Friday, June 19, 2009

Follow Me on a Walk Downtown

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I think I’m lucky.  Living where I do, I love my commute to work.   

Want to come along as I walk downtown today?    

That first photo up there shows the Clark Fork River and Mt Jumbo from the footbridge where I cross it…  

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…and here’s the river looking downstream to the west.  This the wettest time of year, and things are still lush.  In a few weeks the river will be way, way down. 

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Once across the river, I head west along this bike path. 

 

 

 

 

 

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A rosebush along the way. 

 

 

 

 

 

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On my left is the river…

100_1509  …and on my right is the Kiwanis Club Park. 

First stop in my work day today:  the public library.  I need some information from the Montana Room, so I head inside. 

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Remember the old-fashioned card catalog?  Still alive and well in the history section of the library—the rest is heavily computerized.  This is where I’ll look for the stuff I need for work. 

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In the corner of the Montana Room, a photo of my grandfather hangs on the wall.  That’s him in the upper left corner.  He helped get this new library built in the 1970s.

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Before we leave, I must show you on of the best things here:  a “Gnome Home” carved by local artists encased in glass.  Let’s get a closer look at the incredible detail. 

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Here’s one of the rooms inside the Gnome Home.  I took the picture through the glass.  See that little Tiffany-style lamp?  It’s about an inch tall. 

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The tiny stool is the size of a spool of thread.

And now, back to my commute…

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I’m now passing the old library—the one I went to as a young child.  This was one of the “Carnegie Libraries” which the Scottish/American steel magnate Andrew Carnegie supported in the early 1900s in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. 

Today this building holds the Missoula Art Museum. 

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You can see the new extension of the museum attached to the old library.  I don’t care for the architecture…but the museum’s lovely inside.    

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Next stop:  Regional Headquarters of the Forest Service.  The library didn’t have a map I needed, but I can find it here.

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Now that’s done, it’s time for more fun!  This is Worden’s Market.  It was the first grocery store in Missoula.  I come here almost every work day.

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Worden’s is known for its wine selection…

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…but I’m here for my java.  Since the recession kicked in, the coffee bar is self-serve.

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I love to ogle the chocolate by the cash register!

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Joel thought I should take a photo of him if I was going to take one of the chocolate.  

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On my way out the door, a parting shot at the deli counter. 

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Can’t put it off any longer…it’s almost time to work. 

This is the Brunswick Hotel, which my friend Leslie operates as artists’ and writers’ studios.  She also lives here and does her fabulous encaustic art in her own studio.  The hotel was built in 1875, and I adore its character. 

Would you like to see how we’ll get out of the building if there’s a fire?

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Second story window, chain-link ladder.  May that never happen.

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Ah, well.  Here’s the crooked aqua staircase…

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…and the hallway to my door (suck in your tummy, it’s narrow)…

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…and my desk. 

You have seen these last two photos before, in my post about what not to give up in a recession.  This writing space in on my short list.

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Now get to work, Sallymandy! 

And all of you?  Thanks for joining me…♥

All rights reserved, The Blue Kimono 2009.  With the exception of the photograph of the exterior of the Missoula Public Library, all photos were taken by me and may not be reproduced without permission.

27 comments:

Jean said...

How lovely to be invited along. I really enjoyed the walk, and I'm still in my dressing gown! It's certainly a lovely walk you take everyday. I only have a short drive to work (after dropping off both children at their different schools) but it's not particularly scenic.

I love the deli sign 'practice safe lunch' - very witty.

Thank you!

Anonymous said...

What a great way to start my day - your is the first post that I have read this morning, and it was the perfect one to read! It made me feel so good. I loved your walk and the story you told along the way. Fantastic post! Thank you for sharing.

Oh, I also liked the "Practice Safe Lunch" sign - very clever!

Woman in a Window said...

OK, this was extremely fun to see where your feet take you. Joel cracked me up. He really WANTED his picture taken? I'd be the opposite. And that old library...so beautiful. Who goofed with the extension?

A.card.catalogue. Jeepers! Got to love that!

Anonymous said...

I did enjoy that walk so much. What a lovely place to live...it looks to be what I believe to be the real America, the places that we found, slighly off the beaten track.
Sign of the times, eh? The card system in the historical centre, and the wonderful carvings, coffee,
after that lovely walk.
Thank you, loved it. Didn't I say that already?

