The President Comes To Town

What an exciting day!! Yesterday, I got up at 4:30 in the morning and headed into Bozeman to get in line for tickets to President Obama's town hall at Gallatin Field. I was #276 in line. Lots of folks had arrived the night before and camped out to be assured that they would get tickets. There were about 650 tickets distributed, 2 per person, so I'm glad I didn't leave one minute later. There were about 40 people after me who got tickets.

This morning, Jim and I left Big Sky at 8 am headed to Gallatin Field for the town hall. The town hall was held in the Yellowstone Jetcenter, a private hangar adjacent to the commercial air terminal. We were allowed to bring cameras and cellphones into the hangar, so I am thrilled with the pictures I got! Also, I was able to post some shots to Facebook as the day progressed.

We got in at about 10:30 am and secured our seats on the fourth row centered in front of the podium. Everyone was very well-behaved. Of course, when you have secret service all around, who's going to get out of hand!! Those guys are big and look rather intimidating.

As we waited, more and more familiar faces began to show up. Governor Brian Schweitzer always draws a crowd. You may have heard him speak at the Democratic National Convention last summer in Denver. He is so charismatic and approachable and very popular in Montana. Known for being a straight shooter, he told about a meeting with the Rotary Club this morning in Bozeman. Someone asked him "What was the rush" on health care reform. His answer was, "There's no rush - we've been talking about this for 60 years!"

Schweitzer also had some thoughts on Canadian health care, our "neighbors" to the north. "Did you know that, just 300 miles north of here, did you know they offered universal health care 62 years ago?" Schweitzer also noted that former Saskatchewan Premier Tommy Douglas, considered the father of the Canadian health system, was recently voted in a nationwide poll as Canada's most popular person in history. He said that Montanans know "big ones" when they hear them and that a lot of outright lies are going around about health care reform, including the fact that Canadians don't like their health care. Quoting a Canadian journalist, Schweitzer said "there's more likelihood of a person in Canada being struck by lightning, then there is a likelihood of a Canadian going to the United States for their health care." Like I said, straight shooter and always entertaining!

The health care horror stories were all around. I talked with a woman from Helena who had come to the town hall with a letter from her 10-year old daughter, also a cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with Wilms' tumor at age 6. She had one recurrence at age 8 and is now cancer free - BUT uninsurable because her treatments exceeded the lifetime limit of $1 million. Her mother was at the town hall to ask how health care reform would help people like her daughter who might have to live the rest of her life without health insurance.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar was also there. He's pretty well known to Montanans since he was a senator in Colorado. Senators Max Baucus and Jon Testor were there on the stage with President Obama. The Bozeman Chronicle this morning reported that communication between Senator Baucus and the President had been strained and that he might not be at the town hall, or at least not on the stage. Wrong - he was on the stage and made his own remarks prior to the town hall. Guess their sources were either wrong or they mended fences!!

President Obama later described Jon Testor as one of his favorite people in Washington. "For one thing," he said, he hasn't 'gone Washington', and he still wears the same haircut!"

Shortly after noon, the minister from Holy Rosary Church offered an invocation. A young Native American girl led the Pledge of Allegience followed by the National Anthem, led by a woman with a beautiful soprano voice and a younger girl who sang harmony with her - beautiful!

A series of speakers then followed: Senator Testor, Governor Schweitzer and Senator Baucus. A Bozeman resident, Katie Gibson, a cancer survivor whose insurance was cancelled after she was told she had less than a year to live. She was able to get coverage by working through the Montana Insurance Commissioner's office and said she was supporting health care reform so that no one else had to deal with what she dealt with.

She then, without very much fanfare, introduced President Obama. He seemed very energized. If this job is wearing on him, it wasn't evident today. He practically ran up on to the stage and shouted, "Hello, Montana!" He started off telling us that Michelle and the girls were off on a whitewater rafting trip. We knew immediately that they were on the Gallatin River - the only whitewater venue near by. We were hoping to catch a look at them on our way back up the canyon toward Big Sky.

