Day Trip Sites

For a January 4, 2012 drive taking over 4 hours, I was surprised and relieved to have the roads be dry and the sun shining. The mountain peaks in the distance had snow on them and on occasions there was some seen along the sides of the road even going over the mountain pass but this made the travel so much nicer.




Once we got to my husband's appointment I fell in love with this bear statue and could not help but pull out the camera and snap a few shots. Love the purple colors used.





His appointment took around two hours and the kids and I explored a little shopping center close by for a few minutes and then spent time sitting outside as it was a nice day.



Again, the camera came out to take pictures of the sky with the clouds and sun as well as the tree. Wish there had been no cars parked along the curb as I would have explored more pictures getting the whole tree in the shots.

Prickly Pear Quilts

My husband spotted this shop on our adventure yesterday. Unfortunately, I had my three kids with me while browsing patterns and pricing fabrics. I ended up purchasing a template to help with angles, but would have liked to spend more time looking at the books and other quilting aids she had displayed.

I did fall in love with this quilt found in the window of her shop. I noticed the variegated threads used to do the quilting right away. This is something I have not seen before but it is lovely.



The owner was sweet in offering my sons some magazines to look at to occupy their time while I was looking. Too bad cars don't interest them just yet.

Prickly Pear Quilts will be another stop at another time.


Thought I would show you a picture of the trolley car outside the shop. It is all decorated for the Christmas season.



Another shop (The Classy Flea Market) I wanted to visit had this cute sign outside of it. Didn't get to explore it as my family was hungry for lunch at 4 p.m. and then we had to get back home with a windy drive (winds up to 60 mph).

Lasso The Moon Toys Helena Montana

At first I spotted this cute sign:



Then after walking a distance, we found the store:



Inside was cute displays of many sweet dolls, puzzles, legos, baby things, learning toys and more; but the thing I fell in love with -- the art painted on the walls. They look like story book illustrations. I didn't find a name on them, but the artist is very talented.




My boys purchased some bouncy balls, one massive marble, and some old fashion candy sticks. My daughter had her eyes on some dolls, but she was told not this trip!! I fell in love with a flag arbor to display my yard flag. (The wind broke the mechanism bracket I have mounted on the side of the house recently.) I will have to see if I can find one online or make another trip to Lasso the Moon Toys in Helena in the future.

Helena Montana Holter Museum of Art

In trying to locate in Helena where my husband was going on an appointment yesterday in Helena, MT, we stumbled upon the Holter Museum of Art.



We parked right in front of it and at first I thought it was just a gift shop having noticed a "Sale" sign on the curb. While my husband took off walking to locate his destination. I talked my daughter into exploring with me.



I was able to sneak a few pictures of one of the displays in the museum. I don't know if pictures were allowed as nothing was posted and there was one man feverishly working on already clean floors and another lady in the office at the check out counter for purchasing items. Everything was for sale from pottery, sewn items, jewelry, ornaments, framed pieces, western, oriental, sculptures and so much more. These items pictured were for sale as lots of two or three dolls ranging in price from $600 - $800. Some were sold and marked as such on the walls. The set of porcelain cups (approximately 8 in the set) were marked sold for $1000.





Another beautiful sight to behold was the church from the street outside the museum. The bells also ring on the hour and can be heard for quite a distance. I want to explore this place again and come when my foot is able to walk and walk without pain. I am really feeling like I over did it yesterday.

Helena Montana Excursion

Wall Mural in Helena at the Last Chance Pedestrian Mall

The family and I travelled to Helena, Montana yesterday for a doctor's appointment for my husband. The office he went to ended up being in the Last Chance Gulch Walking Mall. I had been there years ago with my husband but had forgotten about it as when we went most stores were closing for the day.



This time we found the place almost deserted and then a lot of empty really neat old buildings. It was fun to sight see and we did find interesting things to occupy our time while waiting.

Here is the online information found for our adventure:
LAST CHANCE GULCH PEDESTRIAN MALL

http://www.downtownhelena.com
Email: hlnabid@mt.net

Downtown Helena and Last Chance Gulch are alive with activity year round. This area of Helena features a pedestrian walking mall which gives residents and visitors alike a unique way to experience the history and the shopping in the area. The Gulch features a wide variety of merchants. There are custom art galleries, one-of-a-kind apparel stores, unique gifts shops, sporting good stores and entertainment venues. All business in this area are locally owned and strive to provide excellent customer service. Downtown Helena is a place to gather. In the winter, art walks and holiday strolls are featured events. In the summer, the Alive@Five free weekly concert series on Wednesday nights is a wonderful place to bring the family and have a great time. Music festivals and craft fairs are held various weekends throughout the summer. Catch it all Downtown Helena! For more information see our website at www.downtownhelena.com

Fancy Kabob Skewers found in the window at the Oriental Rug Shop


Here is a statue display of gold miners to represent the last change gulch history in Helena.

My next few blogs will be about some of the stores we ventured in.

I told the family as we were leaving that more trips to explore Helena would be made with weather and road travel permitting in the winter, but a definite in the summer as it is only about an hour to get there from Great Falls, MT.

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