Christmas in Montana

I had enough miles racked up to get a free flight. I chose to cash these in for a Christmas trip to see John in Montana. Big John passed nearly a year a go and left his land to John, who only just got out there two months ago. Getting him there was a challenge, but he’s there now. His new challenge will be getting used to all that space.

I flew from Newark at 6 bloody A buggery M, to Seattle, to then back through the Cascade Mountains to Helena, Montana. Ah, the fun of free tickets. John lives in Jefferson City, about thirty minutes south of Helena. His house is well hidden off a non-descript road mostly used by the still functioning gold mine set back in the hills. I felt it best to keep things that way, hence no pictures of his house, only the surrounding land. Each mile looks the same – trees and lots of space that go on forever. We drove up to McDonnell Pass for more breathtaking vastness. That kind of open space is crushing, restricting the breathing a bit as you realize you’re nothing in comparison.

As to the rest of the trip, well…let me say that I had hoped for something more relaxing. But there was a bit of something in the air, and I wound up having to cut my trip short a few days as a result. The next trip will be more manageable as I will know what I learned from this trip and be more prepared.

All in all it was good to see the space, good to try and imagine myself there, good to assess the situation. I found a house in Boulder, Montana, the next town over, that probably is impossible to have, but it’s nice to dream. If I moved it, it would have to be brick by brick, or get newer, more ecologically friendly materials, but pictures are included below. We couldn’t get back to look at all of John's land due to road conditions and such, so that will have to wait until spring, but I have a general guess where I might want to set up, if John is still open to doing that. He certainly seems to be, so I think we’re still a go on that level. There’s plenty of work needing to be done on his land first, and plenty of money I’d need to before I could ever try to cut out a corner for myself from the rugged land that belongs to him.

Spring time will bring the horses back from stable, a road to finish, barn floor to be re-done, fallen trees to be gathered, a wood shed and chopping station to be built, land assessment to be made, acreage to be sold off, pool to be installed in the grove (not my thing, but John wants it), gutters to installed, landing to be stained and finished, and probably a hundred other things. Helena is very manageable, Sally Ann, John, and Devon are all a pleasure, and meeting Zak did me untold good. So, plenty to look forward to in the coming years, regardless of whether or not I ever wind up being a homesteader in Montana.

Oh, and the only accident was my almost death over dinner. A fish bone got stuck in my throat, John had to perform the Heimlich maneuver, and I had to claw it out of myself before we could relax in front of the fire. We got it out of the way the second night I was there, so that was useful.

I have the recipes for the dinners we had throughout if anyone is interested. John is nothing if not a master chef, bones and all.

Happy Christmas.

Cascades from the airplane

Helena airport, with bears

Surrounding Jefferson City

McDonnell Pass and John

Prezzies and more prezzies ...

Ah, the roast.

...and Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes...

...and the final presentation of Christmas dinner.

On an old rail bed on John's land, following cougar tracks...

big fella...

Sufferin Succotash, I'm a scared!

Me too!

Elk tracks - maybe that's what the big cat was after...

or jackrabbit...

or humans....

John's land...

John and Zak...

The neighbor's horses...

random old tractor in Boulder, MT... and, without further ado, my dream house for the mountains...

...more dream stuff, I'd have at least three...

ah, the writer wakes up...

and is barely human...give her some tea already!

and the Christmas flower...nice way to end things, dontcha think?...xob

Not so much traveling as moving...

I moved into my new place in August. It was...interesting at first - my landlords live upstairs and...well... we needed to get used to one another. I had people visiting from almost the moment I moved in, which also coincided with the anniversary of "the death of a salesman" and all. So of course I stayed as inebriated as possible. As a result, one of the bright spots of the year disappeared as quickly as it lit up in the first place. Well, I think it was a result - I have no idea really. But she got to stay in a very swank apartment and I got some new-to-me CDs, so I guess it worked out in the end.

Anyway, I've been asked for new photos of the place. It's hard to capture because it's a floor-through / railroad apartment and not very wide, but I got inspired tonight. Some shots are from the summer in full day light. Some were taken after I hacked back some grape vines (they were pretty from any view but my kitchen, where the bugs swarmed and the smell of rotting fruit got to me though admittedly the arbor looks stark - it will grow back). The rest are from tonight. I tried to start with the garden and work my way towards the front of the apartment in some sort of logical order. The light fixtures and ceilings are for my sisters who appreciate details. Oh, and I included the shot of John installing the Sputnik - he worked his tail off, suffered a shock, and would not give up until it was working properly. God love my gay men.

