The National Bison Range

Less than 60 miles from our house is the National Bison Range. It is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. It was established in 1908 and is one of the oldest Wildlife Refuges in the nation.

On this 18,500-acre piece of wild land are about 400 bison, 200 species of birds, plus whitetail, mule deer, elk, bears, coyotes, pronghorns, and bighorn sheep. It's not like a drive-through zoo. You really have to look for these critters. But if you're patient, you'll go home with an eyeful.

We've made two trips there this summer--the first time with our old Yakima neighbors, Tom and Celine Bates. The second time was 10 days ago with Rollie Taylor and John Jay, who were making their second trip to Shorthorse this year. (The first time was the July 4 weekend.)

On our most recent trip with Rollie and John, we saw quite a few bison...but the highlight was FIVE six-point bull elk! Four of them were in a draw at the bottom of a mountain we drove up. The fifth was on the bank of a stream not too far off the road. Needless to say, he was breathtaking!

We also saw lots of the other big critters too, including two bears running through the huckleberry bushes high on a hillside.

We highly recommend a drive through the National Bison Range for anyone who gets close to it. The drive takes about two hours (or more if you want to hike and glass) along a mostly one-way road about 22 miles long.

Photo: Don with Rollie and John, glassing bull elk atop Red Sleep Mountain on the National Bison Range.

The Shorthorse Deer

Okay, we've named them, but we refuse to feed them. The deer here at Shorthorse can stay as long as they want. They'll be safe here, as long as nature provides their food.

It's fun watching them grow, mature, and become braver around us. Early on, we started identifying their different personalities. "Sweetie" is the confident doe who's not bothered at all by our presence. "Honey" is a bit more flighty. Then there's "Notch," who was a runt last winter. She got her name because of a huge notch in her left ear. We worry about her because she's had a bad case of mange or something all summer...but now she's getting some real size, and it looks like she'll have a decent winter coat after all.

There are boys too, of course. There's "Tasty" (so named by Don), and "Tasty Two." One's a four-point and one's a three-point. "Little Tasty" is a spike.

We all peacefully coexist. Lizzie leaves them complete alone, thanks to her shock collar training last winter. We talk to to them, but never try to get close or lure them to us. When Don is clearing brush or cutting wood, they're usually very close so they can snatch up the lichen from the tree limbs. They think it's candy.

The other night I took Lizzie for a walk around the perimeter of our property. During the mile-long loop, I counted 17 deer making their way up onto our land.

Pictured above are Tasty and Tasty Two, outside our front and kitchen windows.

Purple Finger Disease

Last weekend was the Huckleberry Festival in our little town of Trout Creek. The annual event brings in lots of outsiders, along with locals. They served 2,500 huckleberry pancake breakfasts at the fire hall over the weekend. Other activities included a parade, "Miss Huckleberry" contest, auction, and many craftsmen selling their hand-made wares throughout the festival park.

Oh yes...there was a huckleberry dessert contest...in which I won SECOND PLACE! I made some huckleberry coconut bars I modified from a recipe on a Western Family oatmeal box!

My dog Lizzie and I also hosted an agility demo on the festival grounds. It was a popular event, and we generated a lot of local interest in the sport of agility. Lizzie even got her picture in the weekly newspaper for her efforts!

Obviously huckleberry season is in full swing, so Don and I set out today to find some for ourselves. We did. It's a secret location, of course. And there are lots more out there that we didn't get picked in the short time we were up there on top of the world, just over the Idaho state line.

This was my first venture at huckleberry picking, and I must say it was surprisingly enjoyable. We now have 10 whole cups of berries vacuum-sealed in our freezer (from two hours of picking!). And I now know why Robin Simmons' pies are so expensive when they're auctioned off at the Yakima animal banquets!!

Here's the finished product

At long last, the house is stained and all doors are painted. We still need Gene Carner to finish the stonework around the steps, and for our concrete man to seal the stamped concrete porch and deck. And that's about it!

A Fourth to Remember

On July 3, our good friends Rollie Taylor and John Jay pulled in for a weekend visit.

We celebrated the Fourth of July by driving to Sex Peak Lookout, in the Kootenai National Forest, about 20 miles from where we live. This lookout was established in the 1920s. It's no longer staffed, but the Forest Service makes it available for single-night rentals to whomever wants to go there. Because of the name, it's a popular getaway for outdoorsy couples celebrating anniversaries and such, but it's also used by families and elk chasers. If you like real solitude, this rocky eagle's nest is a cozy escape.

