LIVE and LEARN: My World of Friends

Monday, February 20, 2012

My World of Friends

On a cold, windy morning, four intrepid women bundled into layers.

We strapped on snowshoes to explore the wilderness behind my house.

Helen, Joan, and Julie

My good friend Helen is often my companion on the trails.

Joan and Julie, visiting Summit County, CO, from the Upper Peninsula of MI, joined us.

Our mutual friend, Mary, grew up in the UP. She first introduced us to Julie and Joan several years ago.

Julie with her Mom, Joan

Joan is 81 years young.

Joan, Julie, Helen

She broke trail for us on the way home!

Back at the house, we called Mary (who is in NZ for 4 months) on FaceTime.
We chatted and laughed on separate continents while I made lunch.

The world seems smaller than when I was young!
I'm grateful for good friends and for the technology that keeps us in touch.
Friends are an important part of my world.

Please pay a visit to:

Our World Tuesday

PS I want to be just as strong and positive as Joan when I "grow up!"

43 comments:

Life RamblingsMonday, February 20, 2012 4:29:00 PM MST
your shots are fabulous. looks terribly cold but so beautiful. glad you've such good friends to accompany you along the trails.
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CarverMonday, February 20, 2012 4:44:00 PM MST
Wonderful shots of the beautiful winter landscapes and also of your friends. It is great how technology helps us stay in touch with friends and family when far apart geographically.
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GaelynMonday, February 20, 2012 4:54:00 PM MST
Joan sets a wonderful example. Friends are so important, and technology does make it easier to stay in touch. I'll bet Mary is having as much fun as you four.
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Sylvia KMonday, February 20, 2012 4:57:00 PM MST
Terrific shots and how beautiful it is! Wonderful to have such great friends to share the fun with! Your friend, Joan, is indeed amazing! That is so marvelous! Thanks for sharing the fun! Have a great week!

Sylvia
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Quiet PathsMonday, February 20, 2012 5:00:00 PM MST
What a sweet way to spend time with friends - on snow shoes! So so cool!
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JeanieMonday, February 20, 2012 5:00:00 PM MST
All of your pictures are great and that first one is stunning. Joan sounds like a wonderful person to know and share such a wonderful time with.
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DianaMonday, February 20, 2012 5:48:00 PM MST
Looks ans sounds like a great time Barb, good for you!
Love Di ♥
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JeanieMonday, February 20, 2012 5:55:00 PM MST
You all look beautiful and I'm so glad you had such a terrific time. Joan really sounds like an incredible woman. But I think she's in good company!
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AlMonday, February 20, 2012 5:59:00 PM MST
That looks like a wonderful day. I've always wanted to get snowshoes, as we will have enough snow here a few times each winter.

I don't like the new word verification. I may remove it and see what happens, but in the past I've had trouble with spam comments, some of which led to sites with malware. So I'm a little hesitant.
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FrikoMonday, February 20, 2012 6:01:00 PM MST
A life with friends is the best. And when these friends love doing the same things you do, even better.

I want to get to 81 and be fit. Somehow I doubt I'll get here. even if l die trying. oops, something wrong there.
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Kim, USAMonday, February 20, 2012 6:23:00 PM MST
Brave gorgeous women!

Yellow Seeds
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RajeshMonday, February 20, 2012 6:47:00 PM MST
Wonderful shots from nature from your hiking trip.
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EbieMonday, February 20, 2012 7:26:00 PM MST
Your friendship is everlasting! I'd like to grow old like you ladies, strong and energetic!

What a lovely reunion in the midst of the snow country!

Barb, "mud facial" is a thriving business in the Philippines, too! I just finished system recovery of my laptop and my files are intact. Thanks to Pierre.
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Hildred and CharlesMonday, February 20, 2012 8:24:00 PM MST
Beautiful shots of your friends and the snowy woods, - what a wonderful day you must have had, Barb, - and the telephone call to Mary would have been the whipped cream on the treat!~
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beckyMonday, February 20, 2012 8:49:00 PM MST
Looks like you gals had a wonderful time! You are lucky to get together w/ your girlfriends like that! Mine are spread all about & it's tough to get together. I miss them. Glad to see you got a little fresh snow, Barb!
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Red Rose.Monday, February 20, 2012 9:20:00 PM MST
Hi,Barb.
So exciting post,Barb. I am so glad to see you with your good friends on such beautiful days.I am sure you will become a fine and positive woman when you grow up and so will I!!The new technology is becoming our wonderful partner in our lives, and how wonderful it is to spend our time with good friends in our life.

