100 Trips Around the Sun

Today I drove the 210 miles back to Great Falls to visit a man I greatly admire, Bill Spahr, who turned 100 this weekend. He was my favorite teacher in high school and I learned a lot from him under his tutelage as editor of the school newspaper and 2 years editing the yearbook. He drove over to visit me when I moved back to Montana and again about 10 years ago. He just stopped driving last year....(thank the goddesses). His vast knowledge of history, the arts - writing and photography, and music hasn't dimmed one whit. Sharper than all of the younger people there. We e-mail, but don't talk on the phone unless he calls. He forgets to put in his hearing aids when he answers the phone. A mob of people came to honor this man of letters and he honored each one with a fond memory he pulls out of that wonderful mind. Happy Birthday, Mr. Bill!!

The extra is a shot of the Rocky Mountain Front Range across the plains as we drove back in the late afternoon.