Tag Archive for 'Bigfork'

Around Bigfork

Late yesterday afternoon after a marathon 2 days to finish up the work week, Karl and I escaped to Wayfarer’s Park in Bigfork for a walk by the lake. I zipped through Bigfork Village to run an errand on the way. I had only a dusting of snow at my house, but it was obvious that there was more “in town”. Although sunny all day Friday, it didn’t warm much.

The electric plant – I am not sure if it is still a working plant. I love the “old factory” look and painted wood windows. The color is rapidly approaching its peak.

Around the base of the plant is the area that is used for the “rodeo” part of the Bigfork Whitewater Festival held in late May. There is a park to the south and cabin-cottages to the north. This gazebo was built on a spot that overlooks the plant and the water. If it had a fire pit, it would be a cozy place to sit of an afternoon or evening – even in Fall and Winter.

The bridge – always a pretty setting, but the fall color made it sparkle yesterday.

A tour around Bigfork

Back in March when I bought my Acer Netbook, I told friends and family that now that I had this cute little computer that fit in my purse, I was going to start going to a coffee shop several times a week to work for a bit – get out of the house, off the property, amongst other humans! Until yesterday morning, I have done that exactly 0 times. I have planned to on several occasions.

Last weekend while perusing the Mountain Trader, I saw an ad for the River Street Diner and Pub…in Bigfork – a new place. I cruised Bigfork on Sunday to find it. It is in the location of what used to be a bar and pizza joint. And, oh, the hours: 6:30-2:30 – right up my alley!

I was there at 6:45 this morning. That window in front with the pretty flower baskets on each side? – I sat in a nice little table right at that window and had an outstanding breakfast with excellent coffee while reading some technical blogs. So, my current plan, is to become a semi-regular here, once or twice a week. Wayfarer’s Park on Flathead Lake is a hop, skip and jump away so I can have breakfast and then take Karl on a walk in the park and still be home to start work before 8:00 a.m. – Yippy, Skippy!

Across and a bit closer to the river is Chris’ Tea Cottage. Even though the Open flag is flying, they open later. We’ll try and give them some custom every now and again but it is important to pick a breakfast spot and mostly stick with it…service, comraderie and getting your eggs cooked the way you like them depend on it!

I took the first few photos and turning to get in the Jeep, saw the theatre. It has just had a facelift. I think they bumped out the front to give more room in the ticket and concession area. The theatre is quite nice and has a nearly year round play going on. Thanksgiving is The Nutcracker performed by the Kalispell Ballet company – not sure that is the official name. It is always fun, draws a huge crowd and half the fun is watching the children mesmerized by the performance.

Almost directly across from River Street Diner is the Cultural Center and Library. The Cultural Center is host to the Montana Watercolor Show in the spring and other shows throughout the year. It was apparently being vacuumed this morning – not sure if the dog was helping or just having a morning walkabout.

Brookies Cookies is on the river and you can sit on their back deck with your cookies, coffee and they are doing some sort of breakfast and lunch thing also. I might have to get out more often…

Across from Brookies Cookies is La Provence. They have a beautiful sit down restaurant open for dinner as well as a sandwich shop/deli on this end in the photo.

And on the other corner is another new place. It used to be the Wild Mile Deli and is now a wine grotto and beer garden. Hmmm… But on the corner to the left in the photo is the Garden Bar, my personal favorite burger spot in town.

On we went to Wayfarer’s. It was just after 7:30, still cool but a bit overcast. We saw no one and it was cool enough to do my favorite loop which goes up to the highest spot in the park.

Beautiful! A tour around Bigfork, a walk in the park and home to work. Not a bad morning!

Easter candy

Over to the right in “Snippets of Life”, I commented last week that I suddenly had a craving for a chocolate creme egg. I had the wrong name and still not sure of the right name, but when I was a child we always had this rather large chocolate egg, dark chocolate on the outside and a creamier, lighter chocolate with nuts inside. It was very rich and I remember being allowed to have a small slice daily. It was in a box with a cellophane window. That’s my memory – I don’t always get the details :) !

Saturday, running a few errands, I stopped at a drug store that I knew would have a variety of Easter goodies. I don’t know… drugstore lighting, the garish colors – and no “box” as I remembered. Everything I saw just made me think of old, too sugary candy and I was not tempted.

I’m not sure of the exact date, but I think it is approaching a year since “ The Apple Trolley” opened in Bigfork. In a little retail space on the way out of town to the south, a young woman and her mother opened a “gourmet carmel apple” shop.

And it is thriving – Big Time! And at $5 an apple. I am thrilled for them and for Bigfork and for me – delicious treat, nice owners, pleasant little shop – it is fun.

Standing in the drugstore with everything looking unappealing to me, I suddenly thought of “ The Apple Trolley“…

My Easter candy.

**Lest you think they will not make it with $5 caramel apples, they were nearly sold out when I stopped just before noon on Saturday. And they had made extra for Easter, along with special bags and baskets available. Good on them!

Small Town Doin’s

As a small business person (VERY small…sole proprietor and only person) I joined the Bigfork Chamber of Commerce when I moved to Bigfork in late 2002. The Chamber is active in many community functions and organizes most of them. Decoration Day at Christmas time is one of the many. Coming up are “Clean our Fork” which is a turn out for spring litter pick up – we meet at one of the local members’ for a pancake breakfast, are assigned areas to pick up and off we go. Just like Decoration Day, enough turn out that we “git er done” in short order and then we meet again for lunch… All activities include food and drink – we don’t do anything hungry or thirsty!

It is a fun group! The nature of Bigfork’s topography is such that there is very little “town” housing. Most of us live rurally in the surrounding area. Chamber functions as well as town functions are always well attended.

Once a month, the Chamber has a “Sundowner”. A Chamber business hosts an open house with food and drink, naturally. Starting at 5 p.m. we gather, eat, sip and talk, share announcements about new or expanding services, promotions, upcoming events and finish with a small raffle for prizes donated by the host.

Yesterday evening was this month’s Sundowner, hosted by the Bigfork branch of Rocky Mountain Bank.

The bank is right next to the Chamber office and those poor people in the bank look towards the lake all day while they are working…you can see a bit of the lake past the Dairy Queen sign in the first photo. The Diary Queen gets a bit of the view also as do a number of businesses, including another bank that “step” down the grade along Montana Highway 35.

And that temperature of 26??? It made us all giddy with relief after the last several days of arctic cold. And 26 was at just after 6 p.m. – sunset is 7:40ish right now. We were all smiles and “hey, it is almost Spring” as we gathered.

Although Karl did not come in for the festivities, he did ride along in the Jeep. We arrived home, passing our UPS guy on the way and found he had been to our house…

And he didn’t forget Karl!

Small Town doin’s – I love it all!