Stay warm.

Tomoko with smile.
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ladyfiMonday, February 20, 2012 9:54:00 PM MST
Joan is an inspiration to us all!
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AnnieMonday, February 20, 2012 9:59:00 PM MST
What a great Hike, Barb.How lovely to do that with wonderful ladies.

Good to catch up here. I couldn't find a bookmark for your blog, but luckily I remembered the name!

Have been thinking of you while reading a funny little book called A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains. By Isabelle Bird. Very interesting, but it was from quite some time ago! First published in 1879! A very intrepid lady for that era, I think.

Love reading about the books on your sidebar too... they look interesting!
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Sierra RoseMonday, February 20, 2012 10:04:00 PM MST
Yes, grateful for good friends! Beautiful photos and what a fantastic snowshoe!

Big hugs,
Sierra Rose
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RuthTuesday, February 21, 2012 3:29:00 AM MST
Fantastic. Absolutely brilliant. I'm happy just sitting here staring at you, and the snow, and the trees, and mountains. Ahhh.
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Nancy ClaeysTuesday, February 21, 2012 4:42:00 AM MST
You ladies give me hope that I can get and be active for years to come. :)
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OlgaTuesday, February 21, 2012 5:59:00 AM MST
Now there is proof positive that exercise and fresh mountain air is the real fountain of youth.
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Arkansas PattiTuesday, February 21, 2012 6:27:00 AM MST
An 81 year old trail breaker?? Wow, am I feeling like a slacker.
You really have the most beautiful place to play.
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MariaTuesday, February 21, 2012 8:37:00 AM MST
Hi Barb!
What a wonderful group of gals ♥
Keeping in touch with family and friends is so important and such a joy!
Joan looks GREAT! I can only hope {and of course taking care of myself would help :D

It seems funny to see places with so much snow! We've hardly had any...
There are still some months to go when the snow can come in feet as well as inches!

Skype and Face Time are just amazing programs! You are right! What a small world!
I try to explain to my students how it was when you had to wait for "real letters" to travel far distances.
Five days to Californina...
sometimes up to ten for Europe!
It still takes a month sometimes for my cousins in Italy to receive my cards!
Nano-seconds now for emails and texts! Amazing!

Joy always,
~Maria
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Carol MattinglyTuesday, February 21, 2012 8:42:00 AM MST
81 years old. OMG! What a woman. Such inspiration. And then you chatted on via modern technology face to face. OMG Again! It sounds like you guys had a fantastic time. And I truly believe you will be like Joan when you grow up. Carol
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CheriTuesday, February 21, 2012 9:32:00 AM MST
You live in a beautiful world - but much too cold for me. No winter is good winter I say! Happy Fat Tuesday!

Cats of wildcat woods
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Martha ZTuesday, February 21, 2012 9:42:00 AM MST
The trick to being active at 80 is to keep moving in our 60's and 70's. At least I hope that is the way it will work.
I have noticed the change in species at altitude. I wonder if it is climate change, the loss of habitat or a bit of each.
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KayTuesday, February 21, 2012 10:41:00 AM MST
Oooh! I love these photos! I can almost feel that crisp mountain air. Gorgeous photos!
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Filip DemuinckTuesday, February 21, 2012 11:41:00 AM MST
Super pcitures and fantastic to do such a trip with friends.

Greetings,
Filip
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QTuesday, February 21, 2012 1:29:00 PM MST
Friends make every day warm and beautiful!
Joan is an inspiration!
Snowshoeing looks like fun!
Sherry
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KerriTuesday, February 21, 2012 2:14:00 PM MST
How Fun!
Technology amazes me every day!!
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sandyTuesday, February 21, 2012 2:34:00 PM MST
Your company, I presume?
You ladies have fun.

Yes, friends make all the difference.
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Yogi♪♪♪Tuesday, February 21, 2012 8:05:00 PM MST
Nothing like an outing with friends. You ladies will remember this for a long time.
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CameraCruiseWednesday, February 22, 2012 5:04:00 AM MST
Beautiful shots!
Sounds like you had a great time.
Thanks for sharing.
Have a great day.
Greetings Mette
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marianneWednesday, February 22, 2012 8:00:00 AM MST
another lovely colorado day! the tech thing is amazing, isn't it? sounds like a great day!
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Sallie (FullTime-Life)Wednesday, February 22, 2012 2:01:00 PM MST
What a fabulous post -- beautiful scenery, beautiful friends, and a true role model for all of us in the person of your 80+ year old 'trail-breaker". Wow. Way to go to all of you. Thanks for sharing your wonderful day.
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Rocky Mountain WomanWednesday, February 22, 2012 3:25:00 PM MST
What fun! If I lived closer, I'd be angling for an invite...

