back in MT

 We are finally both back in Montana!

Last week we were lucky enough to go back to Hazelton for the big Celebration. It's nice to be close enough to make these trips!

Our laptop is temporarily out of service so I'm a little behind on getting pictures off my camera but here's a few from Mikel's phone...

Mikel and his dad went fishing on Friday...

 Pretty pretty...

 This is part of the rides and games that were set up for the weekend...

Treasures from the games...

Notice Mikel's "gold tooth" and the sweet doll they won me?!

It was good to see family and after the weekend I worked my first volleyball camp of the summer in Idaho Falls.

fishing derby

Down the street from our house there is a fishing pond for kids 14 and under. We can walk down from our house multiple times and seen small kids and families fishing.

On a side note, we just figured out how to take panoramic pictures on Mikel's phone so here is that pond...

 This weekend, on Saturday before Father's Day, there was a fishing derby for little kids at that pond. The pond was stocked with fish and there were families everywhere...

So cute!

our neighbor

Why yes, that is a hearse pulled by a Harley.

We actually live next to the town mortician and he had his Harley hearse out the other day so I couldn't pass up taking a picture. He is definitely an interesting guy but he has stopped to talk to us and seems nice. His mission is to turn Dillon back into a community from the major metropolis city it has turned into-- his words, not mine.

It's probably a good thing we don't see him much but him and his wife seem harmless enough!

for your viewing pleasure

Well-behaved...

 Real life...

flies

Mikel has been tying tons of flies and trying new things that will hopefully work around here...

I don't know anything but they look pretty good to me!

killers

What is this you ask? This is my dad's conquest.

While my mom and I were at my office, my dad and Mikel went to the shooting range. My dad's were the smaller shots (on the outside-- but hey, at least they hit the plate) and Mikel was a little closer to the makeshift target.

It was so much fun having our first visitors to help us explore our new city!

rainbow

Last night we had this awesome rainbow outside...

At least something good that comes from all the rain!

downtown Dillon

You can see the courthouse at the end of the street

Bannack State Park

While my parents were here, we also visited Bannack State Park...

It's an old ghost town that was founded when mining was really big. It's about 20 minutes outside of Dillon...

It's amazing to see all the buildings and they are all open to walk through and explore. It was a little drizzly when we were there and it was the middle of the week so we were practically the only people there...

You could see all the layers of wallpaper, cardboard boxes, burlap sacks, and everything else they put on the walls to try and insulate it...

View of the one room schoolhouse (on the bottom floor) and the Masonic Lodge (on the top floor)...

An old building that had been a lot of different things including a hotel...

A vault...

 A whole collection of the old mining equipment...

 The old church...

 The jail...

 Another view of the schoolhouse/Masonic Lodge...

 Merry-go-round...

 There was one house in the whole town that was decorated and we found out it was originally built/owned by  Thomas W. Cover who later became one of the first residents of Riverside who was involved in all of the citrus industry. Such a random connection!

An old stove and ice box...

 A vacuum and butter churn...

 On the drive out, there was a little cemetery...

A view of the whole town (what is left of it)...