Going to try to do this quick and send tonight as tomorrow is so busy for us. And Laura will send this on when she can.
Temps in the high 70s rather than the high 90s or more makes for a very welcome change.
Got some laundry done while I wrote. Outside until the sun got too insistent, then switched to the bedroom desk. Until my Surface went a little wonky. Where’s my IT guy? Why’s he’s right in the other room!
Strange little blip, which after some head scratching the very handy Jason fixed up for me. But enough work anyway. I had a very nice session in 2061 NYC while Kat got a facial, BW fiddled with photos and Jason did foundation work.
Then I deliver some laundry to Kat and discover she’s painting a triple—three images from photos taken here, with the same backdrop of mountains. Our big-ass gorgeous longhorn steer, a lovely horse and a mighty buffalo. This is going to be so cool. She has three canvases going at once. I can’t wait to see the final result.
Jason and I toss a frozen pizza in the oven for lunch—BW’s doing a pb&j and Kat’s clearing up leftovers. It works!
I worked out, did laundry, wrote for a couple hours. Now I can settle in with my book and some champagne on the back porch where the breeze is lovely, the quiet perfect.
After awhile BW comes out to read, too. We hear this weird clicking, clacking—not like an insect—bigger than that. I have no idea what animal we had out there. Not a bird, different than a bird. Then we hear a honk I’d have sworn was a goose, but that doesn’t seem quite right either.
We give up and take a walk. Kat’s painting, Jason’s foundationing. We wander down the road, up a trail. BW’s legs are a LOT longer than mine. I’m eating his dust. Literally.
Caption & concern from Laura/photo by BW
Still, it’s a good hike, pretty views. And the woods here are so different from mine at home. These tall pines, the dusty ground, the sparse scrub and little purple wildflowers. A lot of what I think of as mini Christmas trees. Desktop size.
We meet a woman and her son on the road who’re here for a couple of days, from New York. A long way to come for such a short visit.
Time to get ready for dinner. We give on-foot Jason a head start, then mosey (Kat speed) to the car and drive over. The air has really cleared—the mountains are crystal clear.
Lots of kids and families at the restaurant and yard today. A lot of kids on the stage platform outdoors—so dinner and a show as they play, cavort, climb, jump. I wander while we wait for our order and see these adorable cowgirl boots—kid size—kicked off on the grass. I hear a boy being dressed down for hitting his sister with a beanbag. I try not to snicker.
I get a little pasta from the kid buffet because mid-day pizza has done it for me. Such a pretty sky all spread out before us while we eat.
A long dinner tonight, mostly due to huge families and groups, but there’s that sky.
We’re home and taking a break before going back out to see the meteor shower shortly. I’ve changed into sweats and a warm hoodie because, boy, does it cool off at night. Low of 49 coming tonight.
We saw Mars burning red on the drive home, and we think Venus, possibly Jupiter, too—all so clear in the sky. So we have big hopes for the meteor event. We won’t be staying up till dawn—we have Missoula on tap for tomorrow, and we’re not night owls on this trip.
All in all, a fine, productive yet relaxing day. With the possibility of a celestial show in an hour.
Then it’s bedtime so we can gear up for a day of shopping.
We’ll be sending you good vibes, Laura!
Nora
In today’s #randomkatness:
The Montana gang should be off to Missoula within the hour, I’m off on my own adventure. Thanks for the good wishes everyone. I’ll be back tomorrow to pick up where we left off. Because I, for one, can’t wait to hear if they saw meteors! ~Laura
Nora: Thanks for sharing. I will probably never make it to Montana so am living vicariously through you,
Laura: Best wishes for the eye surgery and thanks for posting.
Definitely a working vacation, but it seems to suit. Can’t wait to see/hear about all that is purchased in Missoula. I know you will enjoy yourselves.
Here’s a hint for those planetary lovelies: download the SkyGuide app. It’ll show you where every constellation is in the sky, including those not in our part of the sky, but on the other side of the planet. So much fun . . . I’ve set up mine to notify me when the space station is passing by. Love to take the dogs outside, look upward for the ISS and track it sailing across the night.
Hey, thanks for all the pics . . . Kat is blooming, isn’t she? I’d say she has the LOVE trifecta: an adoring husband, a brand new bebe, and a kickass mo-in-law (BW, too, but quad-fecta didn’t sound as fun). I, too, was blessed with a fabulous mother-in-law; lucky, lucky.
So sorry laundry has to intrude on the vacay moments. I’m doing mine too – at work, as my remodel has kicked out all appliances for the time being, so tho I’m lucky enough to have access to what I need here at work, I abso hate laundry.
Missoula and the Bitterroot Range . . . no wonder you’re having the time of your life. Enjoy!
We, of course, have cloud cover….sigh!
Did get to see them once while at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, and they were spectacular!!!
Also could not believe the number of stars…we have so much light pollution here in the East! :-((
As always thank you for sharing your fabulous vacation. Time with us! ENJOT!!!
Thanks for taking us along on your vacay. Always a good time. Almost like we are there with you. Love your books and travelogue.
Yes, Jupiter, Venus low in the west, and also Saturn is up now – if you have anyone who can spot Scorpio and Sagittarius in the south, Saturn is just above the top of the Sagittarius “teapot.”
Enjoy!!
Eye surgery for me tomorrow as well…… sending you wishes it goes well!
Thanks Nora for your wonderful travelogue. As I am reading my daughter is in labor in Virginia. My grandsons initials will be ATL. Not with her but will be traveling soon
Good luck on your surgery Laura
Martha
I’m loving this! This is my dream vacation and is on my bucket list. Thank you, NR and company, for sharing your fun and photos. Enjoy!
Judy
I love, love, love Nora’s picture of the night sky! The beautiful teapot in the #randomkatness photo is priceless. I adore the trail signs, although the paw prints do give one pause. As always, I enjoyed the blog and the descriptions. Laura, I am confident you will breeze through your second cataract surgery and wish you joy of your new sight – a miracle of modern medicine!
I’m really traveling & enjoying along with you- as Montana is not on my bucket list. I love the “day is done ” photo you posted- the colors are just beautiful. I’m just a drop confused- why NYC 2016-? it’s obviously not for an In Death book. Is that a typo, or for a different book set in 2016 NYC.
I’m thinking typo – it’s 2061 IN Death right now?
Typo is fixed. Will blame it all one having one working eye at the time.
Laura
I transpose numbers and letters all the time when typing – my right hand is faster than my left. No need to have any blame whatsoever, we are all human 🙂 Glad the eye surgery went well!
Those purple flowers remind me of my monarda this year. It got off to a slow start last year. This year it’s trying to take over the world. Beautiful night picture, Nora.
Montana sounds so Beautiful! Thanks for sharing! Hope all goes well with your eye surgery Laura.
Gorgeous pictures! Those warning signs are a bit scary! Definitely don’t want to mother any bears. Let us know what the clicking and honking noises are, please. Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip. We’ve got more torrential rain here on the East Coast. Laura, good luck with your eye surgery!