
Up at the ranch near Missoula- the boys don’t mind the snow. We’ve got the clothes for it.

What we don’t have the clothes for are those miserable days when it’s pouring rain and just a few degrees above freezing. That creek to the right running under the tree runs to the ditch we’re digging out.

Happy, sunny day in Stevensville.

View out to the backyard. Note the log fence, built by Josh to look like the peaks of the Bitterroot range to the west.

Allen pre-haircut. Here he tests his home-made silencer on the BB pistol. “Aim away from the coffee-maker, please!” On our final full day here, Bob will take Allen to the gun show in Hamilton, while O and I play pick-up soccer for the last time at the high school fields. The lads will miss Owen with his fancy, fast moves.

Our 4 field companions. The friendliest is the palomino, whom we call ‘Palomino’. He likes a good roll in the dirt. If I’d thought about it I’d have called him ‘Trigger’. Next is the mule on the right. The beautiful brown horses don’t say hello much, even when you get a juicy handful of tall grass for them. Palomino and mule will follow you all around, however. Keep the gates closed; they are always watching for a quick escape to greener pastures.
The other day next door neighbor Avery’s cows got loose (did I already mention this??). O, A and I helped guide them back to their pasture. So add a round-up to the Montana experiences!

Up at the range: Allen with AK-74. Owen with AK-47. Me with M-1. What’s the difference between the 47 and 74, you ask? The AK-47 has large caliber and quite a kick. The 74 has smaller bullets, designed to twist and spin upon entry, so just as deadly but easier to shoot perhaps. You want to penetrate the side of a truck door, you go with the 47. It was fun to watch skin and bones Owen try to manhandle that thing; his shoulder has recovered fully. The AKs are a good option for lazy folks who don’t have the energy to keep their guns perfectly clean. I guess if you own the popular AR you have to keep it in tip-top shape, whereas the Russky gun is sort of self cleaning and simple, for Russky soldiers who can’t be bothered.
We had a fun day out here but now the boys have been on gun-cleaning duty for two days straight since then. Fine with Allen but O would probably just as soon be on the soccer pitch.


Bob is a great artist and teacher of art as well. This is what Allen produced in Bob’s basement painting class.