Instead of...

...taking our usual hike/walks around town this past weekend, with it being so very hot outside we decided to go for a drive down the Gallatin Canyon. It is the closest road that will take us to Yellowstone Park (about an hour drive from our home) which we plan to do this summer, but we only went less than half way to Big Sky. We wanted to check out the river flow and see how high the water was above the famous "House Rock". This river is a rafter or a kayakers dream as the spring run off can leave the river extremely swift and dangerous. I have floated it many times in my earlier years and passing by House Rock and its awesome rapids can either be fun or boring! All of course, depending on the water.
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This picture is of some rock cliffs high above House Rock. Every time I see them they look different to me and depending on the weather they can be scary or beautiful. In the warming sun with shadows of the trees I can just imagine secret caves and creatures roaming around. At times I have seen them at dusk where the darkness looms above and makes the cliffs jump out and appear to be ready to fall at any given moment.



This is House Rock. I am not sure where or when the name came from but I think it is called this just because the rock is enormous! Of course a picture will never do justice for something seen without a camera lens, but take my word for it. When you are coming fast towards this rock trying to make sure your boat is going to clear it and be on the correct side to get you out safely, you may think "Aw, that itty-bitty thing?" but once you are closer, and then closer, I think most say a few cuss words.
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What is most amazing to me about this rock is the fact that it has been there in that same spot for so long. Did the fur-trappers and discovery people of long ago happen across it? And with the continuous beating of water has it gotten smaller in size over the many, many years?

Ahh, ice cream. 'Nuff said.

In the small resort town where we ate our yummy goodness, we took a small look around the town to see some of the houses that were newly built. One of the reasons I love living in the town that I do is partly because of the architecture. We do have the subdivisions where house after house appear to be the same shape and size, but for the most part we take on a strange future western theme. A lot of the newer houses around town look like the ones below. I love them as they all have their own uniqueness and character but blend so well together. The bad part about these ones? They are just smaller condos but start above 500K! Yep, the price of living near famous people, I guess.

Sundays with Fritz-The Case of the Ice Cream Hog

Mommy and Daddy took me on a little drive yesterday to see how high the Gallatin river was flowing (Mommy says to tell you all that she will show pictures of our adventure on her post tomorrow) and then to go get ice cream! Daddy knew of this neat little shop up in Big Sky, MT that he use to go to when he would be sent up there for work. I have never been there before, well I guess kind of. Last year at almost the same week as this year, when I was still in Mommy's tummy, her an Daddy did the same trip to see how high the water was flowing. I guess they do it every year?

Anyway... So here is my first taste of ice cream. Actually that is a lie. Daddy has given me some before, but sshh... we aren't suppose to tell Mommy 'cause she doesn't know! Daddy had an ice cream that was very tasty. It was huckleberry flavored and had actual huckleberries in it! Mommy had a boring kind - plain vanilla. Yuck! I tried it but it wasn't as good. Luckily I never got a tummy ache like Mommy thought I might. She sometimes does from ice cream and wasn't sure if I would end up pooping my diaper all the way home.

Can you see my purple mouth? I am going to try and convince Mommy to take me back tomorrow to get some more of that yummy stuff. But, hmmm... I think I am suppose to play all day tomorrow?

Fritz signing off....

P.S. If you are ever in Big Sky, stop and get the Huckleberry ice cream, it's the best!

What Happened to Spring?

It seems we have skipped the nice days where the temperature slowly warms up to the the hot days of Summer. All of a sudden it feels like a heat wave, and being in a house with Fritz and a (still) kinked neck, all I can think about is going for a swim or a nice float on a river somewhere.
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I use to float rivers every summer. Loving it so much when I was younger, I had thought often about being a guide on some of the local rivers around Montana. Until one summer where that goal changed. We were floating on a class 4 that was usually only a 2 or 3 (class is for how big the rapids are, 1 through 5 with 5 being the kind that kicks ass) but there was so much run-off still from the spring thaw that the river was much higher and faster than normal. By the time we had gotten to the last rapids it had been an awesome ride and with sadness, the last few minutes of the trip would soon be over. As we approached the final rapids, our guide got our boat too straight and the people in the back all flipped out. Now falling out of the boat is not usually that big of a deal if you pay attention to safety and know some of the first rules of river rafting. But in some cases, when you are dumped out you can have the unfortunate luck of getting stuck under the boat. Which is what happened to me.
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There is much more to the story but I am cutting out all of the middle stuff. Let's just say that the end was tramatic and scary. The people with our group couldn't find me for a long time. Seconds really, but when you are under water it is an eternity. Everything turned out okay and I did get back on the 'horse' the next summer and raft again, but I have never really gotten over it and still have high anxiety whenever I am floating when even the smallest of rapids come my way. That's why I like the river pictured above, the Upper Madison. It is calm and wide and has an unbeatable scenic beauty. We didn't get to float last summer with me being pregnant for half and having a new born for the second half, but I would like to go this summer. We'll see!

