A couple of years ago, my brother and his wife moved to a ranch in Montana, and while I miss them both every single day, my personal loss is blunted by how happy they are up there. Jeremy and I keep in touch with e-mail and phone calls and stuff, which I thought would make me miss him less, but actually makes me miss him more.
Anyway, this is probably the funniest exchange I’ve ever had with my brother:
Him: I just bought 10 baby chicks today, we’re going to be building a hen house and everything!
Me: That's awesome. I'm totally buying you overalls.
Him: I already have them, and they’re insulated so I can stay warm during winter, all 16 days worth.[1]
Me: Check one:
[_] I have a cap and pitchfork.
[_] I am totally fakin'
Him: [X] I live in Montana
Me: [::Spits genmaicha tea all over the desk::]
[1] Our mother, in an effort to convince the whole family to move up there, once made the outrageous claim that winter only lasts in Montana for three weeks. We joke about this almost every time we talk.
Three weeks my ass. Montana is the land of the endless winter. I know it was a joke, but it gets nut freezing cold up there. I live in Minnesota and I think Montana is a colder state on average than ours. Nothing but big sky and big windchills in Montana. I’ve been there many times and it’s a beautiful state. I’m a little jealous of anyone who gets to live out in the country. My wife and I are thinking of moving out of the city, Minneapolis/St.Paul, to raise our kids out there. I don’t want to be to far away though, I have to have my electronics and high speed internet.
My sister moved away to Florida a few years back and I know what it’s like to have to rely on just phone calls and emails, it makes it worse. I know it sounds bad but being totally cut off from her would have probably been less painful. Each time we would talk on the phone for a while I wouldn’t want it to end and when it did, I was a little sad.
I just got your book, “Just a Geek” today. I can’t wait to start reading it.
Michael
I live in Alberta, just north of Montana.
We have 4 seasons here:
Winter, More Winter, Still Winter, and Road Work.
C the T- that was hysterical! Thanks for that.
Wil, I feel your pain. I’m so close, yet so far from my family, and we rely on the same things you do for communication.
-Alicia (@aliciawag)
I lived for a while when I was a kid in Montana, and miss it every day, and go back to visit whenever I can. If I could make a living there I’d move back in a heartbeat. Cold doesn’t bother me!
–chuck
I was born in northeastern Montana (Richland County)and left when I was in elementary school (we moved “south” to the Mpls/St.Paul, MN area). We went back almost every summer, since that’s where my dad’s family is from and I miss it a little bit more every time I leave. Its lovely, sparse and wild Badland country – the eastern part is the real Big Sky Country – and everyone should get the chance to visit it at some point.
/end tourism plug/
We have the same four seasons in Minnesota, too.
It depends on what part of Montana you live in. (Although I have to say, Michael is really, really wrong, at least in terms of the last 10 years. And I lived in Eastern South Dakota for two years before moving to Western Montana, so I know how his winters in Minnesota tend to be!) I live in the “banana belt” of western Montana, and we get jack squat for winter. My folks live in NW NJ, and they’ve gotten more snow in one year than we’ve had since I moved to Montana in 1997. The eastern part of the state is different, but it’s a pretty damned big state.
South Dakota on the other hand…-70 degrees my left buttcheek. If it’s too cold to snow, it’s TOO COLD PERIOD. Although I did experience my first snowthunderstorm while in SD, and that was nifty. And I hear the same exact jokes in MT that I heard in SD: “We have two seasons–winter and road construction.” And the sheep/zipper jokes. And “it’s so windy here becuase [state to the left] sucks and [state to the right] blows.” Hell, I’d give up a real winter just for some new material. =P
All that being said, spring in Montana is GORGEOUS, and everyone should see it at least once. Fall isn’t much to shout about (I’m used to mid-Atlantic/New England autumns, which are brisk and colourful and lovely; autumn here is more of a “one day the trees have leaves, the next day they’re a different colour and on the ground” sort of affair,) and summer is just nasty the last several years. But spring…sping is where it’s at here. At least until we get our winters back!
What is it about Montana? My husband’s sister moved there, then his brother, then his other sister, and then his mother. They’re ALL trying to get US to move there. Neither of us want to live in Montana, although his mother’s heated floors sound kind of nice. Very ancient Roman.
I’m lucky enough to have my brother close by, but I would be very sad if emails and the phone were my only means of contact. Your brother is such a talented photographer – the pictures he has taken, of the area they live, are breathtaking. I hope you are able to see him soon.
Yeah here in MN we have the saying, “If you don’t like the weather, wait ten minutes”.
Michael
I was actually trying to be nice, but yeah MN winters kick some major ass when it comes to snow and cold weather. We get the brunt of it all. It’s long, thick and very intimidating, and I AM talking about the winters here in Minnesota. Montana has it easy actually, they have all those warms winds coming down from the rocky mountains.
I would love to live there though. Mountains in the west, and sweeping plains in the east. It’s also a VERY large state.
