Heading East

After I'd had my fill of NW Montana life and visited Mom once more, I headed east. The brakes were grabbing a bit but nothing to stop the intrepid traveler. Good weather and open road. South on 93 again and out onto Interstate 90 at Missoula. At Butte, I fell in behind one of the new hybrid cars. The license plate read "50 MPG". I think I cranked 40 mpg out of my car once; must have been downhill with a tailwind. I get about 30 to 36 mpg with my little car, but 50 mpg is a magic number apparently. You can do the math with today's gas prices to see the advantage of better mileage...but don't forget you pay more for a hybrid. It takes about five years for the hybrid advantage to kick in.

I arrived in Billings and, as usual, my sister wasn't home yet. She told me on the phone to find her new pet and determine what it is. It took me awhile but I discovered she had a turtle dove in a cage in her bedroom. During my search I also discovered her back yard was in full swing and pear trees full of thousands of pears and a garden of vegetables. The front yard was also fruitful, with an apple tree chalk full of small apples. Along the driveway was a brilliant trumpet vine with flower heads full of bright red-orange trumpet-shaped blossoms. The two resident felines were cavorting around, the larger of the two, Ivy, rolling on the back patio. The canine contingent was happy to see me, as well. I finally got a shot of Thiba as he kept wanting to lick the camera; the result was what looks to be a rather intimidating monster, but is actually a playful pooch, classified as a LOD (Long Old Dog).