Fall and Winter Photographs

Winter arrived this past Monday, when about ten inches of snow fell in the afternoon. We've had sub-zero temperatures at night since then, and more snow is forecast next week. The ski resorts are glad for the snow, and I look forward to cross-country skiing in Yellowstone later this winter.

The roads have cleared since the snowfall, and we enjoyed Thanksgiving with friends from Billings and Bozeman. And yesterday more friends from Billings visited. God has blessed us with many friendships, for which we are very thankful. Hopefully our lives have in turn blessed others.

Snow fog hung at the base of the Bridgers all day yesterday, and then a full moon rose over the peaks. It is so very peaceful here in this part of the Gallatin Valley. Each morning I enjoy the sunrise over the mountains, thankful to God for the beauty of his creation.

Below are a few photographs taken from our front and backyards in the past few months:

Fall Foliage

The mountains of the Gallatin Valley and surrounding areas are now crowned with snow, and autumn colors are on full display. The fall foliage here is as good as, and perhaps better, than anywhere in Montana on the east side of the Rockies.

More new autumn photographs from the Gallatin Valley and Yellowstone National Park are now online here, including a new Windows Wallpaper background photo.

And here are the latest interesting entries from local police reports:

* A resident of South Black Avenue reported a bear eating trash outside his home.

* A woman reported that she was worried about her son, who she said liked to bathe in the insecticide Raid and put it in his coffee.

* A deputy found a cow that had gotten outside its fence on Churchill Road. The owner wasn't home, so the deputy led the "cooperative cow" back across the fence and out of harm's way.

* A Churchill man reported one of his long-horned bulls had wandered away. He asked anyone spotting a long-horned bull walking around Churchill to call him.

Bozeman in the News Again

Over the past few years, Bozeman has routinely cropped up in magazine articles that list the best places to live in America. The latest such list, U.S. News Top Ten Retirement Cities, features, yet again, Bozeman. Read the larger list of Top Ten retirement cities, or read U.S. News' take on Bozeman.

The article does a pretty good job of portraying Bozeman as a technology center and outdoor mecca with a laid-back, small town atmosphere. Personally, as a tech entrepreneur and outdoor enthusiast, I cannot think of a better or more opportune place to live. And although we enjoyed living down the road in Billings for many years, and now make routine trips to Billings to visit friends, eat at the Cracker Barrel and (for Debra) shop, Bozeman, the fastest growing community in the state, has an atmosphere and air of excitement that Montana's largest city cannot match. I've been told that Bill Gates considers Bozeman as the next Silicon Valley, and have read that Bozeman will reach a population of 100,000 by about mid-century. I hope the latter prediction is wrong, although I would not bet against it (BizJournals notes that Bozeman is the 11th fastest growing small town in America). At the least, city and county planners are working diligently (and successfully, it seems to me) to maintain the rural spaces and landscape that still characterize most of Gallatin County.

Other recent Top Ten listings including Bozeman:

The #1 town in America for Best Quality of Life - BizJournals (August 2007

Natural Home Magazine named Bozeman the #3 town eco-neighborhood city in America - December 2006.

Most Active Town in America Top Ten - Men's Journal (March 2006)

In addition, Money Magazine in 2007 profiled Bozeman in its Top 100 Places to live in America.

Of Reading and Libraries

A recent poll revealed that one in four adults claimed to have read no books during the past year, while the average person read only four books during the past year. But public librarians in Maine contend that library use is steady, and I continue to be amazed at the large number of patrons I observe in my jaunts to large bookseller chain stores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders. Certainly the comfortable reading chairs and coffee shops help draw in customers, but it is obvious at least some Americans still enjoy reading. On the other hand, many public libraries are in trouble, as this public library advocacy site seeking to prevent the closure of public libraries in Chicago attests. Having literally grown up in a public library (my mother was a librarian), I am both saddened and alarmed over the apparent decline in reading trends. Some of my best memories - and to this day one of my favorite leisure activities - are those of reading a book while sitting in a park on a warm spring or summer day.

But on a lighter note, for those who may be bothering to read this blog (I wonder how blog reading stacks up against print reading these days?), you'll smile while reading the police incident reports from today's Bozeman paper:

* "A student kicked a foot bag onto the roof of the high school. The student climbed the building to get it, but he got stuck and couldn't get down. The principal went for a ladder."

* [Cue Andy Griffith theme music in the background.] "A woman was concerned about a young boy with a fishing pole walking along Thorpe Road. A deputy found the 9-year-old boy, who had stayed home from school because he was sick. After feeling better, he went fishing on the Gallatin River. His mother was aware of his location."

* [From the "what the heck?" department.] "When deputies responded to a home, they saw a naked man holding open the front door and waiting to talk to deputies. His wife explained that the man had been wandering around the house naked. He had burned some toast and was sniffing the smoke coming out of the toaster. He also had eaten butter from the tub with his fingers. The deputy explained to the woman that although his behavior was unusual, no crime had been committed."

Aspen Leaves and Apple Trees

Fall is nearly here. The aspen leaves are turning yellow, the apple trees have dropped all their fruit, and Grizzly Bob's daily mice kills (from the fields behind our house) have dropped considerably.

From the Bozeman Chronicle today comes an interesting statistic concerning growth here in the Gallatin Valley: in 1987, the city approved 16 new homes for construction ... and by July of this year, the number for 2007 stood at 526. (But don't tell that to the cows grazing down the hill from our house, mowing the grass for the fire station.)



In the larger world today, our president is still bent on pursuing a mistaken war that cannot be won, and Congressional Republicans, wielding veto power, are likely to continue to support the president despite the failure of the war and against the will of the American people. It is my hope and prayer that before my little girl is old enough to understand what is going on in the world, the U.S. will have acknowledged the folly of the war in Iraq and brought home our troops. I would rather her read about grizzlies and wolves (frequent front page story material in the Chronicle and the Billings Gazette) in the daily news than the Iraq mess.

Of more encouraging news is the state of Vermont's victory to cut automobile emissions. Perhaps by the time Elizabeth is old enough to think about cars, we will be driving electric autos. A Tesla Motor roadster would be nice, although impracticable in Montana for much of the year.

I close with this little gem from a recent local police report: "A woodchuck was stuck underneath a vehicle on West Koch Street."

In the Shadow of God

The funeral of 7 year old Tyler Langley was Monday. Tyler died in a freak farm accident. The church in Absarokee was packed. The service was sad, touching, healing and a Christian witness all at the same time, as Tyler had accepted Jesus as his Savior two years ago. How can one begin to explain the reason for such a tragic death? But God is a steady comfort in the worst of times, as Aaron and Lori, parents of Tyler, can testify. The entire family will be dealing with the scars of this tragedy for a long time to come, but they will be doing so in the shadow of God himself.

Any and all prayers on their behalf will be greatly appreciated.

A Sad Day in Montana

Early this morning I learned that the 7-year old son of friends was killed in a farm accident in northeast Montana yesterday. I cannot even begin to imagine what the family is going through right now. Seven years old. I pray that the presence of God will hold them up at this time when life has suddenly ceased to make sense in so many ways. And I am sure the Langley family, whether you know them or not, would appreciate your prayers also.