VISIT TO IBM FRIENDS IN SULA, MT

June 17-18

Before I tell you about my visit with Kathy and Duane Lee, let me show you some pictures of the most beautiful sunset that I witnessed from my porch over the Flathead Lake. I'm not sure what caused this type of sunset, but it was great to see.

Certainly part of the fun of coming to Montana is to see my friends. And I'm off today to see Kathy and Duane Lee who live in Sula, MT (a town almost as small as Nye!!). It's on the southern end of the Bitterroot Valley, about an hour from Idaho. Kathy and Duane are both retired IBMers, and when I was working in the IBM Education Center, I worked for Kathy. We were both horse people, and my interview with her was almost entirely talking about horses.

Kathy and Duane have a wonderful log home which sits right on the edge of the East Fork of the Bitterroot River. It is fabulous. And they have 3 horses -- a 5 year old named Vandya, a 16 year old (Ludo's age) named Duke, and I believe JJ is 23 or 24. They have 10 acres (mostly wooded), a great barn, and it all backs up to the mountains on the other side -- land that will never be developed. They've built a riding arena, a round pen, and practice the Parelli Method. They've done wonderful things with their horses.

We had a great time -- a talk fest for the entire time I was there. We talked about horses, IBM, my property in Nye, what it is like to live in Sula year round in a little more remote area, movies, etc. And Kathy and I had several great walks for a little exercise (they fed me well).

And if you have read the blog, you have read my stories about "Steve", the wacky guy who owns the property next to mine in Nye. I just want you to know that I am not the only person who has strange people living next to them. Kathy told mea bout several of their neighbors. One is a "Grizzly Adams" type -- big guy who was fairly unfriendly on their first meeting, and who lives "off the grid" and is going green. Then there is the neighbor down the road who is ex-Air Force (I think), and he has big speakers on the outside of his house. At 6:00 AM, he plays "reveille" (normally played at down to wake the troups), in the evening he plays "taps", and at noon he plays a bugle song that calls the soldiers to the mess hall. Then there is the man in the neighborhood who patrols his property line.....complete with a gun. So I want you to know that all the crazies are not in Nye -- got a few in Sula as well.