Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Welcome to My Garden!
Here are some shots from my flower beds. (Don't fall asleep, Lolly!)
The little perennials coming up are 4 o'clocks...
Some of my shade plants, Jacob's Ladder, Fuschia, Columbine and Dead Nettle.
Shot of the whole south bed, although it receives shade in the morning because of a giant pine tree. I put in the bed that leads to the left, and planted some of the perennials you see growing the length of the bed...
Mom's pinks on the left, they are about ready to bloom! I apologize for the flood of light!
Petunias, pansies and marigolds are pretty while we wait for the new perennials to come up!
These sweet pansies are back...George Dog the cat had eaten off each blossom before I got it planted outside!
Potted marigolds and other things I don't know what they are but they have pretty little flowers! My red tulips are wilting, but the Hen and Chicks are doing good!
Here are the marigolds I planted last summer. They are from beloved Kenny's flower garden and they are right by momma's irises :o)
Geraniums I got from Ed and Cathy planted in the pot from Megs for Mothers Day!
Besides needing your sun glasses when you look at this pic, you can see the front bed...
Donkey guards the pan of petrified wood and the beaver-chewed stick...
Blue things from my friend...I have no idea what they are but they sure are pretty!
Ahhhhh....gotta love the Bleeding Heart!
So there are a few shots from my flower bed. As you gardeners know, it's what keeps us going!
The little perennials coming up are 4 o'clocks...
Some of my shade plants, Jacob's Ladder, Fuschia, Columbine and Dead Nettle.
Shot of the whole south bed, although it receives shade in the morning because of a giant pine tree. I put in the bed that leads to the left, and planted some of the perennials you see growing the length of the bed...
Mom's pinks on the left, they are about ready to bloom! I apologize for the flood of light!
Petunias, pansies and marigolds are pretty while we wait for the new perennials to come up!
These sweet pansies are back...George Dog the cat had eaten off each blossom before I got it planted outside!
Potted marigolds and other things I don't know what they are but they have pretty little flowers! My red tulips are wilting, but the Hen and Chicks are doing good!
Here are the marigolds I planted last summer. They are from beloved Kenny's flower garden and they are right by momma's irises :o)
Geraniums I got from Ed and Cathy planted in the pot from Megs for Mothers Day!
Besides needing your sun glasses when you look at this pic, you can see the front bed...
Donkey guards the pan of petrified wood and the beaver-chewed stick...
Blue things from my friend...I have no idea what they are but they sure are pretty!
Ahhhhh....gotta love the Bleeding Heart!
So there are a few shots from my flower bed. As you gardeners know, it's what keeps us going!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
When life surprises you with
lemon juice in your cuts, go out and dig in the dirt for a couple of hours. It's the best stress reliever in the world.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Bannack
Bannack is a little town, snugged into the mountains in Beaverhead County of southwest Montana. It was founded in 1862 when John White discovered gold on Grasshopper Creek (which was originally named Willards Creek 60 years previous by Lewis and Clark). As news of the gold strike spread many prospectors and businessmen rushed to Bannack hoping to strike it rich. In 1864, Bannack was named as the first Territorial Capital of Montana. Soon, gold was found in other places and most moved on. However, some people stayed in Bannack. From the late 1860's to the 1930's, Bannack continued as a mining town with a fluctuating population. By the 1950's gold workings had dwindled and most Bannack residents had moved on. At that point the State of Montana declared Bannack a State Park and my husband's father was in charge of its preservation (not restoration) which took 15 years or so. Today, over sixty structures remain standing, most of which can be explored. Many people come to see the old buildings...some in hopes of hearing the ghosts of the Meade Hotel or the Crying House or the cemetary up on the hill. Some come to stay in the cute little campgrounds on Grasshopper Creek and some just like to indulge in the meloncholy feel of this great place. (Some of this paragraph was from http://www.bannack.org/, with some of my own input! :o))
poor miners' cabins...
This is the school on the bottom, the legion on top...
This is originally the Beaverhead County Courthouse until the Montana Territory moved to Virginia City.
The wealthy Meade family bought it and converted it into a deluxe hotel with restaurant. This is one of the buildings that is haunted. Many have heard, seen, felt the presence of a female ghost here, including me.
I took 4 pictures inside this gorgeous historic building...the stair case, the kitchen, a couple of the rooms and NONE of them were on my card when i downloaded it.
So...let's open the door and see what is inside of some of these other old buildings...
(a note to my family: isn't this linoleum the same as in the old house at Hulett?)
This one bothers me. It is called the "Crying House" because when the flu struck this town, the children were quarantined here. They either got better and could leave or died. But at night, it is said all you could hear were the children crying. They say this place is haunted too, tho I've never experienced it. Here are the stairs that lead to the one large bedroom on the second floor.
Root cellar surrounded by sagebrush and gooseberry bushes!
If you look in the center of the above picture, you will see the mine these people risked their life in digging for gold. They also panned the rock and water in Grasshopper Creek.
I love this shot.
Next, we'll head up the hill to the cemetary...
