Willy saw me strolling by and called out to me: "Hey, come on over and have some dinner!" So I did. I also got some fresh produce from his new terraced hillside garden: carrots, radishes, lettuce, and spinach.
From left to right: Carol, Anna, Carson, Willy
Day 122
Dinner is served
July 26th, 2010
good food, good company, good eats……and look – he is eating his vegetables too.
Thanks Willy for shouting out to Matt….Terraced Gardens…that might have been a nice picture too.
Peace and Love from Hobo Nation – Carol, Anna, Carson and Willy.
Beautiful people to go along with the beautiful countryside!
Life and people are good! Sometimes they are hard to find, sometimes they just step up and invite you for dinner. Great family portrait including the dogs. Carson is so precious, and his joy and the smile on his face – priceless!!!
Nice Picture, is that someone seating on MC behind carol? Nice shot of the cow hide on the fence also, at least I think its a cow hide.
The smile on that kid. The stories on those faces…love the dogs! Awesome pic!
The chair Anna is sitting on looks like something they should bring to the Antiques Roadshow next time the show comes through their neck of the woods. The chair looks special, perhaps an heirloom – well true, we can’t see much of it but the little bit that can be seen, caught my eye.
Thank you, Willy, Carol, Anna and Carson, for feeding Matthew and sending him on his way with garden-fresh veggies!
Ditto… second that!!
Wonderful – thanks for taking care of Matt! Looks like a great group of people. I’m liking the looks of the tan doggy!
More sweet people with hospitality for Matt. Many thanks to you for reaching out to him.
Jeff, I had the same thought about the garden picture.
Kirsten, ditto about the rocker, though I wouldn’t sell it. I’ve always been a fan of rocking chairs, so I’d keep it, too.
Hi Karen, I am with you on not selling the rocker, it belongs to THAT family :-) It just looks so unique and if it indeed is an heirloom and has some history it would be interesting to have an expert say something about it, for example, is it American Craftsman or whatever style might apply?….Even if it’s only 20 years old, enjoy it and take good care of it so that Carson can be seen sitting on it 30 years from now. Cheers to Matt for bringing such interesting people and things into our homes!
Wow Matt,
this is one of the best portraits that you have posted here. Their eyes, smiles and attitude captures their personality and casual mood of the evening. Truely, this picture is worth a 1000 words.
Oh my goodness! How wonderful! Thank you so much for keeping Matt fed…not only with good food, but fresh veggies! Sending a shout out to Carol, Anna, Carson, Willy from all of us in the Hobo Nation (especially Matt’s Mom).
I agree with all of you here…great picture, awesome happiness and cool rocker!
Walk forth and be merry!
The fearless friendliness of the people that Matt meets constantly astounds me. We’d probably stare suspiciously at a stranger walking past our home, worried that he was a murderer. *hangs head in shame*
“Fearless Friendliness.” Love that deb. Sounds like a new mantra to live by.
I wonder if this is the “dry” part of Montana…well, all of Montana lacks some rain…but I wonder, especially Matt talked about terraced garden…do they irrigate or is the garden on a mountain-side…I know people who live in Idaho and they raise lots of “stuff” in their garden…but have to irrigate…do doubt these people work for a living in that garden…I love to see that…reminds me of my “upbringin'”…big gardens and lots of “hands on”…I wish I could have been there to listen and share (and eat) with those wonderful folks…
Montana is full of unpretentious, down-to-earth people who appreciate the little things in life. I am from the east and moved out here 14 years ago when our kids were young. At first, I was pathetically sad and bored, but perked up once I realized that there is joy and peace to be had in the simple, slow life. God is good.
I became aware that our children were not unfortunate for missing out on local zoos, big sporting competitions, amusement parks and water parks. As teens ready to leave for college next month, they are well-educated, caring, non-competitive, humble, friendly people who find immense pleasure in playing frisbee in the star-studded moonlight of the Big Sky Country with their peers.
They might not drive fancy cars (our son has a 92 Toyota 2-seater pickup with 560,000 miles and without air conditioning!) and they aren’t attending fancy colleges (Montana State University in Bozeman), but they are good people who would surely invite someone like Matt over for some garden veggies and spaghetti any day of the week! Thank you, Montana, for preserving the values.
