Meet Me in Montana

On our way from Idaho to Montana we decided to stop by and visit my great Aunt Jane and Uncle Ray in Missoula.  They recently moved back into the house they lived in when I was a kid and I was really excited to see the place again and share it with my family.

Here is my aunt and uncle and their two dogs, Panda, a Karelian Bear Dog, and Penny, a Miniature Schnauzer.  I learned on this trip that the name of every dog they've had has begun with a 'P': Panda, Penny, Pauline, Poi, Pansy...you get the picture.  Oh yes, and my cousin Eda's dog Puggy :)

P.S. Puggy (right) is the mom to the pugger we used to have, Zoey (left).

 

Ok so let's talk about the infamous window at their house.  This window is from the loft bedroom and overlooks the formal living/dining area of the house and, incidentally, my uncle made the stained glass window.  However, the real story about this window is that when I was a kid I decided to test out a scientific theory; cats always land on their feet.  Well, being the scientific mind that I am, I thought I should see for myself.  The cat was fine, it did initially land on its feet so all was well but my experiment was not as well received by my aunt.  Cut to me hiding under the bed.

One of the best things about this house is the pool!

 

Everyone had a lot of fun playing in the pool. 

I was surprised/not surprised when Elizabeth
went right for the diving board.  Such a daredevil!

A few other things I remember fondly about visiting my aunt and uncle when I was a kid was "feeding the worms" (aka composting) and the "bees" (aka rubberbands) that Aunt Jane kept in a junk drawer in the kitchen.  On one particular occasion I recall riding piggy back on my cousin Raylene while running away from Aunt Jane who was chasing us with "bees".  It's funny the things you remember :)