Montana Menories

Aha!  I have my trip photos loaded and here are a few to share.
This sign states our philosophy.

The great thing about heading to the Kalispell area of Montana is that in one day you can go from this scenery ...

... to this.

We camped at the KOA near Whitefish and they have a terrific, little zoo.  During the day their animals free graze so one morning this llama met us in the playground.

We always try to get in a Rotary meeting with the Rotary Club of Whitefish.  Everyone is friendly and has great conversation to share.  They sang O Canada because we were their guests and that made us feel very special indeed.

Here's my new, favorite cafe in Bigfork.  Check it out if you are in the area and order the garlic fries with whatever you are eating.

We ate at Docks Restaurant in Lakeside.  Fish tacos and a view!

We finally got to eat at Loula's in Whitefish.  It only opens for breakfast and lunch and the lines are usually endless.  I had the lemon stuffed French toast with raspberry sauce while Bob settled for a sandwich.

Norm's News is an iconic place in Kalispell.

If you have a sundae at Norm's News, order the small, not the medium.  Just sayin'!

The reason we have made our Montana pilgrimage for the last eleven years is to see the live theater at Bigfork.  Here's what we saw this year.

The gardens in front are delightful year after year.

Usually you have to get to the theater early to find parking anywhere along the main street, but for one show a vehicle pulled out from in front of the theater right in front of us.  Bob manoeuvered our trusty old van into the spot not caring if some elderly person needed the space.  It wasn't a handicapped spot so no law was broken.

The night we attended Footloose was its premiere with a champagne reception.  I tried to tell Bob that he wasn't to drink with both hands!

Here's a photo from outside the foyer looking in.  There were lots to enjoy the champagne and nibblies while meeting the cast and crew.

I find it hilarious that grocery stores sell booze.  I find it even more hilarious that the beer aisles are longer than any of the food aisles.  What does that say about the American way?  Here's the aisle of local brews.  Then you can turn the corner and there's an even longer aisle of the big name beers.

  Miller, Coors, etc. don't have names to match the names of microbrewery beers.  Here are some examples:

The Boot Barn also has long aisles.  How would anyone ever make a choice from all of these boots?

The coolest boots I saw were these in my favorite secondhand shop.  They weren't my size, nor were they my style, but I admired them anyway.

I stopped at the Conrad Mansion, which we had toured before, to pick up a map for the walking tour of historic homes in the area. 

 I enjoyed seeing all the beautiful homes and really enjoyed a chance half hour conversation with a previous mayor of the city.

The reason I liked the next house is because ...

of the exact replica birdhouse in front of it.

I know Nathan would like a play structure like this at his house.

From Montana we headed to Alberta where we took in the Stampede, Drumheller, and Rosebud.