30 Years - Father's Day and Arrival in Big Fork - Give Me Your HeartGive Me Your Heart

30 Years – Father’s Day and Arrival in Big Fork

Father’s Day! While we were gone on our trip, our oldest child and firstborn son Dalton turned 25. That made Father’s Day the 25th anniversary of “being dad” for Clint. In honor of the day, he received this amazing t-shirt from Dalton’s wife. He loves the shirt and says it’s the nicest tshirt he’s had in years. This from the man who wears clothes from a different century regularly. He wouldn’t buy himself a new t-shirt if we were in a hurricane far from home and the one on his back was ripped to shreds. He would figure something out. The kids and I took him Father’s Day shopping after an out-of-town swim meet (it was a hostage situation, so he was kind of stuck) and he got two new button downs and three new pairs of shorts. It’s possible his former shorts are as old as Dalton. 😳 Let him know if you like his new t-shirt. He’s pretty proud of it.

Our next stop after Deadwood was an Air BNB in Belgrade, MT. We had two routes to choose from heading from Deadwood to Belgrade. Clint’s family owned a custom combining business from the late 70’s to the early 90’s, and he grew up cutting wheat from Texas to Montana every summer. The northern route took us through the town of Broadus, MT, where they cut wheat, so he was excited to drive through his old stomping grounds. Clint’s report on Broadus is that it hasn’t changed much. My report is that if you need to use your cell phone, use the restroom, or scream for your life anywhere near Broadus, MT, you are out of luck. No one can hear you, no one is coming, and it kind of looks as though no one cares.

Thankfully, we did not have any need for roadside assistance on our lonely Father’s Day trek through the wheat fields of MT. We arrived safely and on time at our rental, which was a cookie-cutter, contractor’s grade, white two story in a cul de sac. Every home we stay in, restaurant we eat in, and bathroom we pee in gets the once over from my building and trades husband. It’s his hobby. If he is quietly looking around a public space, seemingly bored, believe me- he’s not. He’s either going over the construction of the building like an inspector who’s getting paid by the hour, or he is locating the exits and taking note of sketchy people. The home was owned by Larry. I don’t want to be unkind, but we live in a world that proves more unsafe and unsavory every day. Clint deemed Larry extremely sketchy. I called him scary Larry. Clint went to the kitchen to heat up our supper and Larry, who hadn’t given him the best impression on check-in, was interacting with his many gerbils in their expensive habitats…located in the kitchen. Clint didn’t get the best night’s sleep, probably because of the videos I showed him of how to check a rental house for hidden cameras where people spy on you. He then went into full protector mode and began searching. My review is that the contractor’s grade bathtub was nice, and I appreciated Larry’s Netflix subscription. I read the novel “All The Light We Cannot See” a few summers back and had been wanting to see the screen adaptation. The book, and the show, are full of sketchy people; watching it directly before bed, when Clint was already uneasy, may not have been the best idea. We got on the road bright and early, happy to be alive.

The town of Big Fork is located on the northeastern tip of Flathead Lake. We drove the entire eastern shoreline, and it was breathtaking. The shoreline is nothing but trees so I don't have pictures to share of our drive, but the large banner picture at the top of the post is the lake at sunset. The cherry tree orchards add to the beautiful landscape. They were no longer in bloom, and there weren't any decent places to pull over and take a picture, but if one were to visit earlier in the spring that would be a marvelous site.

We realized at once that an entire vacation could be enjoyed on and around Flathead Lake. It is a destination in and of itself. The largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, it covers 126,000 acres. It boasts three islands- one owned by the Boy Scouts, one privately owned, and one which is a state park that is home to wild horses and big horned sheep. Obviously, the lake draws anglers and water sport enthusiasts, but an island full of wild horses is spectacular.

I’m no longer a young bride, and Clint’s back is not what it was at 18, but I would not have expected to be carried over the threshold regardless. He was much more interested in the construction of the cabin. He spoke with the owner for the better part of an hour about the floor plans and I think he’s located the lumber yard where the trusses were built. Score. There may be a cabin in my future. He also enjoyed this shelf of toy tractors in the living room. Nate and Si were less than thrilled about missing out on this aspect of the cabin.

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