Posts from the ‘Montana’ category

Sunday: The Boiler Room

I live approximately 18 miles Southeast of downtown Kalispell, MT. Kalispell is hardly a big city. The downtown area of stores and restaurants spans maybe 10 blocks with 5-6 blocks of tree lined residential streets to the east and west of the north/south running Main Street.

Along one of those tree lined streets on the east side of Main is the old Kalispell Hospital. Now, it is a mixed used commercial/residential building: Eastside Brick.

And in part of the old parking lot, the owners built and run The Boiler Room.

Sara, who house and Bob-sat for me when I was on an extended rv trip – and then we became friends :)! – owns a condo in “the Brick”. We met there early yesterday morning, in a drizzly rain, for breakfast and a visit at The Boiler Room.

I arrived first, just as the Open sign was turned on…Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. and there was no one in the place but me. I obtained a mug of strong, hot, coffee and enjoyed looking around while I wasn’t bothering anyone.

A fireplace in the corner with a comfy couch and chairs allows for casual conversation and coffee.

Small tables for two line the walls, with larger tables in the center. A warm mix of wood with industrial-urban-eclectic gave the room an inviting feel that made me want to linger.

I browsed the counter that held goodies for sale which includes pottery from 2 local potters…

falling in love with those big twisty wooden spoons!

Sara arrived and we ordered…the glass case holds no end of tempting goodies – Waffles are a specialty as are pannini, burritos, bagels and more!

Despite both of us having vowed to get some work done this Sunday, we lingered and talked and laughed together. People known to Sara stopped by our table to say hello. It was a cozy morning in a wonderful place shared with a good friend.

Karl and I had a long walk in the morning drizzle and then home. Late morning and it was still only 49F…

Bob thought that a fire in the woodstove would be nice and I agreed.

Karl kept me company when I finally sat myself down and got to work.

Just after supper, the sky cleared, the sun came out – the evening walk was beautiful…and that, on top of that bit of mountain peaking through the clouds….

That is fresh snow!

Sunday: The Boiler Room.

Sunday walk by the lake and mimosa(s!) on the front porch

The early morning temperature was 48F. A cool breeze ruffled the water of Flathead Lake as Karl and I enjoyed a walk on the rocky outcroppings in Wayfarer’s Park near Bigfork.

The cloudless sky does not provide a dramatic background for a photo so you will have to use your imagination to picture a gorgeous, cool morning…

No one else on our path so we dawdled and enjoyed this continued respite from Summer.

And then…and THEN!!! – in honor of almost birthday…a blueberry-lemon “mimosa” – on the Front Porch. A big shout out and hurrah for Yellow Tail winery in Australia (HEY, Wendy!) – the YT sparkling wine is wonderful!


***Blueberry-lemon mimosa… I combined fresh blueberries, fresh lemon juice and a bit of lemon pulp with water (in my Vita-Mix super blender) to make a blueberry-lemon juice which I spiked with the Yellow Tail sparkling white wine. The “bits” you see in the glass are bits of blueberries.

Prelude to Fall

We are having our mid-August cool down. While it is not quite cool enough for a fire in the woodstove, it is sweatshirt and long pants cool. And we had several wonderful, soaking, rain showers over the last 2 days and nights.

Turkeys…with chicks in 3 different sizes :)!

Baby day…the fawn and doe are regular visitors – they appeared shortly after the turkeys left.

Still wary of me which is as it should be.

The light in the house has subtly changed as the angle of the sun moves towards Fall.

I love the light in this house but the Fall light is my favorite.

All says warm and peace to me.

Outside the shadows are just a bit longer, just a little earlier.

This mid-August cool down – prelude to Fall.

The pond in Whitefish

When I moved to Montana in early 1994, I lived in Whitefish.

This pond wasn’t there at that time. The entire view you see in this photo was open, grassy land that was subject to marshiness some springtimes during the runoff. The pond – actually ponds – were made to wrangle that marshiness into submission and allow for a soccer complex, a new hospital, a church and a LOT of houses. Like all change, there are both positive and negative perspectives.

Karl and I, Zack and I before Karl – walked here when it was grassy or snow covered before the pond and other development. Karl and I walk there now when we go to Whitefish. Karl and I were there yesterday for a vet appointment – he is fine! ….but there was a question and it held the possibility of being not so fine.

The question has been “on the table” for a little over a week. Even as things pointed toward a good outcome and I, along with a small, but mighty army of prayer warriors prayed for healing, strength, wisdom and grace…still, for us humans, it is challenging to keep fear and worry completely at bay.

My dear friend, Jeannine, wrote: “I have been holding my breath and praying God’s presence, as I felt you skirting the edge of the unknown, or whatever you call that place where everything changes all at once. Changing a little at a time, we can handle with some grace.” That, so succintly put, is the rub…

But, yesterday, from sunrise to sunset, everything in Karl’s and my world flowed smoothly, gurgling happily like mountain snowmelt making its way to a valley pond. The Hand of God showed itself in the morning beauty of the pond in Whitefish and gave us calm and peace.

Twilight clouds

Friday evening, about half an hour before sunset, the low sun hit evening clouds that were blowing up against the Swan Range to my East.

Thunderstorms were pushing the clouds against the ridge.

I was taking these photos as thunder rumbled – barely heard – to the West-Southwest. What a contrast – blue sky deepening to dark with sunlit clouds spread by the wind of the approaching front: twilight clouds.


Photos taken 8/6/2010 8:55 p.m.

Layers

Farm, lake, mountains, sky.
Gold, green, red, blue, white.
Near, Far, Distant.
Layers.


Photo taken 8/4/2010 on Somers Rd., Somers, MT