Eliza had her first full week of classes. We watched our local baseball team play. And being that we live in the Treasure State, we went panning for gems in Philipsburg.
This is Eliza's classroom for the moment. She likes having Mike's standing desk as her bedside laptop holder and having Fergus as her study buddy and "kitty cam" between classes. When Hallie is home she checks in on E every period whether by sight or by sound to make sure she is participating.
We can't have open flames in our house, which up until recently meant Hallie couldn't burn her scented candles. This week she saw this candle heater and now gets to use her candles again! Hallie is has been quite sad, so this is a small thing to bring her joy.
On Tuesday, we went to see the Missoula Paddleheads play baseball against the Great Falls Voyagers. Unfortunately, the Paddleheads were losing quite badly by the time we left due to the incoming rain.
That said, we had fun while we lasted with stadium goodies and entertainment along the third base line. We took home a bobble head and a t-shirt Mike caught.
Eliza has been weaving bracelets lately and made Mom a UM-themed one.
On our walks around campus, we've seen even more painted bear paws.
Weather in Missoula has taken the turn from summer into fall with crisp mornings and more rain bringing dramatic skies.
The on-campus Starbucks now sports fall flavors and decor, including this spooky mermaid.
Eliza looks for shots like these with Fergus.
On Saturday while Eliza slept in, Mike joined Hallie at 3B Bagels downtown where one of Hallie's coworkers from Missoula's Best also works. Hallie's coworker seemed impressed they came in. Hallie told her that if our plans made it into the calendar, we would be there. Mike remarked that this breakfast burrito has to be one of the best he's had in a long time. The eggs were light, the avocados were ripe and soft, the bacon was thick and crispy, and the potatoes acted as a complement to it all rather than as a filler taking up half the burrito. So tasty!
We didn't watch the UM game, but we did sit out front and people watch as fans walked to the stadium. Mike and Eliza walked around the tailgate area and got some grub when offered. Here is Eliza fitting Mike with his UM-themed bracelet. Fergus seemed quite curious.
Mike got this year's head shot back from marketing. The photographer may have "enhanced" it. He's not that orange. Also, something is off about the teeth.
Maybe a filter would help?
Or let's convert it to a sticker.
Heck, if we're going to use AI, let's really use AI.
Speaking of AI enhancements, Mike's sister Emily created this monstrosity, a Grandpa O/Santa mashup from hell.
On Sunday, the three musketeers drove over to Philipsburg to indulge in tourist activities there. We went to the Sweet Palace and bought way too much candy.
Then we went to the Sapphire Gallery to pan for gems. There are three places in town where people can go to pan, but Hallie thought this was the one for us. Eliza chose a bag, and Ron got us started on our sapphire search.
Dad and E sifted through the panned stones while Mom shone a light to catch the glimmering gems.
We found not a few sapphires in the rough.
Among those stones, we found there were about four carats that could be turned into jewelry. Apparently, this was a decent (if average) haul. The ladies in the store made Eliza feel good about her haul. They just might have been professionals at making us feel good.
After panning, we had a tasty lunch at Doe's Restaurant across Broadway. We then returned to the gallery to check on heat treatments and possible cutting.
We had a lot of fun and look forward to going back to see how the gems turned out.
Katara continues accomplishing new milestones, and Landon took his first solo drive down to Cedar City to visit Jocie. He continues settling into his new place. He was sick and missed some work. Hopefully he can remain healthy enough to at least continue this job until he can get one he likes better.
