We took off yesterday afternoon for our state capitol. Andy painted a new piece for a group exhibit that opened last night (at the same gallery – Turman Larison Contemporary – where he exhibited in November) and he had planned on driving it over and heading home. This was fine until we spontaneously decided no way! That we’d all hop in for the adventure and make it an overnight.

And hop we did. Barely packing, immediately after I cut all my hair off in our kitchen. Well, I didn’t do the cutting – my friend did. A messy bob, she calls it. Dog bed in the back, snow boots, a change of clothes, a few snuggles, some snacks, toothbrushes, a call to our friend to see if we could crash at her house and we were off.

The road opened up as it faithfully does in Montana. A big yawn of horizon resting beneath storm clouds bookending sunlit snowy mountains standing over fields of honeyed grass. Bald eagles, regal and still on the highest, thinnest twig waiting for a rodent to stir the snow-flattened fields. Our family tucked into what is quickly becoming a rattly, ratty old car. A bounding, tangible collection in this life prism.

trip/image deets:

Turman Larison Contemporary Art Gallery
Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts: Our regularly scheduled MUST see stop when in Helena. Artists from all over the world come to the Bray to make art. It’s magical.
Beautiful wood shed at our artist friend‘s home
Andy’s art website
Lunch at Bert & Ernies, a family friendly joint in downtown Helena. Nothing fancy, servers are always nice and we dig the veggie nachos.