Bridger Mountains

View of the Bridger Mountain Range from rural Bozeman, MT

Come visit the beautiful mountains of Montana! The Bridgers are just outside the Bozeman city area and a lovely tourist destination year round. From spring, summer, and fall hiking to winter sports, the Bridgers are a majestic year round playground.

In my new release, A Healing Heart, it was important to me to be true to the setting. I drove around the Bozeman area. I wanted to excite my readers through the descriptions. Bozeman and the Bridger mountain area is a part of some major scenes in healing Mara's heart and the hearts of her children.

When I've spent time in a natural setting, God's power and creativity speak to me. Some of the most important times of prayer have been spent sitting on a log in a mountain clearing. The soul healing that comes from time spent alone with God is amazing. But so is time spent playing and enjoying the earth that God created just to house us. And when I think about the fact God created this planet for us to live in and on? It overwhelms me.

Have you been to the mountains, spent time communing with God, and felt He spoke to your heart?
Do you marvel at the fact God made this planet to be a beautiful home for you?

Montana's Taylor Planetarium

Taylor Planetarium opened Mar 2, 2013!

This is a special event both in real life and in fiction. A cameo feature in my novel, A Healing Heart, I wanted to share some of the wonderful family spots to visit that are awesome Montana attractions. A Healing Heart is set in Bozeman, MT, the home of the Museum of the Rockies (next post) and its attached Taylor Planetarium.

Where is Taylor Planetarium? 
Right next to the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, MT.
Here's a map and driving directions

What are the hours? Usually 9am-5pm M-Sat, 12:30pm -5pm on Sunday, but during the summer the hours are extended 8am-8pm. Here's more information on hours and holidays.

Are there any special  events surrounding the solar flares this year?
There sure are. Here's the full page of show information.
But this one from the planetarium's description is perfect: Experience the Aurora
Showtimes: M-F – 11am, 1pm & 3pm; Sat – 10am, 1pm & 4pm; Sun – 1pm & 4pm
To showcase the amazing capability of Digistar 5, we’ve selected Experience the Aurora for our premiere show. Seven months of winter sky watching, hundreds of thousands of photographs and hundreds of hours under the spell of the Aurora have been condensed into the world’s first full dome three-hundred-sixty degree, high resolution movie of the Northern Lights. Get ready to experience the Aurora as you’ve never seen it before—in the comfort of the Taylor Planetarium! For a preview, check out the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZXtIF9nnrA

How much does it cost? It's a free bonus with admission purchased to the Museum of the Rockies!

• Adults $13
• Kids (5-17) $9
• MSU Students (with valid MSU ID) $9
• Children (4 and under) Free
• Senior Citizens $12

With your admission, you'll receive a non-transferable Museum admission sticker that gives you unlimited access to the Museum for two consecutive days. All exhibits and attractions are included in the price of admission.
 

Cadence Keegan is the oldest teen in A Healing Heart. She has a special reason to be excited about the grand opening of the Taylor Planetarium. But you'll have to read nearly to the end to find out why.

Available by clicking the book cover or at your favorite local bookstore

I love planetariums and the laser shows and the stars and, well, everything about them!

Have you been to one?

I hope you'll visit Montana and make time for a leisurely stop at the Taylor Planetarium.

Pear Harvest Time in Montana

Oh yes, pear time! 

Pear Harvest.jpg

My friend has a pear tree while we have apple and cherry trees. We picked two grocery bags and three buckets full of delicious pears. This week most will continue to ripen safe from the frost. A few are still tucked in that paper bag you see to ripen faster for eating. The others will become dried pears, pear filling for crunches and pies, and maybe even some pear fruit leather.

Apple season comes next. I'm hoping for a week or so. But it's right after the first frost. Same plans for those luscious little gems :-) 

For pear and apple pie/crunch fillings, I've found I can add all the ingredients to chopped and peeled fruit. Then mix well, fill one pie's worth freezer bag, squeeze out all the air, and put in the deep freeze until needed. The fruit will do well in the deep freeze all winter. But it doesn't usually make it that long, lol.

Our lives are so hectic nowdays, but when we stop to prepare for the future (as the Bible suggests) then we simplify many of our scheduling issues. Pull a bag of prepared pear or apple pie filling out of the freezer, top with crunch mixture of oatmeal, flour, butter, brown sugar, and spices like cinammon. You can have that potluck dish or dessert ready for the oven in less than 10 minutes. Less cost, less hassle on busy nights, and you control the ingredients. (So double the cinammon to amp up your  metablolism and cut back on the sugar a tad.) Love the way these prep items have saved my peace of mind over and over again.

So try something new with your harvest, if you haven't already, and freeze the pie filling already prepped for the crust. (I don't cook it first either.) You'll have homemade goodies in a snap.

