Stream
University of Montana Campus Visit
We drove down to Missoula on Friday to visit the University of Montana campus with Tessa. This was a great visit and really sold her on attending school here. Not only is she familiar with the campus and the music program, but then we stopped into the Chemistry office for an impromptu visit. The three ladies in the office could not speak highly enough of the Chemistry program and all the professors. This really seems like her #1 choice for college at them moment. Then next day Tessa then took the SAT exam over at Sentinel high school.
Whitefish Skatepark
I wandered around the Dave Oseth memorial Skatepark in Whitefish in order to kill some time while Bridger was at practice. The park was empty and filled with snow, quite the contrast from visiting on a summer day. There was some nice light for a few minutes. However, it did get cold once the sun went down.
Parkline Trail Again
We went for a short walk along the East end of the new Parkline Trail in Kalispell. This trail is very wide and is surrounded by plenty of green space. They kept an old Great Northern locomotive on a short section of track along the trail. This is completed with a couple of crossing gates standing sentinel over the trail.
A Somer’s Walk
We went for a short walk through Somer’s along the Historic Rails to Trails path. We started out at the Somer’s Bay swim beach and walked to the middle school. We grabbed a few photos of town and some of the historic buildings in the area.
A Clear Day @ Glacier
The rarest of events happened yesterday, I woke up to the Flathead Valley without a cloud in the sky during winter. With such rare conditions, I cut out of work early and we headed up to Apgar on the shores of Lake McDonald to capture a few images. We spent about an hour walking along the shore before driving through Apgar Village. On our way out we drove to the old bridge that starts the South Boundary Trail and watched the ice chunks flowing down the river.
Parkline Trail
On our way to Home Depot, we stopped by Somer’s Bay to take photos of the half-renovated houseboat. Next, Bridger and I parked in the Kalispell Mall parking lot outside the old Herberger’s location. We walked along the new Parkline trail, heading west until the junction with the Alternate 93 trail. The Parkline Trail was recently completed and is very lovely. The path goes along several new apartment complexes that are being built. This trail goes underneath the bridges built for the old train wye that comes together over Spring Creek.
Jason Turns 50
We had a quiet day at home relaxing to celebrate Jason’s 50th birthday. In the afternoon we drove up to Whitefish and walked around the train depot and roundhouse. It was snowing the during the walk which kept the walking paths mostly clear of people. Then we had dinner at Jalisco’s Cantina. Finally, we stopped by Games & Taps to play a couple games of pool before heading home.
Corpus Christi Tool
I took Tessa to Corpus Christi Texas to catch the Tool Concert and spend a couple of days in the sun. We flew into San Antonio, rented a car, and drove down to Corpus Christi. We had a room in the Doubletree hotel right on the North Beach on the Corpus Christi Bay. This location allowed us to walk all along the beach and over to the USS Lexington Aircraft Carrier Museum and the Texas State Aquarium.
A few days in Florida
Jolie and I visited the East Coast of Florida for a few fun-filled days. We first went to Fort Lauderdale and stayed a few nights in the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood. We toured Downtown Fort Lauderdale, including a stop at Cafe Bastille for one of the best breakfasts we have ever had. This was followed by strolling along the riverfront walk, the historic buildings on Moffat Avenue, and finished with some shopping on Las Olas Boulevard. The final part of our visit to Fort Lauderdale included attending the Tool concert in the Hard Rock Live Theater, a fantastic venue.
2023 Year in Review
This is our 2023 photographic year in review. We selected photos from each month from family memories, house projects, work events, visitors and more.
Frosty Birthday
West Shore
Went down to West Shore State Park to catch ‘sunset’…. Conditions did not cooperate, but it was fun hiking the shoreline with no one else around.
Sleigh Ride @ Clydesdale Outpost
Somer’s Beach Christmas
Santa Gifts
Christmas Tree Decorating 2023
Holiday Tea & Tour @ the Conrad
We spent the morning enjoying the sights and tastes of the Historic Conrad Mansion in Kalispell, Montana. This was a fantastic guided tour around this 15,000 square foot mansion that is in impeccable condition. They have over 90% of the belongings from the Conrad’s time here over 100 years ago. The house is stunning decorated for the holidays.
Our little Drum Major
The Old Homestead
Stopped by my families original homestead in Bainville, Montana on our way home from visiting family in Nebraska. The current owners were very gracious to let us look around for a while and grab some photographs.