Michael
Your brother’s photos are awesome! Not that my opinion means much, but I just thought I would tell you. ;p
Your mother is correct: winter in Montana only lasts three weeks.
Allow me to explain:
I live in South Florida. Many foolish people think we don’t have seasons in Florida, but of course, we do. We have three seasons: Spring, Summer, and DAMN-it’s-hot.
Now in Montana, you have five seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and It’s-DAMN-cold-out-there!! It’s from the Native American, IIRC.
Fall in MT would be prettier if it had trees (at least the eastern half). Which it doesn’t. Which is why the sky is so big.
And the pics are gorgeous. I’m seriously thinking Christmas present for my dad…
Does he drive a recreational vehicle? And raise rabbits?
Awww, I like brothers like this. There should be more brothers like this. Do you hug? Brothers gotta hug. Then poke him with his pitchfork. But first hug. Good for you two.
Ahhhh, the perfect post to end the work week, Wil, as my Friday under the Big Sky concludes with a crisp, crystal clear evening sky, the deepening twilight decorated with a wondrously aligned duo comprised of a lucent Venus and its lovely counterpart, the waxing crescent Moon. I had forgotten that we are still in the grip of late Winter up here in the Frozen North but Mother Nature apparently did not.
The last few days saw a potent winter storm move into the area, powered by a hefty stormfront off the Pacific Ocean. It was snowing less than 24 hours ago. Now it’s closing down the week beautiful and clear. That’s Montana for you. One minute you could be caught in the harshest of storms, battling dumping snow or braving the pouring rain, only to have the sun pop out not long after, shining down all innocently like nothing had ever happened. You can’t ever let your guard down. Even in the summertime, where it can snow on a whim. The weather is still just as wild up here as some parts of this state full of (natural) treasures.
The winters here can be pretty extreme, no question, but it is definitely dependent on the location you happen to live in. Along with the previous poster above, I, too, happen to live in the “banana belt” region of West Central Montana. We live in a valley, surrounded by mountain ranges, so the down sloping winds and screening higher elevations keep our winter temps much milder than other portions of the state by blowing away the snow before it hits the ground, and trapping the colder air on the opposite side of the Continental Divide.
NW of where I live, up by Flathead Lake and Glacier National Park, east of the Divide, and south and east in and around Yellowstone National Park, you will suffer cruelly during the winter months. Even if it were only for 3 weeks, the winter bites so deep and severe in those locations that you would absolutely be wondering what cursed god had left you there to die. It still gets butt-numbing cold in my neighborhood, let me tell ya. However, in the relatively short period of time I’ve lived here in Western Montana, the last few winter’s did seem to be a little less severe than they did back in the mid-1990s when I first got here. Speaking as an ex-Californian transplant, you can and do get used to the snow and the cold. It’s tough at first but eventually you get the hang of it. Driving in the ice and snow still sucks major ass. THAT I’ll never get used to.
I moved up to Western Montana about 15 years ago now, after having lived my first quarter century growing up geek in Southern California much like you probably did, Wil (minus the acting and auditions). Around 1994, my sis and I got the bug up our butt to go elsewhere, leave the fetid confines of the smog-filled sludgepit section of Southern California we called home. Both of us spent the rest of the 1990s shuttling back and forth between SoCal, Seattle and Montana until we both found our little niches here and settled in.
As of the beginning of this year, however, my situation has become the additive inverse of yours. My sis and her husband caught another bug in the behind and have now moved BACK down to California, leaving me on my own little lonesome in the North Country. I hadn’t realized how close we had become until they actually left. We had always felt like a gang, a pack, a band, just us against the world living up here, away from all we had known growing up in smog-choked Southern California suburbia.
We shared so many special experiences that I never could explain properly to someone who hadn’t lived here to experience them themselves. Even though I can contact them instantly via one technological marvel or another, it’s just not the same anymore without them being here in physical form. Going by the house they used to live in leaves a bittersweet tang. They vow they’ll be back again in the not-too-distant future. Hope so because I sure miss having them around.
Ironically, I had to come all the way up to Montana to discover what a true geek I am. I had packed away my geekly inner leanings along with the rest of my belongings when I moved up here. My geek tendencies had lain dormant until I met a new batch of untamed nerdlings while attending the University which catalyzed my inner geek beast and allowed it to burst forth anew into a blazing bright fanboy phoenix. Since moving to Montana, I’ve been able to geek the fuck out harder than I ever had down in SoCal growing up. It wasn’t until I moved here that I truly accepted that I was just a geek at heart.
As geek havens go though, you could do much worse than Western Montana. Here in the Garden City, we’ve got our very own annual sci-fi/fantasy/gaming convention, our own minor league hockey team, and a few impressive little indie record stores. There are also several decent places to procure precious role-playing game supplies. Oh, yeah, and the “No Sales Tax” thing is pretty handy at times, too. If you ever wanted to come for a visit, I’m sure there would be a dedicated little group of Wheaton disciples here to welcome you with open arms (and gaming tables).
Sorry, I tend to talk and talk. A lot. Shutting up, sir.
