Thoughts For The Day From Papa ‘a

Good Morning All!

Happy Birthday wishes go to our friend, Erica, who celebrates her 41st birthday today.  Here’s to you for being a fellow fan of Glacier & Waterton National Parks, an accomplished pastry chef, a terrific stepmother and a great partner to her “other half” Matt!  Have fun on your special day of celebration Erica!  And here’s to my childhood friend, Mike (Navy pilot, FedEx pilot, swimmer, terrific father & grandfather and good friend to many, to name a few of his many attributes) who celebrated his birthday yesterday.  Happy Birthday “Turbo” and here’s to many more!

We received a delightful present in the mail this week…a packet of Baby’s Breath seeds from our dear friend Tracie, with a quote that reads as follows:  “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming our souls blossom…Happy Spring 2019!  Isn’t it grand to have friends such as Tracie!!!  Thanks for the wonderful gift…we’ll be planting the seeds this weekend and see what comes of them!

I just returned from another trip to The Tana House and had a marvelous time as usual.  I got to serve as a volunteer at the 30th annual Forestry Expo in Columbia Falls MT this past Monday.  I was a guide for a fifth grade class from Lakeside Elementary School in Lakeside MT.  We toured a number of exhibits related to forestry…among them was a demonstration of soil conservation/erosion prevention techniques used by loggers in the forests; a display of various kinds of animal hides and five living owls that had been rescued after suffering injuries in various types of accidents; how to identify various types of wildflowers; and how to determine the age of various trees and threats to a tree’s health (i.e. disease, bark beetle infestations, etc.).  It’s a first-class event and I’d encourage anyone to volunteer for a program like this one.  The kids were terrific and the program held their attention throughout.  The program in Montana is supported by a number of private lumber companies and various governmental agencies, such as  the U.S. Forest Service.  It’s marvelous to see the kind of collaboration that takes place between private & public entities for the good of all.

Speaking of trees, I’m proud to be a member of the Arbor Day Foundation, whose chief mission is to promote the planting of trees and to support efforts to conserve their beauty & vitality and their life-giving benefits for future generations.  One of the primary benefits of trees (forests) is providing clean water to drink.  Forest trees filter rainwater in their canopies.  Trees make soil around them absorb the water and snowmelt like a sponge, so it can be released slowly over time, instead of all at once, in a deluge.  Tree roots hold the soil in place, preventing erosion, and stops mud and silt from running into our water supplies.  Leaves and sticks form natural dams that slow the flow of water, giving nature time to purify it on its way to our reservoirs.  From Los Angeles to Denver to New York, our cities could not have drinking water if not for this process.  Forests in the U.S. provide drinking water to more than 180 million people.  Unfortunately, in the 10 years between 2007 to 2016, an average of more than 7 million acres of forestland were devastated each year, primarily through wildfires and some through negligence.  That’s more than 70 million acres in one decade.  While we need to do all that we can to make our forests and the land we own “fire-resilient” through wise forest management practices (i.e. selective & careful thinning and removal of underlying fuels), we also need to commit to replant devastated areas with various life-giving tree species.  The Arbor Day Foundation is one organization that is dedicated to this effort.  Check out their website and join this worthwhile effort!

Speaking of forests, Judy & I were treated to a red fox sighting at The Tana House the other afternoon.  We heard it on our camera in the wee hours of the morning a week or so ago, but we now have visual confirmation of its presence.  It looked to be a large, healthy fox.  It didn’t stick around very long, as they are known to be pretty shy and to see one in the daylight is unusual, as they like to roam around at night looking for food.  One of the benefits of being at The Tana House is all of the wildlife you get to see.  I came upon 8 elk the other evening as I was walking around the neighborhood.  They were sure majestic looking!  They sure beat a hasty retreat into the treeline when they realized I was in the vicinity.

I’ve been enjoying the book “Chasing Lewis & Clark”.  It’s a terrific collection of photographs taken by plane that trace the route taken by Lewis & Clark across America in 1804-1806.  One section of the book talks about Lewis & Clark’s approach to the “Great Falls” of the Missouri River.  Lewis and a small scouting party heard “…roaring too tremendous to be mistaken for any cause short of the great falls of the Missouri.”  They saw “spray arise above the plain like a column of smoke.”  Lewis expressed the wish to be an accomplished artist or poet “…that I might be enabled to give to the enlightened world some just idea of this truly magnificent & sublimely grand object; which has from the commencement of time been concealed from the view of civilized man…”  I’ve often thought if I could go back in history, I’d want to be a member of the Lewis & Clark Expedition (of course it’s easy to say that now, realizing that they only lost one member of their part and that was because of a burst appendix, which nothing could have prevented that event).  It would be like going to the moon, with adventure and mystery behind every bend in the river and/or trail…  Navigating the Great Falls of the Missouri was some feat, as the party had to negotiate five cataracts, with the highest one being 97 feet!  Hauling their heavy canoes/dugouts up and around those falls must have been something to behold!  According the book, “Chasing Lewis & Clark”, “…they encamped just upstream of the falls after their ordeal and here they celebrated the Fourth of July in 1805.  Entertaining themselves with singing and dancing, the Corps finished off the last of their supply of “spirits.”…Great Falls provides ample entertainment for visitors now.  A parade shows off the local Lewis & Clark Honor Guard, as well as marching bands, cowboys and horses in their finest regalia, and anything motorized!  All vintages of fire engines, tractors and even racing lawnmowers show up for this small-town, homespun event in the heartland of America.  In the late evening, spectacular fireworks announce themselves with thundering reports.  Rocket trails of color shoot upward and burst high above the Missouri River.  In the water, reflected spheres of light rise from the depths and split into parallel bars, pulsing outward to make an aurora borealis at our feet.  The celebration dissolves the boundaries between air, water, city and people.  On the Fourth of July, every town in America is everyone’s hometown—we wouldn’t be strangers anywhere.”  Wow!  That sums up beautifully what the Fourth of July celebration is all about, don’t you think?…

—“Chasing Lewis & Clark Across America:  A 21st Century Aviation Adventure”, Ron Lowery & Mary Walker (2004)

 

Here are some thoughts for the day:

“My interpretation of a strong director is someone who knows their story.  That’s what directors are…they’re storytellers because they’re directing where your focus is going to be as an audience.”

—Dennis Quaid, actor of “Frequency” movie fame

 

“Life is to be lived.  If you have to support yourself, you had bloody well better find some way that is going to be interesting.  And you don’t do that by sitting around.”

—Katharine Hepburn, multi-Oscar winning actress

 

“Free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.”

—C.S. Lewis, “Mere Christianity”, as quoted in “C.S. Lewis’ Little Book of Wisdom:  Meditations on Faith, Life, Love, and Literature” (2018)

 

Here’s to a great Friday & lots of love always!

Press on,

Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, etc.)

1 throught on "Thoughts For The Day From Papa ‘a"

  1. Loved so much of this post, Mark. I would have enjoyed being among those 5th graders in the class you chaperoned. So much to learn about nature.