Missoula Children's Theater

While we were still in Montana, one afternoon Bob and I went into Missoula to see his cousin Don. He met us at the Missoula Children’s Theater and gave us a tour.

The building had been a school, now converted to a theater with basement storage for props, costumes, furniture, risers, scenery, and everything else that is needed for a theater. A lobby for the theater was the only addition to the building. The upstairs houses all the business offices, sewing room, etc. that is used to run the Missoula Children’s Theater.

The first time that I met Don, I believe it was just before Bob and I were married, he and his first wife were involved in getting the Missoula Children’s Theater going. As we toured the building, he told us about the program and how it has evolved.

In 1970 an out of work actor from Chicago, Jim Caron, was on his way to a friend’s wedding in Oregon. Just outside of Missoula his VW bus broke down. While he was waiting for it to get fixed, he saw a poster for the casting of “Man of La Mancha.” He tried out for the part of Cervantes and got it. Don was playing Don Quixote. When the play was over, Don talked him into staying and working with him to put a group together to take plays to schools that had no drama program, to “bring the theater experience to children.”

They did this for a few years. As Don said, it wasn’t making enough money to support two families. So he ended up in Seattle singing with the Seattle Opera. That is another story in itself. Don maintained contact with Jim and was a sounding board for him. Don again works full time with the MCT and spends part of his time in Seattle and part in Missoula.

The touring group consisted of ten adults. One February, Miles City called to see if the group could come to their school and do “Snow White.” Miles City is 480 miles away and it was winter roads. However, since they were so strapped for money, the answer was yes. Don was in Seattle at this time. Not everyone in tour group was able to go, so it was decided to try and cast the dwarfs with kids from the school, if they could get enough kids whose father, from this cowboy town, would let them try out. They notified the school to try and get some kids together.

When they got there they asked the principal for a room to do the try outs in. He told them they could use the gym. When they opened the doors, there were 450 kids, from a town of 4,000, waiting to try out. Besides the dwarfs, they tried to create as many other roles as they could to use kids in.
That was a turning point in why and how they would use the Missoula Children’s Theater. On Friday night, at the end of a week of practices, kids who had been made fun of on the playground, received cheers from those who had teased them. Others, who didn’t feel they were good at anything, found out they had accomplished something. From then on the goal became “Teaching Life Skills Through Theater.”

The several tour groups now consists of two people traveling in a red truck that holds scenery, costumes, and everything else that is needed. The costumes are designed to fit many sizes. They are on the road from about October through May with two weeks off at Christmas. There are five different plays on the road. Each year a new play is introduced and one is retired. Sometimes it is brought back and used again. The plays are familiar children stories with music, but with a twist. They take turns directing. When not directing, the other tour member will be one of the actors if needed.

One of the things that the company tries to do is to make the playing field level for everyone. They will not let a principal tell them anything about any of the children. They also try to cast children with handicaps. They use children from Kindergarten and on up.

Don told us about an interesting thing that happened with one of the tour couples that were in Ireland. They had gone to an area that is industrial and poor. There are two gangs, that they call mobs, in the area. After checking in with the principal upon their arrival, and just prior to casting, he said, “I have something to tell you about.” Since they want all to have a fair chance, they cut him off. Twice more he tried, each time cutting him off. So he stopped trying. After the play on Friday and while taking things down, the principal approached them and said that he would like to take them out for a beer when they were done as he had something he wanted to tell them. They accepted his offer.

“A week prior to your arrival, there had been a mob war. Two people, from opposing mobs were killed. We thought about canceling the play because we have kids from families on both sides here. We realized it was probably too late so we decided to leave it up to you when you arrived. This is what I was trying to tell you. The leader of one of the mobs was killed. You cast his son as Romeo. There was also a man killed from the rival gang. You cast his daughter in another lesser role. We knew the parents would be passing each other in the hall as they brought kids to and from practice. We didn’t know what would happen. We had guards posted tonight in case a fight started. Instead, tonight parents were cheering for all the kids. It didn’t matter whose child it was. This was for the children. Afterwards, some of the parents were even talking to ones from the other mob.”

Don also told us of a similar incident in a town in the south that isn’t yet “integrated.” By the end of the week, new friendships were made across the lines of color. His comment was, wouldn’t it be great if we could put on a play in Jerusalem with Israeli and Palestinian children in it.

We have a grandson who is looking forward to his fourth time to be in one of the Missoula Children’s Theater plays. His younger sister is also looking forward to it as last year she got to be a mouse.

Besides the plays during the school year, there are camps in the summer. They are trying to expand their area with these. The company is also becoming involved with a program that the tour couple would present to youth through assemblies in becoming aware of one’s surroundings and getting outside. There are some studies that show that kids who get outside have less trouble with obesity.
Some people may not make a lot of money, but they make a big difference in the lives of others. All kids need a chance to realize that they are special and can succeed at what they try. This is another way for some to learn that.

On The Move

As the weather started getting cold up north, we knew it was time to move and avoid snow. We almost did that.

We went down through the Bitterroot Valley. As we went over Lost Trail Pass, this is what we saw.

