Tizer Botanical Gardens Apple Day

I love Tizer Botanic Gardens.  I mean love as in I would move into the cabin for awhile.  I have assisted in getting the grounds ready for the opening in late spring now for a couple of years.  I had planned on trying to get Savvy out there for High Tea this summer, but between her work and buying the house and moving, it didn't work out.  Texter, Lady K and I managed a couple of events during the summer, but no Savvy. So when I saw they were having an "Apple Day" I knew we had to go.

Unfortunately, as the week came closer and closer to Sunday, it looked like it was going to not only be cold, but rainy, and maybe a bit snowy.  I had resigned myself to not going.  We couldn't risk any of us coming down with colds.  But Sunday dawned dry, but cold.  Texter and I decided to go and rousted Savvy out of her warm bed.

If a successful day is measured by the great food purchased, then we had an overwhelming success.  While Lady K ran rampant (only 2 screaming fits because we wanted her to go where she didn't want to go), the rest of us ate.  Savvy quickly snatched up a pottery bowl filled with apple dumplings and found a fork.  We warmed up a bit by the fire they had going to knock the chill off visitors.

In all, we bought the apple dumplings (in a lovely pottery dish), 2 apple pralines (little mini-cakes), 4 caramel or chocolate covered apples, a big bag of fresh Montana apples, an apple pie and a mini loaf of banana bread for Texter as she can't do cinnamon.  These were all baked by wonderful volunteers who added to the day.  They were all gracious and more than happy to talk about the different apple items. And we sampled the fresh pressed apple cider. I wish Lady K had allowed us more time to see if they were going to sell any of it.

We showed Savvy some of our favorite spots in the gardens, like the Buddha garden.

The garden area, where I usually work, is still lovely despite having a few freezing nights.

I love the abandon of the plants at the end of the season.  There was still plenty of color and lots of interest while strolling the paths.  Spring and summer are only a part of the allure of Tizer.  Autumn has it's own appeal.  

There was an area for kids where they could color a drawing of an apple using stamps made from apples.  They could make an apple book and had a tree hunt and leaf rubbing.  Unfortunately, that meant slowing down for Lady K which wasn't in her mode for the day.  I know they were planning on some lectures on different types of apples suited for Montana and how to espalier an apple tree, something I was a bit interested in with our small yard and a chain length fence to hide.  Maybe next year, being a year older, we will get some cooperation from Lady K.

The only downside to the day was on the way there, Lady K had a terrible nosebleed.  Luckily, we were on the service road and were able to pull over and get her all cleaned up.  Once we got home, she ate a bit of lunch and was napping at 3pm.  And slept pretty much all the way through the night with a couple of restless periods.  Guess an hour of constant running tired her out!

Hopefully, this will be the first of many Apple Days at Tizer.  It was a great way to say good-bye to summer and hello to fall/winter.  Now, for another slice of apple pie.

Fashion Walk or Rather Food Walk

Last Thursday, the Downtown Helena merchants had a "Fashion Night'.  The premise was to walk the downtown area and see what new fashions the merchants had on hand.  Some of the non-clothing merchants were also open late.  The big draw for me - "Free Food and Drinks!"  (There was also the opportunity for more steps and to get Texter and Lady K out of the house for a bit of exercise.)

The Holter Museum had a spread and they also had teens walking around the area with cotton candy.

The Herb and Garden Shop, which I love.  I bought a small container of Sturdy Girl All-Purpose Cream.  I love the lavender/sage smell.  It's really heavy duty and I can tell I will be going back to get more (in a larger container).

Poppyseed Boutique had mini-cupcakes and hot chocolate.  However, they were out of the hot chocolate by the time we got there!  But they have lots of interesting items, especially accessories.  I will be hitting them up for gifts in the future.

The Dancing Lotus Center had a more 'healthy' spread.  Texter is interested in some of the classes they offer.  As we get settled into a school/work/study routine we are going to try and fit some of these classes in, especially when the weather is not favorable to being outside.

