Let's Bale Hay

Most ranches in this area have switched from older rectangular hay bales to large cylindrical ones (what, didn't you know that?), but rectangular ones make great pews. We sat on bales beside creek and sang "Amazing Grace" as several of our hosts played guitars and violins. Rancher Terry Terland conducted informal service and compared Christ's protection of his flock of believers to dedication of today's ranchers. He also read a passage from Jack Terry's "The Great Trail Ride" describing courage and loyalty of American cowboys, who often risked their own lives to protect their bosses' livestock. "They rode for brand," Terry said.

Did I mention ranch stays are a hands-on experience? After church we got a closer look at hay-baling operation. Guest Miki, from Tokyo, Japan, drove tractor under Matt's tutelage: she gathered up several rows of mown hay with towed baler and then released cylindrical bale behind tractor. Comparing her creation to sushi, we called it a "Miki roll."

With that, it was time for lunch.

The historic Grand Hotel was built in 1890 in nearby town of Big Timber. Before enjoying a delicious lunch in dining room, we looked at some wonderful black-and-white photographs by local artist Barbara Van Cleve. At Crazy Mountain Museum, lifelong resident Betty Jarrett gave us a sense of area's family history. How many places have sixth- and seventh-generation ranches and businesses? The museum featured lots of old photos, many showing ancestors of folks we were meeting on our visit. Rancher Leo Cremer showed me his great-grandfather's ornate saddle from his days as a rodeo producer. "I feel like a newcomer, since I'm only fourth generation," Leo grinned.

Is it okay to yell "Play!" in a crowded firehouse? In nearby town of Livingston, we saw an old-fashioned Vaudeville performance at Firehouse 5 Playhouse. Re-established here in 1990, it featured eight enthusiastic singers, many of them local kids from university in Bozeman. Their musical skits ranged from moderately serious (four ladies harmonizing "Don't Fence Me In") to hilariously absurd (an English dungeon scene with really bad Cockney accents). This theater survives in rural area because so many people, from Bozeman to Billings, know performers personally.

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The third movement, played 'Adagio', returns you to greyness. The ethereal chords and unusual bent tones from kettledrums suggest a weird dream, kind that makes you wonder what was in last night's dinner.

When I looked down at my program and saw 'Allegro molto' for final movement, I began feeling around for a seat belt. Another wild, melodic ride ensued, carried by strings and spiced by cymbal and kettledrum. The movement is described as a country dance, and Maestro Tilson Thomas reminded me (forgive me here) of a huge dancing grasshopper, his long limbs and tuxedo tails flying. A final crescendo built into a sudden, almost unexpected ending. Spectacular! It was a long, arduous piece of music, and an intermission followed. This was entirely understandable, as musicians must have been drained. I certainly was.

The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, originally conceived under President Eisenhower, was dedicated in 1964 by Congress after Kennedy's death previous November. The Center's Grand Foyer contains a seven-foot-high bronze bust of JFK and a new interactive information system that teaches visitors about his life and legacy.

The Center contains several performing-arts venues: its 2,441 seat concert hall was renovated in 1997, and 2,200 seat opera house will close for a year-long renovation after this December's Kennedy Center Honors gala. Next to opera house is 1,100 seat Eisenhower Theater, and up on Terrace Level are two smaller venues. On display everywhere are gifts from around world: Italian marble walls, Norwegian chandeliers, art works from numerous countries. The entire Center was intended to be a living memorial to JFK, who believed that quality of a nation's civilization is reflected in vitality of its performing arts.

Carl Ruggles was a Twentieth-Century American composer who

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Rob LaGrone, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com