I spent the Fourth of July as a spectator/guest at the 110th Annual Arlee Celebration – the annual Fourth of July Powwow in Arlee, Montana. 
I was privileged to watch the Snake Dance (held only on the Fourth of July) which was traditionally held to begin a war dance. It is led by a chosen man who leads the dancers single file, weaving back and forth in the fashion of a snake while drummers and singers beat and sing the Snake Dance Song. All registered dancers (dance contest entrants) participate in full regalia.
Following the Snake Dance, a Veteran’s Memorial, honoring past and present Veterans of the US Armed Forces was held. All Veterans, of all Nations, American Indian or non-Indian, were invited to participate. They danced in a circle, led by the Veteran’s Warrior Society, then a microphone was passed around and 
each Veteran, or, in some cases family members representing service members currently deployed, introduced themselves and told what branch of service, years and conflicts they served in. War Dancing followed…
The colorful and intricately detailed regalia, the drumming, the singing and the dancing were all extremely beautiful,as was the w
arm, friendly and celebratory mood of the day
Participants spanned the generations…
…and a great time was had by all.
Yesterday I enjoyed a golden day. Along with my mom, dad and son, I made my second trip over Red Sleep Mountain at the National Bison Range of the year (the road opened last weekend). It’s amazing how much a place changes in a week during the spring. Last week there were yellow bells and shooting stars in abundance and a sprinkling of larkspur. The arrowleaf balsamroot flowers hadn’t quite opened yet. Green-up was in progress but not yet well advanced. Yesterday the green-up was much further along, the slopes were golden with arrowleaf balsam root & fennel-leaved lomatium and dotted purple with larkspur. I noticed that lupine has started blooming on Waterworks Hill on the north side of Missoula, so I imagine that if I were to visit the NBR again next week I’d see lupine and probably wild hyacinth added to the wildflower bouquet. The blooming of the bitterroots appears to be a little ways off but this heat wave might accelerate that.
I was surprised to learn, upon closeup examination of the center of an arrowleaf balsamroot flower that it appears to be populated with flowers within flowers.
Down at the cattail pond by the fenced pasture the male
yellow-headed blackbirds were singing their little hearts out as they do this time of year when love is in the air as the setting sun turned the cattail pond golden and lit up the Mission Mountains.
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