August

I wish the beebalm lasted longer,this photo was so fun to take. I planted some purple for next year!
2007. It will always be "The year we went to Montana". I can't remember what year Hawaii was. 2000 or 2001. My friend and I got a fabulous deal on a package,and went for a week or so. Since I already had a bug in my ear about wanting to go to Montana,I was taken enough by Hawaii,but remember saying"It's beautiful,but it's no Montana".

In May 1997, I got the idea. I was on a retreat back in Detroit. The retreat leader had put a picture on the retreat schedule of a guy standing facing a beautiful mountain,arms outstretched as if to embrace the mountain. All weekend I wuld look at that picture,at the joy that guy had and think....how do I get that?

Turns out,it was the retreat leader's son,also from a city. He had gone to Montana on a trip,and fell in love with it and moved. Curious, I thought. Not so fast. One month later,I visited Connecticut,and the very same thing happened to me. That guy was truly an inspiration. We have never met,or spoken. But I am glad his father shared that photo with us.

As much as I love it here,I wanted to see what that guy saw,so in 2002,I started saving for a trip to Glacier Park in Montana. I figured I'd go visit first,then make a second trip to move. There was no doubt in my mind that if I liked the rural Northeast,I would simply die for Montana's Northwest( I am still convinced of this,although I no longer am deluded to think I can move there :( . )

I watched some videos,got some pamphlets in the mail,I was thinking maybe June of 2003 would be a nice time to go. In a story for another day,the wheels came off the bus. The cheese slipped off the cracker. I ended up with a hospital bill I couldn't pay,unable to work,and had to go bankrupt, with a side of food stamps and state aid for 6 months. Wow do they treat people like crap. I still get nauseous when I remember that whole ordeal.

The following spring I was able to go back to work,and slowly work back to a normal life.
More later.....it's time to walk.