June 14th and I finally feel like summer is on my door step. I can tell because of the sweet warmth that radiates off the of the ground when I am in the woods and there is the smell of dirt, vegetation and pine needles baking in the sun. This smell is a summer trigger for me just as thawing frost is a sure smell of Easter and Spring. Another sign of summer is the fact that I was on the water! I floated the Bitterroot River yesterday in borrowed kayaks with Mike. We did short run from Bell Crossing to Stevensville. We stopped for a picnic on a gravel bar and did some shore line exploration. There were a lot of snags, debris and log jams but none of them were particularly threatening. We were able to float leisurely without having to worry for our lives and it was almost hot enough for a swim!

Garage sales are another summer indicator and they were out in full force on Saturday. I bought a skimpy, sexy black dress at the one right across the street from my house. The women at the garage sale helped me pin it up so that it fit better. The guys next store tried to sell me home made burritos. I love summer and I am so excited to be spending it in the Bitterroot Valley. I am starting to really like Stevensville. It is a bit small for my taste(but much bigger than Moose Pass or Skykomish), but the local brewery and its brewer keep me well entertained. The brewery has live music every Wednesday night and I look forward to meeting up with a crew of regulars: Chance and Reese operate bulldozers and are always good for a laugh, Bill used to be a Forest Service brat and always has a story that goes nowhere, Sandra and her friends are very entertaining, and there are several others who I see and chat with regularily. Everyone seems to be connected to everyone else. It seems as though many people know of me even before I meet them because one of thier friends knows me. I can sit down at the bar or the library and meet several new people who I will probably see in a different context the next day, or at least meet someone who knows them. I really like the ease with wich I meet new people in Stevensville. But small works both ways and I am often alone. However, I appreciate this solitaryness because I know that it will not last.

I wore my skimpy, sexy, second-hand black dress on a double date to a fancy restaurant that requires reservations and has a dress code. I was a little self-conscious but the look on my date's face was worth it. The food and wine was excellent. I had a vegetarian sampler with spinach gnocci. However, the company and the music made the experience unforgettable. The roaming guitar player, Sergio, played compassionate love songs in foreign languages such as the theme from the Godfather. The couple that we went with was really fun as well!

It is warm enough to sit on lawn chairs outside on the deck and grill late into the evening and to watch the stars and the moon. This is exactly what I have been doing. Summer is in the air! The mountains and rivers are waiting and romance is afoot!

The west side canyons of the Bitterroot Mountains as seen from Sawmill Pass

National Trails Day volunteer day turnpike project

National Trails Day Volunteers

Guitar-playing photo shoot

Kayaking the Bitterroot River