Month: May 2026

Pepper and I are taking a cruise that departs from Seattle. We considered flying out there, but decided the drive isn’t that far and has the added bonus of passing near Thom and Katie’s house (well, sort of). So we spent a couple of days at their house and had a great time with those kids. Of course it was funny that I’d just seen all of them a week before on my surprise birthday trip.

In addition to fun around the house, naturally we had to go on a hike. We drove up into the hills and hit the trail. Sefton has a little camera he takes everywhere with him, and he’s always snapping pictures of random stuff (like his Uncle Cosmo).

Hadley, with her short legs, does a great job on the trails but occasionally bats her little eyes and asks to be carried.

Eventually we came to an overlook that was breathtaking. We all had a snack, and Thom and I spent some time taking pictures of the mountain landscape.

Spring has definitely sprung here, and the hills were covered in yellow flowers. It was so pretty.

A good time. Always.

Thom is finally fifty! To celebrate this milestone, he invited a group of friends to join him and his family at a campground in the North Cascades. It’s been their family tradition to go to this particular campground each year on his birthday, but for fifty it seemed fitting to invite a crowd. He sent me an invitation a couple weeks ago, but since I live almost 450 miles away it was more of a joke. I told him I’d love to join him, but it wasn’t going to work out.

As the days ticked past, I thought maybe I should go. You only turn fifty once, and 450 miles isn’t that far. So on the day of the party I jumped in the car and headed west. Nine hours later I pulled into the campground, and found Thom and a group of friends standing around chatting. When he realized what was happening, he did the best double-take I’ve seen in a long time. It was hilarious and emotional and awesome.

I met several of his friends, re-met his in-laws, and had the wonderful opportunity to see my nephew Julian again. It’s been a few years, and it was great to hang out with him.

We enjoyed dinner and a campfire. Everyone– even the little kids– stayed up late talking and laughing. It was a fun group. The next morning Thom went skiing (of course) and Katie decided to bike up a mountain pass (of course). Since I had to get home, I jumped back in the car. But before heading back east, I wanted to see the pass. Up I went.

Yeah, the North Cascades are breathtaking.

As I drove up the highway, I caught up to Julian, who was biking. He’s the tiny speck in the lower right, climbing the highway just in front of a patch of snow:

He’s an incredible biker and was going faster uphill than I usually go on flat ground.

It was a quick-turnaround trip, but worth every minute. Happy birthday, little brother!

Big Sky Country certainly has its share of beautiful sunsets. This evening I was driving home and saw the Mission Mountains lit by the sun behind me.

About a month ago, driving back from Kalispell, I was treated to a similar scene on the Swan Mountains:

And a month before that, it was the Salish Mountains beyond Flathead Lake:

When I lived in Colorado, I told myself if I ever grew tired of seeing the mountains, it would be time to move. Well, I never grew tired of them (although I moved anyway!) and now I feel the same way about Montana sunsets. Seven years in, I’m not tired of them yet!