The Perfect Gift

Oh, Boy! Oh, Boy! I've really hit the jackpot this time.

I found Kinsey the perfect gift! When I brought it to her I was knew I was a rock star. And, what was this perfect gift? It was a deer shed. Now I know this would not appeal to most people but my mum is a bit of an odd duck. She loves getting natural things, as long as no one is harmed in the getting. So when I presented her with this half of a perfect 8 point rack she was over the moon.

With all the deer around here you'd think one would stumble on them all the time. We have not had such luck. And, often when you do find them they've been out there for a couple of seasons and have been munched on by hungry critters. Not this baby it was in pristine condition. In the photo it looks kinda small but it's really a nice size.

Molly Montana and Deer Shed Antler

In other good news Kinsey recently read that Australian Shepherds are among the top 20 longest living canines. This means I could have as much as another 15 years if I watch my P's and Q's. That probably still won't be long enough to see Kinsey off this mortal plane but she may have slowed down some by then, she'll be 82. But, after watching a video this morning of Queen Elizabeth celebrating her ninetieth I think Kinsey will be around long after 82.

COW PIE PARTY

As regular readers know Kinsey has been embroiled in a MAGIC JACK HORROR STORY. After several days of trying she thinks she's got it all sorted out and will be doing a followup article to explain exactly what happened. TWITTER followers and FACEBOOK followers will want to keep and eye out for it. She learned a lot of things, many of which could be helpful to you too. It'll probably be out this weekend.

Back to the Cow Pie Party. Kinsey spent I don't know how many hours over three days trying to get to the bottom of the Magic Jack debacle. She has very little hair left on her head. Prior to that fiasco we were working hard in the forest.Yesterday was a drop dead gorgeous day so Kinsey declared a holiday and we went to the Tobacco River for a walk. There is a great walk along the river that ends up in the tiny burg of Rexford.

I'm a lot of help!

It's still early in the year for things to be pretty on the river so we just walked along enjoying the sunshine. There were a few Canadian Geese in the pastures and apparently there had been some cows out on the trail. While Kinsey walked along, day dreaming, I fell behind and before she knew what I was up to I was having the time of my life, a cow pie party if you will! I had found a lovely pile of cow poop and was flat on my back, with feet in the air wriggling around on top of it. Oh, yum! I was literally happy as a pig in poop! When Kinsey turned around to see what I was up to it was way too late for me to be anything but a poopy puppy!

Cow Pie Puppy!

We went down to the river so I could jump in it. But, I'm not real big on swimming so it did very little to get rid of the poop. So much for Kinsey's afternoon idyl along the river. Thank goodness we had needed to make a trip to the dump so we were driving the ranch truck. If we'd been in any other vehicle she probably would have left me. I was one stinky girl! And, I LOVED it!

Back at the ranch Kinsey hosed me down, which I did not love. But, I'm pretty much back to normal except for my collar which was nicely encrusted in poop. I think Kinsey still loves me.

Never a dull day around here I can tell you!

Ciao for now,
Molly, the poop head, Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

STILLWATER SNOWMOBILING - NOT

This past Friday was a glorious day in Montana. The sun was shining and everywhere you looked snow was glistening. A perfect Friday the 13th. We could hardly pass up the chance to walk in such splendor. With no destination in mind we headed out on highway 93.

On a whim we turned off on the road to Upper Whitefish Lake in the Stillwater Forest. In winter, unbeknownst to us, the road is closed to all but snowmobiles. The road is groomed for snowmobiles and looks to be a great place to enjoy the sport. As luck would have it, we are having the longest, warmest winter melt we've ever experienced, for Kinsey that's 14 winters. The melt usually last about ten days. So far, this one is a month old. As a result the snow is receding at a rapid rate.

There is a staging area just a few hundred feet in from the highway. Only few trucks were parked. The conditions did not look at all good for snowmobiling. The track was bald or slushy. Even though the road indicated it was closed, except for snowmobiles, it didn't specifically say anything about foot traffic. If conditions were different we wouldn't recommend walking this road. You'd risk getting mowed down by a snowmobile. It would definitely be dangerous. We made the decision to do it anyway because there wasn't likely to be much traffic and what traffic there was you would be able to hear coming a mile away in the silent Stillwater Forest.

