It was a beautiful day, in the Rocky Mountain park of Banff, Canada. She was on vacation, and Banff was her favorite getaway to refresh and renew. The cool mountain air, even in the dog days of summer had a quality to it that was hard to put a name to. The pine, mixed with the moss, and the clean fresh snow in the mountains never failed to revive her tired spirit.
Moraine Lake was one of her special places, a “happy place” some might call it, for it held special memories for her. She and her late husband had come here on their honeymoon, and she made the trip now every year to remember the beautiful relationship they once had.
One of her hobbies, was photography, of scenery, and as she walked she snapped pictures on her new digital camera, that she treated herself to as a birthday present. The mountains were beautiful and the color of the lake, a surreal turquoise blue, caused by the silt of the runoff. She had never found a film that could quite capture the unique color. She only hoped that the digital could do that for her. She would be excited to see the pictures on her laptop, when she got back to her little cabin, nestled in the woods.
She decided to stop, and rest for a bit, and sat on a large boulder, and pulled out a bottle of cold water, and a sandwich she had packed. She also had some nuts, and sunflower seeds, and while it was illegal to feed the wildlife in the National Parks she couldn’t help but share a few seeds with a friendly little chipmunk that had come to keep her company.
As she ate, she meditated about her life, since the loss of her beloved husband. He was such an amazing man, she had loved him deeply, and even though it had been more than five years since his passing, she still wore her wedding band, unable to break that last connection to him. She wept quietly, for the life that should have gone on for many years to come, for what they had lost, and what they had never had.
Suddenly she felt the presence of another with her, and she turned to see a handsome man, a few years older than herself, handing her his handkerchief. She hadn’t even realized she was weeping and then there was this man, standing there. “You look like you lost your best friend.”, he said to her, smiling gently at her.
“What? Oh, I, ah, yeah, I have lost my best friend. My husband passed on and we had come here on our wedding trip. I come at least once a year to rest, relax, enjoy the scenery, and take some photos.” She nodded at the camera hung around his neck, “Looks like you had the same idea.”
He perched on the rock beside her, and also took a bottle of water out of his backpack. She offered him some fruit and nuts, and they sat in the sunshine and visited, comparing notes on the photos they had taken.
“You’re not from Canada, are you?” she asked him, fascinated by his rich deep voice, and the smooth southern accent, that was nearly not there. She picked it up, as she had a thing for an accent.
“No, I’m not, I’m from Texas. I have heard about Banff, and really wanted to shoot some nature photos, and really what better place than this?”
She agreed with him, and asked what else he had seen. She told him of all the wonderful walks that can be found, not back country hiking, but gentle strolls in the mountains, for good photo ops.
He noticed that she felt a sense of pride for this part of her country, and he asked her if she would be his guide to the area. He was going to be there for another couple of weeks, and so was she.
“Oh, I don’t know. I’m not sure that I’m the one you want to show you these places. They hold too many memories for me, and.
“You don’t want to share them with another man, is that it?” he asked her gently.
She looked him in the eyes, and found a sadness there that matched her own. He was alone in this world too, she knew that instinctively, and smiled at him shyly. She nodded, and looked away, over the lake. They continued to talk, and found they were staying in the same cabin compound, only a few doors away from each other.
“Have dinner with me tonight, please?” he asked.
She could not refuse this man, and could think of nothing more appealing than sharing a nice meal with him. “Do you have any place in mind?” she asked him, “because if not, I know a fabulous four star dining room not far from here.”
“Fine, I’ll pick you up at 8:00 PM?”
She nodded, and said she would make reservations for the dining room. They got up, and packed up the garbage from their lunch, and walked leisurely back to their cabins. A nap, a bath, and a lovely evening out for the first time in years, was something to really look forward to. Yes, it might turn into a wonderful vacation after all.
