Black-eyed Susans

Black-eyed Susans
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

My neighbor had a very nice flower patch this year.

(And, yes, I had to restrain myself from deadheading the spent blooms.)

Tuesday fridge blogging

top of fridge
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

The top of my fridge. My plea: if you have tall houseguests (such as me), please make sure the top of your fridge is clean and organized.

The white basket holds various Thai ingredients. The stinkiest substance in my kitchen (and maybe the whole house) is a jar of Thai fish sauce. How can something that smells so bad taste so good?

You can also see some of my collection of refrigerator magnets. Let me assure you that they are in (approximate) "geographic order" ;-)

First snow of 2005/2006 season

First snow of 2005/2006 season
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

The cold front this morning dumped snow on all the surrounding mountains, including the Bridgers.

Woo-hoo!

Fairy ring

fairy ring
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

A fairy ring growing in my backyard.

Brick house

Brick house
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

Brick houses are very rare in Bozeman. This one, located on the SW corner of Fowler and Babcock, was recently vacated. My guess is that apartments will soon sprout on the one acre lot.

Ugly streetscape

Ugly streetscape
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

An ugly view of the west side of Fowler, across from the Bozeman Ponds Park.

The grass is unmoved and the fence is falling down. I guess I'm getting grumpy in my middle age...

Canine beach

Canine beach
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

A beach especially for dogs at the Bozeman Pond Park. (I don't know the woman or the dog, but they seemed to be having a good time.)

Bozeman Pond Park

Bozeman Pond Park
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

A nice little urban park (it's nicer than the photo shows). Every summer the park hosts a fishing derby for the kids. In the winter there's a "polar bear" jump through the ice.

A black bear or two wanders by about every other year (maybe they come to shop at the Macy's in the background)

River birch

River birch
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

This funny looking tree is the only River Birch I've noticed in Bozeman.

River birches are common in Northwest Arkansas, where I lived before moving to Montana. I got pretty good at identifying trees in the "hickory-oak" forest ecology of the Ozarks. However, that knowledge doesn't help a whole lot in the forests of western Montana!

Penguins

I just saw March of the Penguins. I recommend it highly - an interesting story, well-told.

AFAIK, the closest place to Bozeman to see live penguins is the penguinarium at the zoo in Portland, Oregon.

Of course, you could always visit the cement penguin in Cut Bank, Montana.

Big box stores: Helena v. Bozeman

I visited Helena earlier today on business. I've only been to Helena twice, so I can't offer any big insights about Helena compared to Bozeman.

I did notice that the big box stores (Home Depot, Wal-Mart, and Staples) in Helena have more garish exteriors than the same stores in Bozeman. For instance, the Helena Home Depot uses the company-standard bright orange sign and trim. The Bozeman Home Depot, on the other hand, uses sedate green trim and wood beams.

Don't worry, I'll post some pics later (;-)...

Call me "Stumpy"

Aspen stump
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

Clumps of aspen trees are a common landscape feature in my neighborhood. Sometimes, clumps turn into stumps.

Garage makeover

This reminds me of a project I need to complete in the next several months...

Tuesday fridge blogging

Freezer
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

Back by popular demand (ok - only one commenter). Here's a view of my freezer. Frozen veggies, frozen fruit (for smoothies), Omaha Steaks, leftover spaghetti sauce, etc.

Shocking

One of the signs of changing seasons - I get static electricity shocks all the time when the weather turns dry. It's kinda cool at night, 'cause then I can see the sparks.

Horse sculpture

Horse sculpture
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

This horse is made of chains welded together. He resides at the Museum of the Rockies.

"Fantastic Four" Barn

4 Barn
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

I'm not sure why this barn is advertising the Fantastic Four movie ;-)

White Barn

White Barn
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

Located on county land on Baxter Lane, north of Bozeman.

New Houses on Baxter Lane

Houses on Baxter Lane
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

These houses are on "pocket lots". The garages are located on the alley behind the houses. Overall, I think this arrangement is a nice addition to the streetscape.

