Old photos

When looking for photos of Denise I ran across some old photos of me. Boy, that was long time ago! Did I really look like that once?

Since I commuted to work in Minnesota during the winters I would grow a beard over winter. In the Spring I would shave it off in different ways. One year I shaved my beard into a Van Dyke and also had 'pointy' sideburns. Here are a couple of photos along with a fisherman's hat and a long 'dangly' clip-on ear ring. Ear rings on men had become in vogue recently and while at a Renaissance Faire in Texas my friends Francis and Linda encouraged me to buy the hat and get the ear ring. I wore the ear ring off and on for a few months to be different. The ear ring isn't really visible in the photo.

Not only do I marvel on how different I looked back then, Colleen struggled to make the connection between then and now.

Sunset smoke plume

Sunday a large smoke plume from the Chippy Creek fire hung over much of the Valley. In the late afternoon and early evening it looked to be ominous. If I hadn't known it was a smoke plume, and lived back on the Plains, I would have thought bad weather was imminent.

Later in the evening the plume shifted east a little bit, and the setting sun moved below the plume to shine on the Valley. Here are a few photos I took at sunset where the setting sun lit the plume from below.

The first photo looks SW to where the plume originates. The second photo is NE where the plume is traveling.



The next photos show the western edge of the plume. The second photo also shows the plume at the horizon from the Brush Creek fire west of Kalispell.



Lastly, here is a photo of the sunset Saturday night. Every night is a red sunset.

Remembering Denise

Saturday I received a phone call that Denise, a special friend from my past, had died Friday night due to stomach cancer. She was 52. It was not a surprise to receive the call as I knew she had terminal cancer and her condition was worsening rapidly this past June when we last spoke and said our final goodbyes; but her passing is sad nonetheless. Apparently her eldest sister was with Denise and she sang to Denise as she died.

For all of my friends who have included Denise in your prayers, or via some other means of sending positive thoughts out into the universe on her behalf these past two years, and have expressed their sympathy and concern to me - thank you.

Denise was a true Scorpio. She was classy, passionate, independent, and could be strong-willed, stubborn and exasperating, but she will be greatly missed by those who knew her well. She did love; she did care; and she was a true and great friend.

"Love is all a matter of timing.
It's no good meeting the right person too soon or too late.
If I had lived in another time or place... my story might have had a very different ending."

--- from the movie, "2046"

Here are some photos from what seems to be a lifetime ago. Was I that young once upon a time?













Denise later got a pilot's license and bought her own plane.

Corn mazes in southern Minnesota that we flew over.


Even when battling stomach cancer she looked good.



Goodbye Denise... rest in peace.

Birthday mom

Happy Birthday Mom!

Music, bicycling, swimming and a movie

Wednesday I attended the noon-time Picnic in the Park concert. This concert was the local group, Tra Le Gael. This group is a Celtic quintet. One of their instruments is a hammered dulcimer which I enjoy hearing. According to Colleen's friend Pam the dulcimer player is also a veterinarian.

The group and music were very good. They also harmonized well on some songs so they didn't play only instrumental songs.



I was late to the concert but still arrived before Colleen who had another appointment. I thought she had already arrived, and as I am poor in locating people in a crowd, could not find her. It turns out she was standing by a tree and I was stranding by another tree and neither of us were in sight of one another until she moved.

Also at the concert I met her friend Pam, who was very nice.

After the concert was over Colleen and I went to Colleen's house and I rode bicycle with her on one of the usual routes she rides on. The road loops up and around Lone Pine State Park on Foys Lake road. We stopped to see Joyce who lives nearby and Colleen was able to meet Joyce.

At Foys Lake we went swimming. Colleen had worn her bikini under her bicycling outfit. Me, I had no swim suit. That wasn't going to stop me from swimming with Colleen. Since this was a public beach this meant I had to keep my clothes on. If taking my shirt off resulted in a note of disapproval, shedding more clothes may result in a visit from the law. So I swam in my cutoff jeans. Like I said, I wasn't going to pass up a chance to go swimming.

Oh, and by the way, Colleen looks great in a bikini.

Our high temperature only reached 78 today. For here that is a decent temperature but after our string of 90 degree days, 78 felt a touch cool. When the sun went behind a cloud... brrr! At times being in the water felt warmer than being out of the water.

Let me tell you a bikini dries off faster than cutoff jeans - even black jeans. I still had wet pants when we left. Part of the time I rode my bicycle standing up. Riding down the hill I exceeded 40 mph. That's when I sat down on the bicycle. The breeze helped dry my jeans.

