Posting from: Philipsburg, MT
Listening to: Matt Nathanson, Car Crash

MHP to conduct safety spot checks in Deer Lodge County

The Montana Highway Patrol has announced that it will be conducting “safety spot checks” in Deer Lodge County on Wednesday, August 26, 2009.

The MHP released a statement which read, in part, that, “…Safety Spot Checks are conducted as service to motorists traveling on the highways of the State of Montana. The Safety Spot Check will be ensuring motorists have a valid driver’s license, current vehicle registration and current vehicle insurance coverage. The Safety Spot Check may be conducted day or night, but the exact location will not be pre-announced.”

If you have any questions or would like more information about the spot checks, you can contact the MHP at 494-3233.

I am confused as to:
(1) how impeding travelers without suspicion of wrongdoing is a “service” to motorists, and
(2) what having three government-mandated pieces of paper have to do with safe driving.

On the other hand, I wonder how much revenue this will bring in…

Posting from: Madison, WI
Listening to: Matt Nathanson, Fall to Pieces

Several days ago, I set out on my summer road trip for the year. Originally, I was going to visit my friend E. at some point in Seattle. Then separately, I was invited out to Chicago by my sister M. to go to a Matt Nathanson concert at Lincoln Park Zoo. Due to various scheduling quirks, the two trips sort of merged into one nice long road trip. I am right now sitting in a brilliant coffee shop in Madison, WI called Barriques Coffee Trader about halfway through the trip. I have put up a lot of my pictures on Flickr, but haven’t written any of it up so I thought I’d take this opportunity to start writing it up while my laptop recharges for the next leg to Minneapolis.

This year I started out in Helena, MT and drove down through Townsend, MT on US-287- a pretty summer drive. My first stop was at the Wheat Montana deli in Three Forks just off I-90. Wheat Montana is a locally-owned, family farm (third generation) which has a little chain of delis found in the major Montana towns as sort of an off-shoot operation. I don’t know if this is current or not, but Wheat Montana has held (and may still hold) the Guinness Book of World Records world record for for cutting, milling, mixing and baking a loaf of bread in 8 minutes and 13 seconds. I got a tasty and reasonably-priced tuna salad sandwich for the road. At this central location you can also buy baked goods and large quantities of grains either whole or milled.

I fueled up the car as well, and from there I made my way east on I-90 to the first of my two tourist stops for the day- the Crazy Mountains Museum in Big Timber, MT.

This is more or less a historical museum for Sweetgrass County, MT. I think it was probably more interesting chatting with the staff than just wandering around the museum. Here are a few things I found interesting there.

An old-fashioned medical exhibit:

This one reminded me of my sister M. in Chicago:

An old dental chair:

This vehicle spent some time working in Yellowstone Park:

This was just a cool car which wound up in Montana I thought my man might like to see:

I wandered around the gift shop a bit and chatted with two ladies working there. I found out that one of the ladies had recipes in the local cookbook I had in my stack (along with postcards) and she was ticked off because part of her recipe got cut off in a botched editing job before it was printed. The cookbook was produced by a local ladies’ organization and it turned out she was headed off to a club meeting just as I was about to leave.

Once I got outside, I realized I had missed this little piece of Scandahoovian culture along with a few other outbuildings, but I decided to press on in the interest of time. I wanted to get to Rapid City, SD in time to see a cheesy dinosaur park there.

Posting from: Philipsburg, MT
Listening to: Tom Petty, Damaged By Love

I have been a bit busy lately being that it is finally warm in Montana and I have some projects and work I can now make progress on. However, I did recently find time to take a mini-photo walk on Higgins Avenue in Missoula just south of the bridge for some no-flash night photography experimentation. That is really a gorgeous street after dark. I only got to stroll about a block of it, but I finished with ice cream so I’m calling it a success.

Shakespeare and Co. Booksellers isn’t technically on Higgins but it’s visible from there if you are driving south. I tried to get a second neon sign they had in the store into the picture but none of those turned out decently.

Bathing Beauties Beads is on the corner. I liked the glowing heads in the window.

Here’s where I am fuzzy on the order of the shops. I think the Selvedge Studio is next. I need to get in there when they are open, look around, and sign up for a class.

Somewhere along the line is the Jeanette Rankin Peace Center. Not the greatest looking building at night due to lack of lighting. Yes, I’m sure that’s all very green, organic, chlorine-free, and fair-tradey of them but it makes it easy to pass by at night. Yet the glowing green peace sign reminds me of the nuclear plant on The Simpsons.

If I’m not mistaken, that is next door to the Crystal Theatre which was very hard to get shots of while standing on a thin median strip in the middle of the street. I discovered that there is a restaurant called The Silk Road in the first floor of the theater.

And now for my two favorite things to photograph that night. First is Betty’s Divine which I’ve never been in because I don’t imagine they have a lot of clothes for big girls and which I do imagine is somewhat pricey. (I could be wrong on those; I’ve never actually checked.) However, I adore their window and their motto. (Note to whoever is in charge of the light on the sign: it could maybe be pointed a little more outward for better coverage.)

