NO SISSIES ALLOWED

Ingomar, Montana. One of the strangest places I have ever been. It's

truly cowboy country.

I find myself being even more envious of your trip. I've never seen a place like this. A whole different world.

 

Since the sign that calls it 'historic' is itself rusted, I would assume the Jersey Lilly has been around for a while. I'm glad you got the men in the shot; otherwise I would have thought it abandoned.

 

What is it like now? A blue plate lunch cafe? A bar? Both?

 

An interesting, intriguing shot.

Thanks. For me, the two cowboys make the image. Otherwise it would have been dull. I can assure you the place is anything but abandoned. Granted they don't do the business that your local Appleby's does, but there is a trickle of cowboys coming in regularly. And many are hard drinking son of a guns. This particular pair had been drinking sine nine in the morning, and the picture was taken at about 5 p.m. They were still drinking when we left about 6:30 p.m. As far as historic, I don't know. Old, yes.

this place looks almost surreal: the wacky veranda attached to an otherwise ordinary buidling, the dirt road, and the sign calling the tough place "Lilly" (eh, eh); the overblown sky highlights all that. I don't know, Dave, the two dudes don't look like cowboys, more like uncles from across the street...well the hats...that ain't mean nothing. Did you ask them if they drink V8? Nice composition. Cheers, Micheal

 

Careful, dude! I had a drink with them and my hostess knows them very well. TAke my word for it they are two very tough and rough guys. You would not want to mess with this type of cowboy. They don't have much use for us city slickers, and make no bones about their disdain. I have not done it yet, but I could write a fairly long piece about this place. I've been around a bit, including South America, but I can tell you there are not many places similar to this part of the country.

Where'd the trucks and trailers go? I can't believe you got this shot without vehicles out front. I'll have to email you and tell you "the rest of the story" about our drinking buddies. I'm sure enjoying your posts from your long journey, you should be a travel writer/photographer. Still thinking about B&B's.....

Well, I was just lucky. They had been out to the ourhouse, and were stumbling back. I had already been set up on tripod to shoot the saloon when they came into the picture. At the time this was taken, almost everyone else had left and the remaining trucks were off to the left. I wish that damn ice machine wasn't there, and the handicapped parking sign doesn't help either. I think your version has a much more romantic tenor to it