Gorgeous sky driving in to Bozeman todayKenny cuddled happily in my lapScenery got even prettier as we approached Bozeman with its backdrop of the Bridger Mountains I got to be pampered… and now I’m red/white/blue: ready for July festivities Returning to Ennis this was the scene about a mile from homeWishing you could come visit beautiful Montana… especially our Madison Valley
Have you watched any of the TV series called “The Madison”? It’s filmed right here in and around Ennis.
Now, I don’t mean to offend those of you in cities who love living where there are bright lights, lots of traffic, big buildings, and crowds of people. BUT,
Give me one main street, cars I can count on my two hands, businesses who know customers by name, plentiful opportunities for building friendships as well as volunteering to help others, mountains in the background, and a river that runs through it… and I’ll be happy!
My favorite places to go in my little town? 1. Our independent version of McDonalds is “Sugar High” (It has great burgers and terrific huckleberry shakes) 2. The Manor Nursing Home (I love helping the residents there – it’s such a loving place) 3. The Madison Valley Library (We have a five star library… doesn’t get any better!) 4. Lion’s Club Park (The walking trail bordering the Madison River is divine)
In a little town like Ennis, you can see the stars at night. No bright lights to block out their beauty…
The wind is like a lion The wind is a howling hyena The wind is like a frisky lamb The wind is a cotton ball
The part of Montana where we live (Madison Valley in Madison County) is a wind tunnel. Right now as I sit here at my computer, I can see it. I can hear it. I can read my barometer telling me that it ranges between 15 and 25 mph this morning. Occasionally gusts of 35 mph rock the flaps on the exhaust pipe above the stove in the kitchen. People who visit us here in Ennis often comment, “How can you stand it?”
We really don’t mind it when we stop and think about what it does. The wind blows the rain clouds in. It blows the storm off to the east and over the mountain range. We can see the clouds moving and we marvel at the way those wind gusts keep us from becoming an overgrown city! Our response to those visitors’ comments is, “Oh it’s terrible! You wouldn’t want to live here!”
The wind blows the storms in and it blows the clouds out again.
The wind is like a scooper The wind is a funnel The wind is like a filter The wind is a sieve
The wind sifts out the weak of heart & spirit!
No, we don’t get tornadoes here! Our winds are not that bad! But they can be inhospitable. We’d move if that’s all we had!
Welcome to the Madison River – Flyfishing capitol of the world!
The wind is like a welcomed monitor The wind is a necessary friend The wind is like a vacuum cleaner The wind is a friendly lion
Simile/ˈsiməlē : a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g., as brave as a lion, crazy like a fox ). Metaphor: compares two things directly without using “like” or “as”; the subject IS the object. Metaphors are more direct than similes, which can make them seem stronger or more surprising. Example: The sunrise this morning was an ocean of honey dusted with powdered sugar.
Nope, you wouldn’t like living in Madison County! Hah!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek. I am sending love, joy, peace, faith and a sense of unity your way this day. Don’t let them get blown away!
Blogging is like a private jet. It can take you anywhere!
Two For Sale signs went up in our “hood” this week.
That Mercer sign is for a 7 acre parcel right next door to us.
We could be next-door neighbors!
The ERA sign is at the end of the cul-de-sac – just a stone’s throw away – down where you see the telephone poles in the first photo.
See, there’s our house up there – just beyond the sign. Aren’t you looking for wide open spaces and Big Sky, fresh air and a friendly, cheerful, inclusive neighborhood? Here we are!! You can build your dream house right here.
This beautiful home with the best neighbors imaginable, Rex and Penny, could be your neighbors … besides us, the Beekmans with the robin babies in our back yard. Hey, look closely! That one on the right has her eyes open!
This nest is on this porch where I am sitting right now with my laptop, Rita and Robbie are coming and going, feeding their babies, paying no attention to me! I love it!!
The nest is in the shadow just left of the small bedroom window. My chair is in the sun with my tabletop in the shade. I have a bird’s eye view of the robin activity.
This morning was a beautiful, sunny. warm, still day – perfect for a walk in Lion’s Club Park by the Madison River that is less than 5 minutes from us. I met a couple of TOPS friends and we walked around by the river, the baseball field, the playground…
From this view of the river, there is a bench, a painted sculpted fish, and a gorgeous view of the Madison Range across the valley.
Come go for a walk with me. There are benches along the way, picnic tables, barbecue pits, a baseball field and a playground. Young children usually flock here. But, I was early. They started to arrive as I was leaving.