We walked a little more than three miles in. In that time we saw exactly one snowmobile. We heard him coming in plenty of time to place ourselves far out of his way. It wasn't hard. He was hugging the edge of the road trying to stay in the snow. He didn't look like he was recreating. He was towing a sled with gas cans and a propane tank. Looked like he was on a supply run to us.

Stillwater Snowmobile

Even if the walk was slushy it was beautiful. With only one snowmobile to break the silence it was like having the forest all to ourselves. That's one of the things we love most about this part of the world, there are millions of acres of public forest and very few humans out in them.

Stillwater State Forest 2-13-2015

Stillwater State Forest 2-13-15

We also learned that although we were in the Stillwater Forest some of the time we were not all of the time. A lot of the land the road passes through belongs to Plum Creek Timber who allows the public to enter their property as long as they are proper guests. We hope the people who use the road are respectful.

Plum Creek Timber

And, of course, no post would be complete without a photo of moi. Dang I am pretty. I mean get a load of those eyes!

Molly Montana Stillwater Forest 2-15-15

So, here's what we learned. If you like to snowmobile this looks like a great place to do it when conditions are good, which they are not at the moment. If the conditions are good you do not want to walk here in winter. It would be dangerous for everyone. This is a road we are putting on our to do list for this summer. We'll report back what it's like when the hiking is good.

Ciao for now!
Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

WHITEFISH RIVER TRAILS

This morning my personal photographer and I walked a pretty little suburban trail called the Rocksund Trail named after the people who donated the land. I call it suburban with tongue in cheek. In these parts 100 yards off any given road is the wild. The trail is paved but covered in ice at the moment. It's a very nice little walk along Whitefish River.

Whitefish Trail

Apparently, not all ducks go south for the winter because we saw bunches of them, mostly mallards and goldeneye. They seemed perfectly happy to be feeding in the crystal clear but very cold water. They are so funny the way they pop their bottoms up in the air as they search for food. These guys looked like they had circled their wagons, I mean their bums.

Mallards and Goldeneye ducks on the Whitefish River

Town trails are never long enough for us and this one was no exception. Nevertheless, it's a very pleasant stroll along the water and very much better than nothing.

Molly Montana checking out an artistic post.

Tired now time for a rest.

Molly Montana takes a nap!

 Oh, for pity sakes! What kind of crazy photo is that? Gotta  have a word with my photographer!


Ciao for now,
Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My past year was a great one and I'm looking forward to 2015.

Happy New Year!

The best parts were our road trips. Last spring we went over to the Blackfeet Reservation. It was my very first road trip. I really had lots of fun.

Then in the fall we went to Yellowstone  and the Grand Tetons. I especially loved the trip along the Gros Ventre.  I'm also noticing I never finished telling all my stories because you know who never got the photos lined up for them. I must insist that Kinsey make getting those photos ready so I can tell my tales before it's time to hit the road again.

Yesterday we went to Murdoch's, the really cool ranch store. They are dog friendly at Murdoch's so it's my favorite. The aromas in that place are to die for. But, before we got inside, I acted up and pulled Kinsey so hard on the leash she went splat on the pavement. It's been really cold an there's ice everywhere. She scolded me very harshly. I deserved it. I'm so good in so many ways but I just can't seem to get a handle on my enthusiasm when around people and dogs. So,  my New Year's resolution is to curb my enthusiasm. Well, not really curb it but be more mellow about it. I was very contrite when we got home and I know Kinsey has forgiven me but the last thing in the world I would want is to hurt her. Wish me luck. This isn't going to be easy.

I hope you had a great 2014 and Kinsey joins me in wishing you a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year.

Ciao for now,
Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

Stillwater River

I still have more stories to tell about our trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons but getting Kinsey to give up the photos is like trying to pull teeth. I'm hoping the one about the Bridger-Tetons will get done next week. The is the one where the week before there had been a grizzly attack and all they had found of the guy was a hand and a foot.

Molly on the bank of the Stillwater River

Ciao for now!
Molly Montana

Not a lot goin' on. Puppy's bored.

