Maureen Bush

A Week in the Mountains

While I’ve had much less trouble with asthma this summer than in many years, the altitude at the Athabasca Glacier nailed me. I spent our first two days in Jasper being quiet while my husband and younger daughter went adventuring.

Luckily for me, we were in a rather expensive unit (booked late, lucky to get anything) at our favorite spot, and I had the perfect writing place. I turned a high-backed soft chair to face the corner windows, looking out over mountains and lake and trees, set my tea on a nearby table, and settled in to work through several manuscripts.

When I got restless I walked along the lake, a little more comfortably every half-day as my lungs recovered.

I had time to think about a couple of stories; I mean, to really think. To catch up to where I’d written, to polish a little, to decide I really do like where they’re going. To figure out what comes next.

Now we’re home for the rest-of-summer chaos, including debating titles and editing the third in the Veil of Magic series, finishing the reno, settling one daughter in Ottawa for university, and helping another get organized for university here in Calgary. Then I’ll be off to Banff for a week in September, for more writing. I think my couple of days of quiet in Jasper may be my only quiet-just-for-writing time until mid-September.

Maureen

One More Trip to the Rockies

We were in Jasper this week for a lovely end-of-summer holiday. My husband took these photos, along the Icefields Parkway, and of Patricia Lake early one morning. Visitors to Canada stood with him that morning, marvelling at the beauty of the lake. Then they turned around and found two elk watching with them.

Maureen

Jasper

I came home from Jasper rested and with a great collection of photos to trigger story ideas.