Embers of Love by Tracie Peterson

This week, the


Christian Fiction Blog Alliance introduces


Embers of Love Bethany House (October 1, 2010)


by Tracie Peterson


Angie's Take: Tracie is so careful about her research and it comes across in her work. She's a natural story-teller and one I admire greatly. She's also a fellow Montanan. Adding one more hit book to her long, long list of excellence with Embers of Love. Who wouldn't love a story that starts with a runaway bride and the instigator?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 85 novels.

She received her first book contract in November, 1992 and saw A Place To Belong published in February 1993 with Barbour Publishings' Heartsong Presents.  She wrote exclusively with Heartsong for the next two years, receiving their readership's vote for Favorite Author of the Year for three years in a row.

In December, 1995 she signed a contract with Bethany House Publishers to co-write a series with author Judith Pella.  Tracie now writes exclusively for Bethany House Publishers.

She teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research.

Tracie was awarded the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for 2007 Inspirational Fiction and her books have won numerous awards for favorite books in a variety of contests.

Making her home in Montana, this Kansas native enjoys spending time with family--especially her three grandchildren--Rainy, Fox and Max.  She's active in her church as the Director of Women's Ministries, coordinates a yearly writer's retreat for published authors, and travels, as time permits, to research her books

ABOUT THE BOOK

The logging industry in eastern Texas is booming, and Deborah Vandermark plans to assist her family's business now that she's completed college. Unexpectedly, her best friend, Lizzie Decker, accompanies her back home--fleeing a wedding and groom she has no interest in.

Deborah, the determined matchmaker, puts her sights on uniting her brother and dear friend in a true love match. Deborah soon meets Dr. Christopher Clayton, a much-needed addition to the town. As their lives intersect, Deborah realizes that she has a much greater interest in medicine and science than the bookkeeping she was trained in.

But when typhoid begins to spread and Lizzie's jilted fiance returns, Deborah wonders if true love can overcome such obstacles...for those dearest to her, and for herself.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Embers of Love, go HERE.

Twighlight's Serenade by Montana Author, Tracie Peterson

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance introduces


Twilight's Serenade Bethany House (August 1, 2010)


by Tracie Peterson


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 85 novels.

She received her first book contract in November, 1992 and saw A Place To Belong published in February 1993 with Barbour Publishings' Heartsong Presents.  She wrote exclusively with Heartsong for the next two years, receiving their readership's vote for Favorite Author of the Year for three years in a row.

In December, 1995 she signed a contract with Bethany House Publishers to co-write a series with author Judith Pella.  Tracie now writes exclusively for Bethany House Publishers.

She teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research

Tracie was awarded the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for 2007 Inspirational Fiction and her books have won numerous awards for favorite books in a variety of contests.

Making her home in Montana, this Kansas native enjoys spending time with family--especially her three grandchildren--Rainy, Fox and Max.  She's active in her church as the Director of Women's Ministries, coordinates a yearly writer's retreat for published authors, and travels, as time permits, to research her book.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Britta Lindquist left Sitka six years ago in an attempt to distance herself from the love of her life, Yuri Belikov. Upon her return, she finds Yuri absent and his wife about to deliver a child. When tragic circumstances ensue, Britta suddenly finds herself caring for Yuri's children--and her life intertwining with the man she's tried so hard to forget.

But Britta's other great love is for the violin, and her talent is recognized by Brenton Maltese, a conductor from England. He proposes she accept the coveted first chair position in his orchestra...and also his hand in marriage. At a crossroads, Britta must determine what her heart truly longs for--and if she's willing to fight for it.
At a Crossroads, Britta must determine what her heart truly longs for─and if she's willing to fight for it.


If you would like to read the first chapter of Twilight's Serenade, go HERE.

Miniature Horse Competition: Montana Mondays

Mini Horse Competition Jumping

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Western Montana Fair starts Tuesday, but the youth 4-H competition is the weekend before the big fair. These little guys are spectacular fun and very, very intelligent animals. The young people working the horses were learning confidence, courage, and dedication.

Below is the 2 person cart. A mini can pull 4-5 times their weight. I can't wait to train my mini, Spanky, to cart :-) See the building behind? It's been a mainstay at the Fairgrounds here in Missoula for years. Our fairgrounds has been swallowed by the city. It's now middle of the city. Any move of the fairgrounds has been blocked because we all just like our fair where it is! And, by the way, the buildings are used year round for a ton of social activities. But today, it was minis and 4-H to my heart's content.

Mini Horse Carting Competition

Montana Mondays: Law of the Land

Living in Montana means learning how to protect the land and animals from a young age. Okay, this little guy thinks it's play! Caring for the land is an innate Montanan value taught to our very young. People here are strong stewards of the beauty that surrounds us. You'll find entire communities pitching in to weed the Bob Marshall Wilderness, build playgrounds with green products, and protect/recycle all over Montana. People here are huge volunteers for community and family. In the city, people have the standard 1/4 acre lots. But a little ways out from our four main cities you'll still find large ranches, farms, and homesteads.

