It is a little hard to believe that I haven't updated anything on my blog since the beginning of December. I don't have a good reason for it...just avoiding the computer to nurse my carpal tunnel. So I have been putting off sorting through pictures from the past few months and evidently that is how I jog my memory about what's been happening.
Alex in Spokane
In February, I broke in my new pancake pan (see pics). But the most exciting thing that happened in February was that I got to see Alex! He was working in Spokane, which is a 3 hour drive from Missoula, so I went over to hang out for an evening. More specifically, he was staying in a hotel in Spokane for two nights before heading into the back country for cold-weather search and rescue training. Luckily, the night he was staying in a hotel were weekend nights so I was available to drive over.
The hotel he was staying in was walking distance from the airport and close to nothing else. So after dropping our bags off, we headed to down town Spokane to see what was happening. I had done a little bit of research on Yelp.com and picked a little Greek restaurant called Santorini's. We found the place tucked away from the rest of the big chains and the mall and it looked perfect! Unfortunately, they were closing early because they had a catering event to attend. Bummer! We walked all over looking for another similar "off the beaten path" -type restaurant but failed. So we had dinner at a place in the mall. It was fine. We did, however, have recommended to us a little local bar that was a fantastic find! The bar was located in a mobile trailer and had a windy and hilly parking lot. There in the Viking Lounge, we were happy to share a couple beers before heading to the IMAX in Riverside Park to watch the new Batman movie called The Dark Knight.
It was a wonderful evening to spend with Alex!
On the way home, I marveled at the scenery in Idaho and Montana. I am so lucky to live in such a beautiful place!
Children's Books in Montana
On my way out of the Liberal Arts building one afternoon a colorful poster caught my eye. It was posted on the outside of Dr. Beverly Chin's office and was an advertisement for what I imagine is a beautiful book called, "Moon Mother: A Native American Creation Tale." I chatted briefly with Dr. Chin and made a mental note to investigate some books she recommended to me. Of course I will have to look into "Moon Mother" by Ed Young. But she also mentioned Sneed Collard, who write children's science books from somewhere here in the Bitterroot Valley.
Brian Regan
My month ended with a barrel of laughs. One of my new friends, Mark, joined me and Mike for the evening to see Brian Regan perform at the University Theatre. And what did I learn about myself? I learned that I am getting set in my ways. When Mark (who is 10 years younger than me) asked what we were doing after the show I laughed and said, "going home and going to bed." It hadn't even occured to me to go out somewhere downtown after the show! Oh well.
