecer. I'd like to camp up there some time. What a great (extended) backyard I have!
This first link will take you to a video of this year's adventure on Fleecer:
http://vimeo.com/25009688
Until next time,
N
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Mother's Day in Chicago
Welcome to NancyLand!
We had an awesome brunch: Max and Benny's deli food! Yum!
Paula and Mom
Mom and Laura
Aunt Nancy and Caroline
You can NOT get half dills like this in Montana!
Gardeners in action
We hiked (and ran) to the highest point, the pavillion:
We talked to a red winged blackbird.
We saw snakes!
We took a picture by the tulips for Grandma Roselle.
In my first (ever) blog, if you visit NancyLand, you'll find yourself in Chicago.
Click the link below to see a video of Paula and Laura walking up to Mom's place, planning her garden. Note some of that usual twin stuff (that they don't notice, but the rest of us do) including dressing exactly alike without planning it...and buying the same flowers without knowing it. Awesome. Caroline makes an appearance in the middle and end of the video. Compared to Butte Montana in May, when the midnight frost will be a gardener's risk for yet another month, the green grass is startling, the flowers a fast forward to a summer yet to come.
We had an awesome brunch: Max and Benny's deli food! Yum!
Paula and Mom
Mom and Laura
Aunt Nancy and Caroline
AFTER LUNCH
Gardeners in action
Stevey and I end up with back surgery and Paula and Laura can work like this, no problem. We didn't get the same genes.
Caroline and I went on a nature walk (and run) across the street by the Glenview Park and Rec Center. I just learned it's officially called Gallery Park, and the body of water is called Lake Glenview.
We saw a blue heron:
We hiked (and ran) to the highest point, the pavillion:
We talked to a red winged blackbird.
We saw snakes!
We took a picture by the tulips for Grandma Roselle.
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