Connections - Railway Trestle, Bonner, Montana

“Books are bridges, my father had said to me when I was a child. They show how we’re connected.”

-Jessie “Kit” Carson (1876-1959) in Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles, p. 41 (LT edition)

Big Sky, Wide River, High Mountains - Clark Fork River, near Alberton, Montana

Perfect road trip weather on this flawless end-of-summer day in  Big Sky country.

River Stories, Cottonwood Leaves - Clark Fork River, Missoula, Montana

I do wonder what travel stories this cottonwood leaf duo could tell (if, of course, they could manage to stop for a chat or interview …).  

“The face of the river, in time, became a wonderful book . . . which told its mind to me without reserve, delivering its most cherished secrets as clearly as if it had uttered them with a voice. And it was not a book to be read once and thrown aside, for it had a new story to tell every day.” — (Samuel Clemens (1835-1910) aka Mark Twain , Life on the Mississippi)

Aerial Big Sky Mountain View - Clark Fork River, Missoula, Montana

“Seen from the sky the arid landscape lay, a lovely thing. The plains were gold and purple, the clouds cast great blue-black shadows, there were toy boxes in a dark green patch that marked the oasis of an occasional ranch house, and near by the jade-green circlets that meant water holes. So, in the almost unbearably brilliant blue sky, they soared and roared aloft in a giant iridescent bubble.” - Giant by Edna Ferber, p. 35

Near Mountains in Snowfall - East Missoula, Montana

I repeatedly marvel at the intimate nearness of the surrounding mountains of the Bitterroot and Missoula valleys. It brings peripherally to mind C.S. Lewis’s portals that transport from a must-get-through mindset to an entirely different perspective that stirs the soul to wonder. 

(And yes, we are still getting random snow this week…!)

First Snow - East Missoula, Montana

Last weekend’s first snow kissed the mountaintops outside of East Missoula, Montana. 

US Hwy 135 Sunset - Clark Fork River near Paradise, Montana

 #794 - Things I Love About Montana: 

Even on a no-stops-allowed schedule, Big Sky majesty meets you right along the well-beaten path. 

(Safety first, tho’ - the perfectly placed turnout allowed a quick smell-the-roses stop where maximum sunset reflection mirrored the thankfulness overflow in my heart.)

Spring Breakup - Ice on the Clark Fork River, Missoula, Montana

“It is with rivers as it is with people: The greatest are not always the most agreeable nor the best to live with.” — (Henry van Dyke, (1852-1933), Little Rivers: A Book of Essays in Profitable Idleness

Hometown Landmarks - Clark Fork River, Missoula, Montana

“Rivers know this: There is no hurry, we shall get there some day.” — A.A. Milne (1882-1956), Winnie the Pooh

Lighted Pathway - Clark Fork River, East Missoula, Montana

Almost as if there are soft cloud lanterns lighting a quieter path for evening strolling water sprites...

Unplugged Reflections - Clark Fork River Near East Missoula, Montana

"Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you."

-Anne Lamott, ch. 4 of Almost Everything

(& that is the entire chapter! 
Highly recommend this lovely little book...abundant fodder for rumination!)

Fleeting Iced Shadows - Clark Fork River, Missoula, Montana

“The present is the ever moving shadow 

     that divides yesterday from tomorrow. 

  In that lies hope.”

- Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959)

Big Or Little - Clark Fork River, Missoula, Montana

“A man is about as big as

 the things that make him angry.”
- Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

Poplars On Ice - Clark Fork River, Missoula, Montana

Amazing how the smallest unexpected graces can bring such delight and refocus thoughts in a positive way - the sparkle of light revealing hidden colours in a winter creek bed, a chatty gathering of glossy green-head ducks, or another driver actually signalling into the traffic circle. 

Be still my heart - hope springs eternal!