Another happy Friday, folks!  As part of the A. Heirloom giveaway, I asked which state you wouldn’t want to live in.  Well, I become a total crab if I’m hot, so I’d have to say anything south wouldn’t work for me.  Specifically Arizona and New Mexico.  Our winner, Angie, would want to live in Iowa or Georgia.  Oddly enough, Alaska, Texas, and Florida got the most votes.  I kind of agree with all, just because Alaska is sooooo far away (though two of Ben’s brothers live there).  Texas and Florida are both too  hot and humid for my liking.  At this point, I’m happy living in Montana.  Sure, there are plenty of times I yearn for a larger city and miss the Twin Cities.  But we love our property.

Even if our mountain house had been a shack on this land, we would have wanted it.  Granted, it needs some love and attention, but the views and privacy alone are worth it.  And, we don’t need the weather report anymore.  Well, that’s not completely true because our forecasting skills are slightly less accurate than the professional reporter.  We have a great advantage, because we can see everything coming in or going out.

Take a look at this crisp, clear morning.  You know you’ll have a nice day when that’s the first impression.

We’ve seen a handful of stunning sunsets, too.  Red sky at night, sailor’s delight, right?

More often than not, we see weather changes in the distance.  A few weeks ago, we watched a storm come over the mountains to our area.

Cool clouds and rain to the west.

But bright, clear skies to the south.

Last week, another storm came in, leaving the mountains in a perfect silhouette.  We decided to climb the hillside behind the house for a full, unobstructed view.  And it was totally worth it.  Here’s the zoomed out view, showing the mountain range.

And here’s what it looks like in real life, up close and personal.

Handy Sammy was using my camera, fiddling with setting, and he took this great shot.

A few nights ago, a little rain shower passed over us, leaving a double rainbow behind.  That’s the best shot I could get, but the rainbow was huge and bright.

With our crazy hot and dry summer, we’ve had smoke/haze covering most of our views.  Boo.  Eventually it will clear again.  Until then, I’m enjoying pictures.  Handy Sammy suggested I take a picture of the view each day to see how things change.  I think that’s a neat idea…and might have to start; maybe this weekend.

What are your weekend plans?  Enjoying the last few days of unofficial summer?  Taking a trip?