There hasn't been much going on around here. Mostly lugging firewood and shoveling snow. Of, course I just supervise. Kinsey seems to be doing a fine job.

We do walk in the woods every day and play catch with the Frisbee. I'm getting really good catching that thing. I can catch it on the fly over my shoulder, running away from it. Kinsey says I'm going to wreck myself I jump so high and contort myself in such unnatural ways.

I can play catch forever. I do get tired and thirsty sometimes. There's no water around the house that's not frozen so every once in awhile I run down to the pond and get a drink. The water is always running there.

©Kinsey Barnard

COSTCO STOLE CHRISTMAS

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We did with a notable exception.

Kinsey celebrates Christmas here in the forest with just her best friend. This year that would be me and in years past it was Koty. It turned out to be a really beautiful and sunny day. We hiked up the mountain and wandered around the ranch.

I got lots of toys and demolished them just as quickly as I could. I think I may be what they call and "aggressive" chewer. I got this edible, rawhide stick that was about 14 inches long and cost $9! It was gone in under an hour. I seriously doubt I'm getting another one of those. I also got a stuffed pheasant plush toy. That was missing a leg within about fifteen minutes. And, I got a plastic Frisbee that I know Kinsey thought would really last. I've already chewed big chunks of it off. My Christmas was great!

So, how did Costco steal Christmas? Well, Kinsey has a ritual Christmas dinner that she has been having since she bot this place nearly 12 years ago. She likes to BBQ a big ole rib-eye steak and have a couple of Beefeaters over the rocks. She says that's her perfect meal. A simple girl my Kinsey.

As usual she bot the steak a week in advance so that it could age in the refrigerator, as her father had taught her to do. The extra aging really makes a difference in flavor and tenderness. In years past she could cut that steak with a fork and savor every bite. Not this year. The meat was shot through with tough gristle and it had very little flavor. Even the Beefeater's couldn't make up for it. Kinsey has been a fan of Costco beef for over twenty years but I think this has about finished that love affair. It was none too cheap either at around ten dollar a pound.

Kinsey had already stopped buying the ground beef because it was totally lacking in flavor. She has found that the ground beef at Super 1 is really good and she knows the beef at Safeway is always top drawer. They are more expensive but better to eat no meat than meat of inferior quality. So, she says. I'm not quite so picky. It sounds to me as though that's the last beef she buys at Costco.

My take is that the bloom is off the lily between Kinsey & Costco. I am frequently hearing her grumble about items she had become attached to, that Costco carried for years, being dropped; Garden Burgers, Lighthouse Blue Cheese Dressing, Cafe D'Amore, to name a few. OK, she is a senior citizen (65 next month) and stuck in her ways, but still. She says the toilet paper is still a good buy. I don't use the stuff myself.

Me, I had a terrific Christmas. Lotsa toys, lotsa play and lotsa love. The steak not withstanding, I think Kinsey had a terrific Christmas too because it was a glorious day, in a glorious place and she had me!

Betty Davis eyes?

Me and my new frisbee

The view on our hike.

You can follow the Old Girl on TWITTER. She's not on Facebook. Always the contrarian.  She doesn't like it.


Be sure and check out Kinsey's new blog The Liberated Photographer.

©Kinsey Barnard

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas everyone! This is my first Christmas with Kinsey. Last Christmas I was too little to know what was going on.

We've been down in the "big city", aka Kalispell , population barely 20k beautiful souls. It was a real nail biter when we left. The road off the mountain had turned to sheer ice and we slid down the hill and into a ditch. Imagine if you will, me in my crate looking through the rear window of the Expedition at a world that is almost spinning. And, me,  always looking at where I've been instead of where I'm going. Kinsey up front saying,  "Hang on Molly! Hang on!". Not comforting. Not comforting at all. But, we made it.

And so, we spent a few days down in the Flathead doing a little Christmas shopping. Kinsey was doing the shopping, I rather feel my existence is gift enough. :) We went to Petco and I'm pretty sure I'm getting some stuff. Golly, I love to go in that store. Everyone treats me like a star and the things my nose picks up? It's nirvana!

The trip back home was another nail biter. It was snowing and the road was just ice. But, we made it and I'm glad to be home where I can run with reckless abandon through the forest. That is all the gift a girl like me really needs.

