Quiet Wood - Missoula, Montana

"It was the quietest wood you could possibly imagine. There were no birds, no insects, no animals, and no wind. You could almost feel the trees growing. The pool he had just got out of was not the only pool. There were dozens of others—a pool every few yards as far as his eyes could reach. You could almost feel the trees drinking the water up with their roots. This wood was very much alive." - C.S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew

Winded Woods on Grant Creek - Missoula, Montana

“When the wind blows through a wood, its mass is cut and closed by every leaf, forming a train of jittery vortices in the air” - AliceOswald

Garden Rain - Missoula, Montana

“The river and the garden have been the foundations of my economy here. Of the two I have liked the river best. It is wonderful to have the duty of being on the river the first and last thing every day. I have loved it even in the rain. Sometimes I have loved it most in the rain.” - Wendell Berry, Jayber Crow

Reminiscing Donkey - Missoula, Montana

“When fishes flew and forests walked

And figs grew upon thorn,

Some moment when the moon was blood

Then surely I was born….

…For I also had my hour;

One far fierce hour and sweet:

There was a shout about my ears,

And palms before my feet.”

- From the poem The Donkey by G.K. Chesterton (1874–1936)

Honest Equine Face - Missoula, Montana

""Look!" said Jill suddenly. Someone was coming, rather timidly, to meet them; a graceful creature on four feet, all silvery-grey. And they stared at him for a whole ten seconds before five or six voices said all at once, "Why, it's old Puzzle!" ... He was himself now: a beautiful donkey with such a soft, grey coat and such a gentle, honest face that if you had seen him you would have done just what Jill and Lucy did - rushed forward and put your arms round his neck and kissed his nose and stroked his ears." - from The Last Battle, The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis

Clean Slate - Vaughn, Montana

“Life is grace. Sleep is forgiveness. The night absolves. Darkness wipes the slate clean, not spotless to be sure, but clean enough for another day's chalking.”
― Frederick Buechner, The Alphabet of Grace

Mule Maneuvers - Missoula, Montana

"There's nothing like a pack of mules to give one a sense of entourage." - Tahir Shah, In Search Of King Solomon's Mines

And there's nothing like a mule-powered wagon ride to undergird a rich appreciation of being in the thick of autumn's crisp, golden glory. At the behest of their well-seasoned driver (sporting weathered fringed chaps, no less!), this team gladly showed off some fancy and tight turning footwork. 

A cup of hot cocoa at ride's end capped off a pretty perfect fall afternoon.

Pumpkin Parlour - Missoula, Montana

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” - Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)