Never a Wrong Turn (Ever): Pilgrimage to Bonner

Eileen and Laura (Mike's sisters) had planned a trip to see our long-term (not old) mutual friend Judy, at her cabin near Bonner, Mt. I hadn't seen Judy for two years and decided to tag along. The miraculous thing about good friends is that regardless of how long it has been since you have seen them, you can pick up right where you left off and talk like no time has passed since you saw each other last. I so enjoyed seeing Judy again! We drove from Laura's to Bonner mostly on I-90 through very hot country. When we got to the cabin, I was delighted to see that Judy and Carl haven't changed anything. It is still the rugged cabin on the Blackfoot River that I remember and still very peaceful. The sound of the river washes through every conversation and thought. Eagles, ospreys, kingfishers and deer entertained us as we caught up with the news of all our lives and our childens' and grandchildrens' lives. We slept the sleep of hibernation on the deck in the open air and woke in the morning to grab a cup of coffee, snuggle back in our sleeping bags sitting against the cabin to watch the river flow by. The only dilemma, was whose turn was it to get up to get the coffee pot. We left on Sunday and arrived for a nice dinner prepared by Judy. We lounged through the evening and into Monday. Monday afternoon we did manage to get into Missoula for a brief shopping trip and then went back to the cabin for a fierce battle over Trivial Pursuit. Eileen's knowledge refreshed by teaching middle school social studies came in handy, but Judy, the sage preschool teacher won. Go Judy!
Tuesday morning, Laura and I met Mike at the airport and drove back to Emmigrant.
The last time that I had been at the cabin, Judy's brother was there struggling with his battle with cancer which he lost. Her sister had a neighboring property and has since had to sell it during the process of a divorce. While I greatly enjoyed the trip and would not have missed it for the world, I also felt the lingering melancoly of these losses. Judy and Carl have placed a memorial bench in her brother's favorite contemplation spot which is beautiful and memorializes him in a way that I am sure he would have appreciated. Our time on earth is short and nothing stays the same.