Why Missoula?

It's funny that we get this question a lot. Everyone assumes Bozeman, which has better access to the powder snow. But: it's not all about the powder. We have spent a lot of time in both communities. We feel Missoula is more of a community, does better growth planning, and has more things going on. It certainly is funkier! Sure - the winter weather stinks. But the University is bigger, and brings in more music from the outside. It has more breweries: important for quality of life! It just seems more "real." My brother, sister-in-law, and six year old nephew live there. It's friendly. It's vibrant for it's size. We love the people. On all sides, the wilderness is right there. We've always wanted to live in a medium size university town, with great access to the outdoor recreation and skiing. We've wanted to live within walking distance of a University. The house we bought is four blocks from the Univeristy of Montana, and about 3/4 mile (easy walk) to town. The mountain biking and hiking right from the town is fabulous. So, let's give it a go.

Why Montana?

Laurie and I met in Colorado in 1976, and spend every spare moment in the mountains. We lived in Alaska for years, worked for the US Forest Service, and the mountains and outdoors were a large part of our life. The "real world" and kids took us to Minnesota, where we learned to love the northern lakes, but also the cultural aspects and people of the Twin Cities. We've always had this Yin Yang: the pull of the West vs. the benefits of the Twin Cities. The pull of the mountain west has remained strong. All our free time has been spent in Montana backpacking in summers and snowboarding and XC skiiing in winter. Two years of empty nesting has found us making the drive many times. We finally decided to pull the trigger and at least try it. Sometimes you just have to go for it.

Family Reunion in Arizona

A few weeks back got to spend a week with both kids. Checked out the area north of Flagstaff AZ (where my daughter lives) and son came down frmo MT. Camping at North Rim of Grand Canyon plus Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks made for some excellent day hikes. Here we are at Lee's Ferry. It's an outdoor paradise. Not only that, it gave me an excuse to try embedding a photo in a blog post. That alone was worth the airfare.

16 Years of Memory For Sale

The sign is in the front yard, sixteen years after we tool the other one down. I always heard that you have to keep "emotions" out of selling a house, and thought that was a bit strange. But with sixteen years in it, I now get it. First days of school, backyard baseball games, sixteen Christmas mornings, many nights on the backyard snowboard jumps, even some ice rinks. Of course the famous (infamous?) cast parties that I threw, and the (how many?) parties that my kids threw while we were at the cabin? Lots of laughing, and our fair share of tears. Countless hours practicing drums and exploring new drum concepts. Many hours of the kids practicing mandolins, fiddle, saxaphones, now all collecting dust. Fortunately for us, I feel the good times stack up higher than the bad, and one has to be happy with that, in today's world. OK. Put the memories and emotion aside, and wait for a potential buyer......anyone want to buy 16 years of memory? Check it out at www.u-saverealty.com, look at featured listenings and if YOU have memories here, you'll recognize the one.

Pursuing your dream: it ain't easy!

Books and articles that tout "pursue your dream" never tell you how hard it is to act on. To get up off the couch and "just do it." Today we bought a house a few states away. A few very big states. Although it too begins with "M" it is very different in many ways. We hope monstly good ways. It's about pursuing a dream before we look back and say "why didn't we?" Change requires energy. Inertia require little. Most forces and inclinations are to resist change and preserve the status quo. There's bonds to be broken, good byes to say, new habits and routines to learn. It seems harder the older you get. Not like when you are 22 and just pack your duffel and jump on a west-bound Greyhound. Change is healthy, staying off balance may be good. But it isn't easy.

CLICK below to see our new house

Two videos of the house we just bought. Yikes! It's four blocks from the University and about 3/4 mile from the downtown. The neighborhood has many families, college kids, and of couse, funky cafes and coffee shops. Feel free to comment by clicking on the right spot at the end of the videos.



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