If you quantify winter as being the combination of cold weather and snow, then I would say that the three weeks comment is not far off. I have lived in Billings, MT since I was 8 (with 4 years of college in the Twin Cities somewhere in there). Winter in the Montana, Billings at least, is a cake-walk in comparison. Consider the month of February, so far I think I have worn my winter coat a grand total of three days out of 27. Two of those days were Thursday and Friday of this week when we got snow. It was in the teens and twenties today, is supposed to be in the low 40s tomorrow, the low 50s on Sunday and then up to 60 on Monday/Tuesday. Montana winter = Easy.
I’m just glad your brother isn’t awesome in the same way your dog is…otherwise he would have strange accessories with his insulated overalls…
The part of Pennsylvania where I grew up-Somerset County-has these four seasons: It’s Spring But It’s Snowing, It’s Summer But It’s Under 40 Degrees, It’s Fall But It’s Snowing In September, and my personal favorite, It’s Winter But It’s 60 Degrees So Let’s Wear Sandals. And for some reason, when it’s blizzard conditions in Somerset, Pittsburgh is sunny and warm. I’m fairly certain that’s a sign of the apocalypse, or a Hellmouth at the very least.
My brother’s a miner, and the miners in PA don’t wear overalls anymore, so we can’t tease him about them. They do, however, wear jumpsuits, which means that whenever he walks through the door at our sister’s place, he gets serenaded with “He worked at Gizmonics Institute, just another guy in a red jumpsuit…”
Sorry to keep commenting on people’s comments- but Anna, your description of your seasons (which somewhat describes my seasons in central NJ) was hilarious! 😀 I had to share it with my husband. Thanks for the giggle!
-Alicia (@aliciawag)
My sister and her husband live in Idaho. For parties and holidays (and new haircuts), we put her on the webcam so she can attend the celebration. Grandma thinks it’s amazing.
Ah, Central New Jersey! So you’re East Coast and have some idea of what I’m talking about! This is good. It shows that me posting at a quarter to 6 in the morning isn’t always a bad idea! Sometimes I even make SENSE! :O
Glad I could provide a laugh. 😀
Jeremy’s pictures are breathtakingly awesome! Sometimes it’s hard to believe our country holds all those natural treasures…
I can only wish my brother were this awesome. But no, he just spent a half hour in the shower, for some weird reason…
As a resident of Clearfield County, just north of you, I’d like to second the seasons you have listed. Although normally, it’s recognized that Pennsylvania has, in fact, two official seasons: Winter and Construction.
/hates I-80
Brothers are an endless source of snort-out-loud-funny sometimes. I think I’ll go call mine…
Also, thanks for the link to his photography. It’s absolutely phenomenal!
Oh, yes, I’m East Coast and I know *exactly* what you’re talking about! 🙂 Yesterday we had a beautiful, albeit windy, day. Today was *freezing*, drizzly, and somewhat windy. You never know how to dress anymore…
-Alicia
(@aliciwag)
Wil,
Thanks for the link to Jeremy’s photos. They are gorgeous!
Freeman 🙂
I love your bro’s pics-the last time you linked to ’em I was in a particularly homesick phase and they rescued me. I hope he’s planning to document the progress of his chicks.
A loving brother would make sure his sibling has one of these:
http://www.peetshoedryer.com/
That’s funny about what your mom said about winter. My mom tried something similar after she and my dad retired and moved to New Hampshire — tried to convince us in NJ to move too and that “there’s not much snow” up there and that “it’s not too cold” where they live near Mt. Washington. Sure, mom….
The absolute only thing I know about Montana is that it was the butt of a George Carlin joke.
Okay, I know one other thing: There are some cool dinosaurs under it somewhere.
Urgh. I don’t drive, but I already hate the I-80 corridor. Also the little slice of hell on earth that is the infamous (in PA, at least) Route 219.
Oh, right, the two OFFICIAL seasons. Remember when we just had “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter” for seasons? I miss those days…my innocent PA childhood. LOL!
It was in the 50s yesterday when my mom got me from college. I had my coat open and my usual t-shirt and jeans uniform on, along with some really beat up sneakers.
Tonight, it’s 15 degrees. I’m wearing a sweatshirt and cursing at the weatherman on the 11 o’clock news. *facepalm*
It was kind of cold here yesterday, and we heard we’d get maybe 1-3 inches of snow this morning. I’m currently at about 6-7 and counting… Am I in Montana? 😉
-Alicia (@aliciawag)
When I read the title of this post, I immediately pictured your brother jumping up on the counter and eating the bacon…
Uh…Wil. It’s just “Genmaicha”, no tea needed. Cha means tea.
Oh, your brother’s photos are beautiful!
WOW. Your brother’s photographs really are spectacular. I’m sure it helps, living in ‘Big Sky Country’, but even so, they are truly beautiful.
I live 4,000 miles away from my entire family (they in London, me in NYC) so I sympathise, Wil. Technology both helps and hinders sometimes.
My mother is from Butte. The saying there is “Nine months of snow, three months of relatives.”