It was a beautiful day, in the Rocky Mountain park of Banff, Canada. She was on vacation, and Banff was her favorite getaway to refresh and renew. The cool mountain air, even in the dog days of summer had a quality to it that was hard to put a name to. The pine, mixed with the moss, and the clean fresh snow in the mountains never failed to revive her tired spirit.
Moraine Lake was one of her special places, a “happy place” some might call it, for it held special memories for her. She and her late husband had come here on their honeymoon, and she made the trip now every year to remember the beautiful relationship they once had.
One of her hobbies, was photography, of scenery, and as she walked she snapped pictures on her new digital camera, that she treated herself to as a birthday present. The mountains were beautiful and the color of the lake, a surreal turquoise blue, caused by the silt of the runoff. She had never found a film that could quite capture the unique color. She only hoped that the digital could do that for her. She would be excited to see the pictures on her laptop, when she got back to her little cabin, nestled in the woods.
She decided to stop, and rest for a bit, and sat on a large boulder, and pulled out a bottle of cold water, and a sandwich she had packed. She also had some nuts, and sunflower seeds, and while it was illegal to feed the wildlife in the National Parks she couldn’t help but share a few seeds with a friendly little chipmunk that had come to keep her company.
As she ate, she meditated about her life, since the loss of her beloved husband. He was such an amazing man, she had loved him deeply, and even though it had been more than five years since his passing, she still wore her wedding band, unable to break that last connection to him. She wept quietly, for the life that should have gone on for many years to come, for what they had lost, and what they had never had.
Suddenly she felt the presence of another with her, and she turned to see a handsome man, a few years older than herself, handing her his handkerchief. She hadn’t even realized she was weeping and then there was this man, standing there. “You look like you lost your best friend.”, he said to her, smiling gently at her.
“What? Oh, I, ah, yeah, I have lost my best friend. My husband passed on and we had come here on our wedding trip. I come at least once a year to rest, relax, enjoy the scenery, and take some photos.” She nodded at the camera hung around his neck, “Looks like you had the same idea.”
He perched on the rock beside her, and also took a bottle of water out of his backpack. She offered him some fruit and nuts, and they sat in the sunshine and visited, comparing notes on the photos they had taken.
“You’re not from Canada, are you?” she asked him, fascinated by his rich deep voice, and the smooth southern accent, that was nearly not there. She picked it up, as she had a thing for an accent.
“No, I’m not, I’m from Texas. I have heard about Banff, and really wanted to shoot some nature photos, and really what better place than this?”
She agreed with him, and asked what else he had seen. She told him of all the wonderful walks that can be found, not back country hiking, but gentle strolls in the mountains, for good photo ops.
He noticed that she felt a sense of pride for this part of her country, and he asked her if she would be his guide to the area. He was going to be there for another couple of weeks, and so was she.
“Oh, I don’t know. I’m not sure that I’m the one you want to show you these places. They hold too many memories for me, and.
She looked him in the eyes, and found a sadness there that matched her own. He was alone in this world too, she knew that instinctively, and smiled at him shyly. She nodded, and looked away, over the lake. They continued to talk, and found they were staying in the same cabin compound, only a few doors away from each other.
“Have dinner with me tonight, please?” he asked.
She could not refuse this man, and could think of nothing more appealing than sharing a nice meal with him. “Do you have any place in mind?” she asked him, “because if not, I know a fabulous four star dining room not far from here.”
“Fine, I’ll pick you up at 8:00 PM?”
She nodded, and said she would make reservations for the dining room. They got up, and packed up the garbage from their lunch, and walked leisurely back to their cabins. A nap, a bath, and a lovely evening out for the first time in years, was something to really look forward to. Yes, it might turn into a wonderful vacation after all.
Published
She woke early, sunrise in the mountains was truly Nature’s art. She dressed in warm sweat pants and sweat shirt, ran her fingers through her hair, and grabbed her camera and headed out the door.
The colors that signaled the start of another day, the hues of pinks and oranges on the snow capped mountains against a vibrant blue sky was truly a work of art. No photograph could adequately capture the beauty in the truest sense. She was going to try, and she hiked to where she could get some good shots as the sun rose in the east.