President Obama made opening remarks explaining his health care reform agenda and then took off his sport coat, rolled up his sleeves and started asking questions. I had asked one of the town hall organizers about how people were selected to ask questons. The plan was simply to ask us to raise our hands and let the President pick out the person. He announced that he was going to go "boy, girl, boy, girl" and that's exactly what he did. There were some questions from people who had lost their coverage and were genuinely supportive of meaningful reform. There were some tough questions about how to pay for reform and one man who was a health insurance sales agent asserted that President Obama was "villifying" the insurance industry.

After the questions, he went down to the floor level and started meeting and greeting. This is where the Secret Service gets their workout. I can't imagine the kind of stress they must feel. All went well as he worked his way around the room for the next 30 minutes.

After some traffic delays, we were able to get back on the road home and decided to stop in Four Corners for a late lunch - they have great pizza! When we walked in, Secretary Salazar was just finishing his lunch. We learned that this restaurant is a favorite of the Montana State Patrol and they had pointed him in that direction. We waved at him and welcomed him to Montana and he came by our table on the way out and talked for a minute. He was on his way to Yellowstone where President Obama was fly fishing.

Just as we had hoped, on the way back up the canyon, we spotted Michelle and the girls on the Gallatin River. There were 3 rafts, and it was hard to pick them out specifically, but I think I figured out. Here are the pictures... see what you think.

We are sitting on our deck and we've had a mixture of rain and hail since we got back. The temperature is sitting at 50 degrees right now, and we just saw the Marine One helicopters arrive. We think they will be taking the Obamas to Yellowstone tomorrow and then on to Colorado for another town hall. I will be up early just in case I catch one one more photo op - but I think I have enough memories now to las a lifetime!!

Summer Guests

We always look forward to sharing our summer with friends, long-time and new. Martha B. was one of our first guests in the summer of 2001, and she has been a regular every summer since that time. Two years later, in 2003, right after her marriage to Jim F., she introduced him to Montana, and both of them haven't missed a summer since.

This year, Martha and Jim introduced their friends, Don and Paula, to Montana. We have known Don and Paula through our annual trips to Clearwater, FL, and have long talked about hosting them in Montana. Finally, this year, Don retired and Paula finished her responsibilities as president of the Southern Medical Association. . . so the time was right! Though they were only here for 5 days, they managed to work in fly fishing on the Madison River, horseback riding for Paula in the Spanish Peaks, a concert in the meadow and a trip to the headwaters of the Missouri in Three Forks.

Don was inspired to develop a pully system for getting groceries, luggage, coolers and other items to the main level. After taking measurements and generally surveying the situation, he went back home and constructed the system which we installed today. VOILA!!! No more multiple trips up and down the stairs with bags of groceries. Thanks, Don!

One week later, Martha's daughter and son-in-law, Carol and Ben, joined us for a week-long visit. I actually lost count of the number of hikes they did. We all hiked Ousel Falls trail together. Ousel Falls empties into the South Fork of the West Fork of the Gallatin River (confused?) Ouzel Falls is named for a bird called the water ouzel, a strange little aquatic songbird that lives beside rushing streams and has a strange habit of dipping up and down by bending and straightening its knees. The ouzels (also known as the American Dipper) were feeding their new hatchlings - a first sighting for us. Watching this feeding process was quite fascinating. One of the adults jumps down into the stream, in some cases submerging, and reappears with a bug and feeds it to one of the babies.

Carol and Ben fly fished for the day in the Yellowstone and Ben is definitely hooked - so to speak. Their successful day included a 21-inch brown trout, a couple of other 16-18 inchers, and too many rainbow trout to count.

We also spent one day driving through the Tetons on a beautiful blue sky day. We stopped in Jackson Hole for a beer at the Million Dollar Bar where the bar stools are authentic saddles. We spotted trumpeter swans just north of Jackson and continued north to Yellowstone and one of the more spectacular Old Faithful eruptions I have ever seen. After a final stop at the Fountain Paint Pots, we headed home to Big Sky, stopping for the pig roast at the 320 Ranch.

