Billings to home

Yet another large decorated animal in Billings, this one I found interesting for the ungulate painted on ungulate action. Bighorn/Angus/sheep. A sort of inverted hierarchy?

The panel: THE NOVEL QUESTION went really well with a good turnout, good readings and good questions afterward. Here you see Tom Watson (Montana 1949) and Russell Rowland The Watershed Years in back.


Alyson Hagy


and our host and moderator, the charming Corby Skinner.


This is Craig Johnson, mystery writer, former law enforcement official, gallant.

Sunday morning Cherie Newman took me to the airport. As has been the way, clouds rushed in as I was about to board the plane.


I always peer in the window, if I can, afraid to catch the pilot swilling vodka, hoping, instead, to see a stalwart, sober person with exceedingly quick reflexes and keen eyesight. How I would discern this I'm not sure. Perhaps he would be siezing flies from their flights with chopsticks. This guy had his head down. I was hoping he was reading something flight-related and not nodding off. He managed to get us to Salt Lake-though the flight was kind of wobbly. Then Salt Lake to home.

It was great to be home. Louis picked me up at the airport, it was WARM! (Today it is 85) Great to see him, the kids, cats, creatures, the house. I was gone for twelve days. I had a wonderful time, but boy, there's no place like home (click, click)

And Turpentine? I bent it, clipped it, wrote notes in it, stuck paper in it, spilled beer on it twice...you can see on the top pages that I worked it hard. However....


The front looks brand new. The cover, the flaps held up like nobody's business. Grove sure did do a great job.

And how did I hold up? Not 24 hours in, some virus that snuck onto the lining of my nose on the plane to Billings, I suppose, struck me down. I collapsed on the couch to watch 30Rock. Went to the doctor and he said the trouble swallowing wasn't strep, but the muscles in my neck. I sprained my throat? I guess I'll be quiet now.

Heading for Billings

The weather only got worse as we headed west from Missoula to Salt lake, yet it held off snowing, remaining chilly, wet and grey.

This guy didn't mind, perpetually stuffed and dry in his glass case. It is such a western practice, not only to practice taxidermy, but to encase it and place it in a public place. We visit an emperor penguin every year at Little America, just before exiting (or just after entering) Wyoming.


Large decorated animals are now ubiquitous in every city from coast to coast. This one is in the Billings airport. There are also herds of painted bighorn rams scattered throughout Billings proper. I believe you can make one out, just beyond the mosaic horse.

My new lodgings. Well, perhaps not new, exactly.


An interesting rope ballustrade along the stairs leading to...


My room. I'm not sure what the condition of the hotel says about my standing among the Great Plains Writers. I imagined the greats staying in places with clean carpets while I thought it wise to keep my shoes on. When I went to the dinner on Friday night, however, everyone I met was incredibly nice. I had excellent conversations with Cherie Newman (from Missoula public radio) Tom and Jennifer, Corby Skinner, Russell Rowland and Swain Wolfe. Craig Johnson, author of Wyoming based mysteries came to my rescue as I arrived in Billings with nothing but my luggage, a hotel address and a sense that I was to appear on a panel on Saturday. He shepherded me to the MSU event and gave me some basic information about what was what and where. THANK YOU CRAIG!

After the awards dinner we went to Corby Skinner's "castle" and enjoyed more conversation and wine. Dang, I just remembered I left my whiskey glass at the dinner! (Actually, it was a very small beer glass, but doesn't a generous whiskey sound better?) Perhaps Corby can provide me with another.



The good thing about the Dude Rancher is that it is right next door to the library, and while I couldn't get anything but a fluctuating bead on the internet in my room, I got to sit at the library, (with a beautiful 1960's spiral staircase) and work on my blog.


I went looking for my venue in preparation for this afternoon. I didn't have a list of events and so asked the woman at the front desk who ripped a piece out of the newspaper and motioned me toward the street. I, predictably, went the wrong direction. I kept walking though, powered by pure hope that the building ahead was the UniversityIII. It LOOKED University-like. It was the Billings clinic.




I turned myself around, walked all the way back, got directions from the library, found the place, and found Lou Taubert's ranch outfitters. At Crest Hill Elementary School I had a crush on Robert Taubert (great rhyming name) He is Lou's son. I put my name in for a drawing. The winner (chosen this afternoon) gets a pair of 400.00 boots!


I had breakfast for lunch here. The place specializes in soups and cheese sandwiches. I bypassed the western special; velveeta on white bread. Welcome to the world of my childhood. I had chipotle jack on multi-grain with tomatoes, avocado and tomato pesto. Some things have changed.

Thursday, October 18th. Happy Birthday, Summer!

By the University you can see Grizzly tracks impressed into the sidewalk. I noticed this because I was looking downward, steaming ahead, trying to get to the shipping depot by Missoula Albertsons in order to mail home some of the books that I had told myself I wouldn't buy, and my dirty clothes. I decided to do this because leaving Calgary I was in a sweat over the possibility that the customs/security people would decide to open my luggage and because it was sooooo full, I'd never get it closed again. Picture me sitting on my luggage and trying to get it zipped. It takes me back to my teens, department store dressing rooms and jeans. The memory is not good. I'd rather not worry over it.


The weather turned. Skies darkening, the wind picking up, yellow leaves alight in the air. I hope it doesn't get bad, I have to fly in the morning.


