An Update: it's been a wild ride...

Dad is settling in very well. He says he is very happy. He has good friends living at the nursing home and he is feeling better every day. He is getting a lot of exercise, which he didn't get enough of at home and the social interaction is very good for him. His 84th birthday is this Saturday and we are having a birthday party for him at the facility. I've put an ad in the county newspaper letting people know that he is living there and asking them to join us for the celebration.

Ur-spo suggested that I give my fellow bloggers the opportunity to send him cards and letters. I think it's a wonderful idea, since getting mail is a real treat for him, so here's the address:

Bill Kelley, Room 105
Beartooth Manor
PO Box 789
350 West Pike
Columbus, MT 59019

My brother goes to see him every day after work and a lot of his friends have stopped by as well. We can bring the dog in to visit and he can go out for rides and home for visits. I am truly amazed by how well it has gone, but it took a lot of planning and a lot of time to put it all together. This is the busiest time of year for me work-wise (hence the wild ride) and so now I'm scrambling to catch up.

The view from our room at Seeley...

One of the many birds I was. I have no clue what it is...any ideas?

I think this is the same bird...

This is a stellar's jay. I tried and tried to get a decent picture of him, but I guess he was shy...

The photos, above, were taken at a watershed group training session in Seeley Lake last week. It was a 481 mile trip one-way and we drove up on Monday and drove back on Wednesday. We left the training around 4 pm and took a wrong turn (imagine that!!) and ended up going over McDonald Pass to Helena rather than hitting the interstate near Butte. It added about 100 miles to the trip, but it was well worth it; as we were going down the pass a pair of baby bobcats ran across the highway, chasing after their mother. They were the cutest thing I have ever seen!

I wasn't able to take a picture of them, but stopped immediately after and took this shot of the downside of the pass.

We stayed in Columbus Wednesday night (where dad is now) and visited with him Wed. night and Thursday morning for several hours. It was great seeing him doing so well, but emotionally pretty exhausting. By Friday I was totally spent.

I have been working all weekend to get ready for a huge meeting that will be attended by people from all of the state. I am holding it Ingomar, MT at a tiny town 44 miles from Forsyth, at a bar/restaurant that doesn't even have indoor bathrooms! I want everyone to see my area, and I couldn't think of a better place for them to visit.

We are all staying at a place called the "Bunk and Biscuit" which is really nothing more than an old schoolhouse that has beds and bathrooms in it. It is mostly used by hunters, so it should be interesting to say the least. We are having buffalo meat, the Jersey Lilly's famous beans and sheepherder's hors d'oeuvres. The theme of the meeting is "Boots and Blue Jeans Required". I am looking forward to it, but I've been working 12-16 hours a day to prepare for it. When it's over I intend to have a breakdown of some sort! Ha!!