You’re tuggin’ on my heart strings there, Trish! That’s exactly why I’m proud to be a Montanan. The values that you referred to are the things we need to hold on to the tightest. We can be jerks to people who move here from out of state, big cities especially, because it seems like they want to take over our quaint, slow lifestyle and change it to how it was where they came from, and buy up all our wide open spaces to build a McMansion they visit a couple times a year. I love to see families like yours, though, who come here and embrace our way of life. So (14 years too late) I want to welcome to beautiful Montana! I’m glad you enjoy like it :)
Well, let me say…the comments from Trish and Megan…can I say wonderful…I guess I will adopt you two…and bring your attitude with you too…I love what you said and how you said it…thanks…I loved reading and re-reading…and sent it on to my kids and grandkids…did I say wonderful…thanks…
Our relatives in MT talk the same way…from California…20 years ago were transferred to Billings…they have embraced the whole of MT culture, values and mores…they love it…couldn’t dynamite them out of there…
There are other great places to live, I know that…but MT doesn’t take a backseat to any of them…and has many pluses beyond just being a great place to “live”…
Trish and Megan – You have put into words, far better than I ever could, why I chose to live and raise my family in the Northern Plains. I’m glad Matt has taken this route (and has a blog). I think it has opened some eyes out there.
my eyes are opened……….been there done that………looking for a place to call home for life………..MT may be it for me! !! ! !!
The sun shines most days….heart glow every day…….
Well said Trish, there is a lot to be said for teaching your kids to be happy with what they have. It is a great gift you gave them and I admire you. I hope to do the same for my kids too.
Looks like you finally arrived in America! Not to take anything from any of your hosts so far, but this is what this country is all about. Thanks Willy and family for being so nice to our Matt!
I put this on my desktop and my office is suddenly a very warm place. I’m home, but at work.
The generous, loving, and concerned people Matt has met all along the roads of America have been no less so than these fine people. Why the need to compare when being grateful in this day and age that “nice” is a quality that unites these states should suffice. Amen.
What are the dogs names!?! I want to know the dogs names. You always post them. Ah shucks. Guess I’ll never know now. Oh well. Nice folks for giving you some veggies and sharing their bounty with you.
Carol, Anna, Carson, Willy & dogs-
Thank you for taking care of Matt Hobo Green. It was so nice of you to give Matt a meal and fresh veggies to take with him. You are real Americans and great PR for your great state – Montana.
Matt –
Willy, Carol, Carson, and dogs-Thanks for the grub and fresh veggies-I would stay longer and whittle some wood and chew some backer but I am
“going places that I’ve never been” and “seeing things (people and places) that I may never see again”
Willy says –
Why that makes me want to get my guitar out and play one of Wilie’s great songs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TD_pSeNelU
Matt says – thanks to all and everyone wishes Matt a safe trip and sings along!!!
This is what America is all about. People happy to be alive and enjoying what God has to offer them!
What a change from NYC for Matt … these folks sound like the real deal … may we all achieve this state of grace and love for strangers and our world …
In NYC, someone offering dinner just because they see ya strolling by really means…RUN, FAST….
Out in the country, you run fast and greet them and have a great time……What a difference in lifestyles.
I have a friend in CA that has lived here for 40+ years, though she was born and raised in Montana, she still acts like a Montanan…It must be bred into a person, just sayin.
When we first moved here in 1989, I was a big city kid, Los Angeles, Portland, Vancouver etc..were all in my blood, But somehow, over time the ease of life here gets under your skin and into your blood, We Still wave over the steering wheel to strangers over the steering wheels of our trucks, still let our kids run about on gravel roads on a summer day. I don’t live inside any towns anymore, I love the country and I love the people that make up the “blink and miss it” towns.
Montana is not a state, it’s a state of mind, I truly believe we are the last best place because of our people, because
heritage and simplicity… I know that I no longer dream of getting rich, I dream of this life always being as happy as it is now, under the amber glowing sunsets, the enormous blue skies, in the wild forest where every step is a new adventure, In my home sweet home Montana.
Thanks for sharing everybody….
OMG I love this picture! Thank you for sharing these great people with us, Matt. And thank you Willy, Carol, Anna and Carson for your hospitality to Our Matt!
they r so kind!
So great to see the pic & hear the come-to-dinner story. There are a LOT of REAL people in the world.