Summers in Ekalaka part 1

My favorite time of year growing up was always summer. Summer meant that we would travel across Montana to see my dad's parents, my grandparents. They lived on a ranch near Ekalaka, a quaint historic town in SE Montana.

First ranch my grandparents lived (that I remember)

I think this is where my love for the country came from. The wide open spaces, the animals, the smells of summer. There is nothing like the smell of sweetclover on a hot day or the smell of rain in the air and then how clean and fresh the air smells after it rains, even a little.

View from hill behind my grandparents house

The first ranch I truly remember is the one my dad and aunt currently own. When they first moved on this ranch they lived in the house that was there. It was being renovated when they bought the ranch and was never finished so there was no running water in the house. That means no bathroom facilities either. it was always quite exciting to go to the outhouse, except at night. Outhouses at night are scary places, you never know what is lurking on the way to the outhouse or in the outhouse. My grandmother never let not having running water slow her down though.

The Elmores ready to head home

My grandma was an amazing woman. She had a strong personality and was strong physically as well. She worked on the ranch right alongside the men, keeping up, and sometimes outworking them. She would get up, fix breakfast (sometimes just cereal depending if they had hired hands or not), milk the cow, and then head out to the hayfield. About an 45 minutes to an hour before lunch (dinner in SE Montana) she would be home and fix an excellent lunch, simple, but very filling and good tasting. Then, back out to the hayfield. She was a very hard worker all her life.

My grandma, Ethel Elmore, and her horse

My grandma, Ethel Elmore, was a big part of why I loved going to Ekalaka for vacation every year. She has been an inspiration to me and one of my heroes.

My grandma in 1985 in the Centenial Days of 85 Parade