Home on the Range

Digging into my archives again for Gaelyn's Foto Friday Fun, my Index #1977 popped up with this photo of an antelope that we saw in October of 2009 when we took a trip down the Alcan.  We'd crossed the border from Canada into Montana and were on our way to see our friends Mona and Don (Montanagirl).  The antelope were plentiful at that time, but a lot were lost a few years back in a harsh winter and they still haven't rebounded to their previous numbers.

I'm also linking up with Eileen's Saturday's Critters.

Barn With a View

We saw this old barn in the Bitterroot Valley in Montana, in October of 2009. You get a great view of the hills behind the barn looking through the barn, and a glimpse of the Bitterroot Mountains in the background.
It had been in this condition for quite a while at the time we were there, but I wonder if it withstood the heavy snows that Montana got this winter.

*****
Click on the barn below to go to Tricia's Barn Charm and see more old barns.

Location, Location, Location

We saw this barn in October of 2009 in southwestern Montana. I think the barn itself is very striking.

But the most striking thing about the barn is its location.

And what you see above the barn.

And as they say in real estate, it's all location, location, location!

*****

***Check out Barn Charm, hosted by Tricia, to see more old barns from around the world.***

Circle of Friends

I received this award from Granny's Garden. Thanks, Granny! Granny lives in Australia, and her blog provides those of us who are in the middle of winter with some much needed sun. This blog award is given to blogs that bring a smile to your face, or just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. There are many blogs that do that for me, and some of those have already received this award, so I'll name a few others that I enjoy. This is by no means all of the ones that I could name that bring a smile to my face when I visit. The best part of this award is the lack of requirements, and I really like that I have made so many new friends through my blog. It is really a lovely circle of friends!

Moments of Mine

Red and the Peanut

Barnyards and Barnacles

Picture Imperfect

Foto Soup

I've added a few pictures here of some critters that make me smile.

Hey, it's about time for a refill!

Lady, how about a nut or two?

Mmmm, nice fresh grass.

A Year of Blogging, 20 Years of Friendship

Last January 15th I received an email from my friend Mona telling me she had just set up a blog and inviting me to check it out. I had been thinking of setting up a blog to keep in touch with my family and friends as my husband and I traveled around the country. Her email was just the nudge I had been needing to get started. For several years we had been exchanging photos through email as we both explored our digital cameras, so starting a photo blog was an easy next step. Well, the blind leading the blind, and many emails back and forth, through many stumbles and a bit of frustration at times, we both managed to get our blogs going, and, as they say, the rest is history. Many of you know Mona as Montanagirl, and you can go to her blog by clicking here.

Mona and I first met some 20 years ago when we both worked together as legal secretaries at a law firm here in Fairbanks. Our husbands are both carpenters and they had known each other much longer than that. We became good friends, and enjoyed doing a lot of things together, including many dinners out and experimenting with new recipes and using each other as guinea pigs. I believe it was in 2000 that Mona and Don moved to Montana. Our friendship has continued in spite of the many miles between us, and we have managed to visit back and forth over the years. They visited us in May of 2007 and I took the following photo, trying out my new remote control for my Canon.

In October we stopped at Mona and Don's place in Montana and spent several days. We had a great time visiting and we headed out on the the backroads around their area and visited many of Mona's favorite spots for photo ops. It was great to get shots of some of the wildlife that she sees often in Montana, including antelopes......

Many, many birds, including this Meadowlark..... Many different hawks......

And you might recognize this barn that Mona has had on her blog several times. It was fun to see it in person and get a few shots of it.

We took hundreds of photos of wildlife, old buildings, views of the prairie, and whatever struck our fancy. You can see more of the shots I took in Montana by going to the Labels section in my sidebar and clicking on Montana or Roadtrip. The shot below is of Mona taking a photo of me as I took a photo of her.