So, Merry Christmas everyone. I hope everyone can be as happy as me.

Kinsey has already posted her on line card.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

You can follow the Old Girl on TWITTER. She's not on Facebook. Always the contrarian.  She doesn't like it.

Be sure and check out Kinsey's new blog The Liberated Photographer.

 ©Kinsey Barnard

HAPPY THANKSGIVING REDUX

Hoping everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving.

The high for us was around 22F. Kinsey decided it was a good day to go hunting for photographs. What made things interesting, to her at least, was we had a hoar frost going on. That's when there is a lot of moisture in the air and the temps are low. The moisture turns to ice crystals and clings to everything. Kinsey says it's beautiful and reminds her of a scene in Dr. Zhivago.

I like to be out in just about any weather. I thought Kinsey was a little nuts to be slogging around in it. But, when she's on the hunt with her camera there is no stopping her. She may have gotten a little cold as I noticed she had a couple of shots of Bombay Sapphire with her T-bone steak which she BBQ'd on the deck. She was telling her friends who called that it was a "balmy" 22!

Without further ado, here's what our Thanksgiving looked like. Ok, so it's mostly me. I'm just as pretty as any hoar frost don't you agree?

This would be me.

This would also be me. The scenery looking rather frigid.

This would be our Walden Pond. It's hard to tell this is a color photograph but it is.

Kinsey actually did capture a scene she liked well enough to put in her  "The Beauty of Ice" collection. But, I don't see why she thought that was nicer than the one below with me in it. I think I dress up any scene. Just click on the link to see her idea. I mean if you want to waste your time.

Come on now. Admit it. I make the shot!

I ALMOST GOT NAILED BY A MULE DEER!

Well, well, well. Winter has come early. By last Monday morning we had a foot of snow on the ground. This is way early for there to be so much snow. Funny thing is, down in town they hardly had a flake.

Kinsey was caught with her pants down so to speak. She didn't have the studded snow tires on yet nor the snowplow on Mr. Toad. She wrestled around with the plow for about two hours before she threw in the towel and asked the neighbors for a hand.

Whilst Kinsey was battling the plow I was trying to drum up a game of chase with a mule deer that was out on the salt block. I crept up on her, thinking I would surprise her. Apparently, she has little or no sense of humor because she took right out after me and nearly got me with those sharp hooves of hers.  Whew! I made it back to the house just in the nick of time. I'm fast but my legs are short, the snow deep and it was a real nip and tucker. I probably should get a little more respectful. That probably won't happen until I get nicked. Gee Whiz. All I wanned to do was play.

©Kinsey Barnard

You almost can't see the deer for the snow but she's there pretending not to notice me. I thought I was fooling her but it turned out she was fooling me.

BIG WINDSTORM IN MONTANA

Wow! The other day we had a really big wind storm. The trees were whipping around like nothing I have ever seen. Kinsey says it's the second worst she has experienced here. All over the area trees were toppling.

In September Kinsey had a tree faller come in and cut down about twenty weak and dead trees. It was her hope that this would get around some of the mess you have when the trees come down in their own way. Sometimes the trees just tip over and pull up huge fans of earth that your kind of stuck with unless you want to bring in heavy equipment to deal with it. Other trees get snapped off like match sticks. She has been working like a madwoman trying to get those trees cleaned up.

Best laid plans as they say. This old storm came along just as she was finishing up her work in her two favorite spots and then boom ten more trees get knocked down. Wouldn't you know it the two biggest and messiest trees were smack dab in those areas she had just cleaned up. Sometimes Mother nature can be such a meany.

Ever the optimist Kinsey said "Yeah, but think how much bigger the mess would have been if we hadn't gotten those other trees down." Below are some photos of the damage.

©Kinsey Barnard

You can see this old spruce just got snapped off about about 12 ft from the ground.

It is seriously impressive to see how powerful nature is.

Checking things out. Maybe you can see why this is a favorite spot. There is a lovely little brook running right through it.

A pretty good sized tree.

Me, I like walking logs. I'm kind of hoping she leaves this one here. She could still cut up either end and leave a nice log for me to walk. I think I'll mention that.

