Some creative and some academic work so far this week

Sunday, June 21, 2026

We walk through the camp to wake up. Brrrr. It's cold in the mornings. In the afternoons, we sit near the Lodge for wi-fi.

We love meeting with God's Family at Columbia Falls Canvas Church. Pastor Josh and his team lead a warm and welcoming time.

After, we try elk and buffalo burgers for the price of a used refrigerator in Bandung. Things aren't cheap here. I cook most of our meals.

In the evening, I have 3 hours of meetings with mentors and friends. They remind me of what's important and how to live well. The backdrop is so beautiful that they ask if it's fake. Nope, real Montana.

Monday
We join camp devotions at 8AM. The 30+ seniors keep the camp running. Some volunteers are retired ranchers and builders with practical skills. Camp supervisor Cal keeps the grounds in top-notch condition with their help. Their work allows the camp to host groups for a reasonable fee.

Donna's peonies start to open. Oh my!

We walk into the village for breakfast. The propeller seeds are forming overhead. 

Some of the trees snapped off in last month's windstorm but new leaves and branches are emerging.

We want some huckleberry pancakes. "We're not yet serving breakfast because we haven't got the staff." Most shops and restaurants depend on seasonal help. We pop into another shop, where W poses with a stuffed brown bear.

There's a lot full of wood sculptures. A fairly plain bench costs $1000 and the little bear is $225. No thanks.

I make pancakes in the cabin.

W and I connect with a few friends online and make a video for Mom. Sitting outside the cabin is relaxing. The air is fresh and warm by afternoon.

In the evening, W and I volunteer in the camp kitchen. A new group of campers (fairly tidy and organized) comes in tonight. We stand by the scraping station where dishes are returned to the kitchen.

This bucket "WARNING!" labels makes me shake my head. Most rules are in response to a transgression or danger. Did a baby drown in a similar pail? After a meal, campers empty ice and drinks into the 5-gallon bucket before tossing the cups into the garbage. 

Tuesday
It's been a rough night so I stay in bed while W heads to the camp devotional. We go to a thrift store 35 miles away. The roads are empty and the views are spectacular.

The signs at the checkout say items are weighed and cost $1.50/lb. We get two saucepans, work clothes, and tall mugs for tea.

At the main thrift store yesterday, I spotted a rug for $42 (with a seniors 50% discount). It matches our cabin colors. I took a photo to look at it in our cabin.

We go back today to see if it's still there. Yup - outside the cabin, we kick out the dirt before W vacuums it. 

Shall we use it in the kitchen? It would take up most of the floor.

I measure the living room and think about how I want to lay it out - sideways or lengthwise?

We lay it crosswise so it lights up the center of the room. I've come to terms with this: I always have ideas for sprucing up a space or concept. BUT each time I make a major change, it takes a few days to get used to it. It doesn't seem to matter whether a shift is theoretical, ideological, or practical.

I make homemade sauce: grilled onions, cabbage, tomatoes, and ground beef. We have pasta with a side salad and corn-on-the-cobb. I put most of mine back in the serving bowl before I touch it. It's a case of eyes being bigger than the stomach.

The mastermind meets online. Again, time with wise, honest, and transparent leaders refreshes my soul. The sun has gone behind the mountains by the time we're done. We're taking deep breaths of clean mountain air to clean for our city-polluted lungs. Despite DEET, the mosquitoes start to attack. It's time to walk back to the cabin at 7:30PM.

At the summer solstice, it won't be completely dark until 11PM. The pre-dawn light appears after 4AM. It's a short night, but the quiet is healing. Long passenger and freight trains pass by on the other side of the river, the clicking tracks and woo-whoo of the whistle piercing the night a few times.

Wednesday
I'm late getting out the door, but the wildflowers are as beautiful as ever.

A camp volunteer is picking up random branches and leaves. Someone picked up the tree trimmings from our yard before W could get to them! I say thank you to the voluneer - and notice a chainsaw in the back of his pickup. He trims the birch stumps to the ground before I get back to the cabin. THANK YOU, kind neighbor.

The streets are wide but empty. Our cabin is a refuge and a blessing. Friends arrange to join us for a few days on the weekend. I can't wait. They usually close the cabin for us at the end of summer, so enjoying it together without the workload is a treat all around.

Carolyn and I have a nice chat while I'm walking past her cabin. W and I have known some campers for 30 years.

Several peonies at Donna's are lying on the ground so I clip them with a scissor and arrange them at the cabin. With some weight lifted, other blooms push upwards from the grass.

I'm getting used to the rug. Ok, it's a keeper.

The "comfy chair" near the front door is the first destination for guests. We found it at a garage sale: solid, heavy, ugly, and perfect for long conversations. There's orange in the new rug to match it.

I take the battery-powered candles out of the dining chandelier. We found the lamp decades ago at a Whitefish clearance. We need brighter light = real candles. I trim the wicks, pre-light them, and blow them out so they're ready for the next evening with friends.

In the late afternoon, we chat with Bill about what he feels God is asking him to do. It's a privilege to pray together. Then I hop on Zoom to meet 9 doctoral students from across Asia. Tonight, we go through assignments and the syllabus so they're ready for the conference class in July. It will be an intense week of lectures, student presentations, and class interactions. I look forward to what the students prepare since they lead various organizations in diverse cultures.

My live ZOOM backdrop includes the burbling fountain in the park. 

Read more:
* Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid. Good people obtain favor from the Lord, but he condemns those who devise wicked schemes. No one can be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted. Proverbs 12:1-3

* Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belongs escape from death. Psalm 68:20

* And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. 1 Corinthians 6:14

Moravian Prayer: Lord, we know that you have the ultimate power over life and death. Be with us as we face our own mortality. Help us process the loss of loved ones. Strengthen us so we always feel your love and power around us. Amen.