first plane trip

We just came back from spending four days in Montana, visiting Jonah's grandparents. Jonah did great on the plane. For the most part, he stayed entertained and quiet. He even slept for a little bit. Worried about his ears hurting from the air pressure, I fed Jonah cereal and breastmilk neurotically for most of the flight. It seemed to do the trick. His ears didn't seem affected. He did have a couple of shrieking spells, but they were short-lived, thank goodness.

In Montana we just mostly relaxed - took walks, hot-tubbed, hung out in Tim's parents' beautiful backyard... In fact, I told Tim that their backyard is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. The lush grass and trees surrounding a small creek are a home to countless birds, deer, and other furry creatures. And in the distance across the dry valley covered in sage, cactus, and wild grasses, the yellow sandstone cliffs topped with pine trees frame the view... That's the scenery Tim grew up with, lucky boy.

Tim and I got to go out to dinner just the two of us. What a treat! One day all of us made a trip to a historic landmark, Pompey's Pillar, which was an important point for the Crow Indian tribes as well as a stopping point for the Lewis & Clark expedition. The well-designed new interpretive center provided some interesting information. The view from the top of the Pillar was worth the climb in the hundred-degree weather. The lush area surrounding the Yellowstone River made for a perfect spot for our picnic lunch.

One of the highlights of the trip was the performance we saw, thanks to Tim's parents. It was Stomp, a musical I had always wanted to see. What made the experience even more special was the fact that we were surrounded by the Stomp crew on our flight to Montana. So seeing the performers on stage after observing them doing mundane tasks such as drinking beer on the plane, playing computer games, making funny faces at the neighboring babies, and teasing each other, was quite amusing. Hey, that's the guy that was so rude to me, I whispered to Tim while tugging on his elbow as one of the performers made his first appearance in the show. Check it out, that's the guy that was rocking out to his walkman. Oh man, that's the dude that was watching that stand-up routine on his lap top.

The show was fun. It didn't quite make me want to run away with the circus... or the troupe, I should say, but it was entertaining. What I liked the most was the audience interaction and the parts that were quiet and subtle. Also some of the slapsticky humor was right up my alley. My humor is, after all, still stuck somewhere in the first grade.

I've posted some new pictures from our trip here.