Locals Guide to Bridger Bowl

The Local's Guide to Bridger Bowl for 2005-2006 is now available at local ski shops.

For more info, check out my recent post at epicski.com (just do a search on my name: trurl2003).

Tree with bolts

Tree with bolts
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

My neighbor's tree is held together with carriage bolts.

Bridge

Bridge
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

A couple of years ago I co-supervised a team of seniors who designed a bridge for use in the backcountry. Sometimes, though, the simplest designs are the best.

Rose

Rose
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

I planted this shrub rose about 6 weeks ago. I already have two mature rose bushes and will plant a few more next spring.

Shrub roses are much hardier than tea roses. I've never done anything special for my other roses (like covering them in the harsh Montana winter) and they have done fine.

Meta: blogspot

1. Geektronica has a post about the unfortunate phenomena of spam blogs on blogspot. I tried clicking the "Next Blog" button in the upper righthand corner of my blog. Sure enough, about 1/3 of the blogs I found were spam. Oh well.

2. I searched for blogspot blogs which list Bozeman as the site location. A large fraction were way out of date and seemingly abandoned ;-(

3. Conclusion: the best way to find blogs is to follow someone's blogroll. For instance, see the "The Big Sky Blog" blogroll on the sidebar.

City Commission meeting

I attended a Bozeman City Commission meeting earlier this week. It was the first such meeting I've ever attended. The meeting started at 7 pm, and still had a few agenda items remaining when I left at 10 pm.

Here are some relevant links: Agendas, Minutes.

If you are interested in development happenings, you should attend some of these meetings (or at least read the Agendas and Minutes). I learned about the new Lowe's and the proposed Best Buy on N. 19th.

Tuesday fridge blogging

Fridge
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

Inside view of a fridge that belongs to a 40 year old bachelor.

Deer sculpture

Deer sculpture
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

Bozeman has plenty of outdoor sculpture. This deer is located at the NE corner of 7th and Peach.

Green tunnel

South 5th Avenue
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

Looking south down 5th avenue. This is the oldest part of town; it includes a couple of historic districts.

7th Avenue

7th Avenue
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

A view south from the corner of 7th and Peach. I took this photo on Sunday afternoon, hence the small amount of traffic.

I really like the fact that Bozeman does not allow tall signs which uglify the streetscape.

Rainbow Motel

Rainbow Motel
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

I lived here for a month when I moved to Bozeman in 2002.

Barn -> Antique shop

Antique shop
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

This old barn is one of a cluster of old buildings converted to retail use on west Main Street.

Streetscape - good or bad?

Shopping center addition
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

This building was constructed in 2005 in the parking lot of the Hastings/Osco shopping center on west Main Street.

The building has both bad and good effects on the streetscape. Bad: it presents its back to Main Street. Good: the back is not ugly, and the building hides an ugly parking area.

I visit the shopping area quite frequently (my gym and PO box are there). I like that the new addition increases retail density within town, thus potentially reducing commercial sprawl.

Top-ranked bleeder!

I donated blood today at the gym (sure beat the 45 minute cardio workout I had planned). The technician told me I ranked a "9" on the "9 point bleeder scale" (1 = slow donator, 9 = fast donator). Woo-hoo!

We get mail

I recently got an email from Kansas (I average about one email every other year from Kansas). This email pointed me to the photo-rich site www.flyoverpeople.net. Very nice - including some great panoramic shots.

Update: They have a nice link back to my blog (scroll down to August 13, 2005).

Big sky

Big sky
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

Deck view

Deck view
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

The Bridger Mountains as seen from my deck.

Townie Elk

NPR's All Things Considered had an interesting story about elk yesterday. The main part of the story was about the ecology of elks and wolves in Canada's Banff National Park. The story also mentioned the problem of "town elk" which destroy property and stomp people. I visited Banff several years ago and, sure enough, there were plenty of elk walking around town.

Montana angle: At the very end of the story, the reporter mentions "town elk" in Gardiner MT.

I've never heard of "town elk" visiting Bozeman, but we do get black bears...

