Charles Lewis:  

Wow! Can you believe that it has almost been 40 years since we left high school? It has been a great ride so far. Post High School, I did the Military thing (USMC), and the Educational thing (EE), and the Professional thing (NAWC). But today, I live in Ronan Montana, a small agricultural community about half way in between Missoula and Kalispell. We are about as far from technology as we could possibly come. But when I feel the need to apply any of my previously acquired technical talents, I'll rub two sticks together and start a fire in our wood stove. My mother still calls me by my given name, Charles, and those that remember me from high school still call me Charlie. But most know me as Chuck these days. Something I picked up in the Marine Corps and have been labeled with ever since. I have been blessed with a great wife, 6 wonderful kids, and a bizzar sense of humor. I am for the most part still irresponsible and I bvleeie taht I cluod be a prafessiunel aigan smoe day if I can jsut rmemeebr how ta sepll it. I entertain myself these days with the simple things in life... I enjoy the natural beauty of Montana and wonder how heaven could be any more beautiful than where Linda and I live. I appreciate sitting by a hole in the ice trying to catch a fish. And riding through the mountains on my horse searching for those elusive deer and elk. At class reunions, I am easily amused as I watch how all of the "beautiful people"... You know the ones... Those that were selected to most likely do this or do that... Are still the recipients of such titles and awards. (In-spite-of the 100's of lbs. they've put on, hair they've lost or have had to dye, and bad complexion they've developed). Oh my gosh, did I just write this??? Well somethings never change and my mouth still gets me in trouble. I work for free these days in search of the finer jobs... Trout Farm Caretaker, Parkhosting, Doorknob Changer, etc. But my life ambition is still to become a waiter in a very fine restuarant... a dream I've had since age 17. Best wishes to all and may you be blessed with happiness, joy, and an appreciation for your friends and family... an early retirement would not be a bad thing either! 5 February, 2008 We're in the middle of our winter... I like to think of winter in scientific terms and refer to it as the freezer effect... Just like when you buy a piece of meat at the store that you are not quite ready to cook, you put it in the freezer to keep it fresh... Well here in Montana, we cease to age from about mid November through the end of March... And yes ladies, it does takes care of the wrinkles too! I love to Ice Fish... The ice is good right now. So after I get the cows fed, it's off to one of local ponds to bore holes and wet lines... Linda will be retiring from the Newspaper that we started a few years ago. Her last day is at the end of March and then we'll both be retired... And poor! But as a poster, that I once saw read, "The finer things in life are free..." So we'll slow down a bit and aside from seeing the eastern side of Montana... We'll see how much we actually still like each other! I hope that anyone that reads this is doing well! We live about an hour and a half south of Glacier National Park and would welcome anyone of you coming through to stop and visit a while... I would suggest the summer months however, unless cryogenics excites you! 26 September 2008 Fall is in the air, trees are starting to turn, and the bull elk's whistles of courtship can be heard in the distance... Most of the buck deer are now out of velvet too! The hay is in for the winter, 24 Tons this season and we now have a new lean-to and corral from this past summer's efforts... Pheasant season starts soon and deer & elk season is still a month off... And while I can wait, we're still a couple of months away from good ice that we can walk on safely to chase trout and other types of fish. Our summer was short this year due to a late Spring... And our garden struggled as it produced about half of what we normally harvest. A strong winter is predicted in the next few months as the Indians have been out collecting firewood like crazy and a groundhog was already seen in thermal underware... And if for no other reason because Jim VanDevender said so, cut his vacation short, and headed back down to the desert a month early... But what we had of summer was great... Linda and I got to do alot of the things that we normally did... Only this year we did them as spectators... No notepad or camera in hand trying to cover the event for the newspaper... We actually took a week to see Eastern Montana.... while it is a lot different from western Montana, it's beautiful in its own way and reminds me a little of Ridgecrest. One of the more interesting towns that we visited was Ekalaka, MT... Of the five roads that intersect the town only one is paved... We had lunch at the Wagon Wheel Cafe... Two cheesburgers deluxes, chips, and drinks for $4.30... The menu's price list was something we might have seen in the 70's... How I love Montana! Let me count the ways! Linda and I have considered moving to a less espensive part of Montana and building one more home. It is interesting how one's life changes with age.. We are looking at single level structures with a walk...Expand for more