Posts from the ‘Montana’ category

Montana unplugged: through the eyes and lens of Tina Oliphant

Shortly after Bear took his 2 day walk about last December, an unknown car pulled into my driveway and up to my house.

Tina has beardogs and through the grapevine and some mutual acquaintances, she’d heard about Bear and came to inquire if he’d been found.

Since that meeting we have shared some time together, exchanged stories, she is helping me help Bear to be comfortable around other dogs and she has been a willing test-taster of some of my new recipes :)!

Over the 4th of July holiday, Tina (and Arcturus) guided a friend and his two grandsons on a 4 day backpacking trip on the Eastern front of the Continental Divide. They hiked in about 6 miles and made a base camp from which they did day hikes and exploring of the area. The boys live in Boston and were in Montana with their family visiting their grandfather. Tina put together the slideshow below as a memorial of that trip. AND, she did it on the Sunday afternoon after they returned from the trip so that the boys could watch with their grandfather while they were still in Montana. I happen to think it is the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in some time.

If you can, watch this on a good big screen monitor with excellent speakers.

The music is Adiemus, the first track from the album Songs of Sanctuary, composed by Karl Jenkins.

Cutting hay on the road home

What a nice week: work 2 days, 1 day off (4th of July, our Independence Day for non-U.S. readers), work 2 days, week end!!

A rainy start but a sunny finish.

A good work week, some yard chores completed, a bit of baking done as we head into a forecast hot spell and I am anticipating not wanting to have the oven on.

At lunchtime, Bear and I went to Bigfork on a quick errand run.

Hay was being cut here, there and everywhere.

As I waited for a car to clear the road, I turned around and took the above photo looking southwest across the valley…

Cutting hay: on the road home.

And a little bit from Bob and Bear… I haven’t done much with video because I don’t know squat about editing it…adding pretty music, or special effects…so prepare to be underwhelmed. This is Bob and Bear and some birdies in the background and that is it :)!

It smells like Christmas…

It does!!

The large hail brought down bits of the ends of branches – live bits with fresh sap. A LOT of live bits with fresh sap. The sun hit them today and suddenly it smells like Christmas :) !

It was just before 1:00 p.m., temperature about 74F – almost July and it smelled like Christmas walking down the driveway to get the mail.

Hey, Bob! Dontcha’ think it smells like Christmas??

What??? Oh, yeah…if you say so…it smells like Christmas.

That means it is time for my “long winter’s nap”…

And see, there is the moon. Lights out.

Well, it DOES smell like Christmas.

TGIF

Friday – YEA! Srlsy…YEA!!!!

Mixed bag of a week but we ended on a high note of work well done, skunked dog slightly less stinky and a beautiful evening.

Yes, says Bob: “TGIF!”

Happy Solstice (yesterday)!

The skunk??? No, just Bear in the tall grass…a bit ironic that his tail looks very skunk-like.

But we stayed clear of Skunk-ville today: work, a run to Whitefish, more work and a beautiful couple of hours outside this evening.

Bear had a much better day today and recovered his smile and his usual sang froid!

It was a glorious first day of Summer in Northwest Montana! Hope it was wherever you are – Happy Solstice (yesterday evening) and may your Summer be beautiful.