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)

Spring Ice Break Up - Flathead Lake, Polson, Montana

On dealing rightly with those who depend on us:
" ...you do not understand - trust is like a broken mirror, you may still see yourself, but you can never dismiss the crack."

-From Depth of Winter, A Longmire Mystery, by Craig Johnson, page 69

Give Me Shelter - Missoula, Montana

"A sheltered life can be a daring life as well. 
For all serious daring starts from within."

-Eudora Welty (1909-2001)

Distant Bridge - Missoula, Montana

"Eons ago, the creative genius of God foresaw that it would take the shattered pieces of my ‘yesterday’ to construct the sturdy portal to my ‘tomorrow." 

- Craig D. Lounsbrough, from 

Flecks of Gold on a Path of Stone: Simple Truths for Profound Living

Golden Glow - Missoula, Montana

Thursday night, snow flurried amidst the headlight crossfire during my evening homeward commute. 

By Friday lunchtime, we were again ensconced in this sunny - albeit intermittently so - golden glow. 

Such are the varied and fickle delights of autumn in western Montana. 

Bridge Over Finley Creek - Arlee, Montana

"Oh, here we are at the bridge. I'm going to shut my eyes tight. I’m always afraid going over bridges. I can't help imagining that perhaps, just as we get to the middle, they'll crumple up like a jackknife and nip us. So I shut my eyes. But I always have to open them for all when I think we're getting near the middle. Because, you see, if the bridge did crumple up I'd want to see it crumple. What a jolly rumble it makes! I always like the rumble part of it. Isn't it splendid there are so many things to like in this world? There, we're over. Now I'll look back. Good night, dear Lake of Shining Waters. I always say good night to the things I love, just as I would to people. I think they like it. That water looks as if it was smiling at me." - L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Another gorgeous site on Z5 Ranch - their very own bridge over Shining Waters. But a bit shallow for a Lady of Shallot reenactment.

Spring Crossing - Missoula, Montana

"I can stand in a crystal stream without another human around me and cast all day long, and if I never catch a single fish, I can come home and still feel like I had a wonderful time. 

It's the being there that's important." - Norman Schwarzkopf (1934-2012)

Deep Thoughts, Missoula, Montana

Deep thoughts suitable for a rainwashed evening river walk - or for anytime, for that matter.

5k View: I Run For Kicks, East Missoula, Montana

This last weekend, our family walked/ran in East Missoula’s 2014 I Run For Kicks 5k/10k, a community fundraiser for school shoes. The route crosses the pictured bridge; on the way back down, the view to the right skims across the Clark Fork River down to the Sha-Ron Fishing Access. If you plan to travel to a running or walking event, check out Missoula’s schedule at both
Runners Edge and Run Wild Missoula. There are reasons the Missoula Marathon has a high rating among the running people - friendly people, clean air, vast skies, gorgeous mountain views, everything essential within about 15 minutes drive…in contrast to a bigger city marathon that features noisy gridlock traffic, congested sky hemmed in by tall buildings - are you convinced yet?

Bridging Twilight, Missoula, Montana

“Twilight - a time of pause when nature changes her guard.

All living things would fade and die from too much light or too much dark, if twilight were not.”
-Howard Thurman, educator

Sunlit Hills Distant, Missoula, Montana

“A Walk" by Rainer Maria Rilke

Already my eyes touch the sunlit hill.
far ahead of the road I have just begun.
So we are grasped by what we cannot grasp;
we see its light, even from a distance-

and it changes us, even if we do not reach it,
into something else, which, hardly sensing it, we already are;
a gesture seems to wave us on, answering our own wave...
but what we feel is the wind in our faces.

Green Reflective, Missoula, Montana

“Don't be ashamed to weep; 'tis right to grieve.
Tears are only water, and flowers, trees, and fruit cannot grow without water.
But there must be sunlight also.
A wounded heart will heal in time, and when it does, the memory and love of our lost ones is sealed inside to comfort us.”
― Brian Jacques, Taggerung

Curvaceous, Missoula, Montana

Spring has sprung in Western Montana, despite a couple weeks of setback to blowing and snowing.  The canal spanned by this curvy bridge is running with water, and the bench seat invites to stop for a calming look, or sit and read a good book.

Rail Graffiti, Missoula, Montana

Graffiti always intrigues me, especially when it's rendered with obvious skill. But the element of emotion seems to be evident, no matter how rudimentary the art. Somehow the compulsion to create and display your art in random pnblic view carries the soul cry forward. While typically graffiti is an inconsiderate act to the folks who have to clean it up, I still enjoy the form and lines when they're in front of me, and wonder about the artist's driving force.

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?"

Wilma Theatre View, Missoula, Montana

A view of the historic Wilma from the walking path on the far side of the river.  Odd to think that the river used to go right up to the building, where Caras Park is now.

University Footbridge, Missoula, Montana

It's always interesting what is waiting to be seen if you look with a slightly different perspective.

River Trail Scenery, Missoula, Montana

Missoula, Montana, has a splendid & well-used river trail, running right through the thick of downtown. The art wall near the Russell Street bridge constantly changes to highlight the emotions & talent of local graffitists. (Yes, it's a real word.)

River Access, Hamilton, Montana

Squint a little at the upper right quadrant & you’ll see cattails, which hint that this ditch ends in a backwater of the Bitterroot River.

Water Under the Bridge

In his lovely collection of Montana photos & essays, “I’ve Never Met an Idiot on the River, Reflections on Family, Photography, and Fly-Fishing“, Henry Winkler shares his fascination for reflections as a photography subject. I understand the appeal; often, a reflection brings close the best elements of the day - blue sky, wistful clouds, snow.