Slipping Into the Flow...

Within two hours of arriving in Big Timber, I was in the car with Cassandra and Judy heading out Swamp Creek Road to enjoy the gorgeous scenery on the approach to the Crazy Mountains. The raw beauty of that area is really indescribable. So much of it is 'untouched' that we could imagine what the first pioneers must have felt when they first entered that magnificent terrain. Unfortunately, the harsh climate was unsuitable for farming and we saw the ruins of a homestead that must have been abandoned after years of trying to eke out a bare existence.

On the way out we drove through open range and had to slow to a crawl to pass cows and their young calves hanging out in the road or romping around playing chase with each other. We saw at least a dozen handsome bucks with their antlers still in velvet and several pronghorn grazing the hills. As dusk progressed, the nighthawks came out to feast on flying insects, their wings making a soft, vibrating 'voom' sound as they dove through the air.

I spent all of Monday cleaning the dust and cobwebs out of the studio as nobody has lived in it since I was here last November. The cozy screened-in back porch offers a serene view of the Yellowstone River with the Crazies in the background. I enjoy watching the Blue Herons, Canadas, and White Pelicans flying over the river, and the birds in the nearby trees always provide a serenade of song or chatter.

Cassandra's former 'Studio' and my home-base until the end of August