Wild Horse Plains

Last night was lovely. I sat in my comfy chair, put some Dar on, and cast on for two new projects. My first try at serious cables, my Montana sweater, made from the sinfully soft and scandously cheap wool/angora I got at the Classic Elite warehouse. $2.25 a skein! I feel like living on the east coast, just so I can be close to that place. I'm drooling just thinking about it. The other project is a secret. It has cables too, and that's all I'll say.

The chair was great, but I really need a spot to put my feet up. I don't really want a coffee table, since there's little tables and shelves all around the chair spot, but an ottoman would rock. I'm thinking of making one. One of sister Christy's old roommates had an uncle that made furniture from corrugated cardboard, and he gave them the most amazingly sturdy coffee table. I think I could handle a foot rest no problem.

I haven’t had enough quality time with Tach recently, so we headed out onto some of the backroads nearby. They’re pretty great. Camel’s Hump Road was perfect; empty, heavily forested, and led me in a nice little circle through the mountains. Plus it’s called Camel’s Hump.

After that little circle, I decided to take the road north, towards Glacier. I had already decided I wasn’t going that far today, but I wanted to see Paradise. I followed the road along the Clark Fork, seeing more of those great signals and trestles, and just before Paradise, found the hot springs that I knew were nearby. Way to hot for that today, but I’ve already decided that to celebrate the first snow, I’m heading up there. It’s only about 20 minutes away.

Paradise was a cute little town, with a stand that sold Huckleberry Lemonade (shortened Huckade on the sign). By this point I was so close to Plains, I kept going.

Plains is amazing. I don’t think it’s changed much since Wallace Stegner’s time; the houses are all familiar, and some of them even have old Packards and Ford vans out front. On one, I swear I could see bullet holes from it’s days as a rum-runner. There’s an organic food store, closed today, but good to know, and photo processing place.

I stopped at a rummage sale at the senior center and found a record player, complete and working, with speakers and a good needle, for $3. The ladies said that it had been through three rummage sales already, its price going lower and lower. No one was interested. Of course I snatched it up; I have about a hundred records that I haven’t played in 5 years. Plus it had an 8-track in it! How could I say no? As I was leaving with it in my arms, an old man was coming up the drive. He stopped short when he saw me, and said, “You bought it! I was just on my way to come and get it.” Poor old machine had sat through a year of rejections, only to be snatched up and fought over in the end.

I found a nice rocking chair, too. I wasn’t going to get it, but it would be nice to offer guests a place to sit, and I was entranced by a cute little log cabin that I passed that looked a lot like mine, but with a rockign chair out front. Nothing else gave the impression that anyone lived there, but the rocking chair made the place look… homey. Now I’m home, feeling too tired and lazy to do much of anything. It took me an hour to get up enough gumption to turn on the computer. I think I’ll just sit some.

Comments

[caroline]

Rock on takes on a whole new meaning, dunnit?
Hugs, chica.... keep sending on those reports from the backroads. am drooling down here in la-la land...

[Jo Anne]

I duuno. It takes a helluva lot of self-possesion to do what you do, which is something not often found in women under 30. I'm still impressed!

[Mary]

I follow your travels avidly; it's such fun to live your adventures vicariously. You are much admired. I'm a little confused about your house (houses?). Is there more than one? What is the Blue Castle?