my-montana-moments: Ken W. Hall

Showing posts with label Ken W. Hall. Show all posts

Monday, December 7, 2015

Visiting the Neighbors

Time seems to be passing faster than I can remember. Thanksgiving was very cold. The day before, the day of, and for a few days after it was below zero at dawn.

Today the wind is so strong I could barely open my car door at lunch. It is cloudy now and looks like snow is falling on the mountains.

I am glad it is warmer. The snow that fell before and during Thanksgiving is almost gone here in town. It is in the high thirties but the wind makes it feel colder.

Ken sent me the above image. He took it on his walk this morning. The deer are plentiful in town this year. These were passing through our street making their daily rounds.

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Rush Hour in Ennis Montana

© Ken W. Hall

"Yesterday, Friday September 18, 2015 a family of moose, including the bull, the cow and the baby, blessed us with their presence, and I might add 'What a presence it was.

I spent nearly an hour observing them all and the places where each fit into the family. I wonder…if I had in my past known where I fit in my family how would my life been different? What really matters now is how I fit into my own life."

- Ken W. Hall

Friday afternoon a friend called to alert me that a family of moose were in town. It is rare to see a bull, cow and salt all in one location. I called Ken and off he went. Of the 300 images he took he was kind enough to share these with me to share with you.

After several rainy days the sunshine was a welcome sight and made his photography easier. As you can tell the rain brought the first significant snow fall to the mountains. Temps in the mornings have been in the high thirties and daytime temps in the fifty to sixty degree range. I do love the fall weather and visits from your animal kingdom.

Sunday, August 23, 2015

The Sky Is On Fire

On the morning of August 21, 2015 the sun rose as usual and at the appropriate hour. Looking east from Ennis toward the Madison Range I could do nothing but stare and wonder at the majesty of the new day, and whatever it would lay gently in our laps. It beckoned that I should share its arrival and message.

"Upon its rise into the new day it did it did not being the fire smoke, it merely brought it to our attention.

What a reality to see and not be able to deny the reality and severity of the circumstances. It is now that we must awaken our awareness of those in Harm's way in the fire stricken communities and surrounding areas. The storms are fierce but the power and result of our prayers can alter and often eleviate the heat, no matter the circumstance."

We must pray well and with sincerity and we must pray often. Our brothers and sisters are asking for our participation.

--- Ken Hall

The image above is the color of the sun when blocked by smoke. This morning dawned with a thirty-five degree temperature due to a cold front that moved in yesterday. We still cannot see the mountains for the smoke but it is a little clearer today due to the lack of wind. It is a brief reprieve.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Smokey Times

"Smoke from the forest fires billowing from the west coast and nearby Montana locations shrouded the clear and sunny skies. Smoke could be tasted and smelled.

To be deterred by nothing Mother Doe and her twins visited quietly and with intent of breakfast. They, in unison, browsed by the creek, along its very banks. It was early morning and the light was perfect. Colors were soft and saturated. This made it easy to see the 'wardrobe' change being facilitated by the Great Designer. The summer red coats, holding on for their very existence while revealing the tattered spots of the twins. The life for the twins seemed to have come at a very late date. I think it was in June or July which when compared to other fawns we observed was later than what I would call normal.

Shortly after the dining table image the twins felt a very synchronous burst of energy…a game of tag was in order. I can attest that when fawns play tag it is at an extremely accelerated rate of speed, a speed in fact when coupled with the soft morning light said, "No stop action images for these two, at least not now." The images painted to my memory are indelible, vivid and real. The only way I know to share is for you to tap into my dreamtime and summons the recall of bullet fast twins literally running circles around our property at what was at my best guess twenty plus miles an hour. The two laps they completed were in some circles epic. Within me, they were divine and sacred. Mother Doe blessed us with memories very selectively and with great sanctity and purity. Church today was a blessing."

-Ken W. Hall

© Ken W. Hall

All Rights Reserved 2015

The smoke is unhealthy today due to so many fires not only in Montana but surrounding states. The wind shifted today and blew in way more smoke. It has been smokey for almost a week now but today was the worst.

The sun this morning was blood red through the smoke. Temperatures are in the forties in the mornings and range from highs in the 60's to low 80's.

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Neighbors and Their Babies

Ken has been busy lately capturing parenting behaviors among our animal neighbors and friends. They are so much fun to watch.

Our 4th of July parade and pot luck at our house afterward was great fun. It is sort of the official kick off of summer. Hundreds of visitors defend on Ennis for that weekend.

We had several days of temperatures reaching into the 90s. Now it has been in the 80s again. Yesterday and today we experienced afternoon showers that were short lived but brought wind and cooled things down.

Summer is in full swing. I love the energy of summer. New life, new growth, flowers and growth.

Saturday, June 13, 2015

The Power of Water and Stone

We marveled last sunday at the power, sound and fury of the Madison River water flowing from the dam at bear trap canyon. Ken said it was the first time he had ever seen all the gates open at the same time.