  The cotton candy being handed out by the teens from the Holter Museum.  We ate more than our fair share and took some home to Savvy (who had to work - bummer).

Aizada Imports offered margaritas!  They also have a woven hammock I want for our front porch for next year when the weather starts getting nice.

Birds and Beasleys got in on the action too.  Birds are always in fashion as far as I'm concerned.  But coconut macaroons!

A fun consignment shop, Frayed Sew is a handmade item shop.  Tons of gift ideas and every time I go in, I find myself going, "I want this, and that, and this..."  They have some handmade journals I have my eye on for myself.  And red and white wine!

But my favorite stop of the night had to be The Panhandler.  They were demonstrating this 'grill' which was cute and amazing.  You can see it to the left in the background.  But the grill raises up and you can broil items on these little 'shovels' underneath.  Texter and I toasted bread (from Park Avenue Bakery).  One had herb butter with gruyere cheese and the other prosciutto and gouda.  Then the crepe had diced peaches which I warmed on the grill on top.  We could have stayed there all night.  Panhandler is another shop I have to stay out of.  It's dangerous to my purse. 

All in all, it was a great couple of hours spent wandering downtown.  There are a couple of shops I didn't know existed which I will be returning to in the near future.  I can't wait until Savvy has a day off and we can repeat the walk, minus the 4-5 glasses of wine and plates of food I had.  An evening such as this makes it easy to plan 'shopping local' rather than hitting online or chain stores.

Winter is Coming

Fall and the onset of winter sure is different in Montana from North Carolina.  Back in NC, I would be basking in 70-80 degree weather during the day, dropping to 50-60 at night.  Here in Helena, we are 'basking' in 50 degree weather with nighttime temps dropping below freezing.  There have already been a couple of 'snow' threats and there is snow on the higher elevations (like right behind the house), but nothing on my lawn yet except a normal freeze.

Yesterday, Texter, Lady K and I had to drive from Helena to Great Falls for Lady K to get her flu shot.  The day was gray and drizzly here in Helena and on most of the drive to Great Falls.  Texter took the camera or we would have been stopping every few minutes for me to take pictures.  So here are a few of Texter's pictures she took on the drive.

This picture (which she did a really good job of, by the way) shows snow on the higher mountain tops already.  But it also catches the low clouds we were seeing and how the grasses have already turned brown in the fall weather.

This is one of the views along the way.  There is no way to really capture how lovely the winding Missouri is on our way to/from Great Falls.  If you haven't ever watched "A River Flows Through It", watch if for the scenery alone and you might get an idea of what it is like.  Again, Texter did a good job of taking a picture.

On the way back, I did make her let me stop at a scenic overlook for a couple of pictures.  I need to get out in the car and drive around and take nothing but foliage pictures one day when the sun is shining.

I like this picture because the bridge over the road in the distance gives you a sense of just how big these 'hills' really are.      

Once you leave town and planned planting of trees, the color is many bright yellow of the aspen and birch.  It is beautiful against the white of the bark.

When I saw this picture from the overlook that I took, I had to laugh.  If you cut out the large pine trees on the right hand side of the picture, you would almost think this was a rock with lichen on it.  However, the brown, red and yellow are small trees and shrubs on the rock.  The green is a large expanse of lichen, however.

Hopefully, I will have a chance to get out and take more pictures before the snows start in earnest.  

There Be Dragons!

Or rather salamanders.  Walking the mall on Last Chance Gulch yesterday with Texter and Lady K, I happened to look up rather than into the storefronts and discovered this.

Looked like cavorting dragons to me.  But as it turns out, these are actually fire salamanders and were an advertisement for the insurance company which was originally housed in the building at the turn of the century.

We were there to actually let me take some videos of the mall for a class project (which will be posted later, once finished).  I decided to do it on the pedestrian mall I am loving so much.  It also just happens to end at the library, which means I can make a quick trip to any store while on break.  That could be good or bad for my paycheck.

Anyway, I have to say that Helena has done a great job of keeping the old with the new.  The "Atlas" building still houses businesses, but also has apartments in it.  Who wouldn't want to live where they are protected by these wonderful guys?

