The mark of a successful man is one that has spent an entire day on the bank of a river without feeling guilty about it. ~Author Unknown
Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save. ~Will Rogers, Autobiography, 1949
Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop. ~Ovid
It’s been over a year since I posted on my blog. The weight of having to write something fantastic keeps me away from another run at consistency. I got nothing – so I’m jumping right in!
Last year we ended another successful season on the brink of exhaustion. Maybe it exposed some weakness in my character or spoke to the workload of a growing family and a business – either way, we were worn out!
After lots of talks about family and balance and lots of long looks at our growing daughters, we decided to take the summer off. We needed to see Yellowstone ourselves this year. Get up early and go wolf watching. Soak in the Firehole River. Go to the Livingston Farmer’s Market and the new Harry Potter movie. Sit on the edge of Antelope Creek and watch grizzly grazing. Sleep in. Breathe.
So, we’ve spent the summer enjoying our visiting friends and the Olson Family Reunion (so fun!). We built a bathhouse near the garden (with amazing outdoor showers!) and Tim built a beautiful shade shelter on the beach. We crossed all sorts of small things off our to-do list and added a few for good measure. I baked like crazy and tried out a number of new breakfast recipes. We breathed a big sigh of relief when my dad finished his cancer treatments and we cheered on my mom’s golf game. Our kids traveled far and wide (Utah, Texas and Illinois) and ended their summer by leaving Tim and I alone for a week. We became acutely aware of how quiet it was going to be around here soon. Tim caught a few fish and Olivia took a great course with Yellowstone Country Guardians that gave her a great fly fishing introduction. We enjoyed our cabin guests and the camaraderie of the Flying Pig overnight guides (thanks Brogan, Tyler, Michael and Paul). We watched the Yellowstone rise and fall and counted drift boats when they started to appear in August. We played Scrabble and Kick the Can. We took in all the Montana summer had to offer. It was sweet and all too short.
So, the summer Is over. And with trees full of apples and the cool morning signaling that winter is just around the corner, we are starting to think about bears and snow boots. It’s time to get back to work.
We will be making a few small changes here but our business’s mission remains the same. We want to provide everybody who stays here with the opportunity to relax and enjoy this special place. When my parents wisely purchased this property over 40 years ago, they instilled in me a respect for its location. Being on the banks of the beautiful (sparkling, green, fish filled, un-dammed, rushing) Yellowstone River and on the boundary of Yellowstone National Park is a privilege AND a responsibility. We want to continue to make good decisions that preserve what’s good about being here.
And, we want to find away to enjoy it ourselves.
So, here’s to what’s ahead. And to even better cookies.
