Getting Outside

 

Photo by Ken W. Hall  Title: Tumbling Down Jack Creek

The weather has been spectacular the past two days.  No wind, lots of sun and temperatures in the thirties and forties.

Kids were out playing in the yard across the street. People were out walking.  I sat out on the deck and enjoyed a nice cup of tea and soaked up some rays.

This morning it was snowing lightly when I got up.  Now the sun is shining and it is in the mid thirties.

The photo was taken by Ken this past week on his trip up Jack Creek.

Crystal Clear Day

Photo by Ken W. Hall  Title: Outdoor Trophy Room

It was eight degrees when we got up this morning.  When the fog lifted you could see ice crystals on everything. 

The clear sky gave way to bright sunshine.  Mystic, the cat, went out to sit in the sun and soak up the rays.

There is a mild breeze and the temperature is in the high twenties. 

Can you believe January is almost over?

Not Much Snow

Photo by Ken W. Hall   Title:Investigation

Photo by Ken W. Hall   Title:Waiting to Irrigate

Friday night Ken and I took in a movie at the local theater. (Yes, we are fortunate in Ennis to have a theater that brings us recent releases.)  Leaving the theater we were greeted with about two inches of snow. 

More fell on Saturday but less than two inches.  Yesterday the sun was out and today it is awesome.  Ken took a drive up to Jack Creek and captured these scenes along the way.

It has been in the twenties and low thirties.  Calmer as well.  The sun is melting the snow. 

Here Comes the Snow

This morning the local television station weather report said to expect as much as five to ten inches of snow.  We headed out to deliver our trash to the dump and stock up on groceries.

The car thermometer registered twenty-seven degrees and a few snow flakes were falling.  We passed two snow plows headed up toward Norris Hill.

At the grocery store a man from Pony reported they had two inches of snow on the ground when he left to get groceries in Ennis.

This photo was taken from the dump looking down toward town.

Taking It All In

 

We were blessed with beautiful weather this past week when a friend of ours came to visit us for a few days.  It was fun to hear him talk about how grand the skies and landscapes are here in our peaceful valley.

We all took photos knowing full well it is impossible to capture on film the grandness we behold with our eyes.  Most of the time we just stood together in silence impressing our mind with all the details we could possibly take in of the amazing experience we shared.

Elk Running

Photo by Ken W. Hall  title: Elk Migration

Ken found a large heard of Elk running this morning. Here is what he had to say:

"Some 150-200, running south as if fleeing the devil himself. The 'Devil' probably was wearing Wranglers, dirty boots and a soiled hat. A dented pickup was his mount. No matter, the elk could not see the costume. Fleeing is in their genes." - Ken W. Hall

Temperatures remain above normal.  Today the wind is blowing and there are just a few patches of blue sky among the clouds.

Flowing River

This morning I checked the Madison River at the bridge again.  As you can tell it is beginning to open up and flow easily again.

Temperatures remain in the mid thirties to mid forties. The wind continues to blow.  Skies are clear to partly cloudy and the sunrises are awesome.

It feels a lot like spring time.

Ice Fishing

Ice fishing was popular on Ennis Lake this past Sunday.  Groups gathered in several locations on the ice.  Dogs were running and sliding on the ice.  Everyone enjoyed the warmer temperatures.

This morning it is thirty-eight degrees.  It is calmer so far.  Yesterday the wind was so strong you had to lean into it when walking.

The Madison River Gorged Again

 

The Madison River gorged again during this last cold snap.  I took these photos this morning when we ventured out to investigate the changes the cold made in our area.

As you can tell the river has an ice jam at the bridge in town.  The campground past lions park is once again filled with water and ice.

The fishing access past Jeffers on the way to Ennis Lake is flooded and frozen ice almost up to the entrance.  The outhouse is only half visible.

It was thirty-one degrees when we took our drive.  There was a steady stream of traffic as people went out to enjoy the warm weather.

Twenty Below Zero

 

 

Mystic, our cat, is having difficulty understanding why he is not allowed out this morning.  It is twenty below zero.

As you can tell by the photos the fog created awesome ice crystals on the trees.  The sun is shining and there is not much wind.  It is predicted to get close to twenty today.  We will just have to wait and see.

I am so very grateful I don't have to go anywhere today.  It is nice and warm inside and my hot tea is delicious.

River Ice

Photo by Ken W. Hall   Title: Frozen Halo

Photo by Ken W. Hall   Title: Under Currents

Sunday afternoon Ken and I went down the bear trap past the dam below the lake.  Parts of the river along the banks were frozen.  In some places you could walk out on the ice.  Ken was focused on the ice and took lots of photos.  Here are a couple he just sent me.

Sunday was beautiful.  It was in the mid thirties.  The sun was shining off and on and there was a gentle breeze.  We marveled that it was January and we were outdoors enjoying the weather.

This morning it was almost forty degrees when we got up.  It is expected to be below zero tonight with a high of eight degrees tomorrow.

Where did the week go?

Photo by Ken W. Hall  Title: Christmas Rush Hour...Downtown Ennis, Montana USA

Photo by Ken W. Hall  Title: Free Lunch

 

 

Wow, time flew past this week.  I just realized I had not posted any new pics so here are some we took this past several days.

Tuesday before Christmas Ken caught a quick shot of the hustle and bustle in Ennis.  The next morning he caught this local deer helping himself to the birdseed.  No wonder we are going through a fifty pound bag so fast.

We took one day to circle the lake just as the sun was setting.  That is my snapshot. 

Then on Thursday we headed to Bozeman to pick up Ken's artwork that was on display at the Co-Op all month.  I got this shot of our valley from Norris Hill.

The weather has been warmer than usual for this time of year.  Today it was forty but is expected to drop down below zero again the early part of next week.