Hope it makes sense, and if not...well then you'll just have to come for a visit and see it for yourself. xob

The crowning glory of the living room...the Sputnik:

Myspace blogging and whatnot

I write stuff on my "myspace" blog. Yes, that's right, go ahead, laugh all you want - I have a "myspace" page.

http://myspace.com/babblezz

It's got more musings and pictures and all that stuff, plus the wonderful feature of letting me know just how many people I don't know and how many people haven't asked me to be their "friend". However, the blog there is for all musings, not just travel-related ones as is the case for the ones here. And it loads more quickly and is easier to edit in some regards.

Go there, go read the blog, look at the goofy pictures (some are on this blog cuz you know you can never post the same picture of yourself too many times) and don't invite me to be your friend. Fine.

Thoughts on Yelapa, or A Spoiled Girl's Time without Stuff

I envisioned writing this entirely in Spanish, but then...no. Not only would 98% of the people reading this not be able to understand it, but my Spanish isn't really that good. I could give you a grocery list of nouns - the cat, the boat, the roach - but not write a really an enthralling adventure.

Right, so, English it is.

I learned a lot about myself on this trip - mainly, I am the spoiled American I always say I hate.

(Look, things were dirty and there were bugs and poop and then there was the toilet situation and I caught myself being whiney and obnoxious, as I am apparently as conditioned as the next American, and snotty, and as Cath once said, can't do without a 7-Eleven on the corner.)

I did calm myself and let things go and started to go with the flow...so I guess I can work towards not needing the 7-Eleven...right, can't I?

Highlights:

• I dropped $100 out of my pocket somewhere in the streets of Puerto Vallarta while wandering around, waiting for my boat ride to Yelapa, two hours after landing in the country.
• I puked my first night there.
• I was eaten alive by mosquitoes the first couple of nights until I got the hang of the mosquito netting.
• The roof leaked on me while sleeping.
• The cockroaches and crabs took over the first place I stayed each night. The crabs at least didn't fly after me...
• Even with an application of 45-Proof sunscreen I was severely burnt after a day of snorkeling - my hands turned purple, the skin tore on my chest, and my lip was fat as though I’d been beaten. (But I DID snorkel...sorta...I mean, I swallowed a lot of the sea before I got my breathing under control, but I was in there...)
• The snorkel guide tried to seduce me by swimming us into a cove, where he laid on the beach with his hands behind his head and winking while I got tossed against a bunch of rocks.
• I used olive and tea tree oil as skin lotion because there was nothing else that would keep my skin moist and I thought I was going to burn alive without something. It's actually rather good, I may toss my regualr body lotion...!
• I moved into a different house half way through, and this place had NO roaches!!!
• There were only a few crabs, but they were ok...and a dog that would come and go as she pleased, who I lovingly referred to as Stinky.
• Dolphins were swimming in the bay, visible from the veranda of house #2, called Casa Del Sol.
• I went for a swim and learned a) never to go past the point where I can still touch the bottom b) never float aimlessly on your back in a bay when a river is feeding into it c) swim parallel to the current that keeps driving you further out so you don't get tired trying to swim against it and d) if all that fails, it is good to yell for help regardless of how stupid you may feel afterwards.

Yargh, the sea, she is a salty mistress.

When I've had a near-death experience, I try to shake if off and think, well that's done - what's next?...

I skipped horseback riding and parasailing, afraid of other highlights - like being thrown off the horse down the side of a cliff, or perhaps the parasail cable snapping mid-flight and floating off into the jungle somewhere.

I did enjoy myself though. And coming back I certainly knew I was in the States. By the time I returned, I’d actually gotten into the rhythm of the storms at night and the crickets and sounds of night and nature, and the quiet and simplicity of the days. I just kept thinking of how loud and bright and gaudy everything is when I was coming back. I’m now trying to get back into the swing here. I'm moving apartments in three days, then I have no idea what happens next.

The pictures are below. Enjoy…viva Yelapa…

I know this is blurry, but that's Glyn's sarong I’m wearing…woodgie, woodgie…

and my cute little homage when I got back to work...

