Windows to Montana ~

• We began using old windows for picture frames when my parents moved out of state, my Mother missed Pony and Montana dreadfully. So as we looked at an old window, we thought she wouldn’t be so homesick if she could look out her window and see her beloved Hollowtop Mountain. We sent her a picture of this picture WOW! If I give you a window, would you make me one? Of course we couldn’t make it too easy... so we hung the window in the guest room so she could admire it when she came to visit. Again she asked if we could make one for her. Well, why would we want to do that? When we made this one for you! That sure made an impression! Whether old memories or a new view, our windows bring us perspectives that live a lifetime.

MSU Brick Breeden Bleacher wood Frames   

• The wood for these frames began as indoor bleachers in the Brick  Breeden Fieldhouse at MSU Bozeman. Built in 1957 it was the largest free standing dome in the world. In the 1980s the bleachers were replaced and donated to the outdoor rodeo grounds in Three Forks. In 2006 they finally were salvaged and now they continue to live in history as frames for our original Montana Photographs. Joined together with wooden dowels and iron bolts, the holes and scratches remain. We reinforce our corners with rustic tin from a schoolhouse in Clarkston, old leather from Harrison, copper and other unique touches. Imagine the lives and rear ends that have passed over these weathered timbers, the tales they could tell. Many of us have watched our kids grow sitting on this old fir ~ basketball, rodeos, concerts, graduations and a circus or two. When this wood is gone there will be no more. Own a bit of Gallatin Valley History.

“...Rollie’s Folly

• The successful athletic programs of the 1950s were supplemented and strengthened by new facilities, among them “Rollie’s Folly,” or “Rollie’s Roundhouse,” the remarkable domed sports arena on the south side of campus now familiarly known as the Brick Breeden Field house. Renne’s Field house, designed by Bozeman’s Oswald E. Berg Jr. and Fred J. Willson was one of the architectural wonders of the world the largest wooden arched roof structure in existence, and the second-largest building of its type in America. Anyone contemplating the construction of the 300 foot circular indoor stadium, ninety feet in height, cannot help but marvel at Renne’s foresight, while at the same time perhaps chuckling at the guile with which the man pushed through a project many thought extravagant in cost and ridiculous in size. Here was a huge domed 8,400 seat facility, built for a cow college of less than 3,000 enrollment in a rural town of perhaps 12,000 to 13,000 residents...”

I’m Karen & my partner is Jim.

• Together we have a love of photography combined with a great respect for Montana’s riches & her history.  My family began their tenure here in 1850. My Great Grandfather, Bert Hofer opened his 1st Hardware Store in Choteau, which he ran for 4 years, then transferred to Pony in 1897 & finally to Harrison in 1915. Jim’s Dad, Charley, was a photographer which gave him exposure & experience from a very early age. It’s wonderful to fulfill our passions at this point in life. We want share the magic of Montana, with our photos, matted & framed in simple old wood. I’ve been blessed with the legacy of my family’s history from copies of letters & many photographs of my ancestors. I have a desire to help others share this gift of their past as well as Montana’s present treasures. Our photos reflect our appreciation of Montana’s heritage. Montana and the west hold beauty that touches us to our most basic being. Sunsets and the splendor of nature, young animals playing in the sun, the delicate petals of wildflowers, the pastels of a fleeting rainbow, the rugged Rockies and the solitude of the desert, are captured in glimpses with the click of a shutter. This is our backyard, it’s a matter of appreciating the gifts that surround us every day. We love to take pictures of the splendor that is Montana. This is our home. We love it, and hope that in some small way we can share the beauty with others. Small towns,  ghost towns, National Parks, rivers,  mountains, wildlife,  and old stuff are things we like best. Every road trip is a pleasurable excursion into the past, present and beauty of our backyard, of the wonder that surrounds us.