On the ride back to Colleen's house we stopped by the house of another one of Colleen's friends and I got to meet her.

Back at Colleen's house she grilled salmon and made a salad and I fixed a leaky pipe under her sink. Then we watched the movie, The Bourne Supremacy, in preparation of watching The Bourne Ultimatum at the new movie theater later this week.

Another fine day.

Man without class

Tonight, Tuesday, Colleen and I attended another one of the Picnic in the Park concerts. The music was by the group LeftOver Biscuits.

They are from Bigfork, MT and play old-time bluegrass music. They are good. I didn't listen intently to each song as Colleen and I chatted away a good portion of the concert. Geez.. you'd think we hadn't seen each other in a long time instead of just spending most of Monday together.

I arrived at the concert on time though I had to drive my car to do so. I had been working out in the pasture, and as I don't wear a watch, I got back to the house too late to both shower and ride my bicycle to the concert. I could only do one thing and chose taking a shower.

When we got to Colleen's pickup after the concert we found a note attached to her distinctive beautiful blue pickup's windshield. The note said:

Lady,

Your man lacks class! My husband and I sat next to you last week. Your man didn't have the courtesy to wear a shirt at a public outing! My husband said he should cover up, especially with that body! You need to talk to him. I am sure this is the truck you got in last week.

Sandy

What?! You have got to be kidding me!

Colleen and I tried to remember whom we sat next to at the previous week's concert. We sat near the front of the crowd. The guy running the soundboard was on our right. We *think* on our left was an old couple and a young couple with a child. It must have been one of those couples.

If my lack of a shirt bother them so much they should have said something then and I would have put my shirt on, or mention something after the concert instead of cowardly writing a note a week later. Colleen and I had lingered after the concert so this bothered couple had plenty of time to say something then. And I thought it was in poor taste to address the note to Colleen and not me. If they were bothered by my lack of shirt, that is something between me and them, and not Colleen. It is not her responsibility to ensure I wear a shirt at all times.

And I wasn't without a shirt the entire concert. I had ridden my bicycle on one of our 90 degree days so I left my shirt off until later in the concert, after I had cooled down from the ride. For all the concert I sat in a chair Colleen brought. It was a lawn chair with short legs so we sat close to the ground. So it wasn't like people couldn't avoid seeing me.

My lack of shirt didn't bother Colleen - or at least it did not bother her in a way that offended her. And those of you who know me... do know that I don't like wearing more clothes than I have to. If these uptight prudes didn't like me not wearing a shirt, good thing they didn't see me when.... Oh. That's another story.

I found the line "My husband said he should cover up, especially with that body!" amusing. I don't believe I am vain, but I don't think I have a bad looking body. I am not overweight, deformed, or excessively hairy, so I believe I have an attractive body that should not offend people. So maybe it was the young couple that was offended? Maybe it was the husband who was more bothered by my lack of shirt than the wife? Perhaps he was bothered by his wife looking my way and was feeling inadequate.

Now at the risk of offending someone else, here is a photo from this past week when Colleen and I hiked up to Apgar Lookout in Glacier Park. Now... would this view of me without a shirt offend you?


After being initially confused by the note, Colleen and I had a good laugh over it. Now tonight Colleen and I did a little kissing during and after the concert as Colleen is an excellent kisser. Next week we expect another note complaining about our kissing.

Just call me: the man without class

Enjoy yourself

My friend Ruby sent me a comment with these lyrics for one of my blog's entries. I loved the sentiment. I love Doris Day: her music and her movies. Since not everyone reads the comments to the blog's posts, and certainly not the people who get an email copy when I post an entry, I am including the lyrics in a blog entry. Enjoy and think about the words.


In the timeless words of Doris Day...

- Enjoy yourself (It's later than you think)

You work and work for years and years,
You're always on the go.
You never take a minute off,
Too busy making dough.

Some day you say you'll have your fun,
When you're a millionaire.
Imagine all the fun you'll have,
In your old rocking chair.

Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think,
Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink.
The years go by as quickly as a wink.
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself
It's later than you think.

You're gonna take that ocean trip
No matter come what may.
You've got your reservations but,
You just can't get away.

Next year for sure, you'll see the world,
You'll really get around.
But how far can you travel,
When you're six feet under ground.

U.S. Fire Map

For those of you concerned about me and all the fires in Montana, here is a link to the National Interagency Fire Center's map of the fires in the U.S.

