For the afternoon, Gini wants to work on her journal and needs the table in the cabin. I wonder how hot it is at Our Quiet Place. I head over and find it is quite pleasant, if I can stand the bugs!

I go back to the cabin and sort through my clothes to see what I have left that is clean…not much. I decide to wash my hiking pants that I’ve worn daily, a t-shirt to hike out in, and one of my dirty nylon overshirts. I still have enough clean underwear to get me home.

After I’m done, I pack up my green box and head back to Our Quiet Place to work on my journaling. I sit and it is so quiet and peaceful. The chipmunks and birds fill the air with their song and one experiences the feeling of being in a sanctuary…except for those darn pesky flies.

I never get tired of this spot—one can hear the river tumbling on one side and the rustling of the wind through the aspen trees on the other.

Journaling once again in Our Quiet Place.

I finish journaling and want to do a couple watercolor sketches but I need a paper towel. I head back to the cabin and once again cross paths with the cowboy as he is heading out of the canyon. This time I’m not going to miss the opportunity and I ask if I can take his picture—he graciously says yes. I shoot one and as he passes, I continue to snap photos as he disappears up the trail.

My watercolor of the cowboy from my journal.

Gini has been very productive with her watercolors on the border of her journal pages…beautiful vignettes of flowers and birds.

Gini’s beautiful journal illustrations and text.

We start dinner—another easy one of chili, fresh broccoli (thank you, John) and corn bread muffins. The muffins are a bit stale but the rest is good.

Eating dinner in the shade of the cabin. Still so warm! My sore foot is so much better but I always wear my sandals now—no more going barefoot.

After dinner, Gini takes me down to the river to give me my first lesson in fishing. While she shows me how to cast, she catches two fish! We don’t keep them, she shows me how to unhook the fish and release them back into the stream.

Gini showing me how it’s done!

Then it’s my turn. I’m somewhat erratic. Hey, it’s my first time! I make a couple of decent casts, not good but not bad. I quit after I wildly fling the fish hook over Gini’s head and into the bushes. She has been on her guard and swiftly ducks. I have to crawl through the willows to unhook it. I think I’ll practice more in Flathead Lake from our dock where it will be safer for everyone!

My first attempts at casting a fishing line.

It’s a beautiful evening on the river. The water is running really low and feels so refreshing on the feet. I should have gone swimming today. We head back up and decide to have our critique. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring although we will be packing our gear at some point since it is the last day before we leave.

We spend an hour going over each other’s paintings and making notes. We have been fairly prolific and we feel a small measure of accomplishment to see all our paintings lined up on the rock outside of the cabin.

Francesca’s painting line-up for review and critique.

We’re tired so we head indoors but it is too hot to sleep. We spend time cleaning up art supplies and begin packing the supplies we won’t use tomorrow. Feeling really tired and with the cabin getting a little more comfortable, we head off to slumberland.

Animals we saw today:
Ground squirrel
Golden eagle
Resident Chipmunk
Hummingbird
Rsesident mouse
Horse

Flowers: the same as every day before but drier and drier
Fireweed
Harebell (Bellflower)
Lupine
Aspen Daisy
Nodding Onion
Yarrow
Sulphur Flower
Indian Paint Brush
Sandwort (we think)
Purple Clover

One of our frequent visitors.