She thought she was alone, when all of a sudden, he was there at her side, and they enjoyed the sunrise together, forgetting to take the photographs each so desired. They perched on a boulder, and silently, watched as the sun chased away the darkness of night. The silence was awed, they needed no words to explain what they saw, for each had the eye for the beauty around them.
She laughed, now the daylight was in full display, and the colors of the early morning had dissipated. “My husband could never understand why I got up so early to watch that show. He never fully understood my desire to capture it on film.” It was nice to find someone who could appreciate the beauty, as she did.
He smiled at her, “I forgot to take pictures. I was rather engrossed in the simple beauty of it all.”
“I know, isn’t it magnificent?”
It was only 7 AM, and they had a couple of hours before they were to meet for breakfast, so they decided to each go and get ready for the day, and get an early start on breakfast at least. A half hour later, they met, each showered, and ready to tackle the trek at Johnston’s canyon. A hearty breakfast at the little restaurant, that made the best coffee one had ever tasted. It must be the mountain air, but breakfast had never tasted so good. They lingered again, over the coffee, and got a thermos to go, along with bottles of water, and snacks in each of their backpacks.
The drive to the base of the walk wasn’t that far, and once again, she drove. They parked, and each took their pack and camera bags, and set off at a leisurely pace. They talked as they walked, about photography, and life in general, what they did for a living, kids, and their respective late spouses. It was a time of discovery for both of them.
They snapped pictures as they walked, the forest greens, the sky blues, and wispy clouds that had floated in for the time being. The day was gorgeous, warm for the mountain summer, and they both shed the light jackets they were wearing.
The walk to the lower falls was gentle, easy, and the pictures they each got there were good. Each pleased with the results, they set off for the upper falls, and the walk became a bit more taxing, so they took their time, pausing to rest, and drink water, and nibble on homemade trail mix. The air was warm, but had the fresh scent of pine, moss, and something that can’t be described. Something unique to mountain air. She told him of her time working in Banff, as a nurse in the hospital, and living in a resort that most people only get to visit. There was something about being a “local” and she still considered herself as such, even though many years had passed since she actually lived there.
They continued their hike, and finally got to the upper falls. She stood back as her companion took it in for the first time. He turned to her, and smiled a warm silent “thank you”, and took his camera and started to take the pictures that he hoped would sell for a fine price back home. She joined him, and snapped some shots as well. They sat in the cool of the rock cavern, cut out by years of cascading water, and rested before they started back down the mountain. It was a great day, and it was fun to see someone else as excited about the wondrous beauty around them as she was. They decided to go to into the town of Banff for dinner, and he asked her where would be a good place to eat. She had someplace in mind, another favorite from years gone by.
It was good to be making new memories.
That night after dinner, they decided to get together with their laptops and view each others photos. It was plain to see he was a professional, his camera and other equipment gave him away, and she oohed and aahed over his “stuff”. She was just an amateur, but still had a decent camera, and a good eye for a great shot. They sat in his cabin, with coffee and the computers between them critiquing each others work. She learned a lot from him that evening, and suspected that this would become a nightly ritual, after the day’s shots. Photos were saved onto disks, and coffee was finished. She packed up her laptop, and he, being the gentleman that he was, walked her to her cabin. He left her once again, with a kiss on the cheek, and a promise to meet her at the boulder at sunrise.
She watched him turn, once again, and walk away, back to his own cabin. She let herself into her cabin, and leaned against the door. She liked this gentleman, with the soft southern drawl, who seemed to understand the pain of her loss. Perhaps it was time to move on, she thought as she readied herself for bed. She looked at her flannel pajamas, and grimaced at the “un-sexiness” of them, and then chided herself at the thought, wondering where it had come from in the first place. There hadn’t been a man in her life that she wanted in that way for five years now. Perhaps, maybe.
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