The Dark Side of Cowboying
Circle, Montana
2019

Poor Accommodations
Circle, Montana
2019

I’m glad I had my own sleeping arrangements.

Patriot’s Dream #49
Circle, Montana
2019

There’s some pretty serious metaphorical symbolism oozing from this sculpture outside the McCone Electric Co-op in Circle. It appears to me that this bald eagle dressed to represent the American Dream is about to electrocute itself on a power line. It’s doubtful that the lineman is going to make it up there in time to prevent this tragedy.

Used Cars
Wolf Point, Montana
2019

Vida Business District
Vida, Montana
2019

Vida Entertainment District
Vida, Montana
2019

Back about the time I was born, Robert Frank was shooting images of the American flag that I would love to have taken myself for my Patriot’s Dream series. He died yesterday at age 94. If you’ve not see his 1958 photo book The Americans it is highly recommended–a unique portrait of America in the 50s.

Parade, Hoboken, New Jersey

Robert Frank

1955

The Merc
Brockway, Montana
2019

The plain architecture of the Brockway Mercantile is in good accord with the scenic architecture of the surrounding plains.

Nothing to See Here Folks
Highway 200, Montana
2019

Vistas like this are more common than not along the Big Sky Backcountry Byway. Such scenery in the harsh light of mid-day is hard for even a guy from Kansas to appreciate. (The mornings and evenings when the shadows are long is a different story.) But one thing I appreciated immensely on this drive was the almost total lack of other vehicles on the road. My kind of road trip.

Three Monoliths
Highway 200, Montana
2019

I stopped to photograph these power poles because I liked the way they stood out against the sky in the flat terrain. The poles are actually rectangular shaped rather than round (hard to discern from the image) which added to their sculptural quality. I don’t think I’d ever seen power poles like that but as it turns out I encountered a number of them while driving this route. They were only used instead of round poles when the power lines changed directions, but that occurred frequently over the course of a couple hours of driving.