I spent the afternoon in the Missoula library. I love libraries, and this one was a good one. I wrote a little on Kandee Widows, caught up on e-mail, and people-watched.

Upon my return to the hotel I had a message from the wonderful Elizabeth at Grove. She's great, Grove's great. It makes a big difference to me to have a phone call, an e-mail message...Away doesn't seem so adrift.



I attempted to utilize the stair stepper at the Doubletree fitness center, but the machine was smarter than I and I gave up after several minutes of balancing on one foot until the step went down, then trying the next. It felt ridiculous and looked stupid, nothing at all like the spirited workout that I had seen other people engaging in. I went to the bicycles. I ride my REAL bike at an average of 17-18 mph, while talking with my girlfriends. This one had me pegged at 7mph. And it was harder, and more boring, and I managed to last 20 minutes. By then I was sweaty, had burned 20 calories and was ready to go consume 2,000.

At the dining room I asked for a window by the river and after a Balvenie, dreamily wrote about the heron and the kayakers, the ducks and the joggers rushing by. It was a good dinner of prosciutto, whiskey and cake.


Now all that is left is packing... (AM I PACKING AGAIN?!!!)
and as soon as Louis gets home he is going to give me my sister's phone number off my rolo and I will call and sing to her even though it is not pleasant to hear, it must be pleasant for her to think how much better her voice is than mine.

Radio Interview at KUFM-The Write Question

I got up today WAYYYYY too early, the clock radio playing country western music that was actually pretty good-but then the knocking started. I had ordered room service to be delivered at eight and suddenly my toast was ready. I threw on my long black skirt to look decent, but apparently only looked funny with it on with a t-shirt and bed head, because the woman delivering the breakfast laughed. And I still gave her a tip.


I managed to get lost in the three blocks I needed to walk to the University, but, luckily two jiffy lube guys were standing on the corner having a conversation while half-heartedly rocking jiffy lube signs back and forth at the commuters. They pointed me back the way I came and showed me where I was supposed to turn. The campus was beautiful, on the other side of the river.


An interesting sculpture made with found metal.



More buffalo!


I located the correct building, walked through the maze of offices and studios and met



Beth the engineer and



Cherie Newman, the program host of THE WRITE QUESTION. Cherie and Beth were charming, Cherie a great host, so it was a entertaining (for me, at least) half hour. Cherie will edit the interview so that it sounds as if I am alone, talking on the radio. Her questions will not be aired, I was instructed to answer accordingly. She adds music and sounds as well, so it will be interesting to hear how it turns out.


Afterward I returned to the room then with map in hand explored downtown Missoula a bit, locating the Fact and Fiction Bookstore. (Great bookstore!) I met Barbara Theroux and she gave me a Missoula paper with a good review of Turpentine in it-full color picture of the cover. I took it to a coffee shop where I happily read it munching on a tempeh and tomato sandwich. I broke my moratorium on new clothes purchases. It was just too cold not to have pajama bottoms. I went the cheap route and got sweat pants.



As my turtlenecks were still dripping water back at the hotel- (but now that they are hanging on the airduct, they are approaching merely damp), and all I had was a turtleneck shell, which means it looks like it keeps you warm but it doesn't really, I found a scrunchable jacket on BIG sale, I got it too.


Back at the room, I put my cards for my talk into order, wrote out a new introduction (this changes every time I read, as do the segues) and took a nap with Ellen on in the background.
I woke up, groggy. Groggy quickly shifting to nervousness. I got dressed, looked over my notes, and went downstairs and had a wee dram of Balvenie while re-reading passages in the book, walked to the bookstore.



This is Barbara Theroux who knows writers and the writing world like nobody's business. She was smart and funny and made me feel welcome. There weren't a huge number of people in attendance,it was a chilly night, one of the first really autumny-winter-threatening Montana evenings, so not only was I relieved that anyone came out instead of hunkering down at home, but I was thankful they were such nice people that did. I had a very good time. By the end of the reading, questions, chatting afterward, I knew people's names, I saw a sister of a friend of mine that I hadn't seen since we were kids and it seemed it wasn't only me that had a good time, or they were very good actors, and polite, too. Plus, the second editions were at the shop. There must be some selling?


I went to a Mexican restaurant after. A watery tostado nortena, a good beer with lime, and mariachi music was pretty good. Tomorrow I can sleep in.

From Banff to Calgary to Seattle to Missoula.

Alison (A.L.) Kennedy and Stuart Ross at breakfast-


-deep in conversation just before checking out and getting on the 9:15 shuttle.


A welcome glass of Calgary microbrew moments previous-

-to my spilling it all over the tray table, my coat, my book, my carry-on. They didn't give me another one either.


A very grey Seattle that I watched a long time as my flight to Missoula was delayed 4 times.


The third time I went to a shop in the airport called Butter and had a manicure.


GIRLY!


My hotel room where there was another-


SWEET DREAMS PILLOW!


The last work of the day was washing My carry-on and laundry in the Doubletree bathtub.

Monday, getting ready to go.

Breakfast at the Vista Lounge with Susan Juby



A visit to the Lougheed Building to see art.



Some work, some harmonica play.



Four O'Clock-Writers at work, talking work, how to make a living, ways of it and around it-Summit Salon-a few of the participants



The Banff Springs Hotel to where a group of us took a taxi and...



...had a few drinks.