We spent about an hour climbing on the rocks, exploring the interior, and wondering what it would be like to be up there in that wood and glass shack during a violent thunderstorm. The consensus was that it would be fantastic!

On the way back down the mountain we made several stops to watch wildlife. We saw a mama bear and a watermelon-sized cub. Mama went up a tree and we watched her wait patiently for us to leave. Finally she fell asleep up there, undoubtedly muttering something like, "Damn tourists!" under her breath. We had the binoculars with us so we got a close-up look at her sleepy eyes.

We also saw several flocks of wild turkeys and about 40 deer here and there, including young ones still in spots.

The wildflowers were in full bloom too.

Oh yes, and we saw eagles.

We met only two other vehicles on the whole trip up and down the mountain. Both of them were pickups full of firewood.

That night, back at Shorthorse, we walked down our road to a good vantage point for the neighborhood fireworks display. We have several well healed neighbors who each put on extraordinary ($$$$$) shows along the shore of the river. Rollie commented it was the best fireworks display he'd ever seen....even better than at the fairgrounds in Yakima.

We capped it all off with some homemade strawberry shortcake and called it a night...and a fantastic Fourth of July. What a country we live in!

Hay in the barn!

Our barn now has Montana hay in it, fresh from the field.

Finding small bales of horse hay is no easy task here. The growing season is short, so there's only one cutting. No one (hardly) irrigates, so there's not much alfalfa. And everyone around here is into the big, round bales, which we can't handle without special equipment.

Oh, how I appreciate that wonderful alfalfa/grass mixed hay we got from Mike Drury down on Rutherford Road in Yakima last year for $100 a ton!! Around here, the equivalent would have to come from south of Missoula, and it would run about $180+ a ton, IF we could even get it.

We were fortunate enough to hook up with someone who buys hay from a guy just four miles down the road. He introduced us to the farmer, and we were able to get three tons last week. It's brome hay (low protein, good for our older horses) in nice little 70-pound bales. We picked it up right out of the field. $85 a ton. We still need to find about 3 more tons but think we have that lined up too. However, if Mike Drury wants to haul a load up here on his way to a hunting or fishing trip, I wouldn't turn it down!

Waking from a Noisy Dream

Anyone who's built a special home (or had a home built) has his own stories and memories, chock full of highs and lows. It definitely is one of those "life experiences" that challenges everything you've got..physically, emotionally and financially.

We'd heard it many times from friends who'd been there: "If your marriage can survive home-building, then it can survive anything." For Don and me, it was never hard on our relationship, although it was difficult on us individually...which certainly affected our moods from time to time.

I can't speak for him or know his feelings, but I can tell you what the completion of our house was like for me: waking up from a noisy, tumultuous, confusing, fragmented dream.

Those types of dreams are pretty common for me...they seem to run in my family, since my sister has vivid, detailed, crazy dreams too. There's always a lot going on, plenty of background noise, many voices, colors, etc., and I'm just sort of "there" in the middle of this kaleidescope. It's usually a relief to awaken, gradually, to a quiet bedroom and the comfort and stillness of consciousness in my own bed. Within minutes of waking, the memories of those noisy dreams have completely faded.

That's what it's like to be in this house now, enveloped in the present and totally content with it. The last four years have been so confusing, so busy, so goal-oriented, so NOISY...selling businesses, selling our Yakima house, packing, unpacking, trying to get a house built over the phone, thousands of miles of driving back and forth, making arrangements, saying goodbye to friends, fighting depression and thinking the house would never be completed, readjusting EVERYTHING....

and then I awaken in this quiet, beautiful room with cedar ceiling and cedar walls. There's a mountain right outside my window. There's no alarm clock. There's only peace. And I'm so "into the present" that there's no room for the stressful memories of the last four years, and they just fade away like last night's dreams.

This is what it's like for me to be here now. We are here. We've reached the destination. It is "The Precious Present."

Bear in Sunglasses

Her name is Bosca. (At the Mannings, every critter has a name.) It would have been Bosco (a good generic bear name), but she's a female.

She's a good guard, a good landmark, and she doesn't eat much.

Come Sign the Guest Book

Milestones:
1. The grass we planted two weeks ago is coming up.
2. The dirt pile that was in front of the house is gone.
3. Don has removed about 500 trees (no kidding) to create our "defensible space."
4. The lights are on in the barn.
5. Don's lost 25 pounds without even trying (and I found some of it).

We thought we'd have an "open house" in June, but too much remains to be done. The porch and deck need sealing, there's a bit more rockwork to do on the windowsills, Don's library furniture isn't ready yet, and the exterior still needs to be stained. Maybe in the fall??? By then we should also have our horseshoe pit and fire ring in the back yard.

