A dark beginning...

It was a dark and stormy morning. Clouds loomed gray and ominous outside our hotel window. We were about to rise and drive five hours for a first day in our Montana home. And we felt a little uncertain. But an owl just outside our open window whoot-whoo-ed. And we marveled at the nearness of this wonderful, wild Montana creature. We considered it an omen of good things to come.

Yellowing cottonwoods, steel-blue skies.

Likewise, when sun hit the top of yellowing cottonwood trees as we sat waiting to move forward in a road-construction zone, the dim sky behind it wasn't scary at all. Sure, it was nearly as dark a blue as the mountains below. But the yellow leaves seemed to thumb their noses at the gloom. I took a quick, fuzzy picture (think pointillism). This was going to be a good day.

Further along Interstate 90 West (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_90_in_Montana), we hit light rain and hill-clinging clouds that turned to fog in some of  the valleys. One cloud in particular had the look of a dragon with jagged tail slashing at sagebrush and pines.

Dragon-tail cloud, near Bozeman.

I-90 lightens up a bit, farther west.

Rock outcroppings, a geologist's dream in Montana.

More brown hills and low clouds, but also more "sunny breaks"!

Finally, green pastures on a valley floor.

But we slouch toward Hamilton (apologies, W.B Yeats) through strip-mall sections of Missoula (a town we need to find the best of -- and will) until we hit Highway 93 south. Just 40 pristine miles to go!!

Low clouds settle in again, on either side of the road. "This is very discouraging," says Alex, laughing at himself. "We came for the mountains and you can't even see them!"

We drive on. We see a guy preparing for winter sports on roller skis, along an impressive walking/cycling path that will eventually stretch from Missoula south to Hamilton.

Rain pelts us. I'm getting a little anxious. Do we have to go all winter with clouds and not a mountain top in sight?

As it turns out, no! We do have two more rainy days as we "camp out" in our new home -- mattress, box springs and frame purchased at Bitterroot Furniture (www.bitterrootfurniture.com), owned by a guy named Mark, originally from Florissant, MO, no less. Then the sun emerges!! And everything is glorious. A dusting of snow on the mountain tops gives the valley an alpine look. We take brisk walks -- to the Hamilton farmers' market for great end-of-summer tomatoes and spicy greens; to River Rising for the best latte west of, well, St. Louis; to the Coffee Cup for hearty breakfasts; to the IGA for groceries; even to the temporary-employment agency to hire guys for some tear-outs in the basement.

We currently are awash in contractors, and we are very pleased with their promptness and quality of work. Not sure what to do yet with kitchen: cabinets are solid cherry; appliances will serve for now; walls need a taupe or white paint; countertop needs replacing; but one of my favorite views in the house is the scene of walkers, joggers, etc., on Baker Street, just outside the big window over the kitchen sink.

A kitchen in transition.

We start cleaning up the yard -- a quite cute small space, complete with raised vegetable bed along the alley side and many old-fashioned hollyhocks, irises and poppies along the garage. Even raspberry canes populate the southern fence line.

End-of-season raspberries, in need of pruning!

Our breakfast nook, before old folding chairs get replaced; a little vintage table's on the way.

Evenings have been full of dinners at friends' houses -- principally hosted by the lovely Mary Barton and her husband Kelsey Milner. But one, above, was a feast at the log house of Marie Anne Hasenkrug, with Baroque music as appetizer.

The next day, Kels and Vinny the dog stop by to show off Kelsey's new, Italian-made, Maggiolina roof top tent!  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHd77e7PbIE). It rolls up and down, has a cushy mattress and pillows plus a sturdy, fold-up ladder -- all perfect for Montana bear country as well as Kels and Mary's Baja vacation this winter! Could there be a Maggiolina in our future?? Ciao!