A Home in Montana

After work today, Maggie and I met our friend, Kellie and her mom, Mary, and we went to the Whitefish Farmers Market. Kellie has a corgi named Pansey and her mom has a Airedoodle named Tuaca. There were so many dogs there, and Maggie loved it. Here are a few iPhone snaps.  There was even an Italian Greyhound there whose name was Jeffrey!  And a goat!  As you can see, Maggie and Pansey never, apparently, get any attention at home... The market is every Tuesday evening, so we'll go whenever we can!  Maggie, needless to say, was exhausted afterwards, and fell asleep as soon as she got home...

Yesterday, I visited Bigfork, Montana. About twenty miles from Kalispell, the small town is located at the north end of Flathead Lake. Flathead Lake is the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi. The Flathead and Swan Rivers flow into the lake, and it's a very scenic area. Orchards are on the east shore, and it's now a major cherry-growing area.This was my first summer visit (I'd been in January once with Krista...quite a different look then!), and I'll be going back often. Good restaurants, a summer playhouse, lots of art. What's not to like! Here are a few snaps from the day.

To celebrate my birthday, Krista and Tony drove me up to Polebridge for a visit to the Polebridge Mercantile and Bakery (the "Merc") and dinner outside at the Northern Lights Saloon and Cafe. Polebridge is about an hour away, partly on dirt roads, very close to Canada, and in the midst of some of the most beautiful scenery ever. It's definitely off the grid, with no cell phone service, no internet, and one public phone that works "sometimes." We happened upon Pizza Night at the cafe (every Friday), and sat outside with the pups, Jack and Maggie, enjoying the evening. Here are a few snaps.  These are huckleberry bear claws from the Bakery.

A month ago today, I arrived at my new home in Montana. The days have flown by, and I really do love it here. This evening, my friend and neighbor, Mary, and I went to Columbia Falls to their weekly farmers' market. We got caught in a huge downpour...a sudden storm with lots of lightning, so we didn't see as much as we wanted to, but it was still loads of fun!