Holy sweet jumping jeebus, August was a MONTH. Filled, you could call it, with every single emotion a month can bring. Some joyful, some sorrowful, some strange in the newness. Filled.
Here’s what happened, what I saw, what we felt, and how it all shook out. Hope you dig em, and if you do, just join the damn family already, we all wanna snuggle you.
Click to view on the website, which lets you view these bigger and scroll through the gallery.
First steps in to August brought us visiting my folks up at their house in the deep woods of Elliston. We made the trip over the pass, got some fresh pipers (carrots) from their greenhouse, let Gilly run buck friggen wild through the forest, then chased a train down the highway to go back over the pass home. We had to get home cause we had important stuff to do, namely Helena’s celebration of PRIDE, finally. Turns out, Helena celebrates Pride first week of August as our dear friend Kev, the former director of MontanaPride.org, never wanted people to have to choose between the marquee Pride events that took place all over June and even into July.
Kicked things off with Drag Trivia Night, which was rad, and we took 3rd place under the team name The Queefer Sutherlands (my idea, bragging about this one). Wildfire smoke was the theme of August, and it permeated all things, the light most noticeably. Still, gave it an eerie almost old-school feel, and I liked it. Gilly loved his car-rides, and I snuck MULTIPLE shots of him being cute in the side-view mirror.
Saw Margz and Caiomhe on 6th avenue driving home from Drag Trivia, so had to snap a quick portrait of them. We miss them a lot, and it’s bizarre now that we’re not afforded the opportunity to people we grew so accustomed to being around, so often.
Day 2 of Pride kicked off with the Pride Parade first, and then, the Drag Show that literally shuts down 4 downtown city streets. Hot flippin damn can they dance. Huge turn out for the street party, amazing theatrics, moving tributes, and it was so stunning seeing our little town show up so huge, in a state that the nation only knows as a giant red blob on voting maps. Not so, friends, not so. We have a vibrant LGBTQIA+ community here, and we’re also absolutely packed full of people like Lady G and I, allies through and through.
I Love the photo with purple glow and Mount Helena looming like some protective guardian behind it. Just sayin.
The end of the Pride festivities is always sad, and this year doubly so, as it somehow also ushered in final days with Addie in town before we had to drop her off at college to begin her Freshman year. Henry already gone, we made sure to do all the little Helena things once more, and went on lots of Fuji walks with her downtown, and behind our house to remind her all she’d have waiting for her when she finally got breaks. Helena is special, and as a kid everyone always acted like they hated it here, but there always was a quote that said “Helena sucks so bad it sucks you right back.” Touchè. We all want to come back eventually, it’s just so perfect, so slow, so connected, so close to nature. It’s home.
Loaded up everything she could possibly need in the back of the ol’ Subaru, made the 2 hour drive over the mountains, and finally in the middle of the month, made it to her dorm parking lot.
Move In Day is no f’ing joke friends. No joke at all.
Her dorm is rad, her roommate is her dear friend Kendal, and we spent all day getting her situated before she began orientation week and a slew of activities that, as much as she wished she could be, Sarah just wasn’t able to participate in. ;)
A final stop at Henry’s new apartment, his first of what I’m sure will be many (especially given the 7.24% mortgage rates haha), and it was amazing to see how in such a short span of 3 or 4 days, he was able to make it feel like his bedroom back here. Like home.
Sarah sobbed almost half the drive back home, I held her hand and tried to just be there without crying too, and didn’t try to fix a single thing.
Some aches you just have to swim in.
All in all, a wonderful first half of August, and these are simple photos that represent it.
One more installation of these next week, so do tune in.
"... some aches you just have to swim in."
You are gorgeous for holding her hand. Love the pictures of Gilly.