Evening Grosbeak Breakfast Guests

© 2012 Ken W. Hall   Evening Grosbeak Breakfast Guest

In the wee hours of the morning this male evening grosbeak showed up with his mate and children for breakfast.  It is rare to see them and they only stay a few short minutes. What a joy they are to watch.

It was warmer this morning than yesterday.  As we were packing our car Saturday morning for the farmer's market I noticed the frost on the roof.  Our thermometer registered thirty two degrees.  This morning it was back to forty.

The smoke is heavy in the air again.  We are unable to see the mountains for the smoke.   Our warm season is so short we would prefer not to have so much smoke.  It keeps us indoors more than we would like.

Full Moon

©2012 Ken W. Hall  

Last night was full moon.  Ken captured this from our front yard.  I never cease to be amazed at our awesome skies here in Big Sky country.

The past few days have been a blur.  I took a trip to Idaho and Wyoming  scouting potential new galleries.  We displayed at the Farmer's Market and the 320 Guest Ranch Art Rendezvous.  Our last show at the ranch is coming up this Monday evening.

The weather has been hot.  Scattered afternoon showers have helped on the days the rain fell.  Yesterday we enjoyed lunch on our deck under the shade of our table umbrella.  We were so busy both of us forgot to lower the umbrella.  While preparing dinner I noticed our umbrella was gone.  A gust of afternoon wind must have caught it and carried it away.  Alas, it is nowhere to be found.

As always our morning temperatures are lovely in the fifty degree range.  By noon it is in the nineties.  Whenever I am tempted to complain about the heat I remind myself this is wonderful compared to the 100 plus temperatures with high humidity in other parts of the country.

There are so many things I love about our beloved Montana.

Surprise Thunderstorm

©2012 Penny Hall 

Last night we woke to a loud thunderstorm that brought a brief but heavy rain and lots of lightening.  The hot dry land soaked it up immediately.  Things cooled down slightly after temperatures rose yesterday into the nineties. 

It was sixty degrees when we got up at 5:00 AM.  This afternoon I noticed the haze that lingers over the mountains.  Smoke from the fires in the states to the south of us is beginning to show up here.

It has been a busy time since the fourth.   We are enjoying out of town visitors.  In addition to the Saturday Farmers Markets we have several art shows for which we are preparing.  Monday night is the first of three we will do in the Big Sky area.

i love the hustle and bustle of summer, but I may have overloaded my schedule.  Oh, well, deep breath and concentrate on what I am doing now.  The rest will take care of itself.

Awesome Weather

Photo by Penny Hall

It has been a very busy week and the weather has been spectacular.  I took this photo one evening while enjoyiing dinner with friends. Several days this week we experienced afternoon and evening showers.

The weather could not have been more perfect for today's Farmer's Market.  It was in the fifties when we arrived.  The bright sun and calm wind made for an awesome morning.

It is now late afternoon and about ninety degrees.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful weather unlike many of our friends and family in other parts of the nation. 

Summertime in Ennis Montana

Photo by Penny Hall

Summertime in Ennis, Montana is always busy.  There is so much to do it is difficult to cram everything into our short season.

Saturday was Farmer's Market, Ennis Arts Association Arts Festival and a Jamaican Festival all in the same day.  The town was hopping.

We entertained out of town guests and attempted to fit a little play time in between work and other obligations.

Our weather is spectacular.  The wind remains mostly calm.  We wake to forty and fifty degree temperatures that climb to the eighties by late afternoon. 

We experienced occasional afternoon showers this week.  Friends from West Yellowstone reported hail that looked a lot like snow.

Ahhh,  summertime in Montana is so wonderful.

Photo

Photo by Penny Hall

Photo by Penny Hall

Photo by Penny Hall

 

Saturday morning we opened our booth at the Farmer's Market.  This year the market is in the parking lot of Valley Bank.  It is always fun to visit with old friends and make new ones. 

I love the home grown meats, fresh produce, fresh baked breads, pies and goodies as well as some home made salsas.  Local craft persons show their new creations and non profits offer helpful information.  It is a fun event complete with local entertainment.

This morning we took a walk along the Madison River.  The wind was silent as we strolled along admiring the tall grass and beautiful variety of blooming plants and flowers.

Snow remains on the mountain peaks.  But, I noticed the water is clearing up.  In some places you can see the rocks.  Fisher persons are out and reporting the fish are definitely biting.

It was in the forties when we woke this morning.  We are expecting temperatures in the nineties early part of the week.

Sunshine Today

We finally had a window of sunshine today.  Those of us participating in the Farmer's Market were delighted to be outdoors.

Local residents found their way to the market in spite of the parking challenges due to the road construction through the middle of downtown.  More of our summer residents arrive each day.  We had a great time catching up.

The wind is still blowing but the sun is out and the temperature looks to be near seventy.  The week ahead is looking much better.  Maybe we will have summer after all.

Snow and Rain Again

It rained most of the night and we woke to snow falling.  Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Klatt we were able to hold our Farmer's Market indoors again this weekend.

The event was well attended in spit of the cold weather.  We even saw a bit of sunshine.

It is so much fun catching up with friends and neighbors.  We even had some visitors pass through from Thailand.  They wanted to take my picture with them.

We are so ready for the weather to clear so we can plant gardens and get outdoors.

Clouds Today

We woke to sunshine but the clouds gathered quickly.  Now it looks like the snow they predicted could begin to fall anytime.  Bozeman is expected to get two inches.

Although we appreciate all moisture, those of us planning to participate in the opening weekend of the Farmer's Market are a little concerned.  We will know in the morning.

Rain and thunderstorms earlier in the week caused lots of power outages on Tuesday resulting in phone problems.  But, all is solved now.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Warm Weather

The weather was warm and lovely on Thursday when we went to Bozeman.  We stopped on our way home to walk by the river and check for insect hatches. 

This morning I stopped on my way up Jack Creek to check out the creek.  It is expected to reach eighty degrees here tomorrow.  The creek is muddy showing signs of run off from melting mountain snow.

Things are beginning to bustle in town as the snow birds and tourists find their way here. 

It is good to see old friends and meet new ones.  We are preparing for the opening of our Farmer's Market this Saturday. We can hardly wait to catch up with our friends.