Distinctly Montana Magazine

W W W. D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA NA . C O M 9 I saw a western picture in a magazine today; e paints out in the pasture sure looked fine; But the Rockies in the distance Beckon 'cross these thousand miles; And now I've got Montana on my mind… …e biggest of the big sky states, its treasures are immense, e wildlife and the livestock sure are prime; Each time I see a road that splits a mountain pass I end up with Montana on my mind… "Montana on My Mind " ~ song lyrics by Todd Kesling Y OU KNOW HOW IT IS. When a song gets into your head it's often tough to get it out, especially when you attach meaning or an emotional experience to it. Kes- ling's song is my personal favorite about Montana, though there are many to choose from (hint: google YouTube); and I think it's because he captures the universally special, yet idiosyncratic draw of Montana to those of us who live here, and to those millions of visitors swarming the state in search of… them- selves. And why is that? I ran across an article in the Washington Post recently which happened to have the same title as the song, and thought that it carried the theme a bit further down the tune's idyl- lic mountain road: "Most of us who come here, I believe, do so because we are drawn to it as we are drawn to the image of who we once wished to be or still do — resourceful, authentic, deeply rooted." Ah, yes, it's a shared dream we all must have to some degree — resident or visitor — the essence of which we strive to capture in the pictures and stories which make Montana one's own special place in one's own special way, a psychic tie which is as strong as it is elusive, as promising as it is grounded, as real as one can imagine. Winter is slipping away. Spring renews us in its fickle welter of weather, wildflowers, and waterfalls. We must have Montana on our mind. BILL MUHLENFELD, PUBLISHER bill@distinctlymontana.com ANTHEA GEORGE, PUBLISHER anthea@distinctlymontana.com A N O T E F R O M T H E P U B L I S H E R S Your landscaping steel specialist. Set-in-place solutions ~ On-site builds ~ Custom steel accents T h o u g h t f u l C r e a t i o n ~ P r e c i s e E x e c u t i o n mc2mt.com 406-209-8014 kelly@mc2mt.com

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