The Clever Pup said...

I love your hometown! What a nice walk.

My library is Toronto is a Carnegie library and Parry Sound, where I grew up, and Toronto both have Brunswick Hotels. The Brunswick in Parry Sound is just about the only hotel.

I like that space very much.

Diana said...

You live in such a beautiful area! There's hardly anything that nice within walking distance of my house.

Stephanie N. said...

That was lovely. Thank you, Sallymandy. I'm sure Whitefish and Missoula are very different from each other, but it sure reminded me of Whitefish and made me miss Montana.

Cynthia L. H. said...

How wonderful, Sallymandy! Thank you for inviting us along! Love the details in your descriptions...I tried to select a favorite or two...but everything was just fascinating. I know on your profile it says "Non-Profit" industry, Occupation "Writer"...have you written on your blog about that? Direct me to it, if you have...
:^)

Rosaria Williams said...

Lovely and informative. I didn't know you lived in Missoula. Your summers are short too.

Patsy said...

I loved your photo diary! Do more! Do more! You have inspired me to do it after thinking about it for a long time.

I salute your grandfather for contributing to such a worthy cause, too. :-)

I hope the researching went well.


Lorna

Lola G. said...

I'd love to have one of those old card catalogs, which I'd use to store craft supplies. I really enjoyed the Safe Lunch sign.

Kayleigh said...

This was SO fun! I really feel like I took a mini tour of your hometown -- which is gorgeous, btw. You are lucky :)

Linda Lu said...

i love the walk across the river part!

Frugal Scholar said...

When can I come visit?

Marilynne said...

I enjoyed walking with you to work. I like your office because it has a window. I love working by the window.

Lori ann said...

Dear Sallymandy,

That was so much fun! i loved it, every photo and all your captions too. I felt like i was there with you, and after this last week it felt really good to get out of the house!
Missoula looks wonderful, i hope to be able to visit someday.
oh, and how great that you have history with your dear Grandfather up on the wall of the library.
thank you for this most enjoyable post and yes do more!
xo

ps. thank you for your very sweet comments and my and lolas place. I appreciate them so much.

Ingrid Mida said...

What a lovely commute! Thanks for sharing the stops on your route to work. I hope you stopped to smell those gorgeous roses.

Maria Killam said...

It's always fun to have a personal tour of another blogger friends life! Being a walk from work is a total luxury! Great post!

vicki archer said...

Loved walking with you...thank you, xv.

Eleonora Baldwin said...

What an enjoyable way to start the day! And thank you so much for taking me along. Sorry if I trailed behind at the Worden's market... there were so many interesting things on display. And that coffee was actually pretty good (with the chocolate on the side, ahem).

I love these posts. It's like traveling to a new place with a friend who shows you around and points out cool things. Now, I'll go to sleep while you work. Fair? Not really ;)

Ciao,
Lola xx

Sheila said...

That was so cool! I loved seeing what you see.

We have a Carnegie library building in my town! It was a bank for a while, but is now sitting empty (it was in the movie "Bird on a Wire").

Anonymous said...

That was lovely. I had pretty much accepted reality after your recent post about the job situation, but now you've gone and tempted me all over again. I have freeways and strip malls when I step outside. I've only ever lived in NY or LA, but Montana's looking pretty good right now.

Unknown said...

Thoroughly enjoyed taking a walk with you! Beautiful area!

guylaine rondeau said...

thanks sally for stopping by my blog. i love the background of your blog, and i love that vintage turquoise blue — it’s one of my favourite colours!

just as an FYI, when i talk about "white space", it doesn’t actually have to be "white" — it just means free of clutter so that the eye can navigate easily through the page and find the information easily. it’s simply creating effective communication.

i love this post... it almost feel like a little european village. very quaint. (where is it?)

guylaine

ceecee said...

Loved seeing your hometown. Your grandfather was a 'get things done' kinda guy. I think you take after him. I have such fond memories of using those card catalogs. They were always so well crafted, which made sliding the drawers in and out such a pleasure.
Thanks for the peek into your world.
Catherine

sallymandy said...

Thank you, everyone, for your wonderful enthusiasm about this post. It was fun to write, and to share where I live with you.

Mardel said...

Thank you for this lovely walk. Even trailing a bit behind the crowd it is still a lovely way to start the day.