WHERE ARE YOU?

Wow...I feel really badly that I haven't been keeping my blog up to date. Truth is...I haven't been anywhere exciting. What with the economy and people feeling down about spending money...let alone traveling....it has been difficult to write about exciting things.
Yes...we traveled back and forth to Missoula, Montana, for the wedding of my nephew and to visit family. Then to Atlanta on a regular basis to visit my mom and dad who are going strong at 90 years of age (they will really hate that I told you how old they are).
In any case....February found us in Montana. Most would say that it is such a beautiful state....which it is for the most part. But the city of Missoula leaves room for improvement. We flew into Bozeman where my daughter and my sister live...and then drove 3 hours to Missoula for the wedding.
OMG! I know that the University of Montana is in Missoula....and college towns are usually quite nice, but I am sorry about this....Missoula is perhaps one of the ugliest western towns I have ever been in. Maybe it was the drab weather...neither snow nor sun....just a gray pall constantly clouding the skies.
The wedding was beautiful however. On a hillside overlooking Missoula, the setting was a country club and golf course which even in the dull afternoon looked halfway pretty. As the lights of the city below came on...it was almost magical. Missoula was quite pretty at night and from above.
After the wedding....it was three hours back to Bozeman...through Butte (another "not to visit" place). All you see are the huge brown strip mines surrounding the city. Truth is they have a nice historical center....but with the surrounding hills gouged by machinery looking for copper....not a pretty site.
So...back to beautiful Bozeman....with the Spanish Peaks in the background...all pristine and white with the winter snows. Being from Florida.....seeing 14 inches of the white stuff come down in one night was frightening. However the locals just take it in stride and don't let it bother them. Bozeman also has bright sunlight and lots of trees too ...so it was a nice ending to this family gathering.
So friends.....I will try and do better and keep up to date with this column. However for now...I am glad I am back in 80 degrees and cool breeze on the beach at Palm Coast, Florida!