Well, another ER run on Sunday......NOT to worry!  Seems like we only have health problems on Sunday, as through the years, we have been making runs to the ER on that day.  Finger squished in the Log Splitter, Eye problems, Broken Arm, Gallbladder problems, etc. always on Sunday. I’ve been thinking, (I have been known to do this ’Thinking’ thing!), do you think we could just skip Sundays? If we find a Church that has services on Saturdays, maybe we could just leap into Monday. Since we don’t have to go outside the home to work, we have six Saturdays and a Sunday in our week. So we don’t know what day it is, anyway. So how would we know if it is the Last Saturday in the week in order to skip Sunday?  We don’t even know tomorrow will be Monday until we are already into Sunday..... And Monday is just another Saturday......... Soooooo much to ponder...... My brain is tired and I have barely started writing this Blog. 

The ER run this last week was due to Debbie having the worst headache ever in her life (and this time it was NOT me) and nothing made it go away!  Follow up on that later.

All things considered, we are Really enjoying Montana! We did another Snowshoe trip in Glacier National Park a few days ago and made it back to the car without incident. I never thought that ‘uneventful’ would be good, however age seems to change many things. The snow covered Mountains are breathtaking and we just can’t wait to hike in them again!

Debbie walking in a Christmas Card !

As we were taking off our Snowshoes, we noticed the Sun beginning to turn the snow on top of Mt. Brown a beautiful warm golden color.  From the parking lot at Lake McDonald Lodge we zoomed in on the top of Mt. Brown.  The Small bump on top is the Mt. Brown Fire Lookout Tower.  The Lookout Tower is 4,260 feet above us, but the trail to get to it is 5 miles up, up and up.  Gaining 4,260 feet in 5 miles is one of the most strenuous hikes in Glacier National Park.  Hmmmmm..... Maybe that is why we have never done that trail!  The entire trail is up, not a flat spot to rest anywhere, but those that have made it to the Lookout claim it is one of the most beautiful spots in Glacier NP.  (p.s. the Mt. Brown Peak is still 1000 feet above the Lookout) 

On our way out of the Park after Snowshoeing, we just could not help stopping at Apgar to snap a couple of photos of the Mountains across Lake McDonald.  They are awesome as they glow in the late evening sunshine.

We did get a good snow here after Christmas, but had no trouble getting around. Over a few days, we probably got a little over a foot. They have the equipment to take care of the roads here, so getting around is not a problem. It is just different as they blade the snow off to the sides and into the center. This makes ‘one way’ streets around town, so to speak. These photos are showing the snow in the center of the street.

Most of the snow comes straight down and there is little drifting. Although we get about twice as much snow here as in Indiana, it usually comes down an inch or two at a time. The schools got a Snowday when we got the big snow storm, and it was considered a rarity. That almost never happens.  The temperature has been in the low 30’s and almost all the roads are now clear.

We are just a few minutes from downtown Kalispell and the Post Office.  Albertson’s grocery and UPS are just a couple of blocks from us.  Shopping at Kalispell’s north end, which has been built over the last few years,  has a Cabela's, Lowe's, Home Depot, Bed Bath and Beyond, Walmart, Appleby's, Famous Dave's, Costco, and many more stores is only a little over one mile from us.  We also have a nice mall downtown Kalispell.  So everything we need is easy and convenient to get to.  

 Missoula is the closest ‘Large City’ near us. (I use the term ‘Large’ loosely).  Missoula's population is just over 72,300 and Kalispell's population is just over 22,700).  We have been asked by several 'how big is Columbia Falls?' The population of Columbia Falls is about 5,200 compared to Danville, Indiana with a population of over 9,600.  So, for those of you that like me, that are a bit mathematically challenged,  Columbia Falls is about one half as large as Danville, Indiana.  Easy!

Last Saturday we went to Missoula for the day to pick up a tool chest so I could get some of my tools unpacked and also visit some of the furniture stores there. There are several nice furniture stores in Missoula and they deliver to Columbia Falls.   The drive there is beautiful as we usually go down one side of Flathead Lake and come back up the other. The scenery is awesome. It is about 120 miles to Missoula and takes us about two and a half hours, but we don’t mind as the scenery on entire trip is breathtaking.  The images below Debbie just used her phone to shoot out the windows as I was driving.

A highlight of this trip was seeing a Snowy Owl perched on the roof of a house on our way home.  Debbie snapped this photo with her cell phone and if you just had this photo to go by, you would not know it was a Snowy Owl, but we could see it well in our binoculars.