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~ Bulletin Board 2006 ~
December 2006
Ah, so much to be grateful for... Here in Big Timber, as 2006 comes to an end,
we have fresh snow on the ground, sunny skies, and no wind!
I'll admit to a not-so-grateful moment yesterday, in the morning, when I had to shovel snow,
but otherwise, feeling settled and comfortable in Winter's mold which is akin to hibernation.
It's just sooooo beautiful after a snow storm...!
"Crazy Mountains" (As seen from my dining room.)
A deep, heart-felt "Thanks" to all of you who have taken the time to check in
over these past few weeks. Your cards, photos, e-mails, letters, and phone calls
are so appreciated!
"Happy Holidays!"
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November 2006
Back in Big Timber just in time for the first big freeze.
The lowest low this week was minus 20*. I'm tending heaters and wood stoves.
Shoveling a bit of snow. Staying home, avoiding the icy roads and highways.
"In the Deep Freeze"
So, hello out there, wherever you are. Happy Thanksgiving! Thinking of you.
Hope all's well in your life. Would love to hear back, if you have a mind to write or call.
October/November 2006
One last journey to California before year's end, for the Garden Art Show.
We were soooo lucky with the weather - had a very close call with rain on Thursday and Friday!
To those of you who came by, a BIG "Thanks!". I hope you enjoyed your time in Nadja's garden.
We haven't set a date yet, but look for us to be there again in the Spring.
"Garden Art Show" (Photo: Ida Cori)
This last visit of the year also held many fine moments with friends and clients.
As always, it was great to see everyone. But some of you, I missed. You know who you are.
Hopefully, I'll catch you next time. Maybe February 2007.
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October 2006
In Big Timber. We have our first snow of the season...
"Snow on Marigolds..."
A sad time. We have lost BeBe to cancer. Her's was a long and spirited life.
Up to the end, she still bounced around in the mornings.
But she was in constant pain, and the moment came when I knew it was time to let her go.
Joey and I buried her body in the garden, among the hollyhocks, alongside Little Beau and Corky.
"BeBe, Beau, and Corky."
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September 2006
Fire season hit Big Timber hard this year.
We had two wildfires to contend with, the Derby and Jungle Fires,
which together burned 225,000 acres.
Many of my friends and clients watched their ranchlands go up in flame.
When the Derby Fire blew up, the entire Eastern sky was filled with a mushroom shaped cloud.
The fire destroyed some 20 homes that afternoon as it flew North along Bridger Canyon.
In the following weeks, the fire changed directions countless times, many folks were evacuated,
some twice, first to escape the Derby Fire, then again, only a day after returning home,
when the Jungle Fire blew up. All I saw here in town was smoke, week after week.
I retreated to the studio, made beads, prayed for rain and an end to the wind!
"Fire Season Beads..."
Humidity got down as low as 4%! In the final crisis moment, the two fires were less
than a mile apart, choking the entrance to the Boulder Canyon. If the wind were to swing
around out of the north, push the fire south, the fuel in that Canyon would explode
into something no one wanted to think about! But then we got rain and a little bit of snow.
Within days the grass was sprouting green again. When things cooled down enough for walks,
I went back to my favorite hiking grounds, and found an eerie landscape:
"Bohee - After the Derby Wildfire..."
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August 2006
Yet another trip to California. This one wrapped around a week at Asilomar.
I got to do massage for the ACEEE conference and go for daily walks through
the sand dunes and along the beach.
"By the Sea" (Photo: Dave Netto)
In Montana, Joey has gone from climbing rocks to mountains...
Jeremy, Travis, and Joe on top of "The Grand"
Grand Tetons National Park, Wyoming. (Photographer Unknown)
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July 2006
My summer is taking a zig-zag shape as I drive back and forth between Montana
and California. Each journey fashioned around a specific event.
A Garden Art Show on Rigg Street. A week with my dear friend Janet who turned 93 this year.
