--Update 9--
Two final stops on the way back home. Both were in Idaho, which has some fantastic scenery.
First was
Clay & Cassie McGowen, with whom I helped some tree bucking and garden prep.
BIG THANKS to my good friend Clay for the eggs and the seeds, and to both Clay and Cassie for the board game nights...! Clay has been a frequent guest and stand-in High Commander while I've been out and about the past two months, and his efforts, generosity, and hospitality are one-of-a-kind. Thanks again, man.
Next was frequent guest and chef for
Wheaton Labs, SKIPper extraordinaire
Rebekah Harmon and family...! I shacked-out in the She-Shed with a little garded bed prep and playing with the kids in-between. Rebekah also took me target shooting, which was a refreshing, new
experience for me and I'm extremely grateful for it. I've been wanting to take a firearm safety
course for some time now, though I never have. With Rebekah's tutoring, I shot with a .22 rifle and a few handguns, and I feel much more comfortable and confident with firearms now.
Apparently, I have a special dislikin' for cans of pineapple juice.
Thank you once again for your hospitality and making me feel completely welcome, Rebekah! Everything was a treat, thanks to you...!
Made it back in Montana last night, and will be back home at Wheaton Labs tomorrow. What a wonderful experience the entirety of
"4S" has been. I can only hope I was as useful to my hosts as they wanted and needed for the time I was at their sites.
I definitely want to do a similar trip again next year. Stay tuned...!