Thanksgiving - Montana Style

We were able to go to see Rick's sister and her family for Thanksgiving. It was fun for the cousins to play and the food was great! (Thanks Wendy for your hospitality.) We had the traditional dinner on Turkey day, ate too much food, watched some football and then ate some more. Wendy was kind enough to humor me and take me to the stores the day after Thanksgiving. How scary is that? I go to Montana for my big shopping. As wonderful and fulfilling as that sounds, I don't think our Thanksgiving would have been complete without a few Montana style activities. 

1) Having our brother-in-law, Eric, pull his truck off the road on the way to Thanksgiving dinner step out of his truck, shoot a buck and clean it prior to eating dinner. The animal was on his brother-in-law's property. I thought he was joking when he brought his gun along "just in case." (Author's note: I didn't witness the actual shooting as I was in another vehicle and we didn't stop, but the shot was heard and Rick confirmed the events.)

2) Going up in the mountains with a bunch of Wendy and Eric's friends and having a bonfire. This might sound like no big deal but what we burned was a slash pile a few years in the making. It was intense flames and heat. At one point the flames were 30-40 feet high. Needless to say some kids (Jacob) freaked out when the fire first began but we were at a safe distance (which kept on increasing:)). Most shed their coats it was so warm. The kids were able to sled and we ate hotdogs, chips and banana boats in front of a beautiful fire. Although it was fun, I have new appreciation for those that fight forest fires.