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| Chococat, handsome as ever |
My mother spends a lot of time working and mingling in the Harbor, a historic district in my hometown, Ashtabula. This year, I was able to attend the 5th Annual
Beach Glass Festival and watch her in action; selling her bags and my sister's adorable handmade cards.
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| Mom and me, Beach Glass Festival 2013 |
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| Lift Bridge, Ashtabula Harbor |
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| Carrie Lee and her cards, Beach Glass Festival 2013 |
Speaking of beach glass, we enjoyed many mornings and evenings combing the beach for treasures.
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| Walnut Beach after a storm |
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| Highland Beach Sunset |
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| Best Lemonade on the planet, Geneva-on-the-Lake |
A trip to Ohio wouldn't be complete without a Cleveland Fun Day!
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| Order this gem from Homage, they have the best t-shirts |
My sister and I met up with my dear friend, Jodi, for brunch at
Lucky's Cafe in Tremont. If you haven't been to Lucky's, you must go. And, don't miss the biscuits and gravy.
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| Jodi and me, Lucky's |
I remembered that
Christmas Story house is also located in Tremont so we all decided it was also a must to check it out! Sadly, the house, gift shop and museum were not open but it was decided that I should move to Tremont and work there someday!
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| The Christmas Story House, Tremont |
After popping into our favorite Tremont shop,
The Banyan Tree, we were off to our next stop:
The Cleveland Museum of Art.
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| Cleveland Museum of Art Exterior |
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| Cleveland Museum of Art Atrium |
My sister and I were excited to see the traveling exhibition,
The Last Days of Pompeii: Decadence, Apocalypse, Resurrection because we had visited Pompeii in 2011.
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| A roomful of Rothko paintings, I could live here |
After the museum, Jodi headed back to Columbus and my sister and I met our parents in
Cleveland's Little Italy. It was decided we'd have dinner at
Mia Bella, the delicious restaurant where we held my mom's 60th birthday surprise dinner last year. Sorry to give your age away, mom!
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| Mia Bella, Little Italy, Cleveland |
After a fantastic dinner, we headed straight for the counter at
Corbo's Bakery for a cannoli. Yum.
Ohio was lovely and I am grateful that I had a chunk of time at home to spend catching up with family and friends after being so far, far away.
I flew back to Montana on July 7 and on July 8, I had an interview and was offered a 6th grade teaching position at Napi Elementary in Browning, Montana!
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| Napi Elementary, Browning, Mt |
Just in time to celebrate, my sister and brother-in-law, Brian, flew out to spend a week vacationing in Glacier National Park. They graciously arranged for me to stay at Many Glacier Hotel with them for two nights and man, that place is my absolute favorite. First-class hiking right out the back door and expansive views from the deck that remind me that everyday is a gift and a day at Many Glacier is like a giant ribbon tied on said gift!
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| Carrie Lee and Brian enjoying the view at Many Glacier Hotel |
We spent one afternoon at Indian Days, the Pow-wow in Browning, Montana. We watched the parade, walked around the Heritage Center and Trading Post, and saw the opening ceremony for the dancing. I was inspired by the dresses and colorful beads that twinkled in the sunlight.
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| North American Indian Days Parade, Browning, 2013 |
It wouldn't be a week in Glacier without hiking! This year, Carrie Lee, Brian, and I hiked to Ptarmigan Lake, Red Rock Falls, and Hidden Lake. We also took a drive down to Bigfork to check out the galleries.
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| Ptarmigan Lake, Many Glacier 2013 |
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| Red Rock Falls, Many Glacier 2013 |
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| Goat! Hidden Lake, Logan Pass 2013 |
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| Bighorn Sheep, Logan Pass 2013 |
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| Hidden Lake, Logan Pass 2013 |
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| Hidden Lake, Logan Pass 2013 |
I've spent the rest of my summer working and playing in Glacier National Park. This is my fourth summer working for
The Montana House, a regional craft shop in Apgar Village. It's been another great summer. As always, the best part of work is the people, especially my co-workers. A close second is our customers. This year, we've had so many customers say we're the best shop in the park, what a compliment!
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| Montana House 2013 |
In addition to working, I've been hiking, a bit. This year (so far) I've mostly hiked the classics: Avalanche Lake, Hidden Lake, Red Rock Falls, Swiftcurrent Nature Trail, Ptarmigan Lake, Sunrift Gorge and I finally visited the elusive (only to me) Cobalt Lake and made it to the saddle of Two Medicine Pass. Now that the hikes are in black and white, I feel a sense of urgency to hit the trails more!
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| Sunrift Gorge towards Siyeh Pass, St. Mary 2013 |
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| Cobalt Lake, Two Medicine 2013 |
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| Two Medicine Pass Trail, Two Medicine 2013 |
Fortunately, I'll be living in East Glacier this fall. Since I can't move in until September 1st, I'll be spending some extra time commuting from Babb with my friend, Natalee. While it will be sort of a scramble getting to Browning on time for workshops and orientations, waking up to Duck Lake in the morning and enjoying Many Glacier as my backyard in the evenings will make it all worth it. Come September 1st, I'll be living in Two Medicine's neighborhood and only a stone's throw from
Serrano's, my favorite Montana Mexican restaurant. Serrano's will probably close at the end of September but it will be a glorious month having them for neighbors. I can only imagine how many times I will wander in and have some guacamole for dinner.
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| Two Medicine, my backyard for the 2013-14 school year :) |
I think that pretty much brings things up to date. It's now time to research and plan for my first year of teaching. The next couple of weeks will be filled with workshops and orientations and I'm looking forward to meeting more of the faculty and then my first group of students, of course!
-Natalie
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