shoe of my dreams

inertia

In the past couple weeks I have watched several people I greatly respect and admire lose their jobs. As upsetting as it is to watch newspapers like The Rocky Mountain News close, it makes me much sadder when those effected are people I really care about and know personally. The thing that sticks with me the most is that in the midst of it all they still are hopeful. Hopeful that these changes will work out the best for them and that they will triumph because of their work and their attitudes. I find these perspectives inspiring and the best antidote for all of the bad news that is out there.

For every sad story that you find of someone losing their job and unable to keep it all from falling apart, there are stories of people picking up the pieces and putting it all back together. Maybe it doesn't look quite the same but they believe it will look brighter. It might even look like something that wasn't possible before.

carnegie building for Montana Magazine

I shot Kalispell's Hockaday Museum of Art (above) for this month's issue of Montana Magazine. The article profiles buildings across the state that were originally built as Carnegie libraries and are now used for other purposes. Check out the article on stands now.

patience in snow

I had the chance to shoot some ice fishing last week and it was a nice treat. The kids were excited, the weather was not as cold as it had been, and I had fun watching the kids wait for a bite. The fishing was part of a birthday party for a little one turning two. Ice fishing is really a far cry from the roller skating parties I had as a kid but it was pretty cool. And now when these kids grow up they can say they have been ice fishing since they were 2.... no seriously.

little people, big adventure

While I am hearing about warm weather down South from friends and family, winter keeps on going here in Northwest Montana. I happened on the wind skiers today on the way home from Kalispell. While the temps have dropped here, the wind has picked up and these kids decided to make the best of it. By the time I had climbed up the hill where they were skiing they were already dots in the distance. Still, I thought it was a pretty sweet way to make the best of a sunny day. The two kids in the bottom image were heading back inside after ice fishing. After a brief warm up in February, it has been cold enough to head out onto the lakes here again and catch some fish. More photos from outdoor adventures to come in the next few days.

winter in montana :: or :: when will it end?

So this week there was a moment of sunshine. Just for a day. And then it was back to business as usual and winter weather. Even though this is my third winter in Montana I still miss the South like clockwork come March. I miss random 70 degree days where you can get away with flip flops and t-shirts. I miss not wearing snow boots till May. And most of all I miss sunshine. Montana winters last so much longer, and while they are beautiful, I really just love warm weather. But for now all I can do is try to enjoy how calm and pretty this winter is until eventually it melts away. So till then this photo is my wintery silver lining.