At their web site you can click on the circles and learn more about the fires.

As you can see there are many fires in Montana and Idaho. There are fires all around Flathead Valley. Some officials are saying this year is worse than 2003 - which was a bad year.

Lots of smoke. Many days I can't see any mountains due to the smoke. It is like there is a heavy fog outside. Of course breathing the smoke is no fun.

Yesterday Colleen and I went on an all day road trip to very NW Montana and got out of the smoke most of the day. We also drove around the west side of the Brush Creek fire and saw the smoke from the backside. We didn't see any flames, but saw the smoke rising from the forest. This was the closest either of us have ever been to a forest fire. It was pretty exciting.



It was nice to breathe fresh air and see blue sky in addition to seeing the sights, going on hikes, and being with Colleen who is fun and adventurous. I am very impressed by her adventurous nature.

She would say to me, "See that trail? It looks to be maybe more than just a deer trail. Why don't we see where it goes?"

And off we would go.

Another time I was searching for a route to the water in Rock Creek and the next I knew she was scrambling over a huge debris pile logs and branches stacked up from a high Spring runoff. Here is a photo of her doing do. She is returning after finding a route across the debris pile over to a place where we could sit and soak our feet in the creek and have lunch.

Now would you think this would be the way to cross the creek? I didn't, and I don't think most people would, but it turns out this was the only way across and she found it. A very impressive woman!!!

Picnic music: Burning River

Tuesday night I attended Kalispell's weekly Picnic in the Park concert. This week Burning River from Missoula played. John Floridis leads the band and one can hear short music clips at his website.

Colleen also attended. I arrived just in time before the concert started for the only time this year. Hmmm.... I wonder why I was on time for once?

The band plays blues favored rock. Colleen and I detected traces of John Mayer, Stevie Ray Vaughn, among others. Oh, did I mention Colleen also likes blues music? She was the one who detected traces of John Meyer in a few songs. Is this woman amazing, or what?

Colleen had brought short folding chairs to sit on and we sat near the front of the audience and had a clear view of the band on the stage. Now for once you'd think I would have a good photo of the band. Wrong. I had waited until the sun had set low enough to light up the band. Naturally I blame the bad photo on my cheap camera. I need to put buying a better camera higher on my "to-do" list.

Colleen bought a few raffle tickets but never came close when the winning tickets were announced during the intermission. I noticed the 6 lbs of dog food was no longer a raffle prize. An overweight man won the prize for weeks of jazzercise classes. Ya, like he would ever use the prize. Too bad Colleen didn't win the "super burrito" prize; maybe she could have traded it to the guy for the jazzercise prize.

We listened to the first half of the concert intently. The second half of the concert fell into the background as we couldn't help but continue our conversation and flirting we had started during the intermission. All is well. The music was very good, and so was the conversation and flirting.

Show jumping at the Event

Sunday I attended the show jumping event at Rebecca Farms. I met Colleen there at 11:30 am and we stayed to the end, which seemed to come early. Do I have a lot to write about the show jumping event? Ummm.. not a whole lot as we were engaged in conversation much of the event. I guess I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to the horse jumping competition when I had an attractive woman to look at.

Let's see? What do I remember about the show jumping? A number of rider's horses knocked over poles on some of their jumps. One horse slid to a stop and turned and its rider, a man, fell from his saddle. He held on to the saddle and horse knowing that to step on the ground meant automatic disqualification. He eventually slipped from the horse.

Colleen is a knowledgeable horse woman and she explained interesting things about horses to me.

Another hot sunny day and part of my legs got a slight sunburn. In the mountains to the west I could see smoke rising. It appears yet another forest fire. I've lost count. They are all around us. Hwy 2 was closed for a while near Essex due to a fire that jumped the fire lines. At sunset the smoke plume from the fire in the west mountains lit up a nice red. It was pretty actually.

After the Event was over Collen and I went out to eat. Thai food. My favorite.

I had a very nice time with Colleen. She seems very nice. Life is good.

Oh... and Larry. I know you and Diane advised me not to mention to Colleen that I trap gophers... but... I did anyway. She didn't run for the hills. She told me she had some gophers on her property and had to get rid of them.

Anyway, here are a few photos from the show jumping event. The best photo was taken by Peter and Edwina. Apparently they were at the Event also, and judging from the photo, not far from where Colleen and I sat. Funny... I missed seeing them at the Event.

In this first photo you can see the fire's smoke plume in the background.