And finally, one of the reasons I don’t think I probably fit into Betty’s Divine clothes is Big Dipper Ice Cream. This is the home of the world’s finest ice cream in the most brilliant flavors. I have a quart of their Maple Bacon ice cream in my freezer right now. I’m trying to save it until the end of August, but it is in constant peril.

Posting from: Missoula, MT

I am in love with the Good Food Store in Missoula. Hugely. It has both upscale, ritzy wines, cheeses, pastries, etc. and basic staples at affordable prices. And those basic staples are natural, organic, healthy items. In several cases, I have found its products actually meet or beat regular chain store prices for similar items. Also, it is a non-profit store which contributes a lot of money to the community, hosts events of interest to its customers, and…

…well, there’s too much to post here so I decided to start a blog about it called Good Food. There you can read my sycophantic fangirl raving about the store, my recipes, product reviews and sales highlights, my suggestions for stuff the Good Food Store should do, and all other things I have to say about the Good Food Store.

Posting from: Philispburg, MT
Listening to: Gael Mead, Into the Mystic

Missoula, I love you. You know I do. But we need to talk.

That intersection where Brooks turns into Higgins? You know the one. When you’re turning left from Brooks onto Higgins at Hellgate High School, you have that faded dashed line guiding the left turners directly into a lane of oncoming traffic. Haha! You are so funny! NOT!

And when you’re unsuspectingly driving out of the parking lot of Big Dipper Ice Cream onto the unmarked one way street? Also not funny.

But most importantly, what is with your chiles rellenos? I have been to Fiesta en Jalisco and El Cazador. Both of these restaurants serve and “omelete style” chiles rellenos. What is up with that? Where do you hide the real batter-dipped, deep-fried chiles rellenos? It’s okay. You can tell me. I’m from Arizona.

Posting from: Philipsburg, MT

I found a cool map today that lets you map all the states you’ve visited. Here’s mine:

visited 26 states (52%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or Like this? try: Triposo Travelhacks

As an afficianado of the Great American Roadtrip, I have been to every single one of these states in a car- all but five of them in my current beloved vehicle, Penny, my Honda Element. I love her. She has helped me see some awesome sights and have some incredible experiences including:
-Niagara Falls
-Mount Saint Helens
-Hungry Horse Dam
-putting my feet in both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans plus
-visting lighthouses, lighthouses, lighthouses
-Snoqualmie Falls
-a giant Jolly Green Giant statue
-sharing space with tiny creatures in tidepools in California
-the biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota
-the Troll in Seattle
-the Outside Lands Music Festival in Golden Gate Park, complete with Matt Nathanson and Tom Petty
-meeting Matt Nathanson at the House of Blues in Chicago
-the Art Institute of Chicago
-meeting literally dozens of new people around the country who I knew only from the internet

I think buying Penny was quite possibly the smartest purchase I have ever made.

It seems quite possible that I own the Honda Element with the most miles on it in the entire world. I purchased her new (16 miles on the odometer) in late 2003, and I have 241K+ miles on her. Anyone have more?

Posting from: Philipsburg, MT

Let’s assume I’m a sinner
you’re ice cream before dinner

-Chris Trapper, Dinner and a Dream

Posting from: Philipsburg, MT
Listening to: The Vapors, Turning Japanese

1. Finish taxes.

2. Write 350-500 word Point article in support of Resolved: Cookie Monster Would Be Good At Oral Sex for publication with my sister’s Counterpoint. Note to self: Kick ass.

3. Shop this week’s grocery sales before they end at midnight.

Posting from Philipsburg, MT
Listening to: Martin Sexton, Black Sheep

Last night I went to the historic Wilma Theatre in Missoula for a Martin Sexton concert. Actually, I mainly went for the opener, Chris Trapper, and to scope the place out for my ongoing plan to get Matt Nathanson to add at least one Montana stop to his next headlining tour. The Wilma would be perfect for Matt. I know this because it was perfect last night for both Chris Trapper and Martin Sexton.

To start, I got rock star parking! The public lot behind The Wilma seems to be free after 5 pm on weekdays and also on weekends. Doors were supposed to open at 7 pm so I was well beyond the pay parking period. I drove around the lot and parked here:

When I was in Chicago in November, I had to park on the street because my sister’s apartment building does not have any guest parking. The first night I had to park a fair walk away, but after that I managed to come and go at the right times such that I always got to park right in front of her building. My sister brilliantly dubbed that “Rock Star Parking.” This wasn’t right in front of the theater, but given that I am parked next to an SUV hauling a trailer, and the license plates are from Massachusetts, and both of the artists of the evening hail from Massachusetts, I think it is a pretty safe bet that I am parked next to the “tour bus” for Martin Sexton or Chris Trapper or possibly both if they are carpooling. If that’s not Rock Star Parking, I don’t know what is.

Anyway, it was just a short walk from there up the stairs to street level and the doors to The Wilma. It was a lovely 65 degrees or so outside with no precipitation which made for an okay time standing in line even though the doors opened somewhat after 7 pm. Here is the lovely and historic Wilma herself.

