Leafstrewn Sidewalk - Missoula, Montana

And Grant Creek flows directly underneath this little stretch of golden carpet....

X-Y Intersections - Missoula, Montana

“Language is, then… the horizontal surface or plane, the centre of which is always the consciousness of the writer, as in perspective the center of the bounding circle of the horizon is always the eye of the observer. To this Barthes  adds the writer’s style which “has only a vertical dimension, it plunges into the close recollection of the person…” Together, these two, language and style, function for Barthes as coordinates, the horizontal and the vertical axes, which order the writer’s world: “A language is… a horizon, and style a vertical dimension, which together map out for the writer a Nature, since he does not choose either. The language functions negatively, as the initial limit of the possible; style is a necessity which binds the writer’s humour to his form of expression.” Language and style thus become the Cartesian coordinates, the x-y axes, which in Barthes analytical geometry of literature permits the definition of writing, of created literary form, as the equivalent of geometrical form in the Cartesian sense.” - from ‘Painting and Poetry: Form, Metaphor, and the Language of Literature’ By Franklin R. Rogers, Mary Ann Rogers, pages 100-101

Crossing Guard, Missoula, Montana

Given that the few places I've lived have all featured immediate and unfettered access to nature, it takes some mental gymnastics to imagine daily views of only adjacent buildings and a smoggy sky. A half day's drive in Montana illustrates that, in many ways, the west is still wild. Thankfully, what we've come to view as necessities - indoor plumbing, decent roads, cell phone service - are available in the midst of some of the planet's most amazing scenery and friendly people. But it's nice to know that if you head off on a canyon hike, you won't be able to answer your phone until you're able to say, "I'm looking across a mountain range into the next state - can I call you later?"