Be glad you don’t live in the parched west, near Dillon, Montana out in the boondocks where Carolyn and her husband live.  Earlier this year they had to contend with coyotes and a mountain lion going after their live stock, now it is a nearby forest fire.

-------------- Forwarded Message: --------------
From: "Carolyn Mathews" <cmathews@montana.com>
 Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 00:17:51 +0000

Wednesday afternoon, July 18, new fire 

If you've been to my house, you may recognize that the rocks on the right are the ones on the road in front of my house.  Clark Canyon reservoir is just on the other side.  This is one of the helicopters going to and from the lake to fill up buckets with water. I'm taking these photos from my deck.

Here's that copter heading back to the fire (bucket of water dangling below it). That winding road in the left corner is the one that is off Highway 324 and goes to the Cameahwait campground where the Lewis & Clark reenactment takes place each year (the campground we can see and walk to from the north side of our house.)

We watched the helicopters for several hours, and then this plane came in to spread flame retardant about 4:00 PM.

It's been passing over our house again and again since then.

That ridge where the retardant is being dropped is directly across from our deck and north side of the house.

Another load being dumped.  It's now 6:00 PM and this has been going on since mid-morning.  The winds have picked up considerably, but they are blowing away from us.  I don't know where the fire is--but it's sort of in the Grasshopper area, I think.  It's hard to tell.  (Nancy--I'm sure you know where it is! Let me know--hope it's not as far over as your place.)  Carolyn