November 2008 Archives
Today in the New York Times there's a story about the ultra-exclusive Yellowstone Club filing for bankruptcy. All I can say about that is: HA!
I drove from Billings to Helena two summers ago. That's about half-way across the giant state of Montana, right? And I stuck to the highway because I was all alone and kind of freaked out about being so, so alone so far away from home. But even on the highway, the view was so spectacular I wondered if I was in heaven. Honestly. I was sleep-deprived and still suffering from jet lag and altitude adjustment and I looked at the sky and thought, "This is heaven, isn't it?" Ok, so I didn't really think I was dead, but I thought I was getting a pretty good preview of what is to come.
Then I thought about all the outsiders deciding they could rape the land and put up log mansions just because the land was there and they had the money. Where did they get off? I consider it a privilege to be able to visit Montana occasionally and have people actually be kind and welcoming to me. I would never assume that I have some kind of ownership rights to that great place, no matter how much money I had. Besides, I'm an old house person. I live in an 80-year-old Colonial with all the prizes that come with such a gem: sluggish plumbing, constantly peeling calcimine ceilings, a barn-door garage that never stays latched, and pretty much no heat on the second floor. But I love it and almost all other old houses. So if I had an endless amount of money and decided to invest it in a house in Montana (there would have to be a direct flight from the East, too, because I hate flying,) I would seek out something aged and in need of love. Besides all the built-in charm, old houses don't ask much of the earth. I'm not a fanatic green person, but I strongly feel that Montana should be off limits to anyone with a bulldozer. I've accepted that eastern Massachusetts and RI are tragically built upon and that open space is very tough to find, but that shouldn't ever be the case in Montana. It's the last best place because people don't come and ruin it - or shouldn't. Imagine if Montana became a big strip mall like so much of the rest of the country?
I worried that exact fear would come true when I saw and read about all the Yellowstone Club type places. The gated community in Big Sky requires $18,000 annual dues and a $250,000 deposit to join, plus the cost of the house. And that's why I'm feeling kind of smug about it failing. Yes, I know it's bad for the club employees and for construction guys who make a living building the houses, but maybe they can make an equally solid living razing the mansions and replanting sagebrush.
So ends my rant for the day.
I drove from Billings to Helena two summers ago. That's about half-way across the giant state of Montana, right? And I stuck to the highway because I was all alone and kind of freaked out about being so, so alone so far away from home. But even on the highway, the view was so spectacular I wondered if I was in heaven. Honestly. I was sleep-deprived and still suffering from jet lag and altitude adjustment and I looked at the sky and thought, "This is heaven, isn't it?" Ok, so I didn't really think I was dead, but I thought I was getting a pretty good preview of what is to come.
Then I thought about all the outsiders deciding they could rape the land and put up log mansions just because the land was there and they had the money. Where did they get off? I consider it a privilege to be able to visit Montana occasionally and have people actually be kind and welcoming to me. I would never assume that I have some kind of ownership rights to that great place, no matter how much money I had. Besides, I'm an old house person. I live in an 80-year-old Colonial with all the prizes that come with such a gem: sluggish plumbing, constantly peeling calcimine ceilings, a barn-door garage that never stays latched, and pretty much no heat on the second floor. But I love it and almost all other old houses. So if I had an endless amount of money and decided to invest it in a house in Montana (there would have to be a direct flight from the East, too, because I hate flying,) I would seek out something aged and in need of love. Besides all the built-in charm, old houses don't ask much of the earth. I'm not a fanatic green person, but I strongly feel that Montana should be off limits to anyone with a bulldozer. I've accepted that eastern Massachusetts and RI are tragically built upon and that open space is very tough to find, but that shouldn't ever be the case in Montana. It's the last best place because people don't come and ruin it - or shouldn't. Imagine if Montana became a big strip mall like so much of the rest of the country?
I worried that exact fear would come true when I saw and read about all the Yellowstone Club type places. The gated community in Big Sky requires $18,000 annual dues and a $250,000 deposit to join, plus the cost of the house. And that's why I'm feeling kind of smug about it failing. Yes, I know it's bad for the club employees and for construction guys who make a living building the houses, but maybe they can make an equally solid living razing the mansions and replanting sagebrush.
So ends my rant for the day.
Finally: something to report. The good news is that my editor at University of Nebraska has a publication date in mind for my book. The bad news is that it isn't slated to come out until Spring of 2010 at the earliest! The press doesn't publish too many books at once, and they do so very carefully, hence the long production time. I have until the end of this December to get all the final edits, photos, thanks, etc. to them, then the experts will work on copy-editing, typesetting, cover design and sales and publicity plans.
I used to be the most impatient person on earth. I think I've gotten much better in recent years, as age and child-rearing mellow me. Apparently I haven't achieved enough patience. This long publication schedule feels a bit like an exercise from above. Just how patient can I really be? How long can I wait to see beautiful Montana again?
The good news is that I've been planning to take a cross-country college visit road trip with my daughter after her junior year, which is the summer of 2010, so maybe I can drag her to readings along the way.
I used to be the most impatient person on earth. I think I've gotten much better in recent years, as age and child-rearing mellow me. Apparently I haven't achieved enough patience. This long publication schedule feels a bit like an exercise from above. Just how patient can I really be? How long can I wait to see beautiful Montana again?
The good news is that I've been planning to take a cross-country college visit road trip with my daughter after her junior year, which is the summer of 2010, so maybe I can drag her to readings along the way.