"Hollyhock time in Big Twig"
During our mid-July time in Soquel, BeBe went walk-about. Just disappeared one evening
and was gone for two nights! At 16 years old, she still has it in her to break through
a fence to go hunting. I think something or someone frightened her out there in the field,
and that she ran, and then couldn't find her way home again. I'll spare you the agonizing
details, and skip to the happy ending: She was picked up the next day, and taken to the pound.
They called me, on day two, and I bailed her out in full and complete gratefulness!
"BeBe..."
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June 2006
Back in Montana, soaking up the fragrance of my 12 foot tall, blooming lilac hedge!
"Lilac Time in Big Timber"
Joey has taken up a new sport: rock climbing.
There's an indoor climbing gym and countless great rocks in the Bozeman area.
"Climbing in Bear Canyon..." (Photo: Melanie Locke)
Snow is melting in the mountains, bringing the rivers into high water time...
"Natural Bridge on the Boulder River" (Photo: Melanie Locke)
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May 2006
Joey finally got to Santa Cruz for a few days in May.
I got to spend my birthday and Mother's Day with him and his Dad. :-)
"Tom & Joe"
And now, at last, back in Montana, after being gone for five months!
Only two weeks before my next commitment in California.
Filling the time as full as I can: catching up with friends and clients;
cleaning up the yard before the weeds take over; walking in the hills south of town;
having breakfast at the Frosty Freeze; watching electrical storms roll across the prairie;
Screamer Kitty is in Catnip Heaven...
"Catnip Kitty"
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April 2006
Reluctantly, I made the decision to give up the bungalow. Too far away from things,
it required a 20 mile or more daily commute, and ultimately, time there was time
away from the torch. So, the kids and I have settled down on the Lane, and into trailer life.
As usual, BeBe and Screamer have found a nice place to curl up together.
"Nap Time"
I began again to make plans to head back to Big Timber, but the car broke down.
Now the car is repaired, but Joey is thinking about coming out for a visit!
So, I'll just have to stay put for awhile longer... :-)
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March 2006
It took awhile to warm up to the torch, but I'm into the swing of melting glass again, at last!
Don't know what has gotten into me, but started making really big beads, and can't stop!
Might have to keep this set for myself...
"Los Grandes"
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February 2006
I intended to be back Montana by the 1st of this month. Have started packing, twice!
But road trips are hard to pull off during the winter months, especially in a small car,
with high mileage. It's a too-long drive, even in good conditions, so
if there's a chance of snow, I postpone. Such is the case right now.
Hey, with Montana in the grips of Winter, I'll just have to take more time by the sea...
"Stormy Seas"
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January 2006
New Year's Day finds me in Aptos, California, moving into a canvas cabin... 
"Redwood Bungalow..."
We've had a lot of rain, but the bungalow has a wood stove, and most days,
the sun comes through. BeBe and Screamer Kitty are always quick to find a sunny place...
"Contented Critters"
A major downside of my California visits has always been the lack of a place for beadmaking.
My Aptos plan included a work space in or near the bungalow, but it has turned
out that the electrical supply is inadequate. We could run another circuit,
or pick a different location on the property, but projects abound and take a lot of time
to unfold. Fortunately, my friend Lorene has offered me an alternative...
This workshop is located right over the fence from my trailer!
"Torch Time"
And just for the record, here's a picture of the trailer the day it SNOWED, at sea level!!!
"Snow on the Lane"
Forgive me if I go on and on about Bungalow Life, but I do love it here!
A regular visitor over the winter months has been a beautiful, young banana slug.
Daily, mostly in the mornings, foraging along the path among redwood needles and cones...
"Banana Slug"
One of my favorite times is evenings when I sit outside on the deck,
under the glass roof, to have dinner by candle light. Rain or star-shine, I bundle up,
enjoy a meal, breathe in the scent of the night-blooming Jasmine, and listen to nature's music:
Coyotes. Frogs. And a pair of owls that call the redwood grove above me "home".
"Outdoor Dining"
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