Mountains Mountains Mountains

I would never tire of you! We went up to the top of Sulfur mountain the other day, which is where most of these photos were taken. The outcrop of buildings at the foot of the smaller mound in the middle of the last photo is the Banff Centre, where we are living. Sadly not for too much longer. I don't want to leave this place!

some Banff photos

This blog has been sadly ignored for awhile. There is an effort afoot to change that! Here's a start -- some photos from around Banff, where I'm finishing up the second of 5 weeks as a member of the musicians in residence program. That means I'm holed up in a little studio hut most of each day working on Bach. This is my first time in Canada; it's so beautiful here! That elk in the first photo just sort of wanders around the campus, by the way. And that castle-type building in the bottom two photos houses the Banff upper hot springs, just a short walk away!

driving on the blue ridge parkway

Here are some photos that I took while Will and I drove up to stay in Virginia for a few days after Brevard, via the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's so beautiful! It took twice as long than if we had traveled by interstate, but it was well worth it. Or at least, I felt that way during the first four hours :) Back home in Kentucky now.

Little Mountain Cabins

Ok, I love Wisconsin, but have you seen this forecast?!  Good grief!  Everyone seems to be sitting inside, talking about where they might like to be instead.  It's been super cold for most of my break, and now it's just getting more ridiculous.  I miss walking outside the most; I started looking through some photos from a hiking trip I took with some friends in the Austrian Alps this summer.  Look at all these little mountain cabins we passed - some of them are so tiny!  The one in the last photo is a little speck.  We stayed for a couple nights in the one in the third photo, with the red and white shutters.  There is a huge network of huts in the Alps for hikers to stay in as they do long treks, and they're really nice and comfy.  And people live in those tiny ones seasonally, perched among the hills, tending flocks :)

Winter Hike

Well, it doesn't feel like winter at all, so this morning my friend and I drove out to Trempealeau to go hiking.  It's so gorgeous there!  Today was sunny and breezy, and seemed almost like spring.  I keep wondering when we'll get hit with real winter.  It's definitely going to feel like a shock.