A spring day on campus

"The M" looms over the campus

new blooms

Music students drum up interest in a coming recital

Violinist shares a musical interlude

Charles is enjoying the spring weather on campus this week. Signs of spring include blossoms here and there, music recitals, and the opening of the tennis courts!

First Sunday of spring

Charles has fun preaching

Belinda greets the newest addition to SUMC

 A beautiful day for us at church on this first Sunday in springtime!

The artisans are back

Treats from Ugly Bunny Baked Goods

Wesley gives his perch a test nap

Monty tries to contain his excitement

Area artisans were back on the scene with a two-day fair at St. Mary's Catholic Church this weekend. We had to go and get some treats from Ugly Bunny Baked Goods -they are amazing!!! We also picked up some new perches for the cats to replace the bar stools that were showing the effects of cat claws!

It's a cat's life on College Street

Monty keeps tabs on Wesley's whereabouts

Patch tries to blend in and fool the the birds

BB (L) enjoys a snack while Patch keeps an eye on him

Wesley takes a moment to collect his thoughts

The indoor and outdoor cats have had a good week, enjoying the drier weather (outdoor) and the extra sunny spots (indoors)!

Spring has sprung!

The long, cold, white winter we've experienced here in the Bitterroot Valley is over now that spring has arrived on the scene!

A happy birthday!

One of our church members, Miss Doloras, turns 90 this week and we dropped in on her open house this afternoon to share in the festivities!

A night at the theater

We made the three block trek to the Stevensville Playhouse this evening to take in a performance of "All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten." Two of the actors and the pianist are members of our church. What a fun production and a good time was had by all!

Happy St. Partick's Day

Happy St. Urho's Day

Spring is coming

Low-level clouds in the Bitterroot Valley today

A quiet moment for Wesley

Spring is just around the corner in the Bitterroot Valley with much warmer (upper 50s) and lots of moisture. 

Next art project underway

Charles next art project involves both screen printing and painting. The assignment involved a collage of three screen prints (at least two from other students) and elements of painting. Today was the initial critique (the assignment isn't due until after spring break) and Charles' effort, taking as its inspiration the 1991 documentary, "Paris is Burning" is coming along quite nicely.

In other art news, last Tuesday, Charles took part in the BFA (Bachelor of Fine Art) review to see if he could gain a specialized art degree. Thursday evening, the letter came from the School of Art telling him that he had been accepted!! A lot of work in the coming year but it is nice to get that affirmation.

Sunday!

Way too early this morning!

Charles in charge!

With Daylight Savings Time beginning this morning, Charles thought it was nice to be able to enjoy a full-moon on the way into the church at 5:30 am!

Happy anniversary, Wesley!

Belinda joins the men's breakfast at the church

More buttons for Charles

Happy day, Wesley!

We marked the fifth anniversary of Wesley joining the Alkula home today. As can be seen in the photo, the festivities left him exhausted!

Charles was thrilled to log in more buttons, these came from Stacey King, the Yellowstone Conference UMW president.

Spring is coming!

First buds in the backyard

Belinda leads the UMW meeting this afternoon

We're getting closer to spring every day with buds appearing on some of our backyard bushes. The nice weather made for good spirits at today's UMW meeting, it is good to be able to get in from the parking lot without the ice!

The last snow of this winter?

The campus looked so nice this morning!

Wesley can't bear seeing more snow!

The snow which blanketed western Montana since early December was gone from the scene until today. Several inches fell throughout the night but was gone by mid-afternoon. Just the right sort of snow: enough to be pretty, not enough to shovel!

News from the School of Fine Arts

A student looks at Charles' work

Selections

Artist statement

Charles was encouraged by his painting teacher to apply for a specialized program in the Art Department, the Bachelor of Fine Art (he had been going for a BA with a major in art and a minor in art history). The teacher felt that Charles' painting in particular had shown so much progress that having some additional focus might yield some interesting work.

The process for the BFA included a "review" of his overall work at the university with ten pieces being reviewed by the faculty. So on Monday, Charles set out his ten best pieces (chosen with the help of his painting teacher).  Five were in the area of concentration and five others from other studio courses. Charles' submissions for the BFA review: Five paintings, two from the drawing studio, one from the sculpture studio, one from the photography studio, one from the ceramic studio.

Charles saw two of the faculty Tuesday afternoon as he was packing up his area. Both were complimentary which was a real treat to hear!

A "hot" weekend!

Stevi UMC UMW contingent

Belinda shares a witness

Having fun @ Fairmont

What a great view!

Pre-conference fun!

Belinda, Sheila, and Charles spent the weekend at the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort with the Yellowstone Conference's United Methodist Women's event. An awesome group of women (some 90+ strong) including twenty from our church!

Soaking up Fairmont

Friday night in the springs

Belinda gets in a soak

Saturday morning in the pool

Charles takes a slide!

We took advantage of the springs and got in a couple of soaks in the warm waters on a chilly weekend in Fairmont.