Rodeo

The Rodeo was fun... I am really glad that I went. Here are a few pictures. Enjoy.

That's Amore...

Snowing in September

Yes folks it is SNOWING... Believe it or not I am actually not upset about snow in September. Mostly because the mosquitos are now DEAD and next week they are calling for temps in the 80's. 80'S!!!!

 

Grass and geese

Do you see the green patches in our yard? What are they from you might ask? Jake. Most dogs kill the grass when they use the restroom. Not Jake. Apparently he helps it grow. Strange.



I love our back yard! In the early summer we watched the wheat grow and blow in the wind. Now we get to sit in our rocking chairs and watch the geese fly and graze.
 

Why, it's a tumbleweed!

Our yard is graced with tumbleweeds almost daily but this is the first one that actually knocked on the door.

Who is there Jake??

 

Glacier National Park

Our time in Glacier was great! We stayed in a very old hotel in downtown Kalispell. Our first evening we drove to Flathead Lake and the town of Bigfork. Jake went swimming with his Daddy and Pops in the Lake and seemed to enjoy himself. (I think they all did.)



The next day we scheduled an afternoon rafting trip but before we could start the adventure we needed to fuel up with a hearty breakfast in Bigfork. Jake Dog was even able to get in another swim. Our raft trip was fun. We floated and paddled our way down the Flathead River. Just like Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon did in the movie, The River Wild. (Karen bought a couple pictures from the rafting company but I forgot to scan them last night. Sorry.) After our rafting adventure we headed back to Kalispell to check on Jake Dog and feed our empty tummies. The next morning had a great breakfast in downtown Kali. Then, we headed off for a drive through Glacier National Park.

The drive was amazing and HOT! It was 94 degrees. At least we have low humidity.



We stopped and cooled off at a waterfall and as my Father-in-law said, it was some great "natural air-conditioning".

The most amazing thing about our drive was seeing Mother Nature at work. The Red Eagle Fire is going strong. Covering about 28,000 acres of land.



I think the pictures best describe the view. It was an amazing experience.

Chuck's place...

I think that it's safe to say Chris and Rob had a GREAT time with Chuck. They went rafting on Sunday night, spent some time fishing and saw some beautiful country...

This is the view from Chuck's "house" one way.

This is the view the other.

Chuck's place while he guides.

The Aztec fits right in...

Chris, Rob, Chuck and Abby before the rafting trip.

Life with Chuck is always an adventure... One of the many reasons why we love him!

Looking for a swimming hole

For the past 2 days I have been on a mission to find Jake a place to swim. Yesterday, we went to a park in town that has a little swimming area. Needless to say, Jake and I didn't last long. Our little park adventure ended with me running to the car, as fast as humanly possible, whaling my hands back and forth in a MAD attempt to save my poor body from being eaten alive by mosquitoes. They were everywhere!! In my ears, up my nose, stuck in my hair... Need I say more? Anyway, by the time we finally got to the car Jake had three stuck on his nose, two on his butt and was still without a swim. When I finally got the door shut and the air conditioning on I looked down to see a mosquito stuck to my leg. I killed it with great pleasure!! Then, I realized that my happy "lets go to the park" mood was leaving and FAST. It was replaced with a mood of vengeance. I will get them... Get them ALLLLL! I drove home, much faster than usual and hooked up the Mosquito Magnet!!! DIE!! DIE!!

Today, I started out trying to find a lake near our house and found out quickly that it was not a lake. More like a wet land. (I should have listened to our friend Jason when he said it was more like a pond.) Then, I decided to drive. "I WILL find him a place to swim. Even if it takes me all day and I end up in Canada." I headed north and followed signs to a dam (forgot the name). (On the way Jake spotted some wild life.)


The signs on the way there said that there was Missouri River access... Yes! Water! No more marsh. I figured that the water might have too much current for Jake to swim but I was determined to try. If Jake can't swim maybe it will be a great place to fish. (You never know until you try.) 40 minutes later... I found it!!

Check out the size of the birds in the picture below. Looks like a good fishing spot but not the best swimming spot. I walked down a path for a few minutes a found a good place for Jake to swim. YEAH!! 2 days, 400 mosquito bites and half a tank of gas later Jake was able to swim but...
I don't think it is exactly what I am looking for. After all, this is supposed to be Jake's rehab. Maybe there is a place closer to our house. The quest is still on!!


Incase you are wondering why I am driving around MT by myself:
Rob got in last night and he and Chris are on their way to meet Chuck North. Chuck is living in MT for the summer as a rafting guide. They plan on going rafting tomorrow and I thought it would be best for the guys to enjoy the rapids, if you know what I mean;). They will be back tomorrow night or Tues morning. Robbie took his digital so I will have some pictures of the reunion to post soon.


Mosquito Magnet update:
It is sucking them in like crazy!! YES!! I will WIN!! DIE you terrible terrible insects.

The Truman show...

If I haven't used the movie The Truman Show to describe Great Falls to you yet, let me now. Everywhere we go people wave. Honestly. If any of you are boaters and not familiar with the movie, I think it is safe to say that driving and walking around Great Falls is also similar to a common boating experience. On a boat, no one knows a stranger. Every person that passes by gives you a friendly wave. Here, it is the same way. In our little suburb every person that walks past our house (when I am outside) talks to me. They usually tell me their names and where they live. They ask if Chris is military and offer help if I ever need it. A few other passer-by lines include: Hi neighbor, your yard looks good. You guys sure are moving right along. What's your dogs' name? Great to have you in the neighborhood. Don't forget we have our annual neighborhood, "Get to Know the Neighbors", party on the 7th of July.

Yes, you read right... A neighborhood get to know you party!!! WOW! Maybe I am just naive but I have only heard of those parties in the movies. I just can't believe it! I really feel like I am in a movie. Is this all a set up? Did my Dad really come out for two weeks? Am I really in Montana or am I just dreaming during an Alaskan winter hibernation? If I was hibernating in AK I would still be with our AK friends? Angie, Laura, Katie, Anne, Robyn... Where are you?

More evidence that I may be living in a movie: You have all heard the story about the neighbor that helped with our fence post holes. Well, he and his son knocked on our door the evening that our sod was delivered and asked to help. Can you believe that? Pinch me!! Are all these people real? We didn't use their help because Dad and I were exhausted but it was still extremely nice of them to offer.

Last night I had another, these people our too nice, experience when we went to Sam's club. When Chris and I walked in EVERYONE smiled at us. I loved that because I am getting used to smiling at strangers but this time it felt kind of weird. Chris was wearing his uniform so I thought that the extra attention could have something to do with that... And I was right. On our empty handed walk through the exit door the Receipt Checker grabbed Chris' hand and said "Thank you for serving our country. I appreciate all that you do." She then reaches for my hand and says, “and thank YOU for standing by him." Tears immediately begin streaming down my face. I can't believe that I was so touched by what she said. It's not often that people go out of their way to thank someone, especially strangers. We were just looking for something to kill the mosquitos.

The view over Great Falls, MT

I took these pictures after we dropped Dad off at the airport. The airport has a fine piece of Great Falls real estate on their hands...


The river you see here (above) is the Missourri.

This is the Belt Mountain Range.




The river here is the Sun River.