There are a lot of laws put in place to protect the land, wildlife, and forestry. One unusual law that surprises people is called Fence Out. Fence Out means that if you don't want other people's livestock, pets, vehicles on your land it's up to you to put up a fence. If your neighbor doesn't mind a wandering herd, then it's tough when all the cows surround your car and it's time to go to work! (Yep, that happens to my friend often!)

 -Helping Grandpa do yard work with Louie, the dog.

Then there's Free Range. That means that if your dog bothers someone else's cattle, they have the right to shoot. Ack! Do I understand it? Absolutely! I don't want a strange dog harassing our animals. It causes dangerous injuries. Ranchers can't lose a cow or horses for a badly behaved dog. It's their livelihood. But if your dog accidentally gets out, it can be very sad. Most folks will call and warn you first though.

Then there's my dog. sigh. He has proven that more than cats have nine lives according to our vet. (See photo above.) He's managed to get out and help a few vehicles park when they didn't expect to be stopping. He happens to be an Olympic fence leaper! He's taken on a coyote and a white tail buck. In his mind, they were intruding in his territory. Let's say it was 1-1 since the buck sent us to the puppy E.R. but the coyote never came back, at least not while Louie is on duty. Of course when someone's sheep end up in our pasture, well, Louie gets to herd them back home. That's if our horse, Chief, doesn't take them out first. (He hates sheep!) But loves his mini buddy, Spanky. Spanky should have been named Napoleon for his "little man's" attitude. He thinks he should get all the attention!

Are the laws in Montana different than in your area?

Do you agree or disagree with them? Why?

Angela Breidenbach
http://www.MyGemOfWisdom.com

Montana Mondays: What's the Speed Limit Anyway?

Downtown Missoula at twilight

It depends on the year. Seriously, we've gone back and forth for decades having no highway speed to having 75 miles an hour. The most recent back and forth removed the speed limit to replace it with 75 mph on highways unless going through certain towns. Then it's 65mph. You really need to watch for the signs and pay attention. (You might want to pay attention for deer, skunk, coyote, antelope, elk...)

Then again, some of our highways go through the tiniest of towns. I'm not kidding when I say the highway speed limit is 25mph. If you get caught going over that for the one block or less in the posted area, you will pay a hefty sum to keep the town in finances ;-)

 Belfry, MT

I drove through the town of Belfry, MT. The speed limit was 35 at the edge and 25 through the main stretch. The main stretch wove down little tiny roads the size of alleys past several antique churches and the high school, home of the Bats!

 Yellowstone River

It's just across the border from Cody, Wyoming area heading in the direction of Billings, MT. The country is gorgeous there. The Yellowstone River flows through and dares you to stop and stare. The landscape is dramatically different within a few miles. Anything from forest to desert to farmlands.

Angie

Take Me Out To The Ball Game-The Missoula Osprey

Another great place to visit on our virtual tour of Montana. The Missoula Osprey Base Ball Team.


Our semi-pro baseball team is a wonderful, fun attraction for locals and tourists:-D This is our mascot (he's an osprey.)

Some of the folks at our church decided it would be fun to do a barbecue and baseball game. They were right!

This is Don having a great time with Steve and Steve!



Then we all danced to YMCA, lol, led by the Osprey mascot.

Oh yes, we do have fun in Missoula:-D


Three of our younger members were invited to lead the singing of the traditional, Take Me Out To The Ball Game!


What is there to do in this town? Visit the Osprey and see a real osprey nest (lived in too.) This pole was installed to lure the river hawk to the stadium. The osprey is a bird that lives near rivers, fishes, and builds nests all over the area on tall poles like the one in the distance here. We watched them fly around the park throughout the game as if they were rooting for the home team.

Hey, thanks for visiting today. Come back soon:-D
Angie

Greenough Park

Come visit another favorite place in Missoula with Cyber Tour Guides Angie, Kiddo #4, and Hubby. This park is in the middle of town, just off I-90. With a paved bike path bordering the West side and well maintained dirt paths winding throughout, you can't help feeling completely at peace no matter how you choose to experience the slice of natural Montana.



One gorgeous place to visit in Montana, Greenough Park. It's a bird sanctuary with amazing views throughout the park.


The paths wind inside through the trees.



The river splits into several forks throughout the park.



Very pretty wooden bridges span the small rivers.




There are such lush patches of greenery, that you feel like dinosaurs must be roaming through the area.



Of course, what would a nature hike be without a dip in the river?



Thanks for visiting Greenough Park with us.

Angie

Folfing (or Disc Golf or Frisbie Golf anywhere else.)

