We loved finding the highest peaks and climbing up to see the magnificent views.  Of course I always had camera in hand for these hikes… It gives me great joy to look back at those photographs today…  I find myself asking “if God can make beauty like this on earth, what must heaven be like?”….  I know Dan is enjoying that now, and planning many adventures for us when we are together again…

 

Isaiah 54:10  The mountains and hills may crumble, but my love for you will never end..

 

There were areas of the BWCA/Quetico that had suffered extreme high winds – result being downed trees crisscrossing everywhere…  one day we were running out of daylight and pulled up to camp on this island above…  come daylight we were rather taken aback that we were in the middle of a great many downed trees… On July 4th, 1999 there was a major windstorm in the BWCA that had excess winds of 90 MPH.  It impacted appx. 477,000 acres in the border area including 370,000 in the BWCA…  One person was killed and 60 injured within the park… it forever changed the wilderness area, (we noticed how it concentrated people into other areas) it increased huge forest fire risks, and brought many challenges to park managers and travelers alike…

Mark 4:39        He (Jesus) got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet, Be Still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

 

Most of my photo’s of Dan out in the canoe fishing are shots taken while he is paddling away.. this is one of the rare ones of him coming back to camp… I knew that he probably brought back fish for supper.. and no one could fry fresh fish like my husband… if he only had one, he would insist that I eat most of it.. was not happy unless he knew I had my fill…

This is one of those posts I talked about on Day 1 about grief.. it’s endless.. but flows like waves – some days calm – some days stormy.  Today is one of my sad days…

I was listening to a song by Sara Brightman from the “Thornbirds” called “The Last Words you Said.”

Somewhere in time I know,

Darling you’ll come back to me.

Roses will bloom again,

But Spring feels like eternity.

In your kiss it wasn’t goodbye.

You are still the reason why.

Heaven help us cross this endless sea

with starlight above to guide you to me.

Waves crashing on distant shores,

They’re calling our names forever more….

 

This is about reflections on the water that are captured with your camera, and reflections of thought… Evenings were the best time to catch those perfect photographs on the water… Sometimes you could not tell where one started and one ended…

That’s how we felt about each other, and the bond between us… like two big trees standing side by side, looking out, reflecting on our lives together… when you strip away all the daily activity and all the material stuff of our lives and get down to just two people good things happen… good talk, good understanding, good love….

Proverbs 27:19  As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart…

 

On this very hot day in Minnesota I thought I would share a few pictures of a waterfall in Quetico Canadian Wilderness Area….  There are quite a few waterfalls in the park – each one special and unique… Dan and I would plan our routes to include them…..

Psalm 42:7  Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me…

We all like to take pictures of sunsets don’t we?  We are so taken by them.. there are not many things these days that will make us stop and just look at something beautiful the way a sunset will.. Could be the end of the day means we can finally rest… I loved that time of the day in the BWCA/Quetico… We would get our cocoa or coffee, maybe a few M&M’s and find a nice rock to sit and watch.  This particular sunset looked just like an eagle..  it was so bright!  I like to think of them as little gifts from God..

And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.”  Psalm 16:11

Camping in the wild you will of course share it with its natural inhabitants.. Chipmunks are common in camp, especially if they have been fed by previous campers… many are not afraid to come in and have a bite of breakfast.

One particular night we had mice scurrying around the outside of the tent, but one very persistent fellow would climb up the tent door then slide down to the ground… over and over trying to get to the top.. after about 15 minutes of this I had enough and as I could see his chubby little silhouette I launched him off the tent into the night.  Dan said he had visions of him flying through the air wondering what happened.

One year Dan had a rabbit that was absolutely in love with him… it would circle the camp… over and over just staring at him… gave  me the creeps…

There was always plenty of entertainment around camp…

All things bright and beautiful

All creatures great and small

All things wise and wonderful;

The Lord God made them all…

Hymn 1848 Cecil Alexander

I came across a journal entry that really tickled me…

Tues 9/13:  The wind blew hard all night long.. morning brought a cool sunny day.. We did nothing and it took us all day to do it….

There was peace in that… and rest…

Excursions into the wilderness are times of revitalization of spirit and body – a reaffirmation of self-reliance and confidence. (unsure where I saw this quote)

Psalm 46:10 Be Still and Know that I am God…

This verse is appropriate for this entry.  It has been a part of my life these last 2 years.. God has been telling me to just Be Still… Grieve, heal, rest in Me…

 

 

I have a poem I want to share with you… I carried this with me in my journal and at least once during the trip while we were retiring at night I would read it aloud.  When I first came across it I had to look up the word “gleaning”  for a meaning and it is “to collect or gather.”  I hope you enjoy it….

                         Gleaning in the Wood

There is a place that calls to me upon this earthly sod,

Where I can share camaraderie with nature and with God;

a place where I’m committed to gleaning from a land

whose bounty has been given me by His abundant hand.

Where hardwood touches lofty pine and sweet the meadows smell

along this mountain range I love far more that words can tell,

I stand upon a hilltop as I gaze across the land

and ask a blessing on the earth far as my eye can span

Although some men may like the noise of busy city streets,

I must walk on timbered land with soil ‘neath my feet;

there’s no place I would rather go, nor change things if I could

because I love the country and the fresh, clean smell of wood.

Sometimes my faith’s been tested…but I have peace within

that comes from knowing Jesus Christ as partner and as friend;

and though sometimes the ways of God I may not understand,

I know He holds my every breath securely in His hand.

Amid this restless world, we need to seek the living God,

for years advance as surely as do rings around a log.

His Spirit, then, can help us meet the day the way we should,

and we’ll keep things in perspective.. while we’re gleaning in the wood..

Louisa Godissart-McQuillen

Remember I talked to you about how Dan and I classified people in the BWCA/Quetico as either Cake-Eaters or Red Necks? (Blog Entry “People Passing By”) Well there is another class all on its own and that is the “Real People.”  Genuine, authentic, don’t even need to try it’s so natural to them.  I have included a few pictures.  We rarely talked to them – they just paddle by or you meet on the trail.  Their smile is serene – their steps sure – their paddle strokes effortless – their clothing and packs functional and well-worn.  I loved to imagine their story.  Dan and I would weave long tales about them for fun… but in my heart I wanted to have it.. you know.. IT… I don’t think I ever achieved it but I sure did admire it….

 

My business is not to remake myself, but make the absolute best of what God made.  Robert Browning