I had a few more interesting photos from our trip up the Teton Canyon the other day, here's a black bear walking down the dappled trail, looking back at us. We rarely see bears on our excursions so it's extra fun when we got to spend time with this one.

We've watched this tree growing from the rock since we moved here in 2003. In real life, it looks 30 feet tall.  We'd feel sad if we took this drive and saw where it was broken or it gave up on life. It's hard to imagine it can live and thrive in that place, but it does!

There are little streams alongside the road along with empty beaver dams. It seems odd they trap the beaver out of there and don't let them live.  The dams they create are beautiful, the water is so clear there....they make this soft deep green  color.

I loved seeing this shaft of light come through the forest and light up this patch of thimbleberry bushes. It only lasted a second! I was glad I caught it!

This little squirrel was running around a campground where we stopped. Of course he was a busy fellow, up and down trees, throwing pine cones to the ground then coming down in a streak to hide them in the ground or tuck them into hidey holes.

Here's a stump where the squirrel sits to eat when he gets hungry and needs a break from storing food for winter.

Hope you enjoyed the photos, we're planning to take another photo trip before long, possibly up the Sun River Canyon to Gibson Dam.  If we're lucky we'll see more bears in the chokecherries, and possibly the mountain sheep! We never know when we'll be lucky and see wildlife.

Photos and art prints for sale in our Wildlife Indoors store.

Photo trip to Freezout Wildlife Game Management area.

Our bison, published in Montana Outdoors, photo issue this year. The magazine is out on the stands now. I feel so honored to be a part of that issue.

I took this photo during a snowstorm, so far the only one we've had this winter! It's the grass and willow branches along the Sun River, at the Largent Bend Fishing Access site.

This looks like a funny bug but it was debris caught in the willow branches after the flood. It has snow on it's back here. I loved the way it looks like there are legs sticking out in all directions.

This is looking toward Ear Mountain from south of Choteau, Montana. A storm was brewing over the mountains. That was a fascinating bank of clouds.

The same cloud bank from a new angle, I was east of Choteau when I took this one.

Love these yucca weeds when they're all dried out. 

We've had 50 degree weather for most of this winter so far. It seems odd to go out without a coat, and be warm in January. The country is very dry, I hope we get more snow before long.

Donna

Photos within 15 miles of my home.

Robert and I were here at home, sitting in our chairs, watching the news. I keep an eye on the sky as we do this because as far as I'm concerned the news is nothing but depressing and worrisome. I'd rather find something uplifting and fun. So when the sky began to change and a sunset began to happen, I grabbed the camera and headed for Largent Bend.

Night before last, the sunset was absolutely amazing, but we were in town, and my camera was home. So that didn't work so well. :)

I took these photos looking east, and looking west, the sky was beautiful in both directions.

Largent Bend is a blessing in my life, it's only a few miles from the house, so I have almost instant access to a tiny slice of nature. I don't see many animals there, but I see tracks of raccoon, deer, bear, mice, voles, and others. During nesting season, the Canada geese are there, along with other birds that come in spring. Osprey nest not far far from there, and come fishing in the ponds in summer.

There are hiking trails which I like way better than the treadmill in the back room! It's a simple cottonwood type forest, along the Sun River, not as exciting as hiking in the mountains but it's still a good place to go.

There's an eagle hanging out down there right now, I've got distant shots of it but it takes off before I get within half a mile of it. One of these days it might get used to me being there and I'll be able to show a photo of it.


As always, we have photos for sale on our website, along with Robert's poems. Come on over there and see what you can find. There are prints and gift items of all and sizes.

Wishing you all the best in 2019.
Donna

Heart Butte

Rocky Mountain Front at Sunset

Horse near Ear Mountain

Square Butte from First People's Buffalo Jump State Park

Near Teton Canyon

Ear Mountain in Autumn

Square Butte near Vaughn

Here are some random photos of places I love in Montana. Different seasons, different places, all much loved.

Donna Ridgway

Photos within 15 miles of my home.

I needed some generic photos for a project so I left home around noon and went looking. My camera was hungry for new fodder!

There were challenges. The day was dark, heavy clouds hung down, and when I had light, it was prone to disappear quickly between the gaps in cover. If I saw a scene that delighted my eyes, I had to get my settings right in a hurry and take the photo before the picture changed.

My camera is set on manual, so one shot can be totally different than another, requiring settings to change a lot.

When it got so dark I couldn't shoot anymore, I came home. Those deer were my last photos of the day. They were so cute, I was glad I could get them.

Donna Ridgway

Big horn rams, mountain sheep.

The mountain sheep are pretty fun to watch. A lot of times, they remain where they are when you see them, they don't take off as fast as elk or grizzlies do. Which means you might get to spend a bit of time with them, just watching them graze, and interacting with each other.

Their eyes are so expressive! It's a great feeling to be looking into those eyes. You wonder what they're thinking and if they're enjoying this experience with you.

