BT 4.0: Huckleberry Pie

We've had a busy couple of days in Kalispell and Glacier National Park. The 4th of July in Kalispell was as authentic as you can get. The town's Independence Day parade started right out our front door so the kiddos really got to see the seedy underbelly of a small town parade (no, really it was very civil and exciting). I didn't know this about myself before yesterday but the 4th of July isn't my favorite holiday...more on that later. The parade was an excellent snapshot of Americana. We saw clowns, horses, fire trucks, motorcycles, old cars and a good dose of local politicans shaking hands and kissing babies. The kids managed to walk away from the parade with a gigantic bag full of hard candy and Milo was quite excited to say, "Happy Birthday, America!" at every chance. We also hit the swimming pool, an ice cream social at the local museum and we bbq'd. None of these things make me groan in disdain. The cornerstone of the 4th of July is what really rubs me the wrong way. I HATE the late night fireworks. I hate keeping the kids up late. I hate the day after the 4th where we pay for keeping the kids up late. And the crowds! I hate the crowds. I prefer to be in my jammies by 8:00 and this sacred American tradition violates this personal ritual. We went. We left the house at 9:00, almost unheard of in my lineage. We arrived at 9:30, walked 5 blocks to the lake, staked out a spot and then waited. More waiting. Still more waiting. Odelia started whipping sand. Milo curled up for a nap. We under-dressed so we were all freezing and the fireworks started at 10:15. After 15 minutes the show halted (without a finale) and people just started leaving. So, we left. The show restarted and we stopped to watch it on our walk back to the car. Emphatically Odelia says, "I want to go home now." Yes! 45 minutes later we have navigated traffic and tucked the kids into bed and we finally lay our heads on our pillows at midnight. So. Not. Worth. It. I wont' remember this next year. I'll do it all over again.

Today we went to Glacier National Park and saw a natural salt lick where mountain goats hang out and we went to a huckleberry superstore on our way back to Kalispell. We were planning on doing a much longer drive today through the park but part of the main road is still closed due to snow. We've encountered snow at other parks but it is still mind-blowing to me that it can be 85 degrees outside and they still have snow in large enough amounts that it is impacting travel. Oh, the huckleberries! Huckleberries are like blueberries but they can't be cultivated so you can only find them in the wild. They are also more purple and tastier. Montana is very proud of their huckleberries. After purchasing jam, taffy, gummy bears, scones, ice cream and pie all of the huckleberry fashion I can wholeheartedly support their love of huckleberries. Tomorrow we are heading back to Glacier for some boating and fishing. Stay tuned...neither Mark nor I have fished since we were small children and Milo is full of fishing expertise from Wild Kratts. It should be an interesting combination...he's talking about spawning grounds and we aren't even sure how to cast a rod (or whatever it is you do). Maybe tomorrow's blog will be about a rogue fishing hook (I hope not).

The fishing poles

We put together a puzzle before the parade. The kids did surprisingly well.

Parade

Swimming in Kalispell, MT

Mark was trying to teach Odelia how to gently push the dominoes over. She hasn't quite gotten the gentle part yet but she loved plowing them over.

Parade!

Milo had an idea that he wanted to make a kitchen out of paper that he could actually go inside. I talked him into a diorama and a paper "Milo" that could go into the restaurant. It is still evolving. We now have a dining room, a kitchen and he has declared that it is a Culvers.