Can you believe the view?

These views of the lake we are staying on in Montana, are so beautiful. For someone who does not normally live near the mountains or have a mountain view out of their windows, this is very precious to us.

I was surprised that the Montana wildflowers are still blooming. Unfortunately, I cannot name them because my "Montana Wildflower" book is on my bookshelf in Florida. Go figure!!

Okay, be patient with us. It has been 23 days since we left our home. Hmmm...that is a lot of different beds in my estimation. We are finally, tonight, settled in our place until mid October. It has been an interesting ride so far. We have spent special times with my brother and sister-in-law, our two daughters in Ohio and Wisconsin, The Trout's cousin in Illinois, the Trout's best fishing buddy in Indianapolis. We attended the wedding of our dearest friends' son in Minnesota, stayed in a cabin with minimal facilities for 10 days, and now we are at rest.

The air is very clear and fresh and it brings us to our knees and wanting to climb into bed before 8 p.m. Is it our age? I hope not. We have connected with good friends out here in the Big Sky state. We have friends from Wisconsin coming to visit us next week also. Now, let us unpack the books and DVD's and knitting, and so forth. We will enjoy the next few weeks. The Trout is already starting to count his catch and recording all the pertinent information regarding that. We are so thankful that we are in good health and can enjoy these wonderful trips.

How time flies!

Our youngest grandchild, and only girl, Rachel, turns 6 today. The time has flown quickly. We interrupted our retirement and moved back to Wisconsin from Florida for 2 years so that I could help out and take care of Rachel while our daughter was going to nursing school. Those two years were precious and I was six years younger. I don't know if I could do it again.

Little Kippy, to the left, is 14 1/2 and has gone through all four grandchildren, helping to raise them by sneaking cookies out of their hands, jumping in the shower with a grandson because a thunderstorm frightened her, etc.

So, Rachel, a very Happy Birthday to you. I hope your day is very special. Love you, Grandma Susie.

They were here first....

....but we have the camera. You don't see this is Florida!! And, when your heart is racing, you sometimes don't get the best pictures!!

We are adjusting to beautiful Montana!!

We are in Montana and adjusting to the change in our lives. The mornings are very cool (this Floridian thinks COLD). See the steam coming off the lake this morning at about 6 a.m? The air is crisp and refreshing. By late afternoon, the temperature can be up to mid 80's. I believe it got down to the low 40's this morning. I have put up the thermometer today to keep track of the temps. It is something my father always did and I guess I inherited this trait from him. I want to know what the temperature is before I take the dog out in the morning. It makes the walk much more enjoyable because I can dress accordingly.



Last year, The Trout and I met up with Pat and Chris, Californians, who are building a beautiful home right out here in Montana where we have been spending the summer for quite a few years. I first met Chris through a blog she writes entitled "Knitting Mania". We met last night to reconnect and had dinner in a lovely restaurant in Philipsburg. Because we read each other's blogs during the year, we just walked right into the present as if we had never left.

Below is the view Chris and Pat from their new home. I know many of you saw the full moon last night also. Isn't it amazing? The moon for all to see and everyone sees it in a different setting.

We drove about 3300 miles in 2 weeks until we reached our destination, Montana. We were fortunate along the way to visit my brother, both daughters, dear friends, a cousin of the Trout's, attended the wedding of the son of our dear friends and stopped to enjoy the beauty of our world.

Below you see the beauty of the Painted Canyon in Teddy Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota. We were so pleased to see that the land was quite green. It is a great spot to stretch the legs and absorb all the magnificence before us.

Things are different for us now. We are now connected to the Internet with broadband access, so I am much more diligent in using my minutes. I am not reading as many blogs as I would like to, but still getting a good dose of "blogger friendship" every day. The Trout is already out, his second day of fly fishing. I have my books to read and some "messed up" knitting that I need to correct, and some knitting that has been severely neglected. Life slows down and it is a good thing.

Montana, we are coming back!!

These are views of one of our favorite places, Montana. Only 3000 miles from home, but somehow, every year, we manage to drive it again and spend the summer in this indescribable wilderness.

Yes, he was just beside our car and we were interrupting him. Actually, this is a cub. I suppose he is much larger this year.

And here is my Trout. He has loved Montana since his first visit almost 30 years. When he is here, he is relaxed, happy, and fishing all the time. He catches the trout, kisses them (well, some of them) and releases them back into the wild to catch again next year.

I will be interrupting my blogging until we arrive at our destination at the end of the month. We will be in Montana until mid October, so I know there will be lots of new things to let you know about while out there.