4th of July Celebration must have been an exciting time in our nation’s capital. Here in Helena I wrapped up work and got ready to celebrate the 4th on Rock Creek just west of historic Phillipsburg, Montana. This photo was taken 2 weeks ago when Cynthia was in DC for a conference on “The Future of Nursing in Montana.”

As I near the end of a full year of construction work on the house I see both good news and bad news ahead for me. We are moved into the house and are really excited to live here and enjoy all the work that has been accomplished. However, everywhere I look around the house I can see projects that still need to be completed. My guess is that I still have many months to go before I will be able to say the house is complete.

With good summer weather now at hand I have moved outside to work on final touches to the exterior trim and painting. It is good to be outside and to enjoy the beauty of our Big Sky Country here in Montana.

Last weekend we spent a Sunday afternoon enjoying the sights, smells and ideas that were generated while walking through a number of gardens in our Helena neighborhood and surrounding area. It was our annual “Secret Garden Tour” and a perfect day to lounge and wander through beautiful gardens. And we did come up with a number of ideas to bring back to our own garden.