On Lolo Pond: Spring on Lolo Pond and a Jaunt to Utah

No longer is it just the beginning stages of spring in Lolo--the wood ducks are back, and so are the painted turtles, who I saw yesterday bathing in the sun on the log that lies in the middle of the pond. The pond is even starting to rise in the backyard, beginning the process of the full-on yard flood that usually happens by the end of May. Ospreys have been flying over our yard, and while taking a group of kids birding on Thursday, we saw an osprey fly right over us with a nice sized trout in its talons. And every morning at about 6:00 a.m. I awake to a robin singing loudly right outside of the window that is over our bed. It truly becomes a cacophony of sound this time of year, especially on a sunny day. Spring has hit the mini horses, too, as I came home yesterday to them and their shadow, the goat, in the yard across the street from us. I then spent the next hour chasing them around the neighborhood and up and down the river trail. And I must say, running is not as easy as it used to be now that I'm six months pregnant! With the help of a neighbor, we finally got them in, I fixed the fence (or so I thought), and then I found them this morning doing the exact same thing--they had broken through the fence again, and their hair was left behind as evidence to their determination to push through! This time I had Ryan to help and it didn't take quite as long, but the little rascals are definitely uninterested in humans right now. Ah, spring. I will make sure to get some photos of the beautiful wood ducks and turtles as soon as I can.

In the meantime, I'll share some photos from our recent trip to Southeastern Utah. This is a place that I hold really near and dear to my heart. In 2007, I took a two month backpacking, canoeing, and exploring course with the Wild Rockies Field Institute (www.wrfi.net) all over Southeastern Utah and other parts of the four corners, and I became enamored with the place. There is something holy about the colors--red, blue, and green--so vivid and all in contrast with one another, and the grandiosity of the walls rising in every direction around you; the red canyons against the blue sky, the bright green cottonwoods and gamble oak along the streams in the tall canyons, the bright and descending song of the canyon wren waking me every morning (make sure you listen to the bird's song at this link, it's intoxicating!), and the steadily rising chorus of frogs and toads calling through the night. My heart is pulled back there every year around spring, and every once and a while we get to make the trip. This time, I took a week off from work and Ryan was on spring break, so we drove down to Moab with Eiger and camped and hiked for a few days. It was a long trip for this pregnant lady, but well worth it! Enjoy the photos and have a wonderful weekend:).