Visitors have come in a steady and very welcome procession since early March...Maurice Alpert, Barb Madsen, Jim Stump, Larry Demoss, Judy Otteson, Celine Bates, Dominic Viega. My friends Charlie Reddick and Laurie Mosher will be here later this week, followed by Gene Carner, Rollie Taylor, John Jay, and all of the rest of you. If you're reading this, you're invited. It's just as much fun to be able to share this incredible place with you as it is to live here ourselves.

Don hopes to have his gunsmithing capabilities up and running in a week or so, as soon as he gets his machines wired up. I'm teaching free dog classes in town once a week and already have about 10 students.

We work/play outside all day...pruning, hiking, riding, spraying for knapweed, mowing, planting deer-proof (i.e., silk) flowers, dog agility training, road grading, and more hiking. We go to bed tired. It's wonderful. Gas prices don't even seem to affect us that much, because we never want to leave here.

The river is very high and muddy, due to spring runoff and lots of rain. It'll be a while before the fishermen get out on it. Don is shopping on the internet for fishing stuff, so he'll be ready when the river is.

Even without fishing, there's plenty of fun around here....like endless hiking just out the back door, and shooting to your heart's content. So don't wait for clear water; come over and see us now....and later too!

April 21 Weather Report

Everyone says this is absolutely crazy weather this year. It's snowed almost every day for the past three weeks, with the exception of April 12-13 when it was around 78 degrees.

One good thing about the snow....the harder it falls, the more certain that the sun will break through blue sky about five minutes later.

We have green grass here and there...and ice in the horses' stock tank every morning!

Great Mini-Lodge of the Northwest

Don and I found a coffee-table book at Costco about 8 years ago: "Great Lodges of the West." All our lives we've both had a fascination with places like Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone, or Paradise Inn at Mt. Rainier. The massive logs, the old timbers, towering ceilings, the stonework and elegant but rustic 1940s style grandeur.

So we've tried to incorporate that feel in a mini-version at Shorthorse. For a couple of rank amateurs, it seems to have turned out pretty well!

The Master Bedroom

Our bedroom is the warmest room in the house. It's a comforting room with cedar walls and ceiling, and a couple big windows, plus a glass door that opens out onto a small balcony. There are no dressers or closets; we have a walk-in dressing room adjacent to the master bath.

We have a small gas stove/fireplace near the foot of the bed. It adds a little extra heat to the room very quickly, which is nice on those cold evenings (or mornings).

The outdoor pictures above are the views from the little balcony. Notice the deer in one of them. They live here.

A Well Deserved Nap

Here's Don, learning how to relax in the new house. Retirement is rough!

My Hideaway

Our old furniture from Yakima is up here in my room, where I'm blogging this. The dogs like to hang out here with me. It's a cozy multi-purpose room....office, exercise room, lounge, music room.

Don's room (his office) is downstairs and is the one room that's not done yet. Tom Wagler is making a desk and some bookcases for him.

Before and After

No more need to pretend or to be impatient for completion. It's happened. This is our foyer...in August '07 and March '08.

The Kitchen

I grew up in northern Minnesota, in summer cabins that were lined in knotty pine. It's one of the warmest, friendliest, most comforting looks I know of. So I wanted that in my own new kitchen.

The walls are still light, but I'm looking forward to the day they mellow into that honey-gold hue.

Tom Wagler did all the cabinetry. He and his family are part of a large Mennonite population here, and they are impeccable craftsmen. Tom delivered the cabinets one late afternoon in December, and piled them in the kitchen for installation the next day. We went in to look at them after he'd left, and noticed a simple, philosophical Bible verse written prominently on the bottom side of a drawer that was sitting on end so we could clearly see it. A nice personal touch.

Our countertops are Cambria (brand) quartz. The stainless steel sink has two bowls--the big one is about 10 inches deep and big enough to accommodate a cookie sheet. The other one is small.

All our appliances came from Lowes. I'm having fun with the double wall oven, both of which have convection features. I'm finding that convection cooking really is faster and better than traditional baking.

The cooktop is a smooth ceramic electric, on the island. I wanted it that way so I could stand there and cook, while looking at Don who'd typically be sitting at the eating nook. Much nicer than having my back turned to him, particularly if we're trying to converse.

A downdraft on the island pops up when you push a button.

The floor is a rustic-looking, reddish-brown ceramic tile with dark gray grout.

