Graduation, Family Visits and Spring Flowers

Where oh where did the month of May go?  It seems that you wait with such longing and anticipation for spring to arrive, and then when it finally does, the days seem to pass in fleeting moments.  Spring's blooms finally arrived, my parents arrived for a visit, we had a graduation to celebrate, the garden has been calling, and so the month of May passed rather swiftly, but not without its beautiful and precious moments. 

My parents arrived to celebrate our children graduating, and spring was celebrating too.  These gorgeous cherry blooms greeted my parents on their arrival. 

We went down to see the roaring spring run-off river in downtown Spokane.

It is incredible to see the force and power of the water!

Spring had arrived with all of its bright and beautiful blooms in my garden!  

I loved the deep rich purple color of the hyacinths

One of the first stops my parents made after their arrival was a local restaurant that makes the best
huckleberry sundaes.  We enjoyed a lovely sweet treat! 

One day we took a trip across the border and our first stop there was at Tim Horton's, of course! 

Since our children were both working and couldn't come, we used that as an excuse to stock up on some donuts for the day
trip and to take some home with us. 

It was a beautiful day with stunning views like this one as we drove. 

We stopped at a little harbor and watched this man fly fish.  He said he wasn't having any luck...

But the views were magnificent!

We took the ferry across the Kootenai Lake and enjoyed the beautiful views of the mountains as we crossed. 

The ripples of the ferry on the otherwise still lake...

The gentle breeze blowing the flags.

The serene town of Nelson with its iconic red bridge. 

On our way back home we took the Salmo pass where the rushing waterfalls along the highway were a crescendo of cold rushing water.  This particular waterfall was so powerful that the falling water created its own wind storm.  The trees around it were blowing like there was a storm, but as you moved away from it, there was no wind.  We tried to get closer to it, but I had to turn my back to the falls because I didn't want to drench myself or my camera.  It was incredible to see... and COLD!  Ooh, it was cold, and there was still snow close to the falls.  It was amazing to see the temperature change with just a few feet.  I was ready for a cup of hot tea after that visit, lol 

The little town of Salmo was delightfully quaint, set back in the mountains. 

We knew that at the summit of Salmo pass there was a darling cabin sitting at the edge of a lake, and we had packed a lunch hoping to enjoy a picnic here.  However, there was no such picnic to be had, as there was still 12 feet of snow around most of the summit! 

We climbed over the deep snowbanks to reach the cabin, and this was the view from one of the windows! 

The wood stove looked like it had been in use over the winter, and we considered building a fire too, but
my father wasn't able to climb over the snowbanks so we had our picnic in the car instead :) 

It was rather surprising to see this amount of snow on the mountain in May! 

As evening fell, the skies were filled with glorious colors of promise for another beautiful day. 

The day after we returned from our trip to Canada, we celebrated the graduation from college of both our children. Good food was in abundance, as my mother and I cooked up quite a spread for the guests who had come to celebrate with us. 

Texas-style brisket was the star of the show. I used Pioneer Woman's recipe  for Braised Beef Brisket.  Normally we like to smoke the brisket but due to time constraints, we put it in the oven overnight instead, and it turned out amazing! There were little leftovers to speak of.... 

My tulips continued to bloom profusely... 

Loving the bright splashes of color along my garden border!

I added to my garden's fabric banner after my Mom and I were at a thrift store, and we found strips of fabric already cut in the perfect size for $2.00!  Talk about excited :) Mom tied them on for me, and we enjoyed the charm they add to my little garden area. 

Much too soon my parents' visit came to an end.  My Dad had planned to stay longer, but he was having some health issues and needed to get back home to see his doctors.  It has been a rough time for him as the doctors have struggled to pinpoint what is causing his shortness of breath and dizziness. We continue to pray that the cause of all of these issues gets resolved. So thankful for the wonderfully sweet and blessed time that we had with my parents!  It passed far too quickly, as it always seems to do! 

The weather has been lovely here the last few weeks with lots of sunshine mixed with rain, a perfect mix for the garden.  Late spring is here, with wildflowers blooming, and summer is just around the corner... amazing how fast the seasons pass!  I am still wondering how we are already into June, but here we are! 

Knowing how quickly the seasons pass, my dear friend Jen who is the editor of Rural Magazine, has put together another stunning issue showcasing the delights of spring.  She asked me to be a contributor to this issue.

This issue is available to purchase a print copy at www.ruralmag.com. The online digital copy will be available soon, and I will update the link when it becomes available. 

So as the beautiful days pass by, oh so quickly, my time inside is quite limited... we wait all winter for this warm weather and when it arrives, we must take advantage of it... :)