My Favorite Two

Father's Day is fast approaching, and it will be the first official one for the Hubs. I already have an idea for a present for him but won't be able to share it with you all until after the day as the Hubs does actually read my blog!
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This picture below is one of my favorite ones of my two boys. Fritz was only six months old and his hair had only begun to sprout. Compared to now he was definitely a bald baby!

Wednesday Craft Update

I was in the mood for painting and had flowers on my mind. No scarves were completed this week and I felt so un-crafty this past weekend, that last night I thought I needed a change of pace. I haven't painted since January when I did seven separate paintings in a weekend so I was feeling a bit of a need to get out the brushes and acrylic paint. In January I painted 5 of the 7 in a flower theme and still had them on the brain last night.
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I finished the painting below (sorry the picture isn't that great, I couldn't figure out how to take a pic without some kind of shine happening) and had gotten the background started on another that I had planned to finish this morning. At about 4 or 5 in the AM I kinked my neck trying to move in bed and I am in quite some pain at the moment. Taking it easy for the rest of the day is all I want to do!

"I Dreamed of Purple" 16 x 20 Acrylic by Robin Allen

Add To The Obsession

I received in the mail a week ago, a flyer stating that the annual "Oops" sale was being held at a local handmade pottery shop that the Hubs and I love. We have been there before and started a collection a couple of years ago, but their pieces can be quite expensive so we only add a few here and there. This was the second year that we have decided to go for the specific sale that they only have once a year. In this sale is either broken pieces or things that they don't want to sell anymore (colors of glaze that they no longer use or a certain pottery pattern). Sometimes you can find really great kitchen pieces for cheap this way, but of course you have to go on a treasure hunt to find the perfect ones. The first picture below are the great pieces that we came away with yesterday. I wanted to buy much more but stopped myself before I got too crazy!

Here are some of the other pieces in our collection. The middle tall jar was from the oops sale last year. The cup and bowls were regular priced items that we purchased a couple of years ago. Not pictured are the other two sets of cups and bowls. They are all different in their design and color. The two not pictured are a red/slate gray set and a red/tan set. Someday we want to complete the set with plates or a full kitchen set (kitchen set-they sell the containers for flour, sugar and misc things like ladles or trivets) but each plate can cost somewhere around 20 to 30 US dollars. The eight piece cup and bowl set was a Christmas present to ourselves from some money that we had received from family, and although two of the pieces were commissioned from our own design, it still cost well over a hundred dollars. How is it that I end up collecting things that are so darn expensive??

Anther piece that we got cheap in an oops sale. The color is my favorite part as it is a very beautiful dark sage earthy green. I have always wanted to put a bunch of bright colored flowers in it, but never have yet! Maybe I will need to cut the pretty yellow tulips that I spotted growing in my back yard.

If we do move this coming fall, I am sure that we will have to put on our recurring calendars to come back every year for the awesome sale!

Two Sides to the Same Storm

On one of our "out and abouts" we thought we might be chancing it a little too much with what the sky was looking like. It was later in the evening, and we still wanted to go for a little walk for the day, so off we went to a little fishing pond that has a nature trail following around the pond and a little farther away. With protection of umbrellas ready to pop out and cover our heads, we walked fast (I ended up jogging for a little bit-haven't done that in years!) to avoid a down pour.
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The pond that we were at is maybe 3 miles from our house and the storm clouds could be seen for many miles more. This was going to be one massive weather night for sure! After our 15 minute quick nature walk, we loaded back up into the car expecting to be pelted with rain by the time we reached home, however, to my not so much delight, the rain did not arrive until a couple hours later as we were drifting off to sleep!

It's funny to me how such an amazing cloud covered sky of darkness can threaten most people to thoughts of sudden doom and cowering inside, but not me. If any of you have noticed a pattern of my blog posting, there is much weather action going on. Yep, if I could be, I would be one of those "storm chasers" driving fast after a tornado to get that perfect shot, or standing in an open field surrounded by lightning with my camera ready to go. I remember as a younger girl my Mother yelling at me quite often to get back inside when the thunder was getting too loud and the lightning too close. Oh, how I would beg to stay outside!

Sundays with Fritz-The Case of "Dandelions Are Tasty!"

Mommy and Daddy (after daddy mowed the lawn of course) took me outside to play in the yard for the first time. They sat me down in the evening sun and it was so nice and warm! I saw these little yellow things sticking up all over and just had to find out what they were all about. Mommy said she didn't care if I picked them, as it would help get rid of them? Why would she want to do that they are so pretty!




But, of course, I had to check these out for myself.



Hmm.... maybe they aren't that great to eat?

Bonus picture for you all! This picture below is actually the first time I ever got to feel grass on my little feet. I was only three weeks old so I didn't really know what was going on, and actually I think I might have been taking a nap when Daddy held me? Yeah, I don't remember!

See you next week!

Fritz.... signing off.

