Chasing Montana July Light: A Fuji Wrap-Up

The Matchbook | 8.14.26

July. A month of birthdays, mine included, a month of carnivals, of World Cup games, of friends moving home.

A month of light.

How lucky I am to capture it, to carry a little camera on my hip everywhere I go. To aim it at what I see, to borrow it all. To bring it back to you.

The thing about light though, is that it needs something to hold it. Lately, this humble Signal Fire has burned a little lower than I’d like to see. Some of you, even some who have been here a long long while, have had to step back from the Firekeeper community, and I understand that more than you know. Life asks things of us all the time and we must decide when to listen.

Still though, I’ll say it simply, the way I try to say almost all things here: IF this place has ever felt like light to You, like something worth carrying home, I could really use your help keeping it lit. Not out of guilt, just a very honest ask, from me to you.

Ok. Here’s July:

Click to view on the website, which lets you view these bigger and scroll through the gallery.

Kicked things off with the World Cup, complete with its very obvious advertising breaks veiled as “water breaks” and a whole lot of hype surrounding the USA team. I never got on board with Team USA, mostly due to a weird feeling of arrogance I felt from them everytime I watched them play, but still, it was fun to see a group of people all cheering the same way. Even though I was cheering for the underdogs they played against haha. After that, Sarah and I had a July 4th wedding that took place at a Clay Arts Guild here in town called the Archie Bray (that’s quite famous!) and so we went on a scouting trip/date night wander. I love that place, we’ve photographed at it many times, and the wedding was stunning. Seeing random bits of priceless art scattered about the grounds always makes me feel strangely warm, thinking that Glen Hansard’s directive to “make art. make art.” is being heeded.

Our dear friends John and Serwaa also moved back from Washington D.C. and we got to check out their new house and stunning gardens. It’ll be lovely having them back, and we’ve already spent more time together. The first bit of July was still clear air and stunning sunsets, so Lady G and I took full advantage of our nightly walks. Chaos was coming, you could feel it on the horizon.

Speaking of walks, one of those evening walks turned quite eventful, and I love the photo of my Dad in black and white as it was taken JUST before the true chaos began. The image that follows it is the aftermath, as the three of us were desperately pouring shampoo all over Gilly. He’d somehow found a squirrel that a hawk had killed, and said squirrel was rotting from the inside out (complete with maggots) and smelled worse than almost anything I’d ever smelled. Of course he rolled in it. Of course it smeared all over his entire body. It took 2 full washes and half a bottle of concentrated dog shampoo to rid him of it. To celebrate this being complete, and him being rid of the scent of decomposition, I took Sarah to get her favorite soft serve ice cream in the world: Goloso. If you’re in Helena, ever, find it.

I also celebrated my 45th birthday on July 6th. Which was low-key as I wish it to be, and lovely. Sarah, as always, made me feel so loved and held. Speaking of, you can still give me the best gift ever by joining this little family. Just sayin’. ;)

Something about the two first photos in this gallery, the porch door and the light on the garage, mean so much to me. Those two views are beyond nostaligc, as they are the door to my childhood home, and the view from the front door where my best friend growing up lived. McKenzie and I have stayed friends all the while, and I feel lucky for this. Anyway.

Birthday one (of three) for Addie also took place only 3 days after my birthday, and she celebrated with all her high school cross country and track friends. It was amazing to see some of them that I hadn’t really seen since they left for college, and the other half was a group that are just now starting their own senior years. Time moves so swiftly, and I do not know what to make of this. I do not know how to understand it.

Not a bad first third of a month, not a bad first third at all.

I hope you’re all still loving these.

I love you all.

Be good.