Update

We are just a couple of hours from leaving for the long drive to Houston. Kate is coming out soon to help pack the van - hope it all fits! John is teaching three classes so we have his teaching kits along with our booth supplies. We look forward to Houston, the quilt show is breathtaking but it is a lot of work and a long, long drive. Big tankers of Diet Coke for John and naps for Brooke.

An early October snow storm surprised all of us two weekends ago. Billings had 15 inches of snow and John dug out the whole driveway so we could leave for Santa Clara. We lost power for a while but our pump burned up and we had no plumbing until Monday when John could get the part. We almost went to a motel but we decided it was a lot like camping and toughed it out. After all, we could still make popcorn and watch TV!

The scenery is from the beautiful Gallatin Canyon which is between Bozeman Montana and West Yellowstone. The Gallatin River is loved by rafters and kayakers and fly fishers. There wasn't nearly as much snow there as down in Billings. Their turn will come.

So I hope to have pictures from Houston for the next blog. Unfortunately, sometimes I forget about the camera though.

Brooke

Wildlife

A few years ago, I worked for a fellow who said "You have to remember where you live". He meant that if you live in Chicago or New York City or London, you should take advantage of the museums and theatre and opera and if you live in Montana, you should enjoy the outdoors.

We don't see bald eagles too often, although much more frequently than 20 years ago. I wish I had taken this with John's new camera, it has a much better ZOOM.

I woke up last night to the sound of a bear tearing our barbecue apart. The barbecue is a modified 55 gallon barrel, so not a flimsy deal at all. We have used it and left it outside for 30 years, and this is the first time a bear has come for a taste.

We turned on the outside lights, thinking that would scare him away. When John and I looked out the bedroom window, we could see that the light was just helping him find all the ancient crispy bits. So, we just went back to bed and eventually fell back to sleep; John tells me that the bear came back about quarter to 6 although I didn't hear him. He was a black bear, getting ready for winter and was pretty darn big. And with a shiny coat, somewhat ashy.

Brooke