Missoula, Again

Last week we drove route 200 from Sandpoint to Missoula and spent several days there...our book club, friends, doctor and dentist and another doctor, and, of course, our storage unit. Home is where you store your stuff. It was great to see all the friends--especially Tammi and Bruce and Luke, who put us up--our visits to the storage unit were successful (except for finding the dark suit I may wear June 12), the dental check-ups were good, and the orthopedist's prognosis for Vicki's knee was very promising. A steroid shot and six weeks' PT, and she should be able to do the Tour du Mont Blanc this summer, he said. Vicki on steroids. Oh well.

Missoula was wonderful and entertaining, as always. The lunatic fringe were protesting a proposed anti-discrimination policy before city council, and the ensuing demonstrations and testimony before council--the largest number of people ever attending one of their meetings--were, um, interesting. The measure passed, 10-2, I am pleased to say. You can read all about it at the Missoulian, www.missoulian.com/news/local/article_413f00c2-46d1-11df-9b94-001cc4c03286.html. If I weren't planning on cremation, you could bury my heart in Missoula. We drove back to Sandpoint on 200 Tueday afternoon in snow and wintry mix, dodging deer all the way. Even in crummy weather, the lower Clark Fork valley is spectacularly scenic.

Demonstrators overflowing city council chambers...

The opposition's website/logo

Someone else's photo, but that's pretty much how it looks