Hiking Grizzly Gulch

I am coming to the conclusion that Montana was designed by Escher, because everything is UP.  I think sometimes downhill is actually up.  However, I am still determined to hike the trails around here.  Eventually, my body will catch up with my desire.

So this morning, I and one of the other Helena Hikers, took on Grizzly Gulch.  The trailhead is just outside of downtown Helena and very easy to get to.  

The names of the trails alone are reason to hike them.  Don had mapped out our route as there were several different ways you can hike this area.  How can you not want to hike on "Show Me The Horse" trail?

We started the hike at about 8 a.m. so lighting was great.  The day was just right for the hike, not too cold, not to hot.  And after the rain yesterday evening, the trails were not dusty to walk on. Starting out fairly steep at the beginning, we were hiking along the side of the hill, through trees.  Unfortunately, this early part of the hike also seems to be a favorite for late night partying as there was a lot of broken glass along the trail.

My problem with hiking is this (besides the whole uphill thing) I want to look at stuff around me.  I want to try and identify the flora.  And after the weekend at BOW, I want to bird watch too.  Neither of those are conducive to hiking with any speed.

For about the first third of the hike the trail wanders in and out of the trees, giving you glimpses of the views yet to come. 

Besides several pines that were downed along the trail, but cleared out of the way so we didn't have to climb over them, there are outcroppings of stone.  The stone is great, covered with lichen of all shades of green and orange.

For about the first hour of the hike we didn't see anyone else on the trail.  However, when we got to one of our first splits in the trail, we met a gentleman making a branch in the trail.  It seems on Sunday there will be a race along the trails.  More UMP than I've got.

And there was a part or two of 'downhill' before more UP.

Once we got up on the Mt. Helena Ridge it was fantastic views all around.  

After the ridge, the trail lead into a wooded area again.  It was at that point I discovered the battery I packed for my camera was the dead one, not the charged one, so I didn't get pictures of the last part of the trail, from "Show Me The Horse" back to the parking lot.

Also, it was along this point that we started encountering the mountain bikers and trail runners.  Trail runners have my admiration.  I'm having trouble just walking the trail, much less running on it.

Three hours later we arrived back at the cars and about 10 minutes later I was back in my driveway.  Can't beat that.  Of course, Lady K and Texter laughed as I shuffled my aching body into the shower.  They have no compassion.  

Backyard Flora and Fauna

Sitting on the patio or sitting in the living room and observing through the big glass doors has become one of the favorite things to do here.  Filling the feeders has meant a steady supply of activity.  The flowers in the yard are a constant delight and the ones I have added are growing well.  I was worried a bit about growing things in Montana, but my fears have been groundless.

The flowers are a delight this year, especially the sweet peas.  I just wish they were a more fragrant variety.  

Mandavilla blooms 

Spruce cones at the top of the tree

Sweet Peas

"Yellow" flowers and seed heads (not sure what it is)

We have had a few butterflies coming through.  I haven't been able to find out what the name of this little fellow is yet.

But our favorites are the birds.

Sometimes we have a crowd at the feeders.  I have missed the hummingbirds at the feeder.  Maybe better luck next year now that they know we have a feeder. 

Of course, some still have their own feeders, even if they are big enough to be feeding themselves. 

House finches are plentiful, as are magpies. 

It seems we are down a couple of squirrels.  They weren't quite as fast as the dogs it seems.

Black-capped chickadees are starting to appear at the feeder. 

Not a Mourning Dove (as I first thought), but the Eurasian Collared Dove.  Yesterday, as I took out the trash, I startled a flock of about 20 in the alley behind the house.

Another favorite of mine are the crows.  They are so stately and I do love the fact that a flock is called a 'murder'. 

Then the blackbird is plentiful at the feeder too.

This is what I think is a Brewer's Blackbird female with a Grackle scarfing up bread crumbs.

But the most unique feeder we have in the backyard is the Lady K bird.  She is seated on her favorite outdoor perch.

A messy feeder, she has a distinctive call and is very social.