As you can see this is not a very big tree and yet the earth fan is really big. You can also see how shallow a spruce's root system is allowing for these tip overs.

Here you can really see how shallow the roots are. Now we have a little wading pool. BTW this happened in Kinsey's other favorite spot.

GETTING THE HANG OF MR. TOAD

As I mentioned last time, I have been very reluctant to ride in Mr. Toad. I think it's because I fell out of it when I was a puppy. I plopped in the snow but it still scared me. Mr. Toad is a Polaris Ranger 6x6. It is a true six wheel drive and it will go just about anywhere which is good because those darned trees never seem to fall near the road.

Kinsey calls the Polaris Mr. Toad because when visitors come for the first time she takes them on a tour of the ranch in it. The track is just wide enough for Mr. Toad and it is a pretty rough ride. Kinsey says it reminds her of the Mr. Toad ride at Disneyland. I don't know what it is with her naming the vehicles but she seems to name them all.

Anyway, I finally got her to take a few photos of me in the thing so you could see I really am doing it.

See you in October.

©Kinsey Barnard

I just HAD to include this photo. Aren't I just the best looking little gal?

Me and Mr. Toad

Aren't I just so darned cute? Sometimes I just go sit in there without being asked. I feel very important.

Everyone should be so lucky to have a co-pilot like moi.

Riding shotgun is tough work!

I AM SO PROUD OF MYSELF!

I am so proud of myself. For several weeks now Kinsey and I have been working on the long line. Practicing "Wait" Stop" and a whistle recall. The line is thirty feet long. When I'm about two thirds of the way out Kinsey calls "Stop". I'm supposed to stop no matter what and return to her. I'm real good at it when there isn't anything else competing for my attention. The big thing for Kinsey is that I not chase the deer which roam all over our ranch. And believe you me that's a distraction.

When I was really little I just sat and watched the deer. You can see photos of my cute little self in this post Watching Over My Deer Flock back in April. As I grew older, I am now 8 months as of yesterday, I started thinking chasing them would be a lot more fun. Before long I was obsessed with chasing them. I would go absolutely whiz bang nutty. This led to my getting my wings clip as in I lost my unsupervised free roaming privileges.

This morning I had a major breakthrough. We had been out practicing on the long line. When we got back there was a deer on the knoll across from the house. I saw her but tried to ignore that I knew she was there. Kinsey made me acknowledge its presence. She took me over to look right at it. I shuddered with excitement. I couldn't resist. I took off to go get it. At the very same moment Kinsey hollered "STOP!" And I did. I DID!

I was still on the long line but I stopped all by myself before I got to the end. I've never seen Kinsey so excited. You would have thought I'd won Westminster. I know I still have a lot of work to do but this was a real breakthrough moment for both of us. I know I'm going to get then hang of it.

I think my photographer needs a photographer. It's pretty hard to train and take photos too.  Below are a couple of photos Kinsey took of me this week in the flea bane. I like wildflowers.

 ©Kinsey Barnard

BACK TO PT. REYES

On Thursday we headed back to Pt. Reyes National Seashore. This time to Limantour Beach, which is in the Phillip Burton Wilderness Area. Limantour is a particularly nice beach. Broad and flat and hardly anyone there. Really nice for walking and cavorting. Mom did the walking I did the cavorting.

The biggest excitement of the day was spotting an American Bittern. They are members of the heron family. This bird has the ugliest feet. They are huge, yellow and have what look like claws. Really, the strangest feet on a bird I ever did see!

Friday we drove north with the idea of going to the Russian River. Despite all the storms the river was pretty low. The water was muddy and not very picturesque. We ended up in Guerneville and Armstrong Park. As usual hiking for us was pretty restricted. The dog thing don't you know. But, it is a pretty park in the midst of beautiful big redwoods and certainly worth the visit.

Ooops! I loaded the photos in reverse order! Sorry about that!

