Commuting Sky - Missoula, Montana

Sunlight slides in from along the western mountain range to spotlight distant spring-green hillsides (i kid you not - they are palpably green!)... another sample of why it isn't hard to fall in love with Montana's ever-vast and changing sky.

Subaru Sentiments - Missoula, Montana

Well, there's a sentiment I didn't expect to see on a Subaru wagon in Montana: "H8 WLVS". 

I (literally) Laughed Out Loud reading this license plate at the stoplight - not because the statement itself is ha-ha funny, but because I needed a second reading to get it - only due to the seeming incongruity of its location on the back of this particular vehicle type. Good thing it was a long light. 

Wolves are a contentious topic in Montana, particularly in regions where they've been "reintroduced".  I won't go into the bitter debates and gory details here, but feel free to click on the highlighted text links to get a brief intro. Should you want to delve, a Google search for "wolf debate in Montana" will provide plenty of fodder for deep dinner conversation.

The Subaru drivers we typically see in Montana tend to love the outdoors and everything in it, exuding a 'live and let live' vibe often underscored by a plethora of bumper sticker messages. And a couple of tail-wagging dogs laughing out the back door windows.

So, "H8 WLVS" just didn't fit the stereotype, and my brain stuttered because of that - providing yet another opportunity to laugh at my sometimes silly self. Because I know it really is ridiculously pointless to try and stuff people into a tidy little identity box - no matter what name brand logo said box may be sporting

Venting, Missoula, Montana

A big thanks out into the universe to the get-'er-done pickup truck guy who sponsored my very own laugh-out-loud moment during Thursday morning’s traffic light backlog. Despite the stopped automobiles blocking his right turn escape route from the Reserve & Mullan intersection, our daring driver thought outside the box that would keep him needlessly waiting five car lengths back. Since that last vehicle in line was really only blocking half a truck width to prevent access to the empty turn lane, he simply & logically decided to annex the empty sidewalk and ease on down the road.
Have big wheels, will travel. 
It was a quirky reminder that the can-do attitude is still alive & kicking in Montana. 

For a positive business angle on keeping things moving, check out the newly released State business plan from Governor Bullock’s team for the Main Street Montana Project.

Red Bridge Over the River, Missoula Montana

Once in a while on my weekly drive north up US Hwy 93 to Missoula, Montana, the thought of trading scenery for traffic is particularly abhorrent.

(Yes, city mouse, I heard your loud - albeit squeaky - guffaw, “Traffic! That isn’t traffic!“, and I realize that, compared to larger cities, Missoula has no traffic. However, this is my monologue, so I beg your indulgence, knowing you protest because you are slightly jealous.)