Good beer, mountains, and interpretive dancers, oh my!

What I did on my summer vacation: a mystical journey of sexual awakening.

I got that from a New Yorker cartoon, printed a few years ago. I came across it while cleaning out my storage unit this week (oh, the things I took the time to box up). I'll have to scan it and post it here so you, too, can hang it on your fridge.

No, my summer vacation hasn't been that mystical, although I did have a fun reunion with a special friend. This whole trip has been odd; Wednesday of this week really was the oddest day of them all, mostly because I ventured outside my storage unit into downtown Missoula. Below are some of my favorite pictures from that day.

As I repacked my books, I had a little helper. I like this picture of Charlie because he looks totally stoned (well, he is a Missoula cat, soooo....). Check out his rabies tag. Why, oh why, is the county rabies tag in the shape of a pig? I do not understand.

Oh, lordy, lordy, it's the Interpretive Dancers with Matching Bowl Haircuts (IDMBH)!

I knew I came back to Missoula for a reason. Any time there was live music at the park by the river, these two were there. In fact, any time music could be heard over a PA system anywhere, these two were there doing their crazy arm movements. I used to see them at the mall every so often. I would just be strolling through the mall, la la la, then the dynamic duo would literally spin by, twirling their arms, making faces to match their movements. My favorite move was when the guy would motion his hands and arms in such a way to show that his eyes were bulging out, his jaw was dropping open, and his tongue was rolling out. Then he would have to pick up his tongue (which appeared to be quite heavy) and roll it back into his mouth. Oh, I was thrilled to see them at the park on Wednesday, jamming out to the country rock cover band. I think I watched them for an hour. It's good to know that some things never change.

Missoula has its own brand of grafitti, to say the least. I agree: worms are cool. I wonder what you're thinking about when you scrawl that on a restroom door. Did you just have an epiphany about vermiculture? Or did you heatedly debate worms versus beetles regarding their roles in decomposition? Who knows.


I distinctly remember children fishing in this "lagoon." And it did used to freeze in the winter, necessitating this sign. I really think that when the "lagoon" is full of rocks and knapweed, they won't have to worry too much about kids ice-skating on the "lagoon," falling through the ice, and suing the city.

I just want to know where all the fish went. Fish and Wildlife used to stock it full of fish that were too big to successfully spawn, so kids would catch ridiculously massive, slow-moving fish when they were hanging out at the "lagoon."

What's weird is that the city is also ripping out the huge wading pool at the park I used to work at. What does this town have against bodies of water?


Mmm, beer (mouth open, drooling). Skydiver Blonde, one of many fine beers out of the state of Montana. I now live in a place that considers Sam Adams to be a microbrew. This makes me sad. Sam Adams doesn't even have a cool label.

Good parenting, Missoula style. Take your child to the park for the day, even journey out onto the scary cement ledge in the river. Then turn your back as your child tries to step into the river which appears to be moving quite swiftly. You're quite obviously absorbed in the poetry of the rapids; you're child is soon to be absorbed in the rapids. What's that you say? This will be a "life experience" for your child? I agree. I'm sure she'll never forget about the time she almost drowned.

Just in case you forget, "M" is for mountain (actually, it's for the University of Montana, but I like to think that people put letters on things to remember what they are. An "R" on the river, a "T" on a tree, an "S" floating in the smoke from all the fires). I love this western habit of alphabatizing mountains. There's actually an "L" to the left of the "M":

"L" is for what a Loser I feel like for Leaving. Luckily, I still have beer to get through this Lonely Life. Oh, that's just Lame.

Charlie the cat is loving my laptop (hey, look at that -- more "L"s) a little too much. Has he been hitting the catnip while I wasn't paying attention?