I love sitting on large boulders especially when they are surrounded by rushing water. Like a magnet I moved swiftly to a great spot that put me in the energy of the moving water while sitting comfortably on a solid rock that would not move.

The sound of the waves was so loud that is all you could hear. I sat for a long time as Ken captured image after image of anything that caught his eye.

The weather began to get warmer and the sun began to shine more last weekend. Temperatures this week reached as high as the low eighties. Today the high is expected to be sixty-nine.

We will play in the dirt and plant the flowers we found this week. I am loving being outdoors feeling the warmth of the sun.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Mother's Day in Yellowstone National Park

Yesterday I went with Ken to Yellowstone. It was a breezy day in the forties. We waited more than thirty minutes in line just to get in the gate.

Once inside it was smooth sailing except for times when traffic stopped to view wildlife. We saw elk, buffalo, ducks, eagles, osprey.

We visited the artists paint pots which was a fun walk and gave Ken lots of new material for his abstract photography. I am looking forward to seeing what he does with them.

In the meantime the buffalo photo above will have to do.

We woke to twenty-two degrees this morning. It is cloudy and expected to rain but the high was in the high fifties maybe low sixties. Temperatures are still below normal for this time of year.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Encounter with a Chukar

©2915 Ken W. Hall

We live in a very small world that is soooo big, right!

"With a native homeland in southern Eurasia, the Chukar was introduced into the United States from Pakistan to be a game bird. It lives in arid, rocky terrain across the western United States and southern Canada."

Makes you wonder what bus my fine feathered friend arrived on in Ennis, Montana…even more curious where did it get on that bus!

I spent over 1/2 an hour with my new friend in my back yard. Most of the time we were face to beak at a distance of 20 feet or less. It came dressed in a classy designer suit while my designer attire was sweat pants and my Nike running shoes. However, the shoes were white so that has to count for some points don't you think?

-- Ken W. Hall

Last week we had six inches of snow and a blizzard. The last three days have been calm and warming to the mid to upper sixties from mornings in the thirties. More rain and cooler temps are expected tomorrow and throughout the weekend.

Monday, April 6, 2015

Easter Morning in Ennis

Easter Sunday was my first morning home after being gone several days for the passing of my mother from this world. I was greeted with a gentle and beautiful snow fall.

It fell softly off and on all day and only a few rem ants remained this morning. It has was in the low thirties yesterday and today and inched up into the forties.

Our bird feeder is constantly full this time of year as the birds migrate to their summer destinations. I saw my first gold fence of the season. The doves were plentiful along with chickadees, starlings, fences, crows, magpies and more.

I am grateful for the moisture that is needed for us this spring since we had a rather dry winter. I thinkI will go visit the river today even if it is cloudy and wet outside.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Morning Magic on Ennis Lake

If you look closely at the next to the last image you will see a sea of white. That is what looks like a thousand migrating tundra swans.

Ken discovered them this morning on his early morning trip to bear trap canyon via Ennis Lake. He was greeted by geese, deer and mallard ducks as well as the swans.

It was a memorable morning. The temperature at the time was in the twenties. Now it is in the fifties with sunshine and a breeze.

I am loving this spring time weather. It is supposed to be this way all week. Wish you were here to share it.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Morning Visitor

"A temperature hovering near 0 degrees heightens the morning senses of a young mule deer doe, an animal that listens into the 'the silence' and is gifted with abundance. She had, along with two other does, bedded down for last night under a increasingly stunning moon approaching full phase. Their beds, body imprints holding the stories told by the stars, lay just outside a six foot plus wire fence near the feeder, a fence that is a mere focused thought and springs from nimble legs away from breakfast as humans know it.

The feeder tube holds approximately a quart of sunflower seeds and we now have a approximate time that is required, with calculated moments of surveillance for intruders, to leisurely consume this moment the abundance. The meal spanned in human time about thirty minutes, thirty minutes that satisfied her needs of the moment and with great stealth and totally unseen by the her intruder with the camera she was nothing more than the mirage of the mind.

Was I truly present at this event? Was there in truth really a deer? Was the surreal experience a dance of trickery? The camera has its truth of the dance but only you know if it was true for you.

– Ken W. Hall

Winter weather is back with temperatures below normal for this time of year. The coming week it expected to snow and drop below zero and in the single digits at night and warm to the teens and twenties during the day. Recently it dipped to six degrees below zero and put a halt to all the green grass, irises and buds that were beginning to appear.

Penny

Monday, February 9, 2015

Is It Really February?

When I returned to Ennis I was surprised to find things so different for this time of year. I wanted to connect with the Madison River and figured I would have to go to Lions Park since my favorite campground is usually closed due to gorging and ice.

To my surprise the campground was open and access to the river was easy. There were a few puddles of melted snow on the road in and out but that was about it. The river was flowing free of ice.

The local news reported that the Bozeman Golf Course opened two months early because the conditions are more like spring than winter.