This is a big place, and there's so much to do. We still haven't done it all, and probably never will, but we keep working on it!!

Summer (?) in Montana

Well, yes, in Montana when we say summer, it's all relative. We arrived here in mid-June and within the first week, we had rain, snow, sleet, hail - you name it. It might have been summer by the calendar, but I assure you, folks in Tennessee, let alone Florida, would not call this summer by any stretch of the imagination!!

We are having a very mild and wet summer compared to previous summers. Can you believe this is our 10th summer in Big Sky? The first 7 or so were drought stricken, compared to this summer. We spent several summers wondering just how close the wild fires would get to us. And, even if they weren't close, the smoke from distant fires clouded the skies and made inhaling unpleasant.

Not so, this summer. Everything is green and the wildflowers are spectacular!! Every hike we go on yields carpets of wildflowers - splashes of yellow balsamroot, blue lupine, white yarrow, red paintbrush. And always, there's that BIG BLUE SKY!! The first wildflowers in the spring are always the delicate yellow glacier lily - these were peeping through the snow on the Beehive trail. We also spotted blue sugar bowls .

Beehive Basin. It's just not summer in Big Sky until we hike Beehive Basin. Our first hike was July 1 before we thought the trail was hikable, and we still hiked through snow fields the last 500 feet in elevation. We spotted a couple of snowboarders hiking up for a snowboard ride down. This trail terminates at an alpine lake in a bowl at 9,200 feet. The cut throat trout are always there - although the lake was still partially covered with ice, and we didn't bring our ice fishing gear!! Three weeks later, Butch hiked up with Ben (who was visiting from Ohio) and Ben caught a 12-incher.

Ahhhh. . . . . Montana summers!!!!

The Florida Interlude - Friends and Seafood

Every year we look forward to our vacation exchange with Martha and Jim Fallis in Clearwater. Here's how it works.... we spend 3 to 4 weeks with them, either in Clearwater in the winter, or in Toronto in the spring; they spend 3 to 4 weeks in Montona in the summer. This year we sandwiched our Montana winter trip between weeks in Clearwater.

So, following my drive back to Tennessee from Montana (see previous post), I flew back to Clearwater just in time for Valentine's day. Joining us for a Valentine's dinner was a classmate from medical school days in Memphis. Wayne Ritt, who retired recently, was in Sarasota (just down the road) visiting family, and on his way back to Tennessee. I don't think we had seen Wayne since the 30 yr reunion 9 years ago, which was the first time we had seen him in 30 years.

Jim and Butch had planned a wonderful meal - filet mignon and Gulf shrimp - yummm!!! Oh, yes, and Florida key lime pie! There was much toasting, picture taking, and lots of catching up on almost 40 years of our lives. We stayed up way too late, drank way too much wine, and had an outlandishly good evening.

Jim has become famous for his annual seafood dinner - we look forward to the great Florida seafood every year, and (for me) the fresh strawberries from Plant City. The best seafood in Pinellas County comes from Wards Seafood Market and it is located only minutes from Martha and Jim's home. This was a Ward's seafood feast - crab legs, scallops, shrimp, and a fresh Maine lobster. Martha had given Jim a very special bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne for Christmas, and they chose to share it with us. Heavenly.

Speaking of heaven, I think heaven must not be any better than this. Let's just say, if there's no champagne, fresh seafood and strawberries in heaven, I don't wanna go.

Our next vacation exchange with Martha and Jim is in May in Toronto just in time for the bird migration. I'm already studying the warbler section of my field guide to birds!

From Montana to TN - by way of Florida

OK - OK!! I know I have been very, very lazy about posting to my blog. Facebook is quicker and easier. Perhaps I should change my attitude about blog posting and redefine it as a Facebook clone. I do get to go on and on on this page, however; knowing this, I tend to put off reserving the time to update my blog. But, then again, I wind up spending an inordinate amount of time on Facebook - so much for the "quick and easy" argument!!