We went to the Big Hole Battlefield. Bob had been there when he was real young and I had been there around the time I was in Junior High. Besides being cold, things have changed some.

There is now a visitors center and trails to hike to the area where the Indians were camped and to where the army retreated. There are also tepee poles set up for lodges.

The area where the army had retreated to has very few 'old' trees. When I had been there previously, you could see marks on the trees from bullets. Those trees are gone and there are not as many trees as before. They do have the trenches marked and cleared.

This is the stream that the army crossed when they entered the Indian village. It is about twenty feet across.

We also saw these in the area to which the army retreated.
We went to Rexburg and spent a couple nights there. We met up with two of the guys from home who are in college there. It was great to see them. The morning we left there, Bob had to clear about one and a half inches of wet snow off the top of the truck. The roads were wet but not slick.

We went on to Salt Lake and went to some places there. It was warmer here but there was snow on the mountains.

We spent the evening, after we arrived, at the conference center taking the tour of it. Pictures just don't show how large it is. The statistics on it are something.

We also took in Temple Square, the Lion House, Brigham Young's home, and went to the temple. The temple is beautiful inside. It is understandable why it took them so long to build.

Finally we got to warmer weather. But that will go in the next blog.

A Few Summer Things

A year ago, on Sept. 2, we took off on our extended trip. For those of you who have follow this blog, you know that we have seen many sites and visited with special people. It has been a great year.

B may have sold his boat, but he kept the anchor and occasionally digs it in for a long anchorage. This happened again last June while in Montana. Since the weather is cooling and there was a good frost, he is thinking it is time to pull anchor and set the sails for the south seas/land.

I did want to hit on a few things that went on this summer/fall that I did not mention in previous posts.

Our neighbors were sometimes a little different.

We had sleep overs.

Many mornings I got to see the sun light enhancing nature.

Grandpa got to help with a math problem, and then talk about what will be taught in future lessons.
We have seen lots of beautiful sunsets and clouds

We got to see a full double rainbow. I couldn't get back far enough to get all of it.

Leah got to see her uncle and aunt from Tennessee. It had been a few years since she last saw them.

I got to spend some time sketching. No pictures, they are on paper.

Although, after telling a grandson two years ago that I was never going to attend any of his football games again since we were in a car accident on the way back home, I did go see him play. That is him, down with his arm towards his back.
And charging the receiver.

I'm not partial and I know that you would agree that he is a good looking guy.

I hope that each of you have had a relaxing summer, a soft place to sit, and your favorite fresh, still green, fruit to eat.

Labor Day Weekend

I know that some of you used this time to do some labor. We, however, decided to do the opposite.

We, meaning all residing here this summer, packed up and went to Georgetown Lake, out of Philipsburg. We got there first with the trailer and got most of the tent set up as the others had to wait for football practice to be over.

When we first got there, Bob and I started walking and looking at some campsites that might meet our needs. We hadn't gone far when we saw a cow moose and her calf. They were working their way up from the lake into the camp ground. We waited, not wanting to cross her path. There were some other people closer to her and she didn't seem to mind. I guess she is use to people. My camera was back in the truck so I didn't get any pictures. We were hoping she would come back again during the weekend, but didn't.

On Saturday morning we went to Gem Mountain, so named for sapphires. For fourteen dollars, you can buy a bucket of gravel and hunt for sapphires.

First you pour some of the gravel in a washing tray.

Next you take it to the washing trough. You have to have the right motion to wash it getting the smaller stuff to the bottom. The sapphires also go to the bottom. Trinceton seemed to have the right motion. The tray is screened on the bottom.

Then you quickly flip it over. Trinceton seemed to always get the sapphire containing gravel closest to him on his flip.

After the flip, you look on the surface for sapphires. After picking up any, with a tweezers, that you see on the surface, you start working through the rest of it.

Then you can find these. There are also quartz crystals that look like sapphires until they dry. Then they are white.

When you are done, you take them in and they will check them for any cracks and if they are large enough to cut. Between Bob and I we had four for a total of 4.08 uncut carrots. That is about what Trinceton, alone, had along with Leah and Bryan combined. (Remember what I said about Trinceton's tray flipping?) They are clear and vary in color from a light yellow, green shades, blue shades and pink. Although we didn't get much, we had fun. The kids had fun playing in the left over gravel pile,

and it didn't start raining until we were leaving. We had sun to see the sapphires while we were looking for them.

Before we got to Gem Mountain, we say a group of bighorn sheep up on the hill side above the road.
This one was looking for a way down. He ended up going straight down the surface where he is looking.


After gem hunting, we went back to camp and relaxed.

During the weekend the kids had fun jumping off what ever they could find,
playing,

eating,

roasting hot dogs and marshmallows,

and the guys got to be bored,

since they were not doing their usual activity.

We did get some work out of Grandpa.

On Monday morning we headed for the ghost town of Granite which is about five miles, up in the mountain, out of Philipsburg and at an elevation of seven thousand feet.

The town of Granite was home to three thousand people who worked in the silver mines and stamp mill. It also yielded some gold. There are only a few buildings left standing, parts of some, and foundations of many. It is hard to visualize that many people living here as the ground is steep, rough, and now covered with trees.

