Blind Eagles and Daring Stunts

We're driving back to Polson after an amazing two-day stay at my uncle's cabin on Georgetown Lake. Uncle Bob and Aunt Marlene hosted a non-stop, fun-filled weekend of mountain activities, including four-wheelers, motorboat rides, jet skis, paddle boats, and inner tubing behind aforementioned motorboat. Quieter sports like fishing and baby-watching were also available. Everywhere I turned I saw a memory I wanted to hold on to, moments so tender and emotional that their essence could never be captured in a photograph; Rob throwing long passes to my brother Michael, my sister Karen consoling my nephew Mac after he was terrorized by the evil four-pound puppy, Lucky, my father racing up and down the drive on a four-wheeler with a gleeful Daniel on his lap, baby Joey trying on everyone's sunglasses and nodding merrily all day long.

We saw wildlife, too; snowshoe hairs, red-necked grebes with their wheezy, laughing call, bald eagles diving for fish and swooping over our heads on a four-wheeler excursion, deer and trout that stubbornly refused to be caught. Bald eagles we have taken to calling 'blind eagles' after Daniel read a sign in the Tetons and mistakenly substituted blind for bald. We also have bald eagles back in Polson at my folks' place; last week I took Aden and William swimming in the shallow bay close to home and saw one at close range looking for dinner. We swam about 500 meters out and back - and the kids were terrified. I found it hard to comprehend that these children, who endlessly called me to go faster on the jet skis and went wildly tubing without care, were horrified by the muddy bottom and cold water of Flathead Lake. I redeemed myself in their eyes by tubing twice, as Bob tried to pull me across his wake time after time and nearly dislocated my shoulder with some wild air.

After a quick stop at the CostCo in Missoula for supplies we will head back to see my brother John and his family for two quick days. I feel so blessed to have seen all my siblings on this trip; James made a special business trip out from San Francisco to catch us all at the beginning of the week and Karen has been here the whole time, as well as Mike and Pam and their two darling kiddos. It makes for cramped sleeping (our kids were out in the camper trailer the last two nights) but oh, so much joy. Safe travels - we will see you soon!