© Kinsey Barnard

SPACE SHUTTLES & APPLE DANCERS

Five days to launch! That is, five days until we leave for Alberta. It is a lot like a shuttle launch around here as mom makes plans for departure. I gotta hand it to her though. She has to do the preparation and planning of two people to get this show on the road. It really is quite a production to get us ready. I'd be happy to help but, well you know, I'm all paws. :)

A Winnebago View, Clementine, is our home away from home. We like to think of our outfit as a 21st century Conestoga, aka a covered wagon. And we are intrepid Westward Ho explorers. I really like riding shotgun in this wagon. I feel like king of the road. Bringing up the rear is Shadow. She is a Little Ford Focus. Don't laugh at me. I didn't name the darned things.

Mom is pretty proud of the outfit she has put together. We have all the conveniences of home but we are relatively easy on the environment. Clementine has a Mercedes diesel and gets 19 miles to the gallon and Shadow gets almost 40.

Clementine and Shadow

Not a whole lot of hiking or photography going on around here while travel preparations are underway. But, early yesterday morning, some apple dancers were by for breakfast. That's what mom calls them anyway. They were really whitetail deer jumping up in the trees trying to get apples.

Our place is part of an old homestead that was made in 1905. The apple trees in the meadow are of the same vintage, having been planted by the homesteaders. Remains of the original cabin can still be seen.

Our house overlooks the meadow so we can watch all the action right out the window. Deer love apples. They rear up on their hind legs and try to pick them. They kinda look like ballet dancers, the way they jump around on two legs. Anyway, like I said, mom's got quite the imagination.

The apple dancing thing is ok but what I really like is to watch them play. Boy, when those deer get racing around the meadow, chasing one another, it's quite a sight. They look like they are playing a game of tag and it's fun to see. Course, I'd rather be in on the game but we know that's not gonna happen. :(

Well, that's it for now.

Until next time .......

@Kinsey Barnard

LAKES & SNAKES MONTANA HIKING

The weather in our neck of the words was perfect today. Mostly sunny and in the seventies. Really perfect hiking weather.

We hiked to Lake Hagadore and Martin Lake . Hagadore didn't have any water. The grass and cattails were about six feet tall. I had a dickens of a time blazing a trail. My nose was working in over drive because I kept coming upon nests in the grass that various animals had made.

From Hagadore we hiked over to Martin Lake . It wasn't much of a hike actually, maybe five or ten minutes. It is a pretty little lake. I bet there is good fishing here. The near the shore there were a bazillion fingerlings swimming around. I tried my luck at snapping some of them up but wasn't quite fast enough and came up empty. My most favorite thing in the world to eat is fresh caught fish. I'll take mine sushi!

On the way back we came upon a snake right in the middle of the trail. At least I thought it was just one. But, imagine my surprise when the snake took off and split into three! Look at the photograph and see if you can find the three heads. It's a snake puzzle. :) The snake puzzle has disappeared along with the photo but here's a snake.

Until next time........

HITTIN' THE HIGHWAY GOIN' SHOPPING

Didn't get to hike today. We hit the highway.

It was go to town day. The little town we live near doesn't have much in the way of stores. The nearest place for us to shop is 75 miles away in Kalispell. We get our grub in Whitefish.

When we moved to Montana, five years ago from Colorado, even Kalispell was a cow town. Now they have everything Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe's, Borders etc. Heaven sakes there is even a Starbucks! To my very certain knowledge mom has never had one of those. She's kind of on the thrifty side and thinks spending that much for a cup of coffee is "plain nutz". The Costco is the biggest in Montana. None of it existed five years ago. Seems like the word musta got out that the best lookin' guy in the country (Uh, that would be me!) had moved to northwest Montana so everyone else decided to follow.

The best part was when we went to Petco. You know, where the pets go?! I love going in that store. The smells are to die for. I pulled mom around like a rag doll on the end of a lightening rod while I sniffed everything in sight. Mom says I act like a berserk bloodhound. I admit it. I go a little crazy in there. At one point I totally forgot myself and jumped on the parakeet cage. I couldn't help it. That cage was jam, crammed with tiny morsels! I nearly got a whoopin for that one.



Shopping trips are pretty much all day outings so that's my report. Except that the sky was cloudy all day and the wind blew all the smoke away so the weather is pretty darned nice, in the 60's. Fall is coming. Canada is coming. Life is good!

Until next time......

©Kinsey Barnard