On the way to the post office after my walk, I passed another For Sale sign. Our friend, Niel, died recently after a long battle with cancer. His cozy little house in town is for sale. Maybe you’d prefer this. You’d be on a smaller lot in a more modest neighborhood downtown. Look at this lovely place. Interested? Call the ERA number on the sign at the top of this post.
Your neighbors across the street have this lovely tree – and these beautiful opium poppies. What a great little town our Ennis, Montana is!!
Driving home from there, I took the golf course route. Here’s the scene just a mile from our home:
They keep it well maintained and lots of our neighbors love getting out on the course on a day like today.
Peaceful, beautiful, clean, clear, friendly … … what more could you ask?
Oh, I forgot to add there’s a darling little lake at Lion’s Club Park where the kids can fish and keep the trout they catch. The Madison River has a “catch and release” policy to preserve the natives. And there’s an old tractor at the park where the kids can climb and pretend FARMER. We have a lot of cattle and wheat farming in our Madison Valley.
But it’s best known for the Madison River and the fly fishing.
Will you come and be my neighbor?
Caroline & Chuck are building right down the hill from us.
They’d be great neighbors for ya, too!!
Have a Wonderful Wednesday. See ya tomorrow. JanBeek
Some of you are new to JanBeek, and maybe you have not had a chance to peruse my blog enough to see this beautiful area around Montana’s Madison Valley where I live.
Here are some of my favorite shots of the scenery around me:
I found this one on the web and did a screen shot. In the springtime, Bob & I take our ATV up to this outlook. The wild flowers are magnificent and the snow-capped mountains are breath-taking! (God is quite an artist, isn’t He?)I think this one was taken by my favorite photographer, Ed Coyle, but he usually has his name on his. So, if it’s not… and you know who took it, please let me know. I love it!!
Our fall colors are so beautiful and the “Big Sky” filled with wonderful cloud structures never fail to amaze me. We are so blessed to be here.
I love this one with the cattle out in the snow.
That was the scene that greeted us when we returned home late January from a 5 week vacation in California. The winter break was good, but it’s always good to be home!
My friend, Susan Phillips, took this one.
The Madison River runs through our little town of Ennis. It’s a fly-fishing mecca!! Can you feel the peace of the river?
My friend, Caroline Feldman, posted this one. I think she took it on one of her ATV ventures with CG.Go to Ed Coyle’s website, click “LOVE”… because I guarantee you WILL love his photos!! (Don’t use them without giving him credit, please.) Ed Coyle Photography
You should put Ennis, Montana on your “Bucket List.” If you have never ventured to this part of the USA, make it a “Must Do!” We’ll be happy to welcome you.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek and enjoying a few of our scenes with me.
Today was a perfect day to take Lucille
(Our ATV with a red head who is a Ball),
And go up into the mountains –
Up on Mt. Baldy, more than 10,000 feet tall!
On our way up to Mt. Baldy (10K ft ahead of us)
Lucille is a trooper with Bob at the wheel.
TazE loves riding with us on the mountain trails.
Some of the roads are so rough, I cringe,
But I am happy to have an “Oh My!” bar instead of wails.
Hang tight to the “Oh My!” bar. Secure TazE with her leash.TazE crowded me as she leaned out the window of Lucille
Going with friends makes it extra fun;
Five guys and three gals in five 4-wheelers.
The area in the Tobacco Root Mountains
Is full of rough terrain, rocks and squealers.
Me (Jan) with Caroline & PennyBob, Rex, Gene, BW and Chuck
The views from up on top of Baldy
Are breathtaking to be sure.
The sky was a little hazy today,
But the air was clean and pure.
Gene, with a recent new knee, made the rigorous climb
from our ATVs to the top of the mountain
(a steeper climb than it looks here!)
We were above the snow level
Where the clouds seem so close
We felt like we could touch them.
I have more pictures than I can post!
Our lovely, protected setting for lunch on top of Mt. BaldyThe view from my lunch spotDilapidated old mining building
Over my right shoulder a dilapidated mine
Indicated that people once lived and worked
In this place miles from civilization –
For gold, lead, silver and copper – no one shirked.
Old mining site on Mt. Baldy
Old mines dotted the trail as we headed down.
I wished those old beams and rocks could talk.
They would have wonderful stories to tell –
Lived through many a death and untold shocks.
Jan in Bob’s fishing cap
On down the mountain on rocky trails,
We were careful to not tip over the edge.
The paths were narrow with no side rails –
I held TazE and tried not to look at the ledge!
