POSTCARD FROM BOZEMAN, MONTANA - Wednesday, June 23, 2010

I can't tell you how amazing it is to be treated so well by our hosts in all the cities we visit. We know we are asking a lot of them, and certainly our goal is to reward them with a fine concert and some new friendships. But I'm still so pleasantly surprised when we pull up in the morning to pick up the kids from their home stay hosts and everyone has big smiles - the kids and hosts alike! This is an incredible experience for our kids where they learn these valuable social skills all while making new friends.

Today wasn't terribly eventful - always a good thing when you have 478 miles to cover - but we had some more incredible scenery beginning with some really interesting looking lava beds in eastern Idaho. We had a great lunch stop at a rest area that for a change wasn't windy, and actually got hot in the sun, then back onto the bus for a beautiful (I've used that word a lot in these postcards!) scenic drive on a two lane highway. Gentle winding curves, gorgeous rapid river flows, fly fishermen, campers, bicyclists, fantastic mountain peaks - some snow covered and some not....it was simply breathtaking. The photos may appear monotonous, but believe me, it's oooohs and aaaaahs and an even more splendid sight than before. What did we do before digital cameras? It would be costing me a fortune in film developing, that's for sure! We had to take a slight detour (again) and didn't get to drive through the mountain pass and Big Sky, but didn't feel ripped off in the slightest. It appears that Montana has had about as many clear days in June as has Wisconsin, so we are feeling very fortunate to have sun shining, blue skies in this Big Sky Country.

We pulled into Bozeman right on time to the welcome of one of our hosts at First Presbyterian Church, Chuck, waving us into our reserved parking spot on the street - perfect! Dinner was waiting for us and Donna had all the details prepared. We couldn't have asked for more! The concert audience was enthusiastic and terrific tonight! They really enjoyed "Sahayta" and passed with flying colors! We had a great crowd and the acoustics in the Sanctuary were fantastic.

Don't forget the web site: www.wisconsinchildrenschoir.org.

Yes, we are truly fortunate, and I need to find some more adjectives to describe and embelish our scenery, the performances, the behavior of the kids, our hosts....all of it.

Til next time, Sue