I hope to see some more of them soon!
Donna Ridgway

Travel in Montana

These are some of the roads we were on this year taking photos. I'm glad I married an old log truck driver, lol! Nothing scares him when it comes to the roads, we take it easy and go where and when we want to go. Most of the time we have the fifth wheel camper with the horse trailer behind it.

 We like to take the four wheelers and they just fit in the horse trailer.

In the old days, I had a horse trailer full of horses going to the mountains. But back then I had no camera! I wish I had for I'd have some good photos from those times.

Of course I would not trade what we do now for anything. I love having the freedom to do what we like to do. No matter what the weather might be doing!

Donna Ridgway

Time for some Montana scenery.

Robert was busy working in the yard,so I went to take photos by myself. There are times when it's good to go alone for it's so much easier to think of camera settings and what you are trying to do with each photo you take. When we're together, we're so busy visiting sometimes it's hard to think about what I want my camera to capture.

I had planned in the begining to stay kind of close to home and didn't think I'd roam further than Freezout Lake. I didn't find many birds, or animals there so I took the road that goes behind Priest Butte, hoping I'd see a coyote, maybe a bear, hopefully some deer or at the very least a raven or a gopher! Nothing. So I concentrated on scenery.

Got back to Choteau, had hardly any photos so I headed toward Pishkin because the mountains were calling to me. I ended up on the Peebles Cut Across Road and took photos of Ear Mountain as I went along.

The landscape was totally bare of animals. I didn't even see birds. I came back toward Choteau and when I got to Eureka lake, I ate my lunch and hoped some birds would fly into or around the trees. Sometimes I see Pelicans on the water there.  No such luck so I enjoyed my cheese and ham, and came home!

Do you love to roam about the countryside? What do you see when you're "out there"?
Donna Ridgway

I'm sitting here in my chair looking through my photos, wishing I was with my little tin can camper way up on the mountain somewhere. Waking up in the camper is cold this time of year, I would have spent the night curled up tight in my good sleeping bag. Getting out of bed, in 20 degree temps makes you feel so alive! I love it.

Next I'd light the stove and make coffee, and the fire from the stove, warms up that tiny camper. If that didn't warm it up enough, I'd light the Buddy heater and watch the condensation run down the windows while I'm waiting for my coffee.

By this time, the sky might lighten enough for me to see the outline of trees.....pine and aspen, no details just outlines of their beauty against the sky.

I take my hot coffee and go outside to sit in my chair, hoping a deer might walk by, listening to the tiny sounds of awakening birds. The coffee warms my hands but it's cooling fast...I drink it down and go get another cup.

Finally, the sun breaks over the mountain top, and I can grab the camera, jack up the iso and hope to  catch some early morning wildlife!

That's heaven on earth to me, what makes you happy?

Donna Ridgway

Corki is going to Wine and Whiskers!

http://www.rimrockhumanesociety.org/

I was contacted the other day by the Rimrock Humane Society and asked if I could donate a piece of art to their upcoming event, "Wine and Whiskers".  Rochelle was so nice, I couldn't tell her no, so I sat down at my desk and painted "Corki".

Corki was a real dog, who belonged to my cousin. She was a ranch dog, rode the four wheeler, went fencing, rode in the pickup, did all the things ranch dogs do!  She was so happy about her life with my cousin, she was a joy to know.

She's crossed over the Rainbow Bridge, but this painting in her honor, helps to keep her memory alive. :)

If you go to Wine and Whiskers be sure to place your bid on Corki!

Sincerely,
Donna Ridgway

King Fisher rescue

I was doing chores for my neighbor, feeding her horses, llama, goats, dogs and cats when I heard a horrible racket near the house.  I ran to see what was happening and the mama cat was terrorizing this King Fisher! The poor little bird was so disoriented, she was trying to fly away, but couldn't figure out where to go.  When she made her loud calling racket, the cat ran off in fear,  but the bird was in an L shaped corner of the house and every time she tried to fly, she'd bang into the wall of the house.

I got a bucket and put it over her head, so she'd calm down before she hurt herself.  I then reached in under the bucket, and got her out, to put her under my shirt in the dark.  I carried her home which was only the distance of three city blocks, so Robert and I could both check her over and make sure she was ok.  I also wanted him to have a chance to see her!

 After we determined she was ok, we took her back to the pond close to the house where I'd found her.

 Just below the house, was this big log with a lot of free space around it.  I took the bird from under my shirt....

 And set her down on the log!

 I think the bit of rest she got while she was under my shirt oriented her to the world again, because she took off the very second she was realeased!

 Just look at her go!

You can't imagine how happy we were to have this experience and to know she was back in the woods, unharmed after she had such a scare.

One of my friends asked me what I would have done if the bird had bit me.  Well, just so you know, while I had her in my hands, I put my finger in front of her beak, she grabbed it but she didn't bite hard enough for me to hurt even a little bit.  She was a very nice bird. :)

I hope you're having a summer full of adventure and fun!  I know I am!  My friend said my new name could be Montana Jones....she makes me laugh a lot!

Donna Ridgway