In 1880 a Mr. McIntyre was contracted to sink a "fifty foot shaft upon the ledge" for one-quarter interest in the mine. The shaft was one foot short when he decided not to finish and surrendered his share. This one-quarter share was eventually worth $3,000,000 in dividends. In 1885 the Ruby shaft was sunk to a depth of 1550 feet. Crews worked around the clock.

This was once the three story union hall.

The bank vault.

One of the remaining homes.

Foundation and building.
Some tailings from the mine.
Located up on the mountain, close to the mine shafts, was a three level stamp mill to crush the ore. There is not much left of the lower level, but there is some of the other two levels.

The walls were made of quarried granite from the area. You can see the drill marks on some of the stones. What got me is how they were stacked without the use of mortar and the small stones that they used to filled the cracks. There was also fire brick, stamped St. Louis, in the area.
This is of an ore bunker and a log crib. I thought the cribs construction was interesting. You can see ore chutes in the bunker.

In one place, you could see where they cut the trees, leaving stumps that were used to make a level floor for a building. The ground was quit sloped. The timbers were also made from the existing trees. There are not any nearly this large now.
Maybe the best thing was the view.
It was a fun weekend.

On to Canada

One of the things that I have always wanted to do was to see Banff Park. So after going through Glacier, we went into Canada. (I will apologize now, as this is long.)

We made a stop in Cardston to go to the temple but it was closed for it's annual cleaning. So we decided to use the time to take in the Remington Alberta Carriage Center. There are all kinds of carriages and wagons. They also have a place where they restore/rebuild wagon/carriages for people. Some that they have rebuilt came to them in the trunk of a car, consisting of only the metal parts of the original carriage.

There were a few things that I learned about wheels in this area.
1) Iron rims expand, and thus come off, from hitting against hard surfaces such as rocks or cobble streets.
2) The spokes in a wheel are slightly pointed on one side so that they get assembled correctly. Spokes are put in at a slight slant.
3) The wheel is concave from the rim to the axle. It goes on the wagon with the concave surface facing out. This keeps the wheel from coming apart when going around corners and the pressure is shifted.

One of the freight carts that I found interesting is called a Red River cart. It was made completely of wood. Even the axle was all wood. The spokes, cross bars, etc. were kept in with wood wedges driven in to the ends.

The story goes that a freighter left with two regular wagons and several of these two wheeled Red River carts. He lost one of the wagons when it fell apart and the other when it sank. He reached his destination with all of the Red River carts. They float but the bottom things need to be protected as they will get wet.

We made a swing through Calgary, with the hopes of seeing one of my cousins, but she was not feeling well.

We passed through Canadian prairie as we went north to Calgary. This picture is of the prairie ending where it approaches the mountains.

The rain that we had in Glacier continued, but we went on to Banff. We parked the trailer at a campground just out of Banff (town) and then went driving with the truck.

This is around the town of Banff.
These are as we traveled in the park. You can see that sometimes the clouds cooperated and sometimes not.
I took this next one for C. It is a good picture that shows a vanishing point.
We stopped in at Lake Louise. The next pictures are in that area.

The white at the upper end of the lake is dropped from glaciers. There are glaciers further up.


You can see that the mountains are steep and go right up from about nothing.

Not far from Lake Louise is Lake Moraine. (Google Moraine to find out what this means.) These next two were on the way to Lake Moraine. One shows the formation well because of the snow. (I forgot to tell that there was fresh snow on the peaks when the clouds starting raising.) If you click on the other one, you can see where the rock wall lost a huge area looking almost like a cave entrance.

Lake Moraine gets it's name from the glacier pile of debris that has formed a dam. They think the slide occurred further up the canyon and rode down on the glacier, being deposited when the glacier melted.
You can see the many glaciers on top in this next picture looking towards the end of the lake. It is a much smaller lake than Louise. There is also a snow chute.
This is the glacier at it's upper end.
I took this as we left. Note the smoke. It would have felt good as it was cold.
There is a tram, that is not far from the town of Banff, that runs up to the top of Sulfur Mountain. The lookout at the top was originally used to study solar rays. (At that time you hiked to the top. You still can if you want.) The next morning we decided to take it to the top. It had stopped raining but there were lots of low clouds on the mountains when we started out.

This was looking out the tram as we went up, before we reached the cloud level.
Once we reached the top, I tried to take pictures showing a 360 degrees view.
You can see the town in the next one.
When we got to the top, we could see the original lookout station. So we hiked on up to it.
This is looking back to the tram, the restaurant and gift shop that are at the top.
These were taken from the lookout
and as we came down.
These were taken as we traveled west and out of the park.
I took this picture because it shows both geological actions that formed the mountains in the area. The one on the left shows horizontal rock layers from lifting and the one on the right more vertical rocks from uplift tipping.
This is a game overpass. There were several in this area. There are also drift fences on each side to guide the game to them.
We didn't go on to Jasper. It has a lot more glaciers but we figured we wouldn't be able to see much of them because of the weather. We both thought that the mountains in Canada were more impressive then the mountains in Glacier. They are really rugged and steep.