Tag: friendship

Hiking and Beer

If you know me personally, the first word in today’s title is no surprise. I recently moved to Montana and have been a hiker pretty much my whole life. When I moved here in July, I intentionally took some time to get adjusted to my new surroundings. Fortunately, my new best friend here is also a hiker and has shared some stunning locations with me. I’m also getting familiar with some convenient local trails.

This month my friend has found himself temporary unemployed while he waits to transfer to a new position. For me, this happily means even more hikes and opportunities to explore the beauty of the Flathead Valley in autumn.

So where does the beer come in? I have celiac disease. Beer is generally not on my agenda. I’m not really a big consumer of alcohol either. Just one, or maybe two drinks—that’s it.

As my new bestie has introduced me to the area, we have also been out experiencing all of the wonderful live music that the valley has to offer. One night in August, we ended up at Bias Brewing in Kalispell. (I can give a plug, right?) I thought I would be stuck drinking water, but I took a chance and asked the server if there was anything gluten free on the menu. She replied, “Yes, it’s all gluten removed.”

I was stunned, but also a bit cautious. I decided to play it safe that night and just had two little four-ounce tasters. The next morning, I felt fine.

On the next visit, I had twelve ounces. Still no reaction. Since then, I have indulged and had as much as twenty-four ounces. (Yes, I got a little crazy that day.)

Needless to say, Bias has become our new hangout. And with the arrival of fall, there is now Attic Window Pumpkin Ale on the menu. It is pure bliss! I never knew I could love a beer so much. Why do people get so excited about all of those pumpkin spice coffee drinks when beer is so much better?

With my flexible schedule and my friend’s temporary unemployment, “Hike and beer this afternoon?” has become a common text message. We have to savor as many autumn days as possible before October ends.

And Then the Sun Came Out

A couple of days ago, I wrote a blog post but decided to delete it. You see, one of my goals in blogging is to keep a positive mindset. I had gone through a couple of rough days where doubts were filling my head. A series of negative events, which were mostly beyond my control, had brought me down. I then began to question my choice to make an out-of-state move and start a new career as an entrepreneur.

We’ve all been there. You know how it feels when you are at rock-bottom. You know it will end, but the pain and the fear are so very real at the time. Usually, it just takes someone or something to pull you out of it.

I can’t tell you exactly what it was. Maybe it was my super-positive new friend with whom I spent some time yesterday morning. Maybe it was the book I read last night that got me thinking about my hopes for the future. Maybe it was my new neighbor waving her hands to get my attention this afternoon, just because she wanted to say hello as I was walking by. Maybe it was all of those things that made me realize life is pretty darn good right now.

Change can be scary, but it can also be so very wonderful. After chatting with my neighbor, I continued walking with a grateful heart, taking in the mountain views that attracted me to Montana. My tension eased as I realized I was back to being myself; the late summer afternoon sun had never felt better.

Valley Music

One of the many things that fascinate me about the Flathead Valley is the abundance of musical talent. I have a great appreciation of almost every kind of music but have yet to discover any great talent in myself. I am, however, known to sing and dance at random times, and tend to have music blaring whenever possible. Perhaps my purpose is to consume rather than create in the musical realm.

I am inspired by the talent I am seeing and hearing in local venues; people tell me that there is still more to discover, too. Lucky for me, a friend connected me with my new “bestie” in Kalispell. He has become my personal event planner and is responsible for getting me out many of these summer nights. With his help, I have discovered the joys of Picnic in the Park and ThursdayFest, both in downtown Kalispell. We’ve also been to a couple of breweries and a wine bar together to see some of his favorites. On my own, I have discovered the Riverbend Concert Series on summer Sunday nights in Bigfork and music at the Monday market.  (Feel free to respond with a comment if you have further recommendations. Remember, I’m new here!)

This week I have been fortunate to volunteer at the Crown Guitar Festival in Bigfork. Who would have guessed that such a little town would have such an incredible world-class event! The festival includes both a musicians’ workshop and nightly concerts for five days. During the first two days, I’ve seen the legendary Edgar Winter; Cory Henry, who simply makes magic with his Hammond organ; and jazz greats Nathan East and Lee Ritenour. My volunteer duty has been in the silent auction tent, which is anything but work for a social girl like me. In addition to hearing fabulous music, I’m meeting interesting people, including locals and those from various parts of North America who are visiting for the festival.

Once again, I am finding life here better than expected. I look forward to exploring more music and some new indoor venues as fall arrives.

 

New Neighbors and Night Skies

A couple of weeks ago my new neighbor shared her excitement for the upcoming Perseid meteor showers, which would be at their peak this past weekend. She invited me to meet up in their backyard on Sunday for some late night viewing. This included an agreement that we’d all take afternoon naps to be able to stay up as late as possible.

After scaring the heck out of them with my 10:45 knock at the back door, we got arranged in their cushy patio chairs to see the night-sky action. Having lived in a rather populated area for most of my adult life, star-gazing was an infrequent event, mostly enjoyed when we were out on our boat. It was, however, a big part of my childhood. Talk about simple pleasures. This was one of the many things I was searching for in making this move. The night sky didn’t disappoint. We saw quite a few meteors and managed to stay up until almost 1:00 AM.

The unexpected joy of the evening was the opportunity to get acquainted with my new neighbor.  She and I stayed out together after her husband had grown tired and turned in for the night. We all have our stories, and what could be a better setting to share them? Feeling grateful this morning for our night-sky bonding.