Autumn in New York...well, Pennsylvania anyway...

Hey, it's an hour and a half outside of the city...so, close enough for me. I'm not going to say much in this, as the photos speak for themselves. This is on the way to and around Milford, PA, at a friend's cabin on a lake. You have to cross the Delaware River to get there... I love this time of the year and my new camera - all the photos came out great. Oh, and there were no industrial accidents, just a sore back from over doing things a bit…

The story of Bonnie and Clyde

I sent this to friends a few weeks ago, but thought I'd share it here.

September 20, 2005

So. Iwas drinking and dialing, as you do when you finally find what makes you happy in life and it happens to be on the other side of the planet. I had a cheeseburger delivered at 4:30 in the morning then went down to get a phone card so I could call without winding up with a $6000 mobile bill.

On my way back I noticed two bags in the little ashtray garbage can thingy in the lobby and, upon further investigation, realized the bags contained gold fish, one in each bag. Because my powers of perception are incredibly honed, I deduced that said goldfish were probably purchased at the streetfair that took place over the weekend in my hood, only to then be rejected when whomever's parent realized they would have to get a tank and food and and and.

So. I brought the creatures to my abode. I named them Bonnie and Clyde. Clyde's the bigger one. By now it was nearly 5am.

I got on the phone, continued to drink, The Waifs were playing, and somewhere in there I fell asleep.

Now when I awoke this morning I had a vague recollection of the entire thing which I was then reminded of in complete detail when I turned on the bathroom light to find two gold fish swimming in my tub. I recalled that Lou said I should put them in the tub, so I did. And I crumbled herb and garlic Wheat Thins over the water for food. Which of course were now just mushy bits sunken to the bottom of my bathtub.

So now I had to ask, what the hell was I going to do with two goldfish named Bonnie and Clyde and where was I going to take a shower?






...I then recalled that the super of the adjoining building was a coi lovin fool and had constructed a giant fish pond in the lobby. A light bulb went off over my head...well, actually, just one of the ones from the bathroom mirror popped...(throat clearing)...

I thought to myself, mighty fish rescuer, why don't you scoop up the wee lil things and take them to the wonderous habitat for coi in the adjoining building?

So I staggered to the kitchen, popped some Advil and took a swig of the dark doctor, Diet Coke, grabbed an empty yogurt container and a soup ladle and went back to the tub. I tenderly scooped first Clyde then Bonnie into the empty yogurt container and smiled. I told them they were almost free now and took them out into the newly decorated hallway of my apartment building and pressed the button for the elevator.

I took the sweet babes around the block to the adjoining building, introduced myself to the doorman and explained the plight of bonnie and clyde. He said I could add them to the coi pond but...

So I did. Add them to the coi pond....I set them freeeeeee...born freeeeeee, as free as the wind blowssssssss.....

...but....then...I heard the rest of what the doorman was telling me, that actually they were kind of small for this coi pond and...then...

A fish the length of my right arm came out of nowhere and snapped Bonnie in half...he ate half of her, while the other coi fought over the other half.

Clyde swam for his life and is now hding behind a small outcropping of rocks while all the fish float at the entrance to his hideout, silently waiting for him to venture out.

Hey, I tried...fuckin nature.

man have things changed in the last month...

Since returning from Oz, the midwest has been visited, cheese has been consumed, babies have been held, funerals have been attended, volunteer organizations have been called, hurricanes have hit, friends have decided to disappear, new businesses have gone out of business, the weather has cooled, bombs have gone off in foreign lands, music has been played to appreciative audiences, goldfish have been eaten, other friends have reappeared and lots have remained constant in the night sky.



I am older now than I knew possible which is a good thing I think, but only time will tell. I have been to the mountains and played with pumpkins and contemplated chain saws and piles of wood, screamed and run from spiders and lost lures to prehistoric fish, booked another ticket home to Wisconsin, made apologies in some arenas and for good reason, and stood my ground in others.



Life is different in countless ways and it's hard to believe that just over a month ago I was on the other side of the planet, giddy and free in ways I have not allowed myself to be in a long time. Now I must find a way to find that place here, riding tumultuous waters and trying to just stay calm and not think about the possiblity of capsizing.

I may or may not update this again, but not to worry - I'll do my best to be entertaining when and if I do...happiest of halloweens to you...