The winds of change...pulling back the veil

Ah... so much has happened and so much is still happening!!
As the wind blew through Rosebud, so did a thrill of spring and an urgency for change and action: a weeping away of the old and in with the new. [HA -- I meant to write "a sweeping away of the old" but now I like "a weeping away..."]
The boys found the remains of a tree fort in a small aspen grove behind the Lassens and the Hamms and claimed it as their own. Soon all the neighborhood children were chiming in and adding on to it with borrowed hammers and rusty nails they pulled out of old wood. It was remarkable. they even found a large pit that they covered with a tumbleweed to trap any unsuspecting bad men or bears. (Weston's hiding down in it in the picture.)
Seeing them down there in the trees working with their hands was a new kind of beautiful. They seemed to belong in the trees and I loved capturing a few shots of the two-toned trunks and the Alberta boys. They spent hours there the first few days, and had to put in less time recently only because of karate, choir, and now vacation. I'm sure they'll be right back at it when we return from Canmore.
I got to go to Calgary for a general theatre audition and that was a new experience. I did fine and Carol Wall drove with me, which made it real special. Dave was sweet to make me a super sandwich to take with me as I was booked right up to departure, and when I got home, we opened a special raspberry grape bubbly to celebrate. [One must always celebrate when finishing an audition.]
We had a fun feast with Lewis and Royal and Lennette after service on Sunday: halibut from Calgary; mushroom, eggplant and feta scramble, veggies, fruit salad, and a tropical punch with berries and pineapple rind. A little bit crazy, perhaps, but fun. --I had worked Friday and Saturday with the visiting highschoolers from Saskatchewan on a drama from the Lectionary (basically Jesus before Pilate and Herod with verses from Isaiah and Ps. 31 tucked in), and Lewis and Royal helped with the music. They were great. After lunch we had spontaneous moment where all five of us laid down a track for a voice over audition song. It was so fun.
The next day I marveled as I watched the clouds blow in from the North, gathering for the moment to pounce. Weston and I had read outside just hours before when the wind was warm and thrilling, but now there was a palpable chill and danger in the air. The storm passed quickly, but I felt very small and powerless under its potential.
The next day was all about getting things done and packed for our excursion: to the mountains. Yeah! These van pics at the gas station were done by Donovan (as was the artsy blurrish one above with the bubbly.) I drove the first hour and half with the sun setting directly in my eyes. At one point it was so startlingly bright I almost had to stop. I was coming up a rise from a steep hill and the sun was blisteringly bright right at horizon level for a beat and I panicked inside. Again I was powerless. I could not see the edge of the road and no amount of sunglasses, squinting or visor was going to help me. Terrifying. I inched along, but tried to keep moving as Dave said someone was coming up behind me. Thankfully, as the road leveled off I could see a smidge better, but speaking of "smidge" any tiny bit of dust on my windshield was now a miniature prism of brilliance and I still struggled. I nearly pulled over twice more, but by the time I saw the side farm roads, I was nearly past them. Thank GOD for the clouds that eventually edged across my path on our direct shot West into Airdrie.
They were running interference for me.
They were a veil.
I was so relieved and was finally able to sing a few lines of U2: "I'm not the only one, staring at the sun, afraid of what you find.... happy to go blind." Wow. What a interesting image. If the sun is so bright, what about seeing the face of God? Remember Moses had to wear a veil over his face and still had the afterglow so bright no one could gaze at him, either. What's with that? Same with that curtain into the holy of holies in the tabernacle and temple. Sheilding us and then later ripping to welcome an intimacy for all, but also an ominous power.
I know I could only handle so much.
Now we're in Canmore and it's stunning. It's warm and dry in our suite and we keep waking up thirsty. I can't believe how much colder it is in our house in Rosebud. I've packed enough food for a week and now I feel sheepish. I did make a large soup today and that was fun, but I don't want to keep eating it for leftovers because I have a different meal planned out each night of our getaway. Oh well. I'll probably be packing some of it back. The boys are tired and Dave and I are exhausted, but it's fun to be in a new place, and anywhere there's a pool is a happy place for us.
Tomorrow I'll catch up on Weston's "snowboarding" at the Nordic center....