This amphibious, all purpose super vehicle is called an Argo. In summer, it’s what we use to do big pond-cleaning projects. It goes in the pond and we drag a huge rake that drags the bottom and gets all the weeds and muck out. Today Allen and Owen helped Bill put the tracks on the Argo so it’s snow-ready. The snow wasn’t deep enough to bother with the tracks at the time of this photo, and it was still only early fall, so we hooked up the blade and plowed a path from the barn to the driveway. The driveway was cleared the morning after the storm by a local guy with and old tractor. He does it for everyone in the area.
By the way, the mountains in the background are part of the Sapphire Range, more rolling hillish than steep, craggy peaks like the Bitterroots on the west side of the valley. It forms the border between Ravalli and Granite county.
Here we are on Conny’s property outside Missoula. Allen has just insulated a section of wall, applying some goopy stuff to all the edges and cracks. Owen is organizing tools on the ramp to the caboose.
Josh designed this bathhouse, which will have bath/shower/toilet/dressing room and other stuff, which will be used by guests who stay at the B&B caboose, or who are here for events (like a big wedding planned for Spring).
He cut all the wood at his place in Stevensville, where he has a mill out back. We helped one day- I got to run his big saw and cut huge logs into boards. I also planed some of those curved planks on the roof there. Each one of those arches has about ten boards in it. This thing is going to be beautiful; so much work for a bathroom! The Romans would be impressed!
Allen has been out here a couple times, just he and Josh, when I was with Owen at soccer games. See the John Deere tractor on the left- I love running that thing.
The other day we went for a walk near our old haunts in Hamilton. Allen and Owen would come down here in summer and fish. You can still fish now but they aren’t much interested in this cold. Actually we were going to take a hike with this beautiful weather. We called up the Hollingsworths and got permission to take Finn along. Our plan was to do the short hike we’d taken back in late May. Ah, Blodgett Canyon would have been spectacular with all the snow, but even with Bill’s Ram 1500, we couldn’t get up to the trailhead- snowed-in for the year now. Hence we took this walk around the park in Hamilton. When we got into the thick wood, we saw the cow moose that calls this area her home.
Hikes and walks are fine, but Allen’s favorite outdoor activity is still the trampoline. He’s gettin’ good.
Good one Dan. Thx, Ward
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