Since my last posting, I have driven - yes DRIVEN A CAR - from Montana to Tennessee. Then hopped on a plane back down to Clearwater for a quick warm-up before driving back to TN with Jim. Now, I absolutely love to drive, so that's no problem for me, and my trusty I-Pod podcasts provided all the conversation I needed. I caught up on all my favorite podcasts - Fresh Air, Splendid Table, Speaking of Faith, Shields & Brooks, Talk of the Nation, Prairie Home Companion. I just podcasted my way across the country!!

Leaving Big Sky on Tuesday morning, my goal for the end of the day was Loveland, CO, where I had a Homelink overnight stay planned. I left in the snow and arrived to a BEAUTIFUL snowfall in Loveland - such big, wet flakes followed me the last 30 miles into Loveland. Darlene and Gene welcomed me with a glass of wine, a great dinner, and a cozy bedroom - so much better than a cold, impersonal hotel room.

The snow from the previous night arrived without any significant wind, so those big, fluffy flakes flocked everything in sight. I just couldn't believe my eyes! Even more unbelievable was the fact that the roads were perfectly clear due to the moderate temperatures. Darlene and Gene's home is at the top of a mountain and I was able to get down the narrow mountain road without any problem.

Since it was only 4 days before Valentine's Day, I just couldn't resist sending my Valentine cards with a Loveland postmark. Loveland, Colorado - where Valentine's greetings are posted on the streetlamps!!

Many people mail their valentine greetings to Loveland to get the postmark, but I was there "on the ground" and took advantage of the opportunity. I managed to spend almost 2 hours in Loveland selecting cards, going to the post office and making pictures.

Since my goal for the end of that day was Kansas City, I got off to a late start. Soooo....... I was moving rather rapidly across Kansas - straight roads, no traffic, etc. .... when I met up with a nice Kansas state trooper. Suffice it to say, I made my contribution to the Russell, Kansas bailout fund! I arrived in Kansas City around 9 pm, grabbed a Sonic burger, and went to bed - quite a contrast to the warm hospitality in Loveland the night before.

My third day on the road, Tennessee was calling my name! I was up early with a quick breakfast at Holiday Inn Express and on the road by 8 am. I arrived in Nashville on Thursday at Marci and Ryan's at about 4:30 pm, glad to be back in TN. When I hit I-24 in Paducah, KY, the damage from the recent severe ice storm absolutely amazed me. It will take a lot of time to clean up the devastating destruction of this event. I actually felt grateful that the freeways were cleared and that I didn't have to find a hotel room, many of which were occupied by local residents who still don't have electric power almost a month after the storm.

Marci had a great dinner for us, we watched the first episode in the new Survivor season and tried to watch a movie - emphasis on the word "tried". I think I was asleep inside of 15 minutes!

I was up early the next morning and off to Monteagle for a quick overnight with Jimmy and Will. Since it was the eve of Valentine's Day, I made cupcakes for Will and his two friends to decorate and picked up some valentine window stickers for the elevator doors. The best Valentine hug award goes to Will - my favorite grandson!!

Saturday morning, Valentine's Day, I was off to the airport for Valentine's dinner with my husband! That will be my next post - I promise - soon!!

Fun in Montana!!

We have been in Montana since January 20. Can you believe I was on a plane on Inauguration Day?@!! Thanks to the magic of Blackberry, I was at least able to download Obama's speech and read it before we touched down in Bozeman. What a wonderful day!!

We had a decent amount of snow this trip - not the 500 inches we had last year, but still better than most. All of my favorite runs were skiing very well and there was enough powder to give my quads a great workout. No, marathon training just doesn't do the job on those quads - I even had some upper body soreness. One of the most frustrating things about an aging body is that you just can't take muscle tone for granted - aargh!!!

Our Chattanooga contingent was in Big Sky for 10 days and we had a great time. This was the first winter trip to MT for Bess and Randall - I don't think they missed much, from snowshoeing to dogsledding to snowmobiling in Yellowstone, I think they slept very well at night.