Bob driving Lucille – in a rocky spot with a wider ledge than mostBob, Jan, TazE – top of Mt. BaldyOld mine on Mt. BaldyEnnis Lake from the Tobacco Roots to the Madison Range
We tried to stay in view of the Polaris
Traveling on the trail in our lead,
But we didn’t want to be too close
To eat his dust as he picked up speed.
That’s our Madison Valley and Ennis Lake
In the middle of this view.
As we headed back, the sun was warmer
And we wished we could share this trip with YOU!
Thank you for visiting JanBeek
Come back soon for more adventures and inspiration.
Enjoy these awesome photos by Scott Wheeler.
He will have a booth at the Madison Valley Arts Festival
in Ennis, Montana on August 10.
His Facebook Page is: Facebook.com/swheelerphotography
And his website is ScottWheelerGallery.com
This is the Madison River, just a couple miles south of Ennis, Montana. I have the privilege of living in ths world-class fly-fishing area!
South-east of us, the Madison River flows out of Hebgen Lake. The Madison’s origin is the Gibbon and the Firehole Rivers in Yellowstone. Yellowstone National Park is just an hour’s drive from us.
You can see why our Madison Valley is considered part of “Big Sky Country” – the views are magnificent. The sky is uninterrupted.
Thank you, Scott Wheeler, for your fantastic photography.
If you want a copy of his work, my friends,
be sure to come to our Ennis Arts Festival this August 10th.
Look me up! I’ll be there.
Bob & I don’t see the river from our house, but we look out at Jack Creek Canyon in that magnificent Madison Range. The western sunset reflecting red in the eastern mountains often is part of our night’s “light show.”
These next two photos are mine…
taken a couple weeks ago
when we still had some snow on the ground.
Here is the western view.
Our house is the one tucked in
all those evergreen trees out there…
… and here is the eastern reflection:
Jack Creek Canyon to far left, Fan Mountain straight ahead with God’s spotlight on it!
It’s not a Happy April Fool’s Day!
No joke … the joke’s on me!
Look carefully and you will see the water stain
on the bottom of the drapes
and the water mark on the carpet.
Look and see the snow drift outside the door.
There is no drain out there,
so where does the water go when it melts?
You guessed it!
We have lived in this Madison Valley, Montana home for 13 years – and this has never happened before! The owners before us lived here for 5 years and they said it never happened to them, either. This has been quite a winter! You’ve heard me complaining, haven’t you? More snow than a friend who’s been here since 1972 has ever seen!!
What does this have to do with a blog whose sub-title is “Love One Another?”
I’ll tell you… it has everything to do with people like Joe Smithson!
This delightful man is a God-send!
He came and helped me determine the extent of the damage.
He helped me understand ALL the furniture
in that downstairs bedroom has to come out
so he can come back with his rug cleaning equipment
and suck the water out and dry the carpet
and try to dry the walls where it has seeped up!
So, with my dear hubby off skiing today,
I found two other saints who came to help
move the bed, the dresser, the nightstands,
the desk, the chairs, the whole “kittenkaboodle”
out of there and into the game room
and other downstairs bedroom.
What a job!
It’s a California King – with two top mattresses, two box springs,
a lower frame, and a headboard! Heavy stuff! No way I coulda done it alone.
And the triple dresser is solid wood – a heavy sucker!
God bless those two friends who came to do the moving!
And before those could be moved, another friend came
and helped me move all the “stuff”
that was on top of all that furniture.
You know, nothing is “clear” like this
under ordinary circumstances, right?
Then, to avoid the continued drain
of the melting snow into the bedroom,
another saint of a friend came
with his shovel first –
and then his snowplow.
The snowplow did
what would have taken all day with a shovel…
and did it so much more thoroughly.
Ah, the blog subject
is “Love One Another”
– right?
There is no greater love than to
lay down your life,
pick up your shovel,
load up your snowplow,
and come to help a friend in need.
That is a friend, indeed!!
God bless you, Steve!!
Imagine how surprised Bob
is going to be
when he gets home
from a day at Big Sky
enjoying the slopes –
a last day (or so)
with spring skiing –
and sees how much more
is cleaned up
than the beach towel
he set out there
this morning
could have done
to fix the problem!!
Go back up to that first picture. If you look carefully, you will see the green and white polka-dot towel on the other side of the glass door. (Like putting a finger in the dyke to stop it, right?) Kind of gives you a new definition of April Fool!
Ah, God love ’em… we gotta put our priorities in order, don’t we?
Who can pass up a day on the slopes?
Unless it’s a day on the river!
Spring IS coming, you know!! (Not soon enough here)
Written
on May 27, 2020