Missoula, 2017

I took scores of pix in Missoula--mostly for Craigslist and eBay and such--but despite the lack of other pictorial evidence, we had a wonderful couple of weeks+, visiting friends, seeing our former house, and doing other enjoyable things in what for us was the best place, if not the last best place... Visits with former colleagues at Humanities Montana suggested that NEH's future was brighter than I might have imagined. Vicki was able to catch up with news from her former colleagues at Sentinel. We pet- and house-sat for Tammi and Bruce, which saved us from the worst of the 90 degree smoky weather, and then "guarded" Kim and Dave's new "investment" house in the valley. The hot weather and increasing wildfire smoke put a damper on things, and (again) going through the accumulated stuff of our lifetimes at our storage unit was a bittersweet experience. So many memories...the reluctance to part with artifacts...the knowledge that soon their meaningfulness will decline and then even disappear. I did not get rid of as much as I might have, but we did thin out a bit more and better identified the remains. Via the miracle of texting and photos, Rebecca and Rachel were able to help a bit. A yard sale on Route 200 and then the monthly flea market in Palo Alto in August helped the cause too.

Perhaps the highlight of the visit--not pictured--was seeing daughter Rachel and her husband Will, and his parents, the Sehestedts. Rachel was in Missoula for a bit of a Rocky Mountain vacation, just about in between jobs in DC. We'll see her and Will again in November in DC. Early in our visit, we spent a night and day with Vicki's brother Bob and his wife Beth, who were visiting relatives in Helena. I wish I'd taken more pix--but then we hope to be back in Missoula next September.

Vicki and her brother Bob at the C'Mon Inn, in Missoula, July,
2017

A double rainbow early in our visit, and about the only rain
we saw; in the spring 1996, I saw the only triple rainbow I've
seen, in Missoua

Our house on Horseback Ridge, 1997-2007; it sat unoccupied
for seven years before selling in 2016; we drove up, Vicki
knocked on the door, and the new owners gave us a tour and
heard a bit of the history of their new house; it's good to know
the house, into which we put much toil, but realized much
reward, is again in caring hands

Almost every morning we were in East Missoula, working
in our humongous storage unit there, going through boxes,
marking things for sale, Good Will, trash, further keeping,
whatever; as I said, I took lots of pix, mostly for Craigslist
and eBay, but also for memory; above is a shard of my 1972,
Mammut 11mm perlon climbing rope (a Stubai ice axe made
us some $ on eBay; pitons, nuts, slings, and a Chouinard
hammer will appear for sale in December); the rope took
me up and down some mountains, but spent most of its
life as a wall decoration, neatly coiled and festooned with
period ironmongery

View from Tammi and Bruce's kitchen; Missoula Valley and
environs can be beautiful

But already the smoke was gathering, primarily from the Sunrise
fire near Superior, another fire in Rock Creek, and another still
east of the Missions; above, a fire on Lolo Peak, before it blew
up

The Lolo Peak fire early in our visit; it and the others became
worse during our stay, and much worse still after we returned to
Middle California

Typical Missoula wit

Typical Missoula residential scene

You know you're in Missoula when Ford Fairlane Flip Tops
are a common appearance

Anyhow, we left our storage unit in its best condition ever...