Montana Part 1

There’s simply no way to summarize the last three weeks of my life.  Good.  Great. Wonderful.  No word seems sufficient.  And I feel like I’m a better photographer than a writer these days (why I’m doing a PhD I have no idea) so this post is going to be one of photos.  Photos of faces in places. 

COOKE CITY

I spent a small sufficient amount of time up in the mountains playing in the snow.  The days were warm, sometimes reaching mid-50’s in the afternoon, and the skies were clear, making for sticky snow and plenty of sunshine.  It took me a couple of days to adjust back to the altitude, but once I did I was back in business.  We snowmobiled, snowboarded, snow tubed, built snowmen, and had snow bonfires.  Life was as perfect as if in a snow globe.  Here’s just a taste…

Lisa and Jeff.  Doing what they do best… or not.

“The Boys” – Miles (dog), Matt and Mark (Stella and Silas)

I played “soccer mom” - Cooke City style, of course.

Betty and Suzy trying not to fall in the fire!

I just met this guy for the first time.  He’s quite comical.  Especially when he does this on his first time on a snowboard since 8th grade.  The next picture would be his face kissing the snow.  That’s enough to give you a guess of what words he was shouting right about now.  Quite comical indeed.

We did a little fishing too.  Well, we attempted anyway.  Jeff seems to catch them only when he’s alone we’re there early enough.  Here he’s taking us to Rock Island Lake, which is outside of the wilderness boundary, meaning that we snowmobiled to the boundary and then had to snowshoe or ski in to the lake. 

Jeff leading in the troops, with Jerry trying desperately to keep up.  

He’s getting old(er), dontch ya know?

And then there was the Snow Boat Party.  It was 50+ degrees, full sun, and remarkably no wind, making for the perfect day for a boat party.  We pushed the boat out of the garage, cranked the tunes, set up corn hole, lit the fire, set the table and enjoyed the springtime afternoon.

Jerry, the tune master.

Mary, trying to break up some of the ice on the driveway to make room for corn hole!

Dale and Jason trying their hands at the good game.  Does it look like springtime to you?

Oh, Keith.  What can I say?  He makes me smile, AND he’s the best BBQ master in “North Tweener,” without a doubt... especially in the winter!    

Miles, Donna, Mary, Hannah, and Charissa all took a snowshoe trip to Bridal Falls during the party.  I hate to say it, but I was definitely getting tired at this point in the week and decided to stay back.  Someone had to supervise the boys, right?

Earlier in the week we took a Cat Trip to the Boiling River in Yellowstone.  What a riot.  I’m still recovering…

CRANDALL

The adventures didn’t end when I made that snowmobile trip back over the pass and into Wyoming.  Sheri, Bertie and I found ourselves on 4-wheelers, snowshoes, on hikes, and all over the place.

It was warmer there with A LOT less snow.  But, oh, it was good.

What these pictures do not summarize are the great conversations I had with all of them over puzzles, cards, and games, on walks, around fires, on job sites, in groomers, over meals, at the bar and everywhere else.  These people mean the world to me.  

I will love them as their friend and pastor for the rest of my life.  One thing is for sure:  They have not seen the last of me. 

Stay tuned for Montana Part 2 and Minnesota…

Also, there are more “scenic” pictures on the photo blog.  Just click on Magic through the Lens at the top of this page and then on the blog link.