Bozeman in Puberty & an Election Season Call to Action

Bozeman, Montana is like a teenager in the throes of puberty - confused, growing rapidly, and trying on identities with dizzying speed.

Gardening Bliss on a Tenth of an Acre

Recently, Mike and I had houseguests that couldn't stop gushing over our house. I was flattered by this endorsement and it got me thinking of the reasons I love our house. I wanted to share a few photos and a few thoughts but the words that flowed out of my pen were mostly about the yard and garden.

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Sky on Fire - Aurora Borealis May 2024

Montana’s fabulous big sky has rightfully earned its reputation as something spectacular. Stretching from horizon to horizon, even the most jaded long-time residents admire the expansive and seemingly endless overhead canopy, and visitors seeing it for the first time "oooh" and "ahhh." This past weekend, Montana’s always pleasing sky was filled with even more magic as we were treated to a display of northern lights.

If you haven’t seen them before, they are a “So this is Yale" moment that lives up to the hype. 

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The A-List Eats - Rediscovering Storm Castle Café

One of Bozeman’s best and most authentic comfort food restaurants, Storm Castle Café, is tucked in a low-slung strip mall home to a doughnut shop, Mellow Mood tobacco, and a laundromat. Since 2010, the husband-and-wife team of Scott Peterson and Nicole Warner have been dishing up hearty eats from their unassuming Tai Lane location across from the MSU campus.

With excellent food and service, reasonable prices, and a casual setting, it is a welcome change from the Anywhere U.S.A. feel that is starting to predominate many "New Bozeman" establishments. I seldom go out for lunch during the work week, but I did once over the holidays. I had only been to Storm Castle one time about 10+ years ago and couldn’t remember much about the food or the setting. I am glad I checked it out again. Here's what I found.

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Citizen Diplomacy in the Bozone

This fall, Mike and I volunteered to be the "Friendship Family" for two members of the T.E.A. (Teaching Excellence and Achievement) group that was recently in Bozeman. Our guests were Mali, a chemistry teacher from Laos and Tatjana, an English teacher from Belarus.

T.E.A. is a Fulbright program bringing teachers from around the world to the United States to learn about different teaching methodologies and about American culture. Our job as their hosts was to give them the chance to experience American culture first-hand through everyday activities. It was a great way for us to find out more about other cultures and get a different perspective on the place we call home.

Bozeman Restaurant & Retail Comings & Goings - Fall 2023

If you’re a local and haven’t made it out in a while, an MSU alumni wondering what happened to your beloved college town, or if you’re reading from afar dreaming of your next trip to (or possibly even moving to) Bozeman, here is the latest.

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Bike Commuting in Bozeman - Okay or Crazy? (Plus Seven Top Tips)

This post focuses on biking to commute to work, social events, grocery shopping, errands, etc., not recreational biking.

I'm curious to hear your opinions, tips, and resources for bike commuters. Leave them in the comments section of this post (You can post anonymously without an account) or send me a message using the Get in Touch form on the upper left of my homepage.

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The A-List Shops - Whole Foods Bozeman

Courtesy Bozeman Daily Chronicle

For a town its size, Bozeman manages to have an extraordinary number of grocery stores. Depending on how you count, there are at least a dozen places to buy food. In February, Whole Foods opened a store in Bozeman, its first in Montana.

Locally, there was a lot of anticipation both good and bad about Whole Foods. Several weeks after the store opened, I stopped by to find out what the hub-bub was about. I was also curious to see if the chain lived up to its earned nickname Whole Paycheck. Here's what I learned.

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How to Become Unelectable in Bozeman

Jon Tester recently announced that he will run for senate again in 2024. I am glad he's still willing to fight for opportunity for all Montanans. A farmer and former music teacher, Jon is known for his down-home manner. His centrist approach makes him appealing to both rural and urban Montanans, and he is currently the only farmer in the senate.

This has gotten me thinking about what it takes to to be elected to public office. In the past 40+ years, an actor (Ronald Regan), a body builder (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a professional wrestler (Jessie Ventura), and a sleazy real estate developer have all landed in high offices in the United States so in some ways it seems anyone could do it. 

Like many people in Bozeman, I find myself lamenting the state of local and Montana politics and the lack of progressive thinking from the people who find themselves in office. Maybe I should run? I like to think of myself as someone who has the skillset to become a city commissioner or member of the state legislature, the ability to listen to others, and the willingness to build rapport and work with others to make changes that impact the city or state. 

After 17+ years in Bozeman I still  have not run. Why you ask? There is no question about it... I have made myself unelectable in Bozeman. Here's why.

Bozeman Restaurant News - February 2023

The latest restaurant news from Bozeman, Montana and a few thoughts.