Three's a Crowd?

In honor of Mr. Tig I wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures of my three kitties. I love my kitties very much and can't imagine life without them. They are there when I need them to hug or play with, or just to be and keep me company. Now that we have a son, I don't get to spend as much time with these fur-balls as I would like, and before ***** (aka Fritz) showed up, whenever the Hubs had to go away for work I would have gone completely insane with loneliness if it hadn't been for the cats.
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Alfie likes to sit on this chair first thing in the morning. It's the brightest spot in the house in the AM so she knows she will get some good sun-drugging time. If I don't open up the curtain straight away she lets me know!



Boo and his favorite sleeping chair. If he isn't on our bed this is the only other place he will sleep. Sometimes I catch him on the couch but really only if Melba is there for him to cuddle with.


Melba is one of the sweetest most gentle cats I have ever known. One of her quirky problems? She always looks grumpy!!

"Collection"

I love the colors of the world...

*Photo taken on the Yellowstone River/Glendive, MT

Wednesday Craft Update

I worked on three skinny scarves and completed two! Not sure yet what I will do for next week. I might try and do some painting as I haven't done that for awhile.

Multi-color purple...so pretty!

Flashback to the 70s inspired.

Reminds me of Waffles!

The Difference of Two Pair

I have an addiction.... shoes. It use to be a serious problem when I was working full-time and would have to dress up with cute clothes and stylish shoes, but now? Not so much. Being a mother 24/7 has left me with no calf muscles to speak of from the days of four inch heels and no need for the new purchases of those "it" shoes. The only real comfort for my feet now are the flip flops busted out even in the winter time. Oh well.
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However, when I saw these black satin shoes calling my name a couple of months ago, I couldn't resist. They are Nine West and were an absolute steal! Of course I don't have a need for them much now, but you never know when a night on the town with out the kid could happen, right?

The more practical side of me was in desperate need of a decent pair of walking shoes. With the glorious weather happening now everyday, my Croc flippers were not cutting it anymore. Last night the Hubs and Fritz and I went off to a sports store to check out if there would be anything worth buying. I haven't had a decent pair of tennis shoes since high school, so with plans to walk a ton this summer I knew it was time to buy. And just like that, and at the first store, I found them. The best part? They were $25 bucks off the price!!!

Yes, my feet are thanking me...

The Color of Green

It's here! Spring can be seen everywhere! The Hubs had to stay in town today for some appointments, so Fritz and I decided to take advantage of an extra day with him home and go for another nature walk. We took the trail that we found a week ago, and man what a difference! Not all of the trees had their leaves yet, but most did.
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It was such a perfect few hours. The day was quite warm, the sun blaring brightly and the sweet song of birds and rustling leaves in a breeze could be heard without the noise of town. I feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful place where nature is so close to us. We could be in the mountains within ten minutes and ten minutes to this new found lovely trail. There are more awesome trails around here for hiking or leisurely walks, and I plan to have us together as a family for a few more in the coming months before we move (still planning to) to the Eastern part of Montana. Eastern Montana is not as pretty but is in its own way. With vast plains of rolling hills or flat lands, Eastern Montana has a different beauty from the mountain ranges that we are use to being closer to the Rockies. It will be different to look out a window and not see peaks peeking back at me. But I truly believe that no matter where you live, if you just look closely, anything can have a sparkle of delight.
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Here are a few pics from the beautiful day we had.

Pretty leaves.

Spotting a wildflower.

Late evening thunderstorm.


After the storm sunset.

Sundays with Fritz-The Case of "Help I'm Stuck!"

Sorry I wasn't around for an awesome post last Sunday. I was with Grandmee and Grandpee all weekend long playing my little heart out! I love going over there, 'cause they spoil me rotten! Anyway....

Yep, I'm stuck. I was standing up trying to play with all of the "NO!" items on top of the desk, when Mommy got out my food chair. I get so excited when I see my food chair coming that I can hardly contain myself! I sat down to crawl over to Mommy, but um... yeah. I guess I ran out of room to get into my crawl position? I tried and tried, but couldn't seem to figure out how to get to Mommy and the food. She was even laughing at me!! And then of course she had to get out her silly camera. Why is it when she is laughing at me she is usually also taking a picture of me? Oh well. The day was saved when Mommy finally came and got me.


That's all folks! See ya next week!

Fritz signing off...

Simple & Nice

It was such a lovely evening last night that I didn't want to spend too much time making a grand dinner. The Hubs and I both love caesar salad so we thought that would be a nice treat to eat! I made some olive oil and garlic crostinis and busted out a nice Gewurztraminer to tone down the spicier caeser dressing that we had. I really wanted to complement this dinner with this organic Chardonnay (Bonterra) that I am currently in love with, but didn't have a bottle on hand. The "gavurtz" is more suited for spicier foods (think curry) but it did nicely enough.

And tonight we are going simple again. Barbecue and beer. Tasty!!!