Things are a changing

The mountain range has been changing. More and more snow has been staying way up high. It is just so breathtaking.

This would be a beautiful scene to wake up to every day. Our days are kind of warm, but the frost in the mornings tells us that the seasons are changing, which brings me to my next subject.

The first time I heard it, I was inside. Did not know what had fallen. It startled me. So many homes in Montana have metal roofs. They cost more than shingles, but they last longer. Another great bonus is that the snow does not build up and slides right off in the winter.

So, I went outside to find out what all the noise was about. Our local pine squirrels are busy gathering nuts and dropping pine cones out of the tops of trees. When they hit the metal roofs, the noise is very loud. They are also pretty bold by dropping the pinecones on your head when you are outside.

They are so cute, and they bother Kippy when she is outside. They tease and then run up the trees. Kippy gets very frustrated.

This squirrel was busy eating pine nuts and leaving the shells in a big pile inside the Trout's wader shoes.

Our new friends out here in Montana. Judging by how busy they are, I'd say the winter just might be cold and long.

The beauty of the Auvergne

Doesn't this look like a little village dropped between the hills and loved for ever after? We found this view near Besse, which is a beautiful ski resort area.

For any American flying to Europe, as you come in for a landing to your airport, especially in the spring, you are bound to see a patchwork quilt of colors. Making the focal point of this "quilt" would be the yellow such as you see above. This is a rapeseed field. We came upon this view as we were driving. It is near the village of Clemensat. Rapeseed has many uses including biodiesel fuel, it is cultivated for animal feed, and it made into canola oil.

The mountain range in the Auvergne is called the Monts Dore. This picture was taken near St. Nectaire.

Notice the road. This past year, we bought a GPS and decided on a model which also had European maps. We used it a lot. Often we were directed onto one lane roads which we, as Iowans, would call "cow paths." It was amazing to see that these lanes actually had long, complicated French names. As is typical, no street signs were in sight. Our dear GPS lady was right-on! It is still so amazing to me, how this is possible.

The church in this picture was in the perfect location for a beautiful picture.