Welcome.

I was born in 1959 and raised in eastern Montana, but vacationed every summer in Bigfork on the Swan River at Flathead Lake. This is just a short jaunt from Glacier National Park. My family was far from financially wealthy. My parents had 6 children, Baby Boomers all, and i was the babiest of the baby boomers in my family. The youngest. And while we didn't have financial wealth the natural splendor, wonder and spectacle offered by Montana more than made up for any financial shortcomings.

Growing up i thought everyone had the kind of childhood i did. Swimming and fishing in mountain lakes. Seeing snow in August in Glacier National Park. All these amazing memories.

When i grew I became a graphic designer, a career I convinced myself, that required me to move out of state for job opportunities. First I moved to Colorado, Denver, for 4 years. I was underwhelmed. Colorado didn't offer the true natural splendor that Montana did, it came close, but it always felt like a shadow. And Denver in the early 1980s didn't offer a true urban city life. The city shut down at 5 pm every day. Art museums, galleries, live music were practically non-existent.

In 1986 i moved to Chicago to satisfy my itch for true urban living and boy did i find it! I fell in love with Chicago from the instant I got there. And it is a love affair that lasts to this day. But after 20 years in Chicago I was finally starting my own family and I wanted my children to have the opportunity to grow up as i did. Not because growing up in Chicago would be a bad thing for them. But for me, it wouldn't afford me as much time with my kids. Since I came back to Montana I've never had more than a 10 minute 'commute' to work and often that was a 10 minute walk. I have breakfast and dinner with my kids every day.

This year, during the summer, we've been making the time to rent secluded mountain cabins for weekend getaways. The kids love it. They think it's heaven. My wife and I love it. They are miniature vacations that take 1/20 the planning of a traditional family vacation. Everyone always comes home rested and revitalized.

Which brings you up to date and me to the point of this blog. It serves two or three purposes. First it is a place for me to record family memories. Second it gives me the opportunity to promote my home state to others. Finally, and a little disclaimer here, I work for the Montana Office of Tourism, developing their web site, but this gives my no opportunity to provide promotional content for the site, or to editorialize. The visitmt.com site is a group effort and the message is a well defined and focused one on what makes Montana a great vacation destination. This blog, is my opportunity to tell you about my Montana experiences free of the responsibilities of my job.

Welcome. Sit down. Stay for a spell and enjoy yourself.
- Norm