Brave Girls Trip, continued !!!!

I didn't think it would be such a long time until my next post,

but I must tell you that the Brave Girls Camp experience was so profound, that it has taken a long time

for me to process all that I experienced.

Add to that the usual disorientation of coming back from a week of vacation,

and being faced with a myriad of family/work/ranch stuff to take care of, well, you know what I mean......

I want to give the full flavor of the rest of our trip, 

and so because there is so much to share, I'm going to divide it into 2 posts.

First, I want to finish up our time in Boise, 

because it is such a pretty place and the people are soooooooo friendly!!!!  I could definitely live there.

We spent the rest of Tuesday exploring the charming old downtown......

Michelle and I playing tourists in the rain

 Kelli having a "EUREKA!" moment

  

Michelle enjoying the heavenly croquetas at Bar Gernika (a Basque restaurant)

Super-friendly Idahoan's at the Basque Museum

and now it begins........

Then it was off to Eagle to the Hilton Hotel, where we met the rest of the Brave Girls Campers, received handmade tote bags containing handmade journals, snacks and many other thoughtful goodies (like earphones, much-appreciated !), and boarded the bus....

for the 2-hour ride up along the beautiful Payette River, up into the mountains, to McCall (a town that just begs to be returned to and explored).  During this ride, we started to get to know the other 20 ladies - we'd all become life-long friends by the end of the camp.

We were met by Melody and a couple of her friends and had a moment of peace by the lake, before heading to the lodge.

We arrived at dusk to a twinkling magical beautifully-decorated huge gorgeous mountain lodge, with a welcome/reception/hugging line of all the people who helped to create this camp.

The love was overwhelming! 

..

Inside, the huge great room was decorated with lots of lights and banners and streamers and parasols and Melody's art - and photos of our loved ones all around.  It was breathtaking.......

....to be pampered with so much love and beauty.  The photo above is of Kathy and Melody welcoming us right after we arrived.

The next day...............

We awoke to a serene light snowfall, making the lodge feel all cozy and comfy.  We were greeted by beautiful music, a fabulous hot beverage bar and homemade food (to die for!).  This was continuous throughout our entire camp.

The most thrilling part of all was our ART ROOM!!!!  Oh my goodness, it had every art supply and tool you could imagine and more - like having your own private store from which to pick whatever you wanted.  AND we got MORE handmade lovely things.  AND it was decorated so fun and girly - just like everything else.  I've never felt so pampered!!!!  

Much better than any spa or candy or clothing store.  

Art-music-beauty-food = PERFECTION!!!!

Here's the beautifully decorated dining and cooking area where we spent lots of time visiting, and eating!

 The lunch crew, headed by wonderful Kathy

One of my favorite pieces of Melody's art (do you think she'll mind if I copy it????)

 And here's Miss Melody Ross herself - such a sweet, giving, loving, intelligent soul.  

Our teacher and inspiration and guide......

I want to be free and dress like Melody when I grow up.......I LOVE HER!!!!!!

And the day after that.............

To be honest, I wasn't taking many pictures.  There was just so much going on:  gatherings, lessons, music, sharing, arts and crafts, making new friends (i.e., lots of conversations), restoring our souls.  This girl's paradise....

Melody, filming the creation of a beautiful collage which was then given out as a contest prize on the Brave Girls blog.  (see the video HERE )

Kelli stylishly making art.  And if you look to the right, you can see Michelle in action too....

My new BFF Kathleen, who was going to adopt me, but then we discovered she's only 12 years older than me, so I guess I have to settle for big sister.....

A much-needed and -appreciated group walk to the lake in the crisp mountain air.

Posing with my roommates, Coreena from Canada and Kam from San Diego.  These are two amazing women - I miss them!!!!

Photo ops with Melody.....

Left to right:  Kam, Sarah, Jayne, Heidi, Kathy and one of her darling twins, and the fabulous Miss Barbara (another sartorial artist who makes me smile!).

It was so wonderful to be surrounded by so many inspiring generous artists.  

Below is sweet Kelly-with-a-'y', posing with her buddy and the beautiful painting she did of Kathy and Melody.  

I'll post the rest of the trip very soon - it gets even better!  So stay tuned..................................