Picket fences were around many of the graves, albeit falling down. They were the same picket fences...the exact same style around most of the houses in the town. I hope you can read what is on most of the headstones. There are no flowers, no visiting relatives...it's as abandoned as the town below.
And here is looking down at this town from the cemetary hill...
I've blogged about this place before and I'll probably do it again next time we go and visit. There is so much history of the hard times, traces of gold fever, faded dreams of wealth and feelings of poverty that its nostalgia could become overwhelming! However, if you are ever in this part of the world, I HIGHLY recommend you go there and get the true taste of how the west became settled because of the gold rush...our western history. It's about 21 miles from Dillon, Montana. Oh...and maybe you'll be able to experience HER, too.
Here's the church...
poor miners' cabins...
This is the school on the bottom, the legion on top...
This is originally the Beaverhead County Courthouse until the Montana Territory moved to Virginia City.
The wealthy Meade family bought it and converted it into a deluxe hotel with restaurant. This is one of the buildings that is haunted. Many have heard, seen, felt the presence of a female ghost here, including me.
I took 4 pictures inside this gorgeous historic building...the stair case, the kitchen, a couple of the rooms and NONE of them were on my card when i downloaded it.
So...let's open the door and see what is inside of some of these other old buildings...
(a note to my family: isn't this linoleum the same as in the old house at Hulett?)
This one bothers me. It is called the "Crying House" because when the flu struck this town, the children were quarantined here. They either got better and could leave or died. But at night, it is said all you could hear were the children crying. They say this place is haunted too, tho I've never experienced it. Here are the stairs that lead to the one large bedroom on the second floor.
Root cellar surrounded by sagebrush and gooseberry bushes!
If you look in the center of the above picture, you will see the mine these people risked their life in digging for gold. They also panned the rock and water in Grasshopper Creek.
I love this shot.
Next, we'll head up the hill to the cemetary...
Picket fences were around many of the graves, albeit falling down. They were the same picket fences...the exact same style around most of the houses in the town. I hope you can read what is on most of the headstones. There are no flowers, no visiting relatives...it's as abandoned as the town below.
And here is looking down at this town from the cemetary hill...
I've blogged about this place before and I'll probably do it again next time we go and visit. There is so much history of the hard times, traces of gold fever, faded dreams of wealth and feelings of poverty that its nostalgia could become overwhelming! However, if you are ever in this part of the world, I HIGHLY recommend you go there and get the true taste of how the west became settled because of the gold rush...our western history. It's about 21 miles from Dillon, Montana. Oh...and maybe you'll be able to experience HER, too.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Memorial Weekend Trip
Wow, what a fun-filled weekend! We loaded up on Friday and headed out to town. Our agenda was full, but we managed to squeeze everything in! (I'm going to blog this in parts so it doesn't get too long!)
Scott drove and drove!
And here's the view I got to enjoy...
We stayed the first night in Ennis where Michelle is working for the summer. In the back ground, you see the Madison River flowing very full from the spring melt. It was cloudy and rainy but not too bad!
Saturday, we drove a couple more hours to Dillon, a small college farming/cowboy town. Why? Because 3 times a year the PATAGONIA store (high end outdoor clothing) has it's 40-70% off everything sale! Yeah, spent too much money, but it was fun shopping!
21 miles outside of Dillon sits the ghost town Bannack. It's the first territory capitol of Montana. (This place gets a blog of it's own!)
We camped by the Grasshopper Creek. Gus enjoyed the water. Look at those wet dreds!
Later in the evening, it started raining again. We sat in the camper and enjoyed our books...and watched the creek rise!
Now jump from Saturday to Monday evening as we were just getting back into town. A pick-up drove by us and the jeep cherokee in back of us clipped its front end. Scott saw it in his rear-view mirror...We stopped, no one was hurt, but there was lots of vehicle damage. Both drivers had been drinking. A very somber way to end our Memorial Day vacation!
Next up, Bannack and its cemetery!
Scott drove and drove!
And here's the view I got to enjoy...
We stayed the first night in Ennis where Michelle is working for the summer. In the back ground, you see the Madison River flowing very full from the spring melt. It was cloudy and rainy but not too bad!
Saturday, we drove a couple more hours to Dillon, a small college farming/cowboy town. Why? Because 3 times a year the PATAGONIA store (high end outdoor clothing) has it's 40-70% off everything sale! Yeah, spent too much money, but it was fun shopping!21 miles outside of Dillon sits the ghost town Bannack. It's the first territory capitol of Montana. (This place gets a blog of it's own!)
We camped by the Grasshopper Creek. Gus enjoyed the water. Look at those wet dreds!
Later in the evening, it started raining again. We sat in the camper and enjoyed our books...and watched the creek rise!
Now jump from Saturday to Monday evening as we were just getting back into town. A pick-up drove by us and the jeep cherokee in back of us clipped its front end. Scott saw it in his rear-view mirror...We stopped, no one was hurt, but there was lots of vehicle damage. Both drivers had been drinking. A very somber way to end our Memorial Day vacation!
Next up, Bannack and its cemetery!
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