Making Friends With Chipmunks

I took the most beautiful drive the other day on highway 212 in Wyoming. It was amazingly beautiful. Each turn had something new to look at. If you have the time, this by far is one of the most beautiful drives I've ever been on. At the top, you get a stunning view of bear tooth mountain.

On the way down towards Montana, I stopped at another viewpoint and the chipmunks were the friendliest I've ever encountered. They were all too eager to ham it up and be in my photograph. One looked like he took pleasure in photobombing my shot! It really was a beautiful drive and I would recommend making a trip if you've never been.

A Visit With Lauren Grabelle in Bigfork, Montana

Sometimes when you sit back and remember how you met someone in your life it was by chance encounter, a different turn, a mutual friend, a new job, etc.  I am thinking on how exactly I started talking to Lauren and it all started last year.

A virtual friend, Jane O' Hara's artwork was in a show last September and I went to the link to look at the other artists on the site.  I clicked on Lauren's website and instantly fell in love with her "Natural Boundaries" portfolio.  Not only that, there were and are so many images that I am drawn to.

I wrote to her to tell her just that.  She checked out my blog and what I was doing (driving around the country with my dog) and she identified with some things I wrote about on my travels.  We started talking and ended up having a lot in common.  After writing for almost a year here and there, I finally met her in her home/studio in Bigfork, Montana and Max and I spent some time with her and her dog, Sugar.

We had a nice slice of life in Montana going for walks, eating at the local establishments, listening to live music, visiting a farm house and enjoying her "yappy hour."

I had a great time in Montana.  I can see why Lauren chose to make Bigfork her home.  It is an amazing place and I look forward to returning again.  A big thank you to Lauren and Sugar!  If you are on facebook, you can be her fan by clicking HERE.

She is a blogger too and wrote a nice piece on our visit with her.  You can view that by clicking HERE.