Connie and Kat, my snowbunny ski buddies, are back for our annual ski bash. This time, they brought their hubbies. With eight people in our condo, it was reminiscent of college weekends, except that I actually remember what happened!

The Friday night sleigh ride at Lone Mountain Ranch was, as usual, a real treat. We girls all wore our furs and climbed into the sleigh pulled by our two horses - Minnie and Pearl. They swore it was conincidence that we were from TN, but we love thinking that this team was chosen especially for us.

Our driver, Bruce Anfinson, was also the entertainer for the evening once we got to the cabin. Bruce is quite an accomplished storyteller, guitar picker and singer/songwriter from Montana.

The meal at the cabin was quite good, particularly the prime rib, served with horseradish and sauteed mushrooms . There's just something about riding through the brisk outdoors that makes food taste so much better.

I just can't seem to keep up with my blog. There's more Montana fun to report, but I am on the last leg of my cross country trip - Montana to TN in 3 days - so, I'm off to bed in Kansas City and ready to head on in to Nashville tomorrow.

Marathon #3 - Disney

Yes, I did it again!! Am I crazy? Somewhat, I think I am, or maybe just addicted to the whole culture of marathons and the people who come back time after time to this challenge. There is something cult-like about this whole experience. After each marathon I have said, "This is the last one - maybe a few half marathons - maybe!" But, then, I do a few half marathons and it's just not enough. After all, if you are not totally wiped out, where's the challenge?

This was the second time I completed the Disneyworld Marathon, and I spotted some of the same people on the course. Once again, I wore my bright orange Tennessee jersey, and I guess it made enough of an impression last year that the same people recognized me again. At about mile 16, I caught up with the LSU fan who was doing the marathon with his daughter. He told me that LSU fans love their new coach from TN - former defensive coordinator John Chavis. Then there was Mary, from Morehead, KY; at age 63 she has done 22 marathons. And, you think I'm crazy?!

And the results are - drum roll......... 7 hrs 3 min. Not my best time, for sure, and 3 minutes short of my goal. I really just needed to step it up a bit for the last 5 miles, but I just lost track of the time after I left MGM at mile 24. My pace through mile 20 was just fine at 5 hrs 17 min, and it should have only taken me another 1.5 hrs to finish the 26.2. Oh, well.... what can I say.... I finished, I got the medal and the t-shirt. Of the more than 20,000 who started, only 15,000 finished, so I'm proud to be part of the 75% who finished.

Best of all was having my own cheering section - Marci and Ryan, Jim and Martha Fallis, and - best of all - my wonderful husband, who practically ran the race with me. I saw him at miles 2, 9, 12.5, 19 and he actually walked with me from mile 22 to 23. Marci and Ryan were at mile 16 in Animal Kingdom and mile 24 in MGM. Martha and Jim were at mile 9 and at the finish, where Martha had her camera working overtime. At all those spots they showed up with nutrition bars, oranges, bananas, Gatorade etc. and an extra measure of moral support. And, at mile 20 I got a text message from Jimmy cheering me on - the wonders of technlogy!!

Will I do it again? Probably. Right now, I'm cooling my heels in Big Sky and praying for fresh powder so I can hit the slopes. When we get back to Florida in a few weeks, I'll start back in training for the Nashville half marathon. The amazing thing is that after this marathon, I had no physical problems. A few aches and pains were worked out immediately after the finish with about 20 minutes of stretching, a couple of Tylenol and the requisite ice bath. The next day, I was totally mobile with none of the blisters that crippled me last year for a week.

So, yes... I think there are some marathons left in me. The day after I finished, I got an email announcing the inaugural "Rockin' the Strip" marathon in Las Vegas in December 2009. Sponsored by Elite Racing, these Rock 'N Roll marathons are terrific events with bands at every mile. Disney has been fun, but it does cut into my skiing time.

So, here we go again. There is something to be said for "use it or lose it", and I fully intend to use it as long as I can. The answer to the question, "Why do you do it?" will always be, "Because I can!!"