~ Montana ~

We went to Montana.

Man, that sentence just doesn’t impart the strength, the emotion, the sheer passion of that trip.

WE WENT TO MONTANA!

Pixels are so lame.

We bought a spiffy, ginormous tent for the trip, tested it out beforehand at Grandma Jane’s Orchard, and shipped it ahead of us for a paultry bazillion dollars, so when we arrived in Kalispell, our lodging was there, ready to be set up…. which we accomplished with the efficiency of a well-run bureaucracy.  (Ahem.)

I’m not sure why Critter is giving the Victory sign while holding a tent pole, but I’m certain it is a vital part of the process.

As is, I’m sure, the balancing-the-pole-like-a-Cirque-Du-Soleil-act that he is doing in this shot.

I love the way Varmint’s body language is screaming “How did I get stuck with these morons for two weeks in the wilderness??!!!”  Ah, good times, good times….

This was our view, our back yard, so to speak, for nearly 2 weeks.

And this, our kitchen/dining room.

You’ll note the flowers, thank you very much.  You can take the girl from the city, but you can’t take the Martha Stewart from the girl….or something like that…

You wanna know what one of the best parts about this place is?

You wanna know what it is about the place that makes us come back again and again?

It’s not the hammock, though that doesn’t exactly detract from the allure.

It’s that being together out in the wild reminds us that we have each other to hold onto in this world.  There are fewer distractions from each other.  There are fewer reasons to be away from each other.  There are more reasons to appreciate the teamwork of the family.

There is the thrill of adventure that cannot be found at home in all its domesticity.  Would you just look at the anticipation on this kid’s face?

Memories were made during the last two weeks, I tell you.  The kinds of memories that forge dreams in young boys’ heads…

…..and middle-aged Mamas.