Playground

playground
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

This new playground looks a bit lonely, but it will pick up once families move into the neighborhood.

New housing developments in Bozeman are required to set aside a percentage of land as open space and play space. Luckily for developers, they can usually site this open space alongside an existing irrigation ditch.

You might think an irrigation ditch would be a lousy amenity to a park, but they are usually clean and well-maintained. They are certainly nicer than the bayous I played in as a kid in Houston.

Catchment basin

catchment_basin_2
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

New subdivisions in Bozeman have catchment basins at the ends of some blocks - I guess to catch storm runoff. The basins make good hunting grounds for the neighborhood cats.

BG Feed Mill

BG Feed Mill
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

This feed mill is located one block north of Main Street. It is still in operation.

Streetscape - nice (Community Food Co-op)

Community Food Co-op
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

The Bozeman Community Food Co-op constructed this building in 2002.

I think it's a great addition to the streetscape of west Main Street. The building is visually appealing and it hides its parking lot from Main Street.

Across the street is a Safeway which does not hide its ugly parking area.

Trampoline

trampoline_1
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

Trampolines are popular backyard accessories in my neighborhood. They are useful for learning snowboarding tricks.

I'm not a snowboarder, but I do have fond trampoline memories from childhood gym class.

Spider

Spider
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

This beautiful spider lives on my front porch. A flickr comment suggests it might be a female shamrock spider.

Another Montana photoblog

Check out www.wildvizionz.com for some great Montana photos.

Coincidentally, the wildvizionz photographer (Leesa White) is originally from Texas, just like me. We also both moved to Montana in 2002. Other than that, no connection. As you can tell, she is a much more accomplished photographer than me.

View of Bridgers

mountain_view_1
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

The Bridger Mountains as seen from the roundabout pictured below.

It is impossible to get really lost when driving in Bozeman because the surrounding mountain ranges make distinctive landmarks.

Roundabout intersection

roundabout
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

This roundabout intersection is located in a new subdivision just west of my neighborhood. The condos in the background will sell for $200K +.

Maybe this new neighborhood will lack stop signs, just like my neighborhood.

Downtown condos

Downtown condos
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

A new luxury condo development located diagonal to the northeast corner of downtown Bozeman. I'm surprised that the development is not denser.

All the cars are from folks visiting the Sweet Pea Festival across the street at Lindley Park.

Exotic Spoons

Exotic Spoons
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

An unusual craft vendor at the 2005 Sweet Pea Festival.

Food Court at the 2005 Sweet Pea Festival

Sweet Pea Festival - 2005
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

Lots of good food choices at this annual event.

The festival was well-organized, as evidenced by the LARGE black trash containers.

Old Shed

old_shed_2
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

Located on the western edge of Bozeman. The Absaroka-Beartooth mountains provide a nice backdrop.

For another old shed/barn (and other nice Montana photos), see the July 18, 2005 posting at

Bitterroot and Bergamot

irrigation_ditch

irrigation_ditch
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

West Bozeman has many irrigation ditches. Typically, grass and trees are allowed to grow uncut along the ditches as long as they don't interfere with the flow of water. An irrigation ditch is much more pleasant than a stormwater-runoff ditch.

When the sluice gates are open, the water flows pretty fast. This seems to scour the bottom, so I don't know if any fish or invertebrates live in these ditches.

Montana state quarter design proposals

The Billings Gazette has an article on design proposals for the upcoming Montana state quarter.

I suggested a buffalo skull juxtaposed with a T. rex skull, but either one alone would be great. One of the more off-the-wall proposals: "a flaming skeleton riding a motorcycle."

ski_mailbox

ski_mailbox
Originally uploaded by big mike - montana.

A mailbox supported by four skis and two ski poles.

First post

This blog will cover life in Bozeman, Montana - the last, best place. Likely topics include hiking, skiing, fly fishing, town life, etc.

For some photos of day hikes around Bozeman, see my website: homepage.mac.com/mhcole/bozeman_dayhikes/