Forest Fire Season

I had never truly appreciated forest fires until I moved to Montana a decade ago. I now have a true respect for their power. Last summer was pretty much flame-free, but just a few days ago we had a fire flare up one or two stops over on I-90. When this one popped up, we thought it was just over Mt. Jumbo and coming our way. The pictures are views from our street. It was quite the neigborhood affair watching the plumes of smoke and glow of flames. It spread to the east (away from our house), but it was still something to watch.

Annie's Birthday & Biking/Fishing Blackfoot

Annie has turned 6! I was so busy running around at her party, that I didn't have a chance to take pictures. I'm going to ask another mom for a copy of some pics, and I'll try to get them posted. It was a great celebration, and thanks for the many well-wishes. The other pictures are from a bike ride & fishing along the Blackfoot River. The bike ride was an old railway road, called Going to the Buffalo, which followed the banks of the river. We rode for a bit, until the kiddos got grumpy and hot. Then we fished, played around, and watched the multitudinous floaters - you can tell the college kids are back. Brian, of course, caught some fish, but the prize of the day goes to Jacob. He caught a cut-throat trout, and he kept the floaters entertained with his excitement. He found a small pool, and could watch the fish checking out his bait through the clear water. He has learned that trout are trickier than perch and pumpkin seeds.

Aunt Annie's Visit and Glacier National Park

Aunt Annie came to visit for a whole week! We tubed the Clark Fork River, and Aunt Annie was shocked by the chilly waters of Montana. (Not that any of us disagreed with her.) We also went to the top of the neighboring ski hill, Snowbowl, for some pizza and a chairlift ride. On a local hike, we encountered a rushing herd of sheep. Sheep are trained to eat weeds and roam around the local hills. They are noisy, baaing creatures who made the hike a bit interesting. But the highlight of the trip was a camping trip at Two Medicine in Glacier National Park. It has to be one of the most majestic parks in America. We took a ride on a 100 year old boat through Two Medicine Lake, hiked the Continental Divide Trail and hiked to Twin Falls, Upper Two Medicine Lake and around Logan Pass. The wildflowers were in full bloom, snow still graced many peaks, and we had perfect weather. We saw some marmots, and a moose with a full rack bathing itself. The boys fished with little luck - Brian got a few trout and Jake was skunked. He struggled with the concept of not catching anything after a string of successful fishing excursions. We were glad Aunt Annie came and that we made it up to Glacier with her. Come again soon!