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The Essence of Bozeman

Deconstructing Bozeman - Part Two

Essence – noun
From Latin, esse, to be 

The intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, especially something abstract, that determines its character. 

Travel magazine editors ask writers to capture the “essence” of a place. Even well-regarded publications like National Geographic Traveler include the following in their writers’ guidelines, (Emphasis added) “Thank you for your interest in contributing to National Geographic Traveler… a Traveler story must capture a place's essence in a way that inspires readers to follow in the writer's footsteps…” 

What is the essence of any place? Is it possible to write about a place’s essence without sounding trite or cliché? After years of being just another pretty face in the crowd, Bozeman, my home since 2005, is getting noticed and the population has exploded. There's no doubt Bozeman's essence is changing.

Given its rise in popularity as a place to live and visit, magazines and newspapers are eager to write about Bozeman. Travel writing is intended to “sell” a location so it’s not surprising that only the pretty points of Bozeman are featured. But many people are visiting and moving here, often influenced by what they read, so I want to add my voice to the conversation as a 17+ year resident. 

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My Path to Bozeman

Deconstructing Bozeman - Part One
One Perspective on Living in an "It" Town

Here is the story of my path to Bozeman and some thoughts about living in one of the West’s most popular “It” Towns. Feel free to add to the conversation by posting in the comments. You can do so anonymously but please be civil.

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Bozeman Development - The Series

A series on Bozeman development

Note: This was created in 2017 as a mulit-part series. I have built this landing page with all of the links as I have added to the original series and will continue to post more.

Deconstructing Bozeman - The Series

All links to pieces in the series will be posted here.
 

Montanans - Please Join Me in Going Idle-Free

Idling cars drive me crazy. Over the past few years, I have noticed this happening more and more around Bozeman. It’s a year-round phenomenon, which I have spotted everywhere including places one wouldn't expect such as the parking lots at the Community Food Co-op and Crosscut Mountain Sports Center. Additionally, it’s not uncommon to see people sitting in their idling cars tapping on their phones before they drive off after a trip to the store, and you could make a game out of counting how many idling cars you spot on a cool morning in late fall as you commute to work by bike. 

Remedy for the Bozeman Blues: My New Haven Fantasy

A meandering piece exploring my boredom with Bozeman and my fantasy of escaping for a few years. My love of New Haven features prominently.

Read to the bottom before you call me crazy.

(You can buy this print and other New Haven illustrations by clicking here.)

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Beyond the Obvious - My Favorite Backcountry Ski Spot Near Bozeman

This story has been floating around for a few years - a tale that runs through my mind on long approaches while backcountry skiing. I decided to get it down in writing and put it "out there." When I have time one day I'll refine it by adding sensory details, more thoughtful reflection, and all of the other writerly details. If only I were retired...

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My favorite place to backcountry ski close to Bozeman is a bit like Eastern Europe; a touch scrappy and rough-around-the-edges, but it rewards those who are willing to go beyond the obvious and explore deeper.

WinCo Bozeman - Big Deal or Just Another Grocery Store?

In small mountain towns, little things like new grocery stores get people talking. When I moved to Jackson, Wyoming in 1999, the local Albertson’s was in the process of building a new store. They opened to much anticipation and the reaction was mixed. Some people complained that it was too big and too “fancy” while others marveled at its novel-for-the-time features such as a coffee shop and fireplace. A few months later, a new executive director moved from the Washington D.C. area to assume leadership of the organization I was working for. Several weeks after his arrival someone asked if he had been to the new Albertson’s. He looked at them blankly and when he realized they were serious he said, “It’s just a grocery store.” 

Although Bozeman is much bigger than Jackson, we’re still a small mountain town in many ways with the propensity to succumb to chatter about new grocery stores. I had never heard of the WinCo chain before they opened a store here. As with many things during this tumultuous period of growth in Bozeman, people had opinions about it. I didn’t follow the saga closely (And it was a saga – Bozeman Daily Chronicle links at the bottom of this post), and they opened their store in February. 

Being nosy and wanting to see what the fuss was all about, I finally got around to shopping there for the first time three weeks ago. Is WinCo a big deal or just another grocery store? Here’s what I found.

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A Bozeman First - Two Juice Bars Open in November

Good news for fans of juice bars - Bozeman has gone from zero juice bars to two in recent weeks. Read all about the newest places to quench your juice craving.

The A-List Eats - Ramire's Mexican Food Truck

Photo courtesy of facebook
@Ramires-mexican-food-taco-truck

Another food first for the A-List. Earlier in the month I checked out Ramire’s Mexican Food Truck. 

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