End of the Day

It was a beautiful evening with a golden sunset as the horses made their way into a corral at the Flathead Lake Lodge in Bigfork, Mont.

Nice Evening on the Farm

It was a nice evening on the farm. Catching up with family and spending some time with little cousins. I even had a second to take a couple test shots with the new camera app on my phone. I like how they turned out, but I wish they were larger so I could try and use the app for the newspaper sometime.

How do you fight Cabin Fever?

Bar Stool Racing
Cabin Fever Days : Martin Cinty, Montana

Jesus + The Mountain:

Friday, I ascended Big Mountain on chair two at Whitefish Mountain Resort to make pictures of a refurbished Jesus statue overlooking the Flathead Valley. The tricky part was a) I don't ski too well and b) they don't usually allow foot traffic on chair two. After much help from the resort, I was allowed to hop the lift and (short) hike down to the statue. The skiers and resort employees were pretty psyched about the dumping powder. I was hoping for a bluebird day but was just happy to make it up the mountain. The first are a few pictures I took of the state. The next two are from the lift. Because of the lack of foot traffic on chair two, I would imagine the image of Hell Roaring restaurant is a unique angle.

Stay tuned to FlatheadBeacon.com for the release of a historical piece on the Jesus statue or pick up the Feb. 9, 2011, print edition for the full story. (UPDATED: Read the full story here.)

Di-still My Beating Heart:

I love the process of making booze. So how excited was I when we decided to do a story on some local microdistilleries for the Beacon. My favorite "taste" by far – and quite possibly ever – was the absinthe (specifically Extrait d’Absinthe Verte) distilled by Ridge Distillery west of Kalispell. Its the complex flavors the assorted herbs (including anise and wormwood) used in the distilling process that bring to the drink that I love. Plus I'm a huge fan of "black licorice" flavor. Their gin is outstanding as well. Then it was onto Whistling Andy distillery in Bigfork where they make vodka, gin, rum and moonshine. Out of the state's seven microdistilleries, four of them are in the Flathead Valley.

Read the full story in the Beacon by Myers Reece: Moonshining Goes Mainstream.

Smokin' Montana Cold

Dog Days of Winter

Flathead Sled Dog Days – Olney, Mont. : Sunday, January 9, 2011