Farmer's Market

Polson, MT
July 26,2013

Guess who's here...Carol, Ron and Cooper. We met them last February in San Diego. They pulled in yesterday and are parked right next to us!



After a morning walk down the country road and a cup of coffee we were off to the Farmer's Market.

 The market is every Friday morning from 9:00 to 1:00.

We were quite surprised at the size of the market and the crowd it drew...

...and at the variety of fresh, local veggies, homemade breads, jams, crafts and of course, cherries!

 The booths were appealing and clean...

...and the folks working there were very friendly.

 We did resist the breads, but when a tray of cinnamon rolls with warm caramel icing and chopped pecans were set on the table, it was all over! One of those WOW! moments!

 We also bought some healthy things to eat...fresh green beans, and peas. We haven't seen peas in forever...actually not since we were in the Maritimes last summer.




We bought 2 bags and plan on shelling and cooking them for a meal we will share with Ron and Carol.

 One booth caught my attention...nothing to eat here.  A lady makes homemade soaps, lotions, etc. all with lavender grown in her garden.

And at this booth, a lady makes her own yarn and beautiful knitted caps, toboggans, and scarves. They are so pretty, but our plan is to never need one.

 It was also no surprise that the cut flowers for sale were gorgeous! The folks and the climate here sure know how to grow them!

The city park is just across the street from the market. We headed that way after loading up our purchases.

Ron, Carol, and Cooper

It's a very nice park...well except you have to be careful where you step.
















There are lots of birds and some really big bird messes...we weren't sure if it was ducks or geese or a combination of both that left the trail we had to step over.

 There is a section of the lake roped off for swimming and this morning there were  lots of swimmers.

 Cooper, like his daddy, doesn't like the water very much.

But Carol had to put her feet in...actually I did too. The water wasn't cold at all.






 It's a great thing to see children outside playing and even a greater thing to hear the laughter that goes along with it.


The hotdog stand...closed :(

It was a very nice morning. Hope you have a great week-end!

Until next time...



Cherry Festival

Polson, MT
July 20, 2013

That's right...yesterday, down on

right here in downtown Polson, MT was the Flathead Cherry Festival.

It was no surprise to find lots of colorful booths with hand crafted items for sale.

The streets were pleasantly crowded with all ages of folks out enjoying a nice Saturday morning. And a few four legged kids were seen as well.












We saw homemade cherry pies and cherry tarts and displayed lots and lots of will power...no pies today!






We did have a nice visit with the little fellow in the picture below.



As it turns out, he is the youngest of 3 sons in this cherry growing family. Each son was busy with a job...this fellow's job was to offer free samples of their cherries. The cherries were in the bucket and the red bowl was for seeds and stems. He knew the names of the cherries, and said " my dad knows everything else like how much they cost." We bought 5 pounds of mixed cherries!

 As we rounded the corner, we heard the Poppin' John...and saw the sign...Homemade Ice Cream. One scoop each...no willpower at the ice cream stand!










I love watching the people, we love home made ice cream, and it was a  good way to spend a couple of hours on a Saturday morning.

Friday morning we drove a loop which took us by Kerr Dam and out Buffalo Bridge Road and back to Irvine Flats Road where our home is parked.

 Kerr Dam is 5 miles southwest of Polson along the Lower Flathead River. It is 541 feet long by 205 feet high.





Construction on the dam began in 1930,but was stalled for 5 years during the Great Depression. Construction began again in 1936 and was completed in 1938.

The view of boater's stream from the lake.

At the overlook you get a wonderful view of downriver as well as watch a boater's stream coming in from Flathead Lake upriver.

The view downriver.

After visiting the vista point, there is also a drive down to the powerhouse near the bottom of the dam.





It's a great place for a picnic with well kept grounds and a public restroom. There is a boat launch for the lower river...this group was from Flathead Rafting.

The dam is located inside the Flathead Indian Reservation and operated jointly by PPL Montana and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.

The drive to the powerhouse was quite pretty...Pam, this picture is for you!





After Kerr Dam, our drive of 50 or so miles gave us views of beautiful farmland...I hope you enjoy some of the sites we saw!

Have a great week!

 Take care...until next time...