catching my breath

The photo above was taken at the Missoula Farmer's Market a couple weeks ago...it was a gloriously beautiful day but I didn't have my sunglasses, so I look like a squinty McGinty. That's me wife in the white shirt with the killer smile. The woman on the far left is an old pal from Missoula who I worked for on and off...she owns (now co-owns) a very successful coffeeshop in town. We were at her place for dinner two nights before this pic was taken. Oh the adventures I had with her...some good, some not so good. But that was a decade ago...

It was great to see how the market had grown -- there are now three outdoor farmers markets in Missoula: one for produce and locally grown foodstuffs; one for gifts and crafts and the like; and one for meat and cheese. You walk up and down Higgins Ave. and can shop to your heart's content. The 'zou, as we like to call it, has become very hip indeed.

It's been a long time--too long--since I posted anything here. The past several weeks have been a blur, starting with my Uncle's passing and the time leading up to that, moments I wouldn't trade for anything. I feel much closer to several of my relatives now, and have a better sense of who they really are--not just Bible-totin', heterofocused bores, but much much more, and less. Less the bore part, less intractable, less conservative. We approach things differently, but Howes blood flows in all of our veins, and it shows.

Right after my uncle's funeral we headed north to Montana. The trip up was a little longer than usual in that we went through Glenwood Springs to see our dear friend Giles (I've mentioned him here before) and the house he built. Here is the perfect picture of Giles standing behind his house...the views are off the hook...



I love that man. He's a fucking genius. We left Glenwood and drove into Utah--our destination was Heber City and Jordanelle Resevoir, right on the backside of Deer Valley ski resort. We spent the night with an old high school friend of mine who has been a snowboard and ski king in Park City for well over a decade. What a wonderful home he shares with his wife and son! Amazingly beautiful and quite high end, but also comfortable and homey. We slept in the best bed EVER. I have to say one of my favorite things about their house was the front door...

Finally we made our way to Montana. S. and I spent most of the time in the Bitterroot but also took a day trip to the Moiese Valley, where our dear friends Mary and Leslie have a chicken farm. That morning, Mary took delivery of 150 chicks and drove them from Missoula to the farm. Here are a few shots from that visit...Leslie's the one in the blue visor...I'm in the black shirt. After we left the farm, we went birding at Ninepipe, so there's a couple pix from that, too. I'm going to end with the images, actually, as there is so much more to say, but not enough time in the day to say it...'cept for life is grand. And I love Montana.