Sunset Silhouette, Missoula, Montana

“There's a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they're absolutely free. Don't miss so many of them.”     -Jo Walton

Riverbank Habitat, Alberton, Montana

Riverbank cutaways bring to mind Mole of Kenneth Grahame’s “Wind In the Willows”.

“He saw clearly how plain and simple - how narrow, even - it all was; but clearly, too, how much it all meant to him, and the special value of some such anchorage in one's existence. He did not at all want to abandon the new life and its splendid spaces, to turn his back on sun and air and all they offered him and creep home and stay there; the upper world was all too strong, it called to him still, even down there, and he knew he must return to the larger stage. But it was good to think he had this to come back to, this place which was all his own, these things which were so glad to see him again and could always be counted upon for the same simple welcome.”
― Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

A change of perspective sometimes reveals new wonder, and rediscovers misplaced appreciation. 

Winter Beauty, Missoula, Montana

Talk about being dressed for success to welcome the new year!

Circle Square 2nd Hand's window womannequin consistently guarantees a grin.

Read or listen to a recent interview here.

Winter Bottled, Missoula, Montana

Honestly not trying to be depressing here. 

Just another shot of patterns and shapes I found to be interesting.
 
Of course, feel free to read into it an inspiring New Year's message - maybe along lines of putting the old year out with the trash. 

Or a reminder that our life is not empty, but can have purpose in recycling what you’ve been through for new and good use to others. 

Perhaps you see a new product idea: freshly bottled crisp Montana air, ready to ship anywhere a breath of the Big Sky is needed.

Any other uplifting ideas?

Leaded - Is There Any Other Kind?, Corvallis, Montana

Today’s pic is dedicated to that redoubtable leaded coffee drinker, Tom Nash (aka The Best Husband Ever).
Thanks for making sure there's always morning coffee, sweetie.
(For a guaranteed Tom Nash sighting, stop in tonight at The Sunrise; he's playing with the other boys in country band 406.)
 
Plenty of downtown Missoula, MT, coffee shops will be open late to host First Night performers and attendees. What else besides good strong coffee is needed to keep you up ‘til midnight and welcome in the New Year? 

Happy 2014!

Frozen Greens, Alberton, Montana

Unlike the sustained snow-fort seasons of my childhood, winter in western Montana can bring a crazy juxtaposition of freeze and mild, which sometimes creates amazing mini-tableaus for the persistent croucher. This is aptly illustrated above by the tenacious sprout anchored in ice-trapped bubbles.

To “oooo” and “aaaaaaah!“ at a different variety of stunning frozen beauty, check out the winter bubbles series captured recently by photographer Angela Kelly.
(Thanks, Mouse, for sharing this find!)

Tots Mah Goats, Missoula, Montana

My initial thought for a post title was "All Is Calm...", but the Sprint commercial kept repeating and repeating and I failed to resist the infiltration.

"I think most of us are raised with preconceived notions of the choices we're supposed to make. We waste so much time making decisions based on someone else's idea of our happiness - what will make you a good citizen or a good wife or daughter or actress. 
Nobody says, 'Just be happy - go be a cobbler or go live with goats.' - Sandra Bullock