bodner044

Imagine a stretch of tarmac wide enough for one-and-a-half cars.   Now visualize that one side of the tarmac drops away sharply to the dale (read: valley) below.   Then add in the realization that there is no guardrail.   This, my friends, is the road over the Yorkshire Dales to the village of Oughtershaw.   It is also white-knuckle riding for those with a fear of heights (me), and the reason I don’t possess pictures of said road. I can offer plentiful shots of the village, so that will have to do! This is the second part in my series highlighting the visit of my sister and brother-in-law to the UK.   Upon our arrival at Elm Cottage, we treated them to another fine British tradition – the summer barbecue, in which the food is cooked outside but can’t possibly be consumed outside because it’s 1) raining, 2) windy, 3) freezing, or 4) all of the above.   Nevermind, while the cooking was underway, I kept myself warm by walking about the cottage and snapping pi...

Today marks four months and 2 days since construction started on our dream home. April 24, 2017 August 18, 2017 Wow!!!  Somehow, the installation of the windows flipped a switch in me – it now feels and looks like a house. But I am getting ahead of myself.   Since my last update on July 27, the team placed the last of the tongue-and-groove planks for the ceiling/roof, fitted the windows, and began the board-and-batten process on the outside of the house and garage .   Windows in dining room/kitchen - upper left Roof/ceiling complete Boards on basement for board and batten Close-up of tongue-and-groove on sun room ceiling Master bathroom window (left) Master closet window (right) Note trim log added to cover up some of the  foundation - creating a more finished look Great room windows Although we have had very little rain in Montana, it's a relief for the whole house to be under roof.      Also, the team installed the custom stairs that lead you from ...

Best of machine quilting "Since 1902, the Flathead Valley has celebrated the talents and  interests of its residents with an annual celebration of the season.  With our heritage in agriculture and our focus on the youth of the valley, the tradition of the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo continues today as the largest gathering in the region."  Official Program by the Flathead Beacon As I reflected on our visit Saturday to the Fair, I could not have summarized it better myself!!!  Creativity ... Young kids showing off their hard work - from animals to photography to crafts ... Education for the community ... Fair food .... Beauty ... Summer fun ....  I love the Fair! As you all know, I am partial to flowers, so I found the "Angie's Greenhouse" display at the fair entrance serendipitous!!  I felt welcomed, that's for sure! The Draft Horse Show drew my interest, and we were rewarded with an education in draft horse breeds - for example, did you know that the ...

Monday, May 15 – Jewel Basin – 4 miles out and back Montana is as parched as a bone right now.  Montana has been like a dry sauna - I go to sing  in church and am croaking like a frog.  So, it is almost incomprehensible that, as recently as 12 weeks ago, mounds of snow thwarted our hiking plans for Clayton Creek - the access gate was closed.  So, bringing to mind a recommendation from our waitress earlier in the week, we carried on to Graves Creek trailhead, only to find THAT road also closed short of the trailhead.  Not ones to be left empty-footed, we nevertheless hiked up that road to the trailhead (about 2 miles) and then returned by the same route.  The picture above shows why the road was still closed!  Presumably, a similar challenge caused the Clayton Creek road closure. Not all was lost - on the road to both of these trails, we experienced stunning views across the Hungry Horse reservoir to the mountains of Glacier National Park.  As...