A Folfing we will go, a folfing we will go...
(Heh heh, couldn't help myself there.)



The goal is to hit the pole with your disc. These photos were taken last summer as my family took me on my first folfing run. I love the fact that this is a low impact game. As a Weight Watcher, this game takes a couple of hours. You can easily earn several activity points for your weekly plan. At my weight, it is worth 4!



A Folfing course in Pattee Canyon. This is the topography and layout of the course.


My first game of Folf. What a blast! It's a great family sport that gets you to excercise without really feeling like it. I'm not sure how far we walked and tossed our discs, but it had to be a good couple of miles hiking through the woods.



The holes on this course are large posts painted with a red marker. This is my youngest son mocking me, lol. He does not expect me to get a hole in one. And, I don't :-D


However, I never had to go searching for my disc like he did. LOL.


And he needed help!


(He has a really long throw.)




One of our older kiddos shows great folfing form. She's trying to teach me to play. Actually, she did a pretty good job. I stayed 1-3 over par on most of the holes. Okay, there were a few...



That would be me flinging my folf disc. We all have different colors so we can tell them apart. They are also different weights for better throwing ability depending on your personal strength.


This is my husband trying to get his disc uphill. This particular hole is straight up and over the mountain. Quite the challenge.

The discs cost anywhere from $6 on up. You can buy one good mid-range or build an arsenal of specialty discs.



I like folfing very much. It's an inexpensive activity that gets a family or group of friends outside playing, laughing, and excercising. In the above picture, one of the kids treed their disc and a squirrel is busy scolding my son for trying to help his sister bounce the folf disk out of the branch.


My kids tell me there are opportunities all over the country. Why not take discs with you on vacation? You can find a great place to run off energy and cause awesome laughter.

In Missoula, there are at least two courses. This one at Pattee Canyon and the other at Blue Mountain (which has baskets on the holes. It's a little more challenging.)

The perfect way to spend an afternoon!

Thanks for visiting :-D
I hope you'll try a game of Folf.
Angie

Angela Breidenbach is awarded Mrs. Montana International

Hi Friends,

I wanted to share a very exciting experience with you. A few weeks ago, I was awarded the title of Mrs. Montana International 2009! It's been a whirlwind ever since :-) I'll be competing for Mrs. International this July 14-18, 2009 in Chicago. The pageant is open to the public, and tickets are available by visiting the North Shore Centre for the Performing Arts.

Some of the unique items I've had to complete are online questions for the entire world to read as they get to know me. I included them here, with one answered. If you'd like to read all my answers to the interview, you can click over to the Mrs. International Contestant page and then click on Mrs. Montana International (hey, that's me) and see some photos too. I'd be honored if you would :-)

I thought it would be fun to hear all you lovely ladies answer these questions too! I'd love to learn about you. I'm going to post a different answer to one of these questions over on the six author blog, WritingbyFaith, with the same request to learn more about all of you. Please feel free to visit there also.

On this blog, I'll be sharing photos and posts about the journey to Mrs. Montana International and on to Mrs. International. Please join me on June 15th, 7p.m. Mountain Standard, (6p.m. Pacific, 9p.m. Eastern) for an hour long live interview event. I'll post the website and how to join the webinar/radio interview next week.

Might I mention, if you're an author or you might be writing a story for future generations, these questions are awesome character exploration opportunities.

On to the interview, tell me about yourself :-)

How do your personal / unique qualities best fit the International Pageant system?

What is something that few people know about you?

What do you do to stay healthy?

Everyone talks about "family values", what are they?
Instilled through our examples, our values show in how we live, laugh, cope with difficulty, express affection, and give of our time or blessings. It's what we do, not say, that reveals our values. By showing and building relationships, we gain the benefit to share our gems of wisdom.

What is your worst habit?
Why?

Montana Frost

Isn't this beautiful?

I have to admit that I am not a cold weather person even though I am a Montanan. I get cold! But this gorgeous hoar frost always amazes me.

You might not know or have seen this kind of frost before and wonder why I called it names :-) It's really called hoar frost. It comes from fog. The earth is too warm and the inversion over Missoula (and some other places I've heard about) holds the fog down on the ground. It's that thick pea-soup weather.

Well, in Missoula the weather gets so cold sometimes that the fog then freezes on everything around it. It's spectacular! The entire city is ensconced in crystal. The trees look ethereal and the plants are outlined as if the Snow Queen froze them alive. I've even seen a sprinkler freeze mid-shoot. The arcing ice is unbelievable.

Below is a close up of a particularly heavy hoar frost. I wanted to show you the beauty of each particle. Like cold, don't like cold...you can't help but feel astonishment when you see everything covered in glistening frost. God's creativity knows no limit. I stare and stare on days like these just trying to absorb the intensity and awe.




Montana is well worth the visit :-)
Angie