We woke up to an empty house but plenty of food laid out - all healthy. Our hostess is a massage therapist and a food naturalist. Nuts, berries and granola, along with homemade muffins and bread. The house id cheerful and bright, and it sits on five acres on the outskirts of the city. Around us are nice homes, rural stuff like barns and tractors, a small hidden junk yard down the road. The trees are mainly cottonwoods and Russian olive; they were brought here to the plains because they grow fast and tall to produce shade and windbreaks. We spend the morning taking it easy and adjusting to our new environment. My biggest challenge was to figure out a coffee grinder that had a timer on it. It must have taken me 15 minutes to unlock the secrets of the four switches. Terri arrives from her business a little after noon and we are off to the country to get her month's supply of raw milk. We are going 50 miles away to a small farm of a friends who produces raw milk, eggs, beef, pigs, and chickens. Julie is proud of her small farm and we explore her operation. Her daughter, Ivy, had just saddled up teh horses for a afternoon ride, but she was happy for teh company as there are few neighbors around and many of them don't really share their naturalist views. She has been planting tree to attract the birds and you can see why. There are not many trees in these parts. This is the reason we see these"Big Skies" - there is nothing to obscure the view.
And what views there are driving through the countryside. The rolling hills and ridges make everything look vast. Off in the distance you can see the Rockies with the peaks still covered with snow on the first day of summer. This is what Lewis and Clark must have seen as they finally portaged around the falls. Fifty miles off the challenge of crossing the uncharted mountains still snow covered. The land was cut by glaciers 10,000 years ago and actually diverted the great Missouri river that once flowed into the Hudson bay, not the Mississippi. We are getting a feel for the great plains and the mountain to the west of us. We hit three isolated rain storms on the trip. You could see them coming from miles away. This is truly " Big Sky Country."
As soon as we got home we turned around and went to the welcoming dinner where we met the 10 other ambassadors and the 16 or so local Friendship Force club members. It was at Pizza/Pasta restaurant/Casino. The food was quite good and as usual, our meal was covered but the local club members had to buy their own. We had an introduction to the weeks activities, the mayor (who is not too popular I was told) gave a good welcome and passed out pins to the visitors. We had introductions all around and went home - to sleep. We were all tired from the late arrival the night before. Did I say casino? Yes, here in Montana there is a casino on every block - gas/casino, restaurant/casino, car wash/casino. You play the slots for nickles, dimes, and quarters, or you can play poker. If you want roulette or blackjack, you need to go to the reservations.
And what views there are driving through the countryside. The rolling hills and ridges make everything look vast. Off in the distance you can see the Rockies with the peaks still covered with snow on the first day of summer. This is what Lewis and Clark must have seen as they finally portaged around the falls. Fifty miles off the challenge of crossing the uncharted mountains still snow covered. The land was cut by glaciers 10,000 years ago and actually diverted the great Missouri river that once flowed into the Hudson bay, not the Mississippi. We are getting a feel for the great plains and the mountain to the west of us. We hit three isolated rain storms on the trip. You could see them coming from miles away. This is truly " Big Sky Country."
As soon as we got home we turned around and went to the welcoming dinner where we met the 10 other ambassadors and the 16 or so local Friendship Force club members. It was at Pizza/Pasta restaurant/Casino. The food was quite good and as usual, our meal was covered but the local club members had to buy their own. We had an introduction to the weeks activities, the mayor (who is not too popular I was told) gave a good welcome and passed out pins to the visitors. We had introductions all around and went home - to sleep. We were all tired from the late arrival the night before. Did I say casino? Yes, here in Montana there is a casino on every block - gas/casino, restaurant/casino, car wash/casino. You play the slots for nickles, dimes, and quarters, or you can play poker. If you want roulette or blackjack, you need to go to the reservations.
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