xxoo,

RMW
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KBWednesday, February 22, 2012 8:07:00 PM MST
It looks to me like it snowed :)

I love reading about you and this group of friends. You are a group of amazing women who I aspire to be like. I'm glad that technology has made our world smaller!
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JDSWednesday, February 22, 2012 8:21:00 PM MST
Looks like a great time! The pictures make me sad that I am missing out on our trip to the snow this winter, but then again, they make me determined to be sure we don't miss out next winter!
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LindyLouMac in ItalyThursday, February 23, 2012 9:33:00 AM MST
Thanks to your recent visit and comment on My photography blog, I have paid a visit here. I have now subscribed to your blog in my google reader so hopefully will be calling by again. I would love to join you on the trail certainly the virtual hike was lovely.
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JanieFriday, February 24, 2012 4:56:00 PM MST
Joan sounds like wonderwoman! I want to be like her, too.
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❀~Myrna~❀Friday, February 24, 2012 10:05:00 PM MST
All of your photos are so beautiful !
Looks like you & your friends are having a marvelous time ! ♥
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upwoodsSaturday, February 25, 2012 8:59:00 AM MST
Nice seeing your Yooper friends! Isn't it fun that we want to be like some of our friends when we "grow up"?
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Quotes for Living

The dangers of life are infinite, & safety is among them. Goethe

To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness. -Bertrand Russell, philosopher, mathematician, author, Nobel laureate (1872-1970)

This above all: to thine own self be true, / And it must follow, as the night the day, / Thou canst not then be false to any man. -William Shakespeare, poet and dramatist (1564-1616)

We are not the same persons this year as last; nor are those we love. It is a happy chance if we, changing, continue to love a changed person. -William Somerset Maugham, writer (1874-1965)

Society is like a lawn, where every roughness is smoothed, every bramble eradicated, and where the eye is delighted by the smiling verdure of a velvet surface; he, however, who would study nature in its wildness and variety, must plunge into the forest, must explore the glen, must stem the torrent, and dare the precipice. -Washington Irving, writer (1783-1859)

"Set aside a certain number of days, during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare, with coarse and rough dress, saying to yourself the while: 'Is this the condition that I feared?'" -Seneca (1 BC - AD 65)

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. - Albert Einstein

You get your intuition back when you make space for it, when you stop the chattering of the rational mind. The rational mind doesn’t nourish you. You assume that it gives you the truth, because the rational mind is the golden calf that this culture worships, but this is not true. Rationality squeezes out much that is rich and juicy and fascinating. - Anne Lamott, (Bird by Bird)

Lingering in Happiness by Mary Oliver

After rain after many days without rain, it stays cool, private and cleansed, under the trees, and the dampness there, married now to gravity, falls branch to branch, leaf to leaf, down to the ground where it will disappear--but not, of course, vanish except to our eyes. The roots of the oaks will have their share, and the white threads of the grasses, and the cushion of moss; a few drops, round as pearls, will enter the mole's tunnel; and soon so many small stones, buried for a thousand years, will feel themselves being touched.

Wisdom from Others:

The secret of good writing is to say an old thing in a new way or a new thing in an old way. -Richard Harding Davis, journalist and author (1864-1916)

Words are the small change of thought.
-Jules Renard, writer (1864-1910)

The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.
-Marcel Proust, novelist (1871-1922)

A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged, it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and the time in which it is used.
-Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease.
-John Muir, naturalist, explorer, and writer (1838-1914)

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.
~John Muir, 1913, in L.M. Wolfe, ed., John Muir, John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir, 1938

On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow.
-Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher (1844-1900)

THE THING IS by Ellen Bass

to love life, to love it even
when you have no stomach for it
and everything you've held dear
crumbles like burnt paper in your hands,
your throat filled with the silt of it.
When grief sits with you, its tropical heat
thickening the air, heavy as water
more fit for gills than lungs;
when grief weights you like your own flesh
only more of it, an obesity of grief,
you think, How can a body withstand this?
Then you hold life like a face
between your palms, a plain face,
no charming smile, no violet eyes,
and you say, yes, I will take you
I will love you, again.

"The Thing Is" by Ellen Bass, from Mules of Love.

The Summer Day by Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean--
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down--
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

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LIfe at High Altitude in Colorado

Monday, February 20, 2012

My World of Friends

43 comments: