The DeerLake Weekly Letter

   Our parents never traveled in covered wagons, but they do tell stories of rickety-old cars they had and traveled over mountains. Seems it must have been totally scary cause they can remember each day trying to get over the rocky mountains. I hear tell the tires back then didn't last long and breakdowns were often. They laugh when they tell the stories, I bet they weren't laughing way back then.

  Steven and Becca made a porch swing, you can check it out at.
http://deerlake.com/blog/
  If we would have had all the materials on hand, we could have built it in 4 days. Feels good to have built a swing that should last for quite a long time. Works great too, the highlight of each day is spending time together swinging.

  Finally seen a couple of the little fawns out and about. In the weeks to come the mothers will bring them into the yard and put on a show as they learn to play. Always in awe of how nice they look in their brown and white spots, the perfect camouflage.

  One of my favorite things to do is gather some fresh cut flowers for my Sweetheart Becca. Such an easy thing to do this time of year. The gardens are in full bloom, as are the wildflowers in the fields.

  In Glacier National Park, hiking the John's Lake Loop this week was an adventure for sure. Always be prepared, is the phrase that comes to mind. We had our snacks, the cameras, hiking shoes, lots of water and the bear spray. What we did not remember, was the mosquito repellant. The second we pulled up and opened the car doors, the mosquitoes rushed us like we were the meal of the century. Needless to say, we braved the hungry critters and hiked in our long sleeves, even though it was in the 80s. The trail is pretty level and only about 3 miles long. We hiked past John's Lake and along upper McDonald Creek, hiking down the creek pasted McDonald Falls and back to the upper end of McDonald Lake. We also drove up to the summit of Going To The Sun Road, stopping along the way to enjoy the beautiful day. Near the top, we stopped where we usually get a good view of mountain goats. There weren't any goats, although we did get a pretty good closeup of a pair of Hoary Marmots.

 For months they journey in a line
Strung out one wagon at a time,
Hardships occupy each long day,
As mile by mile they plod their way.

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Yes, we grew older,
gained knowledge, matured,
but never left our roots behind,
of that, I’m quite sure.

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Trusting Child.
If it is true that trouble comes in waves, then I have been buried by a typhoon lately.

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I’m glad that God made Grandpa,
unrushed and young like me.

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Recipes Below
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Becca's Raspberry Rhubarb Sauce Bread Recipe.
This Raspberry Rhubarb Bread Recipe makes an amazing moist raspberry bread loaf without using yeast.

and

Steven's Cool and Creamy Cheesecake Recipe.
Easy no-bake cheesecake recipe.

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Thought for Today -
There are only two lasting things we give our children--
one is roots, the other is wings.

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Swinging on the porch swing, Steven and Becca