A couple of folks wanting to see a movie sorted themselves out of the concert line and went indoors. Some folks in front of me walked down the street and got what appeared to be burritos to go from the Mexican place a few doors down. I wondered how they were going to finish them before we got inside. Then the line started moving.

One of the great surprises about the evening was that The Wilma treats concertgoers as customers and not as criminals. I gave one friendly person my ticket and got my hand stamped by another. That was all. No evil eye from pissed-off security people. No searching my purse or clothing. No molesting my person. I just went inside.

There I found a beautiful old theater albeit a bit in need of repair. It reminded me a bit of the Fox in Tucson except not as freshly fixed-up. (Perhaps this is what the Fox will look like a few years from now as I hear from my friend A. in Tucson that it has gone broke.) There are rows and rows of movie theater style seats with a reasonably large empty dance space up front. There is also a balcony in the back overhanging the last few rows that looked like it was also open, but I didn’t go up to check. There were two bars and a snack stand (they also show movies there), and I also saw the folks with their unfinished burritos eating them openly so I’m thinking maybe it’s okay to bring outside food in. That would be cool. I was wishing I had brought a bottle of water.

I took the aisle seat in the third row on the right side of the left section behind a woman sitting by herself. She turned around and struck up a conversation with me which kept going as her friends congregated in our section. She was a Martin Sexton fan and told me what a great time I was going to have since it was my first time hearing him at all, let alone live. Her “partner” (I assume this is gay code for spouse wherever gay marriage is not legally sanctioned) was also a Chris Trapper fan which is who I was there to see so we also chatted about that.

I have to give Martin Sexton credit for having very nice fans. In addition to being really nice before the show (I heard many other “Is this your first Martin Sexton show? You’re going to love it!” conversations around the hall), they were all really wonderful during Chris Trapper’s opening set. People were not talking and ignoring the show. They were very respectful and responsive to his audience banter and music. Except for his set being too short and not getting to hear my favorite Chris Trapper tune, Jukebox Lights, it was just about perfect. The song Starlight By Her Side pretty much made up for that one missing link. I don’t have any video from the show, but here’s another performance of it.
Chris Trapper, Starlight by Her Side

Here’s another of my favorites. It’s the official video since I can’t find a decent quality live recording. He expressed his utter hatred of his high school experience and his delight in penning this number and performing it when he was invited to play at his high school reunion. He claimed that every word in it is true. I don’t doubt him.
Chris Trapper, Wish I Was Cool

After Chris Trapper was a bit of intermission before Martin Sexton went on. Shortly before he came out, they flashed the lights and my now full little neighborhood emptied out as people filled the dance area in front of the stage. The place was not sold out, but it was reasonably full and the entire dance area was full with the overflow piling up in the aisles a little bit. Meanwhile, lots of folks in the back were enjoying the show from their seats.

I stayed where I was even though I couldn’t see much. I mean, it’s a concert so I’m really there for the music and I already got to see who I came for. In fact, I saw half of Chris Trapper’s set sitting on the floor a few feet away from him along with two other girls who had moved forward before me. I was glad I stayed where I was for Martin Sexton because the people-watching was great. For example, I have never before seen a couple dry-humping to This Little Light of Mine.

The music was also excellent. Instead of a concert, it was almost a really, really long medley. He didn’t seem to stop very often, and even when he spoke to the audience he often was singing when he did so. Even though he was just one guy with a guitar, his vocal abilities were so incredible that he often sounded like a multi-instrument combo. His yodeling sort of thing is incredible. Again, I have no recordings from this show, but here are a few of my favorite numbers.

Martin Sexton, Can’t Stop Thinking About You

Martin Sexton, Thank You, Failure

As I listened to this last night, I thought nobody should ever sing the national anthem again except this man.
Martin Sexton, Star Spangled Banner/Freedom of the Road

The description in the notes of this one on YouTube is eerily in sync with how I felt last night. It was almost like going to church without the trappings of religion. Very sacramental. And we didn’t even have Amazing Grace last night.
Martin Sexton, Black Sheep/Amazing Grace

I went a little overboard with the Sexton videos, I know. But he deserves it. I will probably post more in the near future because there is something I heard multiple times last night that none of these videos quite illustrates.

Posting from: Missoula, MT
Listening to: Something classical and pretty

Here’s a little garden update from my pantry. All my plants are still indoors.

This Siberia Tomato plant was doing well until it started producing. At last count there are seven fruits on it. Now many of the leaves are dying although there is a new vine growing well from the base of the plant. I moved it to a larger pot a few days ago so hopefully that will save it. Any other ideas?

My Brandywine Tomato plant is doing quite nicely and is finally producing fruit. You can see three small tomatoes here.

I picked up two strawberry plants from Walmart and so far they are doing well. I still have a bunch to plant assuming they are not yet dead. They came in bags and are currently in my refrigerator. I have no idea what they look like.

I have spearmint, five or six varieties of tomatoes, and several Little Finger carrots sprouting.

My two habanero plants continue to thrive with lots of blossoms and tiny new fruits. No pictures of those yet. I also have onion bulbs and some potatoes that need to be planted. My major deficiency at the moment is that I need to plant lettuce/greens. I want to keep some of these indoors so I can have homegrown salad year-round.