Monument Plant (Green Gentian)

Monument plants are distributed widely across the Continental United States.  Given that, you might think they would shun higher elevations.  On a mountain drive the other day, however, I found many dozens of them growing in solitary fashion at elevations above 7000 feet.  Some of the plants were two feet tall and in full bloom.

Posted are two photographs I captured of the flowers.

--Mitchell Hegman

Bathrobe Incident

First thing this morning, in the half-light of dawn, I had a bathrobe incident.  In the event you would like to try this for yourself, here are five easy steps for doing so:

1. Partially open bathroom door.

2. Lean around door and grasp bathrobe hanging on back of door.

3. Pull bathrobe toward you.

4. Hook bathrobe on door lever handle

5. Briskly pull door into face.

--Mitchell Hegman

20 Pounds of Seed Collector

This time of year, my 20 pounds of housecat becomes a collector of seeds.  As he slinks downslope from my house through invasive swaths of cheatgrass, through needle-and-thread grass, through foxtails, and through bur-bearing forbs; the various barbs and hooks of maturing seeds affix themselves to his Velcro coat of fur.

After a long day of collecting seeds, he sleeps on my sofa.

Interesting side note: apparently my sofa is equipped with some sort of seed release mechanism, which releases the seeds from my cat’s coat.

--Mitchell Hegman

Marked Man

Sometimes, a song is powerful for being stripped down to the barest elements.  Forgo the guitars and the piano.  Leave behind all but a single voice.  Marked Man, performed by Mieka Pauly, is a song that does just that.

--Mitchell Hegman

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpxMlG8boZ4

Weeds

Live life with the knowledge that the weeds you allow to thrive in your yard won’t stop at your fence.

--Mitchell Hegman

Hogback Mountain, 2018

Yesterday, that girl, her twin sisters, and I drove to the top of Hogback Mountain.  On top, we took in a view extending from the Flint Creek Range near Deer Lodge to the Bridger Range near Bozeman.  All of the Prickly Pear Valley and the chain of lakes along the Missouri River lay below us.

The wildflower displays on our climb from valley to mountaintop were spectacular.

We ended our day of adventure with a short hike into Refrigerator Canyon.  A strong, cool wind was funneling through the canyon.  Clear water clattered down through the boulders alongside us and sometimes filtered through the crushed limestone trail at our feet.

Following are a mix of photographs—some captured with my SLR camera, some captured with my smarter-than-me-phone.

 

Larkspur atop Hogback.

A wildflower meadow.

The girls.

Flowers and limestone cliffs below.

Refrigerator Canyon.

--Mitchell Hegman

Tree Circus

Yesterday, that girl, her twin sisters, our neighbor at the cabin property, and I visited Sculpture in the Wild.  Sculpture in the Wild is an outdoor park featuring sculptures—mostly made from natural materials—located at the edge of Lincoln, Montana.  The park is filled with pathways and creations from a host of international artists.

Sculpture in the Wild has become one of my favorite destinations when entertaining people visiting from out of the area.

Today, I am posting a few photographs of the one of latest works: Tree Circus.   If you look carefully, you can see that girl leaning in a window of the sculpture.  I have also posted a photograph of my traveling companions on one of the paths in the park.

No matter your age when arriving at Tree Circus, after ducking inside the twisted branches and tromping around inside the whimsical structure, you emerge as a giggling child.

--Mitchell Hegman