FOR THE LOVE OF MONTANA

Oh my goodness...our 15 day trip to our version of earthly paradise has come and gone. The days went by at a nice pace, unlike the fast pace of our daily grind here in Texas which tends to be filled with responsibilities, job demands, drama and so forth. We had a nice work/play balance while we were there, accomplishing many home projects as well as getting some hiking and fishing in (for Dave). Our evenings at the house were so anticipated because they were relaxed and fulfilling. We brought almost all Westerns up with us, to watch on the TV...the 2010 version of "True Grit", "Silverado", "Lonesome Dove", "El Dorado" as well as our vacation DVD's were a great way to wrap up the day. Nearly every evening found me in my pajamas next to Dave on the sofa with a blanket to keep me warm.

One of the more pleasant aspects of our Mountainview Hideaway is the temperature. The house is only eight miles north of Columbia Falls but because of the mountains surrounding us, our temperatures are cooler; so far the greatest difference has been eleven degrees! When we first bought the house we looked up the annual snowfall amount in Columbia Falls which is on average around sixty inches. We have since discovered that up on the North Fork we can get up to three times that amount!! It makes sense when you think about it; if it is in the mid-thirties and raining in Columbia Falls, it can be in the twenties and dumping snow up at our place! Another aspect of the house which is extremely enjoyable is the inside temperature. On this recent trip we were in Columbia Falls and it was 85-90 degrees in town, maybe 75-80 degrees at our house but inside it was a consistent 68 degrees! It was cooler than running the air conditioner back in Texas which struggles to maintain 77 degrees inside, in the heart of the summer. We would open the windows overnight and by 10 AM we shut the house up and it would stay cool throughout the day. We have lots of beautiful, tall trees creating a significant amount of shade for the house, this explains why I would cover up with a blanket while watching a movie at night!

Overnight with the windows open in the guest bedroom and the temperatures going down to the fifties and even the upper forties, meant lots of snuggling under that Denali fleece bedding!