Glacier National Park

Yesterday was so much fun. We left the house at about 9:00 in the morning and drove to Glacier National Park. Going to the Sun Road is now open all the way and so we drove all the way to the top at Logan Pass visitor center. We got out at several places on the way and took pictures of the gorgeous scenery. At the top, there is still lots and lots of snow. We have pictures of us in front of snow banks above our heads. Several people brought their skis up and were skiing down some of the mountains up there. On the way back down we saw two mountain goat and stopped to get pictures. Then a black bear walked right in front of our car. I was so excited. I really wanted to see a bear and I got to. He was to quick for a picture though. Then we went hiking on one of the trails. It goes past a big gorge called Avalanche gorge that has a beautiful waterfall. At the end of the trail you come to Avalanche lake that is surrounded in mountains and several waterfalls. It is really pretty. You can walk all the way around the lake but we didn't have enough time. On the way up the trail and on the way back we saw several deer that stopped and posed for their pictures. We left at about 3:45 because we had to get back home for comapny to come. About ten minutes after we got home they started to arrive. It was my last night to play cards. We had pizza and salad for supper and later had strawberry shortcake for dessert. We played hand and foot and my partner Caleb and I got second place. It was lots of fun. Caleb and his parents Lori and Dean gave me some huckleberry body wash, huckleberry jam, and a USA flag shirt that says Kalispell, Montana. I am really going to miss our Thursday nights together. They are such neat people.

Food, Fun, and Family

Yesterday we had a family day at Columbia Mountain Cabins. It is this cute little place up next to Columbia Mountain that has several cabins you can rent. The property has two ponds; lots of birds; a playground with basketball goal, volleyball net, and badmitton net; and some little trails that lead you on walks through the woods. We invited all the kids and their parents to come out and spend the day together. We had 18 kids and only one parent and it rained on and off the whole time, but it was still lots of fun. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, played games, and had a Bible lesson. At the end, everyone got prizes. Then we went back to the church for our monthly dinner and movie. We watched Where the Red Fern Grows. I have seen it before and I still cried like a baby. I guess when it comes to movies I will never grow up!

A day with Kerri

Yesterday I spent almost the whole day with my friend Kerri from Bible study. It was her birthday. We met at subway and took our sandwiches to the park and sat on the rocks by the lake to eat and talk. Then we stopped at this little place that sells smoothies and milkshakes. I had one of the best strawberry, banana milkshakes I have ever had. Then we went by the Bible school she went to here in Bigfork. She graduated with only four other people! We drove to Kallispell and went to different stores so she could find a frisbee to play ulitimate frisbee with. She didn't find the one she wanted. Later, we went to her apartment that she shares with her older sisters. It is really cute! It has old movie posters all over the living room. Roger, you would love this, the whole kitchen is decorated in Coca cola stuff. They even have old coca cola advertisement pictures on the walls and seat cushions on their chairs. Then I met her two older sisters and we all went to Quidoba's Mexican Grill for supper. It is a make it your way nacho, burrito, and quesadilla place. Not bad for up north. What was funny is that I had to pronounce things like Pico de Gallo for the girls and explain what it was. I also explained what an avacodo was too. Then we went to the movies and saw Sahara. It was a funny movie about these two guys trying to find old ironsides ( the boat from the civil war) off the coast of Africa and how they got involved in a government conspircay of a deadly disease that a lady doctor from the world health organization was trying to investigate. It is interesting how it all works out. A happy ending for all the good guys. After the movie, Kerri's friend Jason gave her a frisbee like the one she had been looking for all day. Then she brought me back home to Bigfork. We had a lot of fun together and she said it was a good birthday.

Outbreak

This past week we had a crew of people at the house who were here for mold remediation of the attic. They taped off the whole room where I used to sleep and walked around in big white suits and masks. I thought of the ebola virus or something with the way they were dressed. Fortunately the outbreak was just mold in the attic and it wasn't even alive anymore. So they had to blast all the wood with baking soda and sand to take away the bad wood. One day they were here, one of their guys fell through the roof and landed on the Burdett's bed. The next day they lost their pressure in the attc and so all that they were spraying in the attic came down into the rest of the house. We had to spend the next several days dusting and vacuuming everything. It was quite an adventure, but now the wood looks as good as new.

The Honeymooners come to visit

Last weekend my friends Rachel and Quincy got married and came here to Montana on their honeymoon. So I hung out with them last Sunday. I took them to Glacier National Park, Hungry Horse Dam, I showed them the church, and we went to dinner at this nice resteraunt which claims it has real Texas barbeque . The resteraunt is called the Back Room and it is good but not quite like Texas. Then I got to have dinner with them on Monday night and on Tuesday I showed them the little town of Bigfork where I live. They said the enjoyed their honeymoon and were glad to get to visit with me a little while. I was glad to see friends from home and they brought me big red as an added bonus.

Ferndale

Yesterday I met my friend Roger Smith's mom. Her name is Lori Schraeder. She showed me the house where she lives, which is where Roger used to live. It is on Ferndale. She took me to Johnson's creek where they fished, the Loon lake they swam in, the river they tubed on, and Wayfare's state park where Roger jumped off the rocks into Flathead lake. She also told me about all the neighbors that used to live by them and the ones that do now. I met two couples that are her friends. She also cooked lunch for me. She made what her grandkids call her never ending soup. It was really good. Then it was time for me to come back home. Hopefully I will get to spend a day with her again before I go home.

Trash, Trash, and more Trash

Last Saturday, we had a cleanup day in Hungry Horse from 9:00 to 12:00. The Burdett's and I picked up six bags of trash just from 1 and a half streets! A lot of people came out to help and they served us lunch afterwards. Then they did a drawing for prizes. Guess who won a mountain bike. I did! Well actually it is a gift certificate to get one at Wal-mart. I am going to see if they will let me get it at one in Texas.
After t he cleanup, we had to go cleanup the church for our monthly dinner. The dinner started at 5 and Mr. Tom grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. Then we watched a movie about a girl from WWII. It was pretty sad. That day was really fun but also really long.