Awesome writing..it took me on a journey so vivid I experienced it... made me think of the small town I grew up in and the things I could write about it.. thanks for the view...it was beautiful...

Thanks for the encouragement! I look forward to sharing my View with you regularly.
Fritz

Cheryl, thank you for such encouraging comments. It was a fun column to write and a great personal trip ton Nostalgia Town. Small towns are special places aren't they........
Fritz

Great article!

I've lived most of my life in Montana & there isn't a place I've been that's as beautiful. I enjoyed the author's description of how to rediscover the beauty of nature.

Excellent story Tom... fun to read!

Love, Love, that ghost on front cover where can I buy it?

Thank you for supporting our community, Bozeman Magazine!

Let's hope our police have more sense than the police in a small Wisconsin town who sent in a Bearcat to a 75 year old man's house to collect a civil fine: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20141030/07262928986/wisconsin-town-sends-bearcat-tank-to-collect-civil-fine-seventy-year-old.shtml

Of course, we could all just kick back and do the bearcat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQDoj9bFjlI

Congratulations Jean....well done! Fritz, Gypsy Writers

Love this article! In fact I love pretty much everything Pat Hill writes. Keep 'em coming!

Hum, agree. Food always taste great with great company.

Great interview! But there are no links to hear any music...

A link to music at reverbnation.com has been added to this article!

A link to music at reverbnation.com has been added to this article!

Back in 1974, my parents would take us to Manny's , once a month for breakfast, it was basically a Silver 1962 or 64 Streamline Express Travel Trailer with a long formica counter without about 8 seats then some small booths. However, the Breakfast was excellent ,,with Hashbrowns stacked 3" high with 8"x8" Ham/Sausage steak , plus 3 eggs & Toast for $3. The Bob's Big Boy at the Gallatin Gateway entrance to town was great, as well as the hippie-run 'Underground' Salad Bar Restaurant on Main St. in downtown with a huge mound of freshly made bacon bits making any young kid devour a salad. Bucks-T ford bar & Grill down the road a few miles on Gallatin Gateway was great for families with adolescent like myself shooting pool not just 20-60 yr old men. Lastly, seeing Skier 'Billy the Kid' , show up on the slopes in Big Sky made my day. One day I hope to find out what ever happened to some of my classmates at Ophir School, like Naomi & older brother Paul, Dick, brothers Dale and Darryl, and if Building Contractor Bing Lancaster's son ever did marry his Beautiful girlfriend Kathy.

Thanks for your reminders that I'm not the only one with fond memories of "back in the day". I left Bozeman in 71 when my parents moved to West Yellowstone, but the Manny's you describe is the same one I knew beginning in the 60's Buck's T-4 was a favorite dinner destination for my parents and grandparents (and of course us kids) along with Rainbow Ranch (beginning back with George and Dorothy). Thanks for a lovely reminder!
Fritz

Having spent the many previous years in a place where your choice of trees was pre cut trees shipped frozen from places like the American Northwest, sand pines from Florida or fake plastic trees. When we moved to our home and yes I said home, in Montana, we decided to start a new family tradition. We get our permit and hike up into the the surrounding mountains pick our special tree, cut it down and harness it to my oldest son to drag it out and put it up. The new tradition was sketchy due to the condition of my knees but we always found a way. Now having new knees the new challenge was my work schedule but we made adjustments this year and still got our live tree from up in the mountains. We love our home here in Montana and the previous years we lived in other places but never really considered them home, even though we had some great friends we never felt home until we got here. Now going to find that special Christmas tree that we make it our own. We never try to make our home into what we had because we came here for what it is. Thank you to wonderful Montana and the people of Montana for accepting us into your fold and allowing us to become Montanaians.

Amok's new Facebook address is facebook.com/amokthetruck