212: Swimming Sisters

211: another summer sunset

196: Lounging at the Lake

It's the beginning of our family kayak fleet. We just need a few dozen more boats.

188: Glacier Park

Took sort of an impulsive, last minute day trip to Glacier today. It was one of those things I really didn't have time to do that we just did anyway--leaving late in the day and unprepared. And it was still pretty great. First time we've been up there early enough to see the snow everywhere in quite a few years.

186: a little holiday weekend rodeo

182: July 1st.

After Israel's double header in Polson we found a pretty nice spot by the lake to change Zayda into pjs for the ride home.

It's been a little hectic the last month and it seems like we haven't even had time to do any real summer fun sorts of activities. But there have been some great moments in there for sure.

Looking forward to a few more over the next couple months...

108: Sunset on Eagle Pass

71: Eagles on Eagle Pass Trail

69: flooding

When you have huge amounts of snow and then suddenly the temperature rises, apparently the fields turn into lakes. I don't think they'll be needing those irrigation pipes real soon.

68: dancing boy

59: Snow Day #2 for the Week!

Everything shut down around here today!

I don't remember having so many things closed. Ever. Mission kids already didn't have school scheduled for the day, but all the Missoula schools were also closed.  The tribal offices were all closed. SKC shut down at 11:00. The UofM had a snow day for the first time in decades. The local schools cancelled all sporting events for the evening and weekend, and our boys basketball team stayed overnight in Hamilton so they wouldn't have to travel. The Mall in Missoula closed early, and the church even cancelled Skate Conference which was supposed to be this Sunday. There was so much snow in Missoula they even had an avalanche in the Rattlesnake. It slid down the mountain, took out a house, and trapped an 8-year-old who was outside and the older couple who lived in the house. All three were alive when they took them to the hospital, but it took 3 hours to find them all and gt everyone out.  Avalanches are not common around here either--at least in town. It sounds like this one came down right onto Van Buren Street. A few hours after the avalanche they diverted some of the rescuers to look for two skiers who were lost up at Snowbowl.

We did get a ton of snow, too. We measured this afternoon and it was about 17 inches. A few of those inches were left over from Monday, but in many places in the yard it's twice that deep because of drifts. It wasn't too cold in Mission, so the kids had fun playing outside and just generally not being at school.

And, It sounds like we're supposed to get yet another storm Sunday. Apparently we're really having winter this year.

51: glowing hills

When I finally make it to Thursday I'm really excited to get up in the morning and hang out with Zayda and not have to drive into work.  I always plan to use the day to get caught up on reporting and grading and email and all the work that piles up when I have to work in the middle of all sorts of other people all week. But, my house is such a disaster by that point in the week I end up doing nothing but trying to catch up there. And I'm in such a bad mood by about noon I find myself violently washing dishes already thinking about how I'm not going to have any time to sleep before work the next day.  Probably working from home is not the best set up for me right now.

At least this week I achieved a three-day streak of actually cooking dinner: lasagna, enchiladas, and white chicken chili. Israel cooked the day after when he didn't have to work. Sadly, I think that may be our real mealtime record for 2014. Something to aim to beat in March, I guess.

Schizophrenic Weather

Our weather is so crazy, over the course of less than a week we had a 70 degree change...from -30 below to over 40.

But these two pictures were taken in the same spot less than 24 hours apart. It hardly even looks like the same season!

24: frozen

Ninepipes

21: winter wonderland

I don't know if we'll ever have snow this winter, but at least the occasionally frosty days remind us what season it is.

7: ice-covered

Besides the one big storm last month that dumped so much snow half the schools around here had a snow day, we really haven't had snow at all this year.

Instead we have rain. And temperatures that dip back and forth right around freezing so every surface is covered with inches of solid ice. Occasionally it will be covered by a skiff of snow to camouflage the sheets of ice. It makes it so difficult to navigate anywhere.

1: Plunging into the New Year!

As is tradition, a dip in Flathead Lake at noon.  That's three generations running in ahead of me (my mom, my siblings, & my daughter) and there is a whole gang of other family and friends not in the frame. I think we had close to 40 people in our lunch party at China Gate afterwards!

239: Good bye summer. . .

232: Fire in Lolo

Fire season is going strong. The Lolo Creek Fire is the worst local one right now. They already lost five homes, have evacuated others, and have warned anyone still in the area to be ready to leave on short notice. It's burned nearly 8, 000 acres. I was actually surprised at the lack of smoke in Missoula, but this ominous cloud of in the distance makes it pretty hard to forget what's going on a few miles away, even when you can still breath outside.

195: Garnet Ghost Town

Continuing our pattern of turning softball tournaments into Montana sight seeing trips, we stopped to explore Garnet on the way back home. I was surprised how much the boys loved exploring the old ghost town. (Although their basketball jerseys don't quite seem the right time period for all location.)