Ken wanted to take a drive around Ennis Lake yesterday. Ice fishing appears to be over since the only ice on the lake is slush. Large portions of the water are completely clear.

We drove into Bear Trap Canyon and on the way out Ken stopped to admire this magnificent eagle. He put on quite a show for us.

The temperatures have been in the thirties and forties at night and in the forties and fifties during the day. Yesterday it was fifty-seven degrees, sunny and breezy.

Is it reality February in Ennis?

Monday, January 26, 2015

January Sunrise in Ennis

I sat reverently, my mind submerged into the aroma and taste of my coffee. The blinds were still drawn and the cat was not melded into my lap and there was no voice around me, only the silence. In that moment I was silently summonsed to the window to raise the blinds. Then it was there…God's painting for the morning. I offered thanks for the call and preserved it as best I could with camera and pixels.

All the previous sunrise melodies that I had heard from previous scores from the Master were instantly echoing in my minds eye and the path to my heart was illuminated ever brighter, emblazoned with molten light.

-- Ken W. Hall

It is expected to reach record highs this week with temps in the fifties.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Snow Heart

Snow Heart

Today I heard God's voice, it spoke to me in a dialect I could clearly understand and only I could hear. So personal and just what my Soul wanted. Today I longed for the memory of my connection with God. Must be true this “Ask And You Shall Receive”.

- Ken W. Hall

I just received this image from Ken and thought you might enjoy it. Looks like it will be in the high forties today in Ennis with some clouds. Tomorrow and Tuesday it is expected to reach up into the fifties with lots of sunshine.

- Penny Hall

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Fire Burns Sportsman's Lodge

I learned from friends in Ennis that the Sportsman's Lodge burned early this morning. Thankfully no one was harmed.

When I talked to Ken he said he heard the fire trucks last night. Later today he captured these images.

Temperatures remain in the twenties at night and thirties during the day.

Friday, December 26, 2014

Christmas Blizzard

Christmas eve the wind blew with such force it knocked the bulb off the outside light fixture on the back porch. Snow fell most of the night and we woke to falling snow and about six inches on the ground.

Our lunch guests from the Cameron area were surprised to find such deep snow as they approached Ennis. They had less than an inch at their home.

Our friend from the McAllister area woke to snow drifts in excess of three feet. He resorted to hiking across the pasture to meet a ride at the highway.

The above photo is the little shed out back. The wind blew the snow so fiercely the building looked as if it had been flocked.

Today we experienced a few little snow flurries with temperatures only in the teens. Another storm arrives tomorrow with an expected three to four additional inches of snow and temperatures dropping to fifteen below zero by Monday.

This mild December appears to be going out with a bang. Happy New Year everyone. I think I will huddle in with a warm cup of tea and make some turkey soup.

Monday, December 1, 2014

Shelter From the Storm

It is two in the afternoon on the last Sunday in November and the thermometer is just now registering ten degrees above zero. It was twelve below when we woke this morning to a couple of inches of snow.

Ken was checking the temperature when he noticed a deer curled up under the neighbor's trampoline. The shed helped to block some of the strong winds that were rather brutal last evening.

Yesterday was the Woman's Club's annual Holiday Bazaar. When we went to set up our booth it was about forty degrees and breezy. When we left at 3:00 PM it was twelve degrees with heavy winds and blowing snow.

This is the perfect day to cuddle up inside, bake and cook soup. I think I'l have another cop of hot tea.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Too Cold Too Soon

Winter arrived early bringing below zero nights for days now. It has been as low as 18 degrees below zero at night and no higher than 12 degrees during the day. We received what appeared to be five inches of snow and with these temps it is still on the ground.

According to the weather forecast things may begin to warm this week to the twenties and possibly thirties. We will all be grateful for a little more warmth.

I am thankful for my warm house and good friends.

The above photo was taken by Ken near Norris Hill before the recent cold blast. I love watching the moon rise over the mountains.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Arctic Blast Arrives This Week

It was in the sixties yesterday and when this gull caught Ken's eye earlier this past week. This morning it was 10 degrees and snowing. The roads to Bozeman were icy going in this morning. By the time we returned late afternoon they were mostly clear.

Temperatures are expected to dip below zero for part of the week. The high today in Bozeman was 20 degrees.

Looks like winter is coming in with a bang.

Saturday, November 1, 2014

A Warm Halloween

Living in downtown Ennis this year for Halloween we received an abundance of trick or treaters. The weather was warmer than it has been in many years causing everyone to stroll at a leisurely pace rather than hurrying to stay warm.

It was such a joy to watch families walking together. Parents participated with their children many in their own costumes. All the children were extremely polite and thanked us for the gifts they received. Ken managed to capture a few interesting images some of which are posted above.

Temperatures yesterday reached into the sixties. However, tonight a storm is expected to bring up to four inches of snow and the lows will reach into the twenties with highs in the thirties and forties for a few days.

I am glad the snow did not spoil the children's fun.