The next is a photo that Mona worked her Photoshop magic on and merged two photos, one a shot of Don and Marty, and one a shot of Mona and me. These were taken while we were visiting at their place. I wish she could have done a bit more magic and made me look like less of a dork, but I guess there's only so much you can do.
We have both had a great time with blogging and have learned a lot from all our blogger friends. If you haven't visited Mona's blog and enjoy wildlife photography, hop on over to Mona's blog and take a look at some of her lovely photos.

I am still amazed that so many people have chosen to follow my blog, and I thank all of you for taking the time to stop by and visit. I look forward to another year of sharing with all the wonderful people I have met through my blog. Here's to old friends and new blogger buddies.

Elaine

Montana Mule Deer

I took these photos of mule deer while we were in Montana visiting Mona and Don. When we drove by this mule deer and her two babies were very curious. They checked us out to determine if we posed any danger.

Hey, Mom, what do you think?

I think we'd better skedaddle.

The puzzle shot in the previous post was taken as they were heading away. I am unsure whose rump it was, but I am inclined to believe it is one of the youngsters.

Red-shouldered Hawk

These photos were taken near Hinsdale, Montana. Our friend Hap in Victor was able to identify it as a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk by conferring with one of his birding friends. I took the photos while on a backroads jaunt with Mona.

He kept hopping from fencepost to fencepost so I got several shots of him, but he maintained his distance.

Finally he had had enough and flew away.

More Montana Critters

Here are some more shots of the deer taken Thursday afternoon. "Mom, what's that following me around?"

This old barn looks like a light breeze would knock it over, but it has been standing in this condition for quite a while.

Hap got some rabbits a few years ago and has let them run free. They come in with the deer for a handout.

They like both carrots and the apples.

Friday morning was chilly and windy with snow on the ground. The wild turkeys wandered in to get their share.

Victor is tucked up next to the Bitterroot Mountains and there is plenty of wildlife. There were elk close in the fields, but they came in the evening and early morning when the light was poor. I got some abstract shots of them, but none that were very clear. Saturday we were on the road again and spent the night in West Yellowstone.

On To Western Montana

We were on the road again Wednesday morning heading south and west to Victor, Montana.The day was a mixed bag of sun and clouds and through the mountains snow.

We spent the night at Livingston and then were on the road again in the morning.

The weather was beautiful when we arrived in the Missoula area.

We arrived at our friends' house in the afternoon. Their yard was part of an old apple orchard, so the whitetail deer come in to eat the apples. When they have such a treat they are willing to pose for photos.

Well, they do seem to have an opinion about the photographer!

But in the end the apples are more important and they quickly chomp them down.

Unfortunately the cold weather that has been tailing us finally caught up with us Thursday night and the temperature dropped and the snow fell. I'll post some more photos from Victor and the animals that were in the yard tomorrow.

Montana Back Roads

Yesterday Mona and I hit the backroads around Hinsdale, Montana, with our hubbies. We saw lots of interesting things, among them several old buildings. Here's Mona taking a shot of me while I was taking a shot of her. Check out some of her photos by clicking here. We had a fun day.

We saw more cows.

We even saw a flock of sheep being guarded by a very diligent dog.

The little one-room schoolhouses have all been replaced with larger centralized schools, but they still stand out on the silent prairie.

It's as if they are waiting for the children to come back and fill them with noise.

One of the birds we saw frequently along the roads is the Ring-necked Pheasant.

The days gone by have left their mark. Here the abandoned vehicles and buildings still stand in the wide open spaces. The cities quickly absorb what people abandon, but here they sit in the fields as evidence of the past.

This morning we left Don and Mona's and have made our way south and east. We are in Livingston, Montana, where a dusting of snow has fallen. In the morning we are on the road again headed to Victor, Montana, to visit Hap and Kay. Hopefully the snowfall will still be light and the roads clear. Ironically Fairbanks is warmer than Montana right now. A storm has seemed to be on our tail since we left home, but we have hopes that we will find warmer weather in a few days.