2026, March 16-22

Someone else is in charge of the blog this week. Let's see how this will pan out.

St. Patrick's Day had both adults wearing green. They took a little morning trip to Dutch Bros. to score some fun merch. Mike got the "rare" blind bag item. Fun!!! We had corned beef and cabbage for dinner. What a fun tradition Hallie's mom started when they were kids.

Kai enjoyed seeing the daffodils. Hallie is grateful that Mike was able to take care of the animals while he was home for two weeks. 

Eliza and Hallie (later Mike) took care of Val and Tucker for 12 days while Becky our neighbor and her family were in Hawaii. The girls were rewarded kindly. One fun present was the coffee from Kaui. Hallie went to Starbucks to grind the coffee. Mike and Hallie have tried fun different recipes with coconut cream as if they were on an island.

On Saturday Mike, Hallie, and Eliza drove to SLC airport to drop Mike off. Mike and his colleague John flew to England! There was a group from the University of Montana who had the amazing opportunity to present a paper at a conference held at Oxford University. Technology is amazing. The adults had the opportunity to text when he wasn't sleeping. After dropping Mike off Eliza and Hallie went to Decades Vintage store where Eliza found a beautiful Mexican dress. The girls then went to the 9th and 9th district and went into Cahoots, Hid & Humble, and took pictures. Hallie opened at Starbucks that morning and by 5:00 pm was very tired. She was very glad to have Eliza along for safety.

Here are Mike and his colleague as they started the long flight. 

Here are the lovely girls.

A two-hour bus took Mike and John to Oxford University from London Heathrow Airport. Here are just a few pictures from the first day. This is the Bridge of Sighs, named after a similar-looking one in Venice, Italy. 

The view from Mike's hotel-room window onto Broad Street and Oxford's Balliol College. 

This huge door at Pembroke College hides a smaller door students actually use to get in and out of their courtyard. Uninvited visitors are strictly forbidden. 

A riot of daffodils along the Christ Church Meadow Walk near the college boathouses on the River Thames. 

A dogwood in bloom near the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin. 

Pics from the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, chock full of heraldry. Mike had a fun time looking at all the coats of arms used in a variety of settings. 

This is the Radcliffe Camera, a library that you can only get in if you're a student or have a card. 

Apparently the call boxes no longer get used, but many remain as hallmarks of a bygone era. 

So many yellow Headington stone buildings (and bikes)!

Depot street view. 

Oops! Looks like Mike's Oxford pics got uploaded out of order. Here is the view from the bus that got him and his colleague from the airport to the city. 

That is all the fun we have for you this week. A lot of time was spent preparing the house to list for sale. Hallie and Eliza don't want to move. Mike is really loving Missoula. We love him and continue to support him in our new endeavors.