I felt at home.  Not a home I knew, but a home that my bones and blood and heart knew.  The very core of my heavily-Scandinavian soul seemed to immediately understand this place--the dark sand, the thundering waves, the bitterly cold air, the biting wind, the sapphire blue skies, the rolling mountains, the very cragginess of everything...

I walked into a fairytale.  The expanse of the blue lake water, stretching across in an unbroken mirror to the mountains and glacier behind.  The misty clouds, creeping silently, magically along the forest ridgelines.  The rocks in front of my toes, so clear in the glassy water.  The snow, peaceful and perfect, drifting to catch on my hat and gloves and nose...

Today, Nathan and I celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary, along with almost 14 years of being together. It's a good day.  To mark the occasion, we took a pause in our usual summer madness to run away to see mountains and lakes and waterfalls and wilderness in our favorite place, Banff National Park in Canada...