Concord - Hank's Graduation Weekend May 26-28

 May 26 - Hank's 18th birthday

    It was a long, but smooth travel day. We flew from Missoula around noon, having returned the rental car and getting a last coffee at Le Petit Outre. Missoula is a small and very manageable airport.

    We had about a 3 hour layover in Salt Lake City and saw in the Sky Lounge and relaxed and ate lunch. 

    As it is one of the busiest travel days of the year (Memorial Day weekend), the airport was crowded. Our plane was fully booked and it took so long to load that we ended up being about 40 minutes late. Why airlines don't load the back of the plane first is a mystery. But, the flight was smooth.  

   Otis was there to pick us up (12:30 a.m.) which was wonderful. He just finished his sophomore year and was very descriptive about his program, his training, his certifications  and flights and a lot just about the airline industry. 

May 27 - Day One of the Graduation Festivities

     A gorgeous day in Concord - mid 70s. Jecca and Otis went shopping for hiking boots for their upcoming trek along Wainwright's in northern England. The two of us went for some coffee and took them to Old North Bridge National Park where we strolled the gardens and listened to birds. 

     Later, Jecca, Hank and Barbara went to the Senior Recital. Then, we went to dinner for the grads and their parents where Mark joined them. We sat with the student voted to give the valedictory address, Tim ___. He and Hank are good friends. Isaac ___ and his parents also sat with us.

    Then, Barbara, Otis and Jecca went to the Baccalaureate in the beautiful chapel. Students sang, including Hank. John Hirsch, English teacher who used to be department head was chosen by the students to give the address. He is retired after 30+ years. His speech was excellent, summarizing how he came to the campus as a young man, never expecting to stay and talked about his growth as a teacher, coach, then as a parent and husband. It was touching and poignant and reminded me of how Mark and I felt about retiring and leaving the community and culture of teaching. Both Hank and Jecca shed tears. It was a beautiful ceremony.

May 28 - Graduation Day

       Hank got up at sunrise to join most of the class in the traditional dip into Bateman's Pond. Then, he went to rehearsal.

      Otis represented Willy well and he wore a tie from his grandad, his dad's belt and also Hank's clothes. Willy was, of course, very missed.

       The day was hot (low 80s) and sunny. Graduation began at 11 and we had amazing seats very near to the front and mostly shaded. The graduates entered by a procession from the chapel across the circle. The audience formed a funnel for them. 

     The head of the Board of Trustees, and a alum Jason Robard gave introductory remarks. They were very good. Then, Tim gave an excellent valedictory speech about his evolution at the school and the support he got from Erica Prall and also gave credit to Jecca. It was funny and touching. He was followed by the keynote speaker, also an alum. She talked about her life in global health which has taken her to many countries. She credited Middlesex with helping her and her brother (Erica's husband) get visas when they were students here when it was called into question whether they could stay or be sent back to Ghana. It was also a very good speech. All the speakers talked about the importance of community and involvement.

    It was nice to see Otis get together with two faculty kids from his class, Eliza and Gavin. We remember supervising them in the playground when they were in pre-school.

      After the diplomas were given out, we all went to a very good lunch in the gym. 

  

May 19, Lee Metcalf Wildlife Preserve

 

We had such a wonderful morning! We left our apartment early and drove to Lee Metcalf Wildlife Reserve. We left early for two reasons: 1. a good time to see birds. 2. heat which was supposed to hit 87 today. Unfortunately, it is still hazy with smoke, so the photos won't be as beautiful as if there was a bright blue sky.

We visited Lee Metcalf several years ago, but this time, with the new birding tools at our fingertips, we saw so many birds we had never seen before and also  birds we had seen before. 

New birds:  Cinnamon teal, California quail, Spotted Sandpiper, Western wood pewee. 

Other birds that we enjoyed seeing: yellow-headed black bird, osprey, killdeer, great blue heron, kingfisher, house wren, yellow warbler, red-wing blackbirds.

  We drove home for lunch.

  Later, we visited Jen Olson's house. The last time we were here, we didn't get to see her because she had been exposed to Covid. She made us a wonderful dinner at her charming rented house that is accessed via a gate that goes over a bridge. It feels quite private and removed from her neighbors. She has also planted flowers and vegetable which are already coming up. We saw on her porch and Mark saw two types of grosbeaks while sitting there - evening and black-headed, a type we have never seen before. 

We had brats, sweet potato fries and a wonderful wilted kale salad. Beforehand, we had olives and cheeses and crackers. She had Italian Tallegio cheese, a type we had never had, but really liked. For dessert - brownies and strawberries. It was great, but even better was the conversation which was wide-ranging. 

    

Last Few Days in Missoula, May 23, 24, 25

 May 23

      Today we explored the other side of Milltown State Park. It was disappointing that the overlook had to be closed due to erosion. But, we had a picnic there. The environment of grassland and ponderosa pines is stunning. We heard quite a few birds, but saw few of them. Then we took the Pattee Canyon Road which is also stunning  - and windy and gravel for much of the way. We had never traveled it before and will definitely go back on our next visit as it was beautiful.

     Mark bought all the fixings for dinner and we took it over to David and Maura's. He made tuna tataki, green beans with apple in a ginger, garlic sauce, roasted carrots and sweet potato. We bought a mixed berry pie (Bernice's Bakery) and vanilla ice cream from the Big Dipper. It was quite a feast and a lovely evening. Dodger, the cat, seems to be on the mend, but it was quite an injury that he sustained.

