A Blogger Returns

This is for those of you who have asked what has happened to the blog once diligently updated every week.
Well, I must admit, not much eventful has happened in the past couple months. I spent most the winter at the Montana cabin shoveling snow, walking the dog and burning firewood. Started work on a little home remodel to include a new bedroom, with a sliding glass door facing the lake, an 8x24 deck as an entry and a 1,000 gallon pond. By start I mean, theoretical architecture, lots of looking and measuring, drawing plans and making estimates. I got as far as putting up the walls, but cold weather and frozen ground kept me from the next step, excavation, which will be done by hand to prevent damage to the landscape.
Also worked on a music project tentatively named, “Scenes from the Invisible”, an atmospheric collection very heavy on the electronic effects. Hope to work out some bugs for an early summer release.
A few weeks ago I was called back to work in Gillette, WY, the “City of Lights” or “Paris on the Prairie”, and Wright, WY, aka “the Ivory City”, named for the dozens of FEMA mobile homes gracing the landscape. The work has been routine and most uneventful, for I merely am overseeing a sale and auction of a dozen FEMA mobile homes. As of yesterday all had been sold, so once the new owners take possession, I can return home to the awaiting projects.
There was one thing out of the ordinary last week, a storm now being called “The Blizzard of ‘07”. On Wednesday morning the 40 mile drive from Gillette to Wright was in a cold rain. I was listening to the Buffalo radio on the AM where they were telling tales of white-out conditions and road closures. Not long after my arrival in Wright the rain turned to snow and then to 40 mph blowing snow and soon they began to close the roads. My partner at work chose to return home to Gillette after hearing of the first road closing; it took him 3 ½ hours to drive the 40 miles, part of the slowdown was due to an 8 car wreck outside of town. My choice to remain may have been prudent, but the stay was less than comfortable. Two nights sleeping on the floor with a piece of cardboard for a mattress and a borrowed mattress pad for a blanket with no shower nor change of clothes made the return to the motel in Gillette of Friday afternoon feel like a trip to the Ritz. I like the sound of that, “Like living at the Ritz in the City of Lights, Paris on the Prairie.”

Alzada, Montana

To those of you who have not had the pleasure of traveling from Broadas, Montana to Belle, South Dakota on highway 212, here is a photo from Alzada, one of the only towns on the route. They say there is not much left of the town, but by appearences, there never was much there

Spring's First Flower

Here is a Forsythia flower I picked from Mom’s yard over the Christmas holiday and brought inside, thus forcing it to bloom and revealing the promise of spring.

5mm Dendrite Snowflake

This little jewel was captured on a piece of blue foam board at -11 degrees celsius.

Honeysuckle Leaf Venations

How many times have we passed a winter leaf without seeing its intrinsic beauty

Where I live

This is the view from across the lake. Note the abandoned cabin on the south shore.

Stinkbug

This lovely creature came in with the firewood. We should be glad they are only about 1.5 cm.

Macro photography

Here is a shot of some lichen growing on a stump; it is probably Cladonia deformis, common name: “lesser sulphur cup”. It was shot using a 1x to 5x Canon macro lens. Note the spores that are undetectable to the unaided eye. The lichen pictured are about 1cm in length.