The Monti's Room

This room was one of our biggest indulgences, but it was worth it.

The inspiration came from several places. I had mentioned that I'd like some adobe incorporated into the house. I liked the arches and the earthy, western feel it gave a place. Don liked the idea too, and wanted to add a kiva fireplace to the house. We both enjoyed the idea of having our own "saloon," just like we did in the Yakima house. And we both loved the bar & restaurant named "Monti's" in Tempe, Arizona. That place was a rambling, historic, dimly lit maze with lots of character.

So our own "Monti's Room" came into being.

It features a hickory bar and back-bar made by our Mennonite neighbor Tom Wagler.

The walls are authentic adobe, colorwashed an antique gold, done by Chip Helmer out of Missoula.

Don drove down toward Hamilton to pick out the logs for the ceiling. He brought them back here, sawed them into half-rounds, and had them stained. He helped Larry the contractor and his crew put them up.

The floor is rough-sawn, wide-plank hardwood with many coats of finish on it to make it moppable.

The kiva was put together by Kim Mathews, who also did our stone fireplace in the living room.

Some special lighting fixtures add the finishing touch.

Stop on by and we'll share a toast with you, "to the sunny slopes of long ago!" You'll never encounter a surly bartender at this place.

Rye, or what'll it be, old-timer??

No More Three Weeks!

We're no longer counting "three more weeks" to this and that. The project is near enough completion that we can live here now. The plumbing is in, our furniture is out, some artwork is hung, our clothes are unpacked, and dog toys are all over the floor. My office is set up, my desk is appropriately cluttered, and all is well.

Don's helping the carpenters with the last-minute details--installing doggy doors, hanging cabinets in the laundry room, helping install appliances. We haven't had time to sit down and relax and enjoy it yet, but our energy level is so high that both of us have a hard time going to bed before midnight. This part is fun!!

The photo above was taken this afternoon. The snow's melting fast, but there's still a good 18 inches on the ground.

Our $254 Toilet Paper Holder

Ah, the adventures of internet shopping....

Pictured is a $306 towel rod that now belongs to us, by accident.

When you stay with us at Shorthorse, you'll have the distinction of using the guest bathroom, outfitted with a $254 toilet paper holder, a $306 towel rod, and a slightly shorter $285 towel rod.

Before last night, I didn't even know they MADE $254 toilet paper holders. I certainly didn't pay that much for this one, although that's apparently the going price for this particular model.

Here's what happened. About 18 months ago I ordered some nice but modest hardware for our bathrooms from a very nice, very large internet company that sells bath fixtures. The shipments were sent to our contractor's house and remained there, unopened, until last fall when he brought them down to our place. Then they sat, still unopened in our barn, waiting for installation day in the house. That didn't happen until yesterday. We opened the boxes and marveled at how heavy and high-quality these nickel-pewter rods and paper holder were. Don began to mount the paper holder and then discovered--ah hah!-it wasn't a paper holder at all. It was a TOWEL RING.

I was quite sure I'd originally ordered the right stuff, all those many months ago. So I looked up the company and the merchandise on line. Sure enough, I'd been sent the wrong three items. I had ordered nickel-pewter hardware, but at about one tenth the cost of these babies!

Frankly, it's rather embarrassing and uncomfortable, to think that anyone would even willingly pay $306 for a 24-inch towel rod. Maybe no one did...maybe the company was trying to get rid of them...who knows? After all this time, I'm sure it's a non-issue that would be way too complicated to try to resolve.

What a country we live in!

A Home for Doug

Meet Doug, our official greeter. He's a little hard to miss as you walk into our living room.

Doug PCS'd (got a permanent change of station) three months ago, after hanging out at Shooters Supply for many years. Doug, a cape buffalo, was one of Don's trophies from his second trip to Africa about 10 years ago. He spent this past winter in our basement at Shorthorse, wrapped up snugly in green cellophane Don procured from the Yakima U-Haul Store. He made the six-hour trip in the bed of our little blue Dodge Dakota, and didn't get unloaded for a couple days after we got here in December. One day I had to drive the truck to town, with Doug still in the back, mummified in green cellophane. I got some pretty strange looks. One brave soul stopped me and asked, "What IS that?" There probably aren't a lot of cape buffalo heads in Sanders County.

But today was the big day, when Doug was permanently mounted in our foyer. Don's kudu, gemsbok, springbok and hartebeast are already mounted on the high living room walls which are tongue-in-groove cedar.

Now all we have to do is move our three live horses from the neighbor's pasture to our own, and we'll have the whole family all together in one place.