May 24

    A two-trip birding day for us. (David and Maura were at work) We started at Council Grove State Park just west of Missoula on the Clark Fork River. It was a beautiful spot. We saw a number of birds including a kestrel. We saw where an owl nests in a tree cavity, but did not see the owl. There were lots of warblers - yellow, yellow-rumped, common yellow throats. With the Merlin sound app, we heard lots of birds which we never spotted such as black-headed grosbeaks. 

       We took a break, got some coffee at our favorite coffee shop, and had lunch at home

        Then, we went back to Lee Metcalf to take the Kenai Nature Trail. Once again, Lee Metcalf does not disappoint. We saw more yellow-headed blackbirds as well as widgeon, shovelers, gadwall and gorgeous cinnamon teal. We also got some great looks at several Eastern King Birds. 

  May 25

     Sigh - our last full day in Montana. We visited the Missoula Library - wow - what an impressive library. There is a "people's deck" on the top floor with amazing views. There is a coffee shop and a store. (Barbara bought some cards made by an indigenous artist.) 

    We spent much of the day packing and cleaning up. We got soup/sandwich at the Soup Farm. And, later, we went over to David and Maura's for a pie and ice cream goodbye. We are sad to be leaving as we just don't see them enough. But - a great visit.

    

Saturday and Sunday, May 20, 21 in Missoula

 May 20, Saturday

      After doing our physical therapy, we went to the wonderful Missoula Farmers' Market. The day was warm and still somewhat hazy. (I think it got to around 80 degrees.) The market was crowded and happy. We saw so many plants (runner beans, tomatoes...) that we wanted to buy, but clearly can't take them home. There were several musical groups playing. We watched surfers in the river surfing the rapids.

   Then we got coffees and a pastry at Le Petit Outre. I think we are addicted to their coffees.

   We next went to REI which was having a sale. Mark got a pair of shorts and a shirt. Somehow, we managed to find the few items in the store that were NOT on sale! But, they are really nice and it is his birthday month. 

   Then we visited David where he works at Animal Control. He showed us around, but it was a short visit as they were about to open to the public.

    Maura came over and we went out for lunch in town. (Top Hat) It was very nice. Then, the three of us went to Le Petit Outre for more coffee.  Before returning home, we got some brats to make for dinner tomorrow.

May 21, Sunday

     We went to look at the train tracks in Missoula and watched for a while. We hear the shunting at night and wanted to get a closer look. 

      Then we took a picnic into town at Caras Park and watched the surfers and kayaks riding the river wave. It was a warm day and lots of people were out enjoying the weather. Then we went to The Big Dipper and had our first ice cream cones of the "summer." (It's not technically summer, but the heat said summer - 88 degrees) Barbara had huckleberry and Mark had mint oreo.

   

  We went to David and Maura's for dinner. Mark and David played a game of cribbage on the back deck and we all watched a storm come by. Mark grilled the brats and some green onions. Maura made a fantastic mushroom risotto with two mushrooms, including dried morels that she reconstituted. She added a salad and it was a perfect dinner.  

Garnet Ghost Town Visit, May 22

  A magical day.

  We left David and Maura's around 10, having made a picnic lunch and drove up to Garnet Ghost Town which took us just under an hour.

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     It was a lovely drive, the last few miles on a gravel road. The parking lot is about half a mile, or less, from Garnet.  There were only a few other cars there which was nice. It is not yet staffed for the season, so some of the buildings were closed, but many were just open. Garnet was interesting. It is amazing to think of the hardy miners, their families and others townspeople who managed to survive up there. Much of the town was destroyed by a forest fire at one point. Placards in front of various buildings told the stories of the people who lived there, some quite sad. The four of us wandered and took photos. 

    Then, it got exciting. The sky looked threatening and David said that we probably had only about 20 minutes before we'd get drenched. Well, he was pretty accurate and we did all get drenched. Just as we left the town, it started to rain...and then to hail! At first, they were just little bits of hail, then pea-sized and then pieces about 3-4 times larger than peas. Three of us had hats, but the hail still hurt. Barbara did not have a hat. And, two of us had rain jackets, so didn't get as soaked - Barbara & Maura. David got to the car first. Barbara was next. David left with a jacket and an umbrella to go back and find Maura & Mark. They had taken refuge under a tree. Mark took the jacket as he had on only a thin hoodie and he and Maura shared the umbrella. The ground by then was 100% covered by hail which looked like snow. 

     We sat in the car for the hail to subside and then drove a bit down the road to Columa, another abandoned area where there had once been a town. David worked on an archaeological dig there while in college. There is not much left there - a few abandoned falling down buildings. We had our picnic in a lovely meadow there with lots of wildflowers. The sun began to poke its way through. As nothing was dry, we ate our lunches standing up.

      

Then, we drove back to East Missoula. What a wonderful morning. We loved the drive and the ghost town. We loved that Maura had never been there and took a day off to join us. And, the encounter with the hail storm added an exhilaration to the trip which didn't harm any of us. We felt like we've had 4 seasons in two days. Summer yesterday and winter, spring and fall today!

   Unfortunately, Dodger needed to have stitches in his foot pad as the cut was deeper than they first thought, so he had to get some emergency surgery.

    But, David and Maura still were able to meet us at Michi Ramen Bar where we all had delicious meals. They left afterwards to pick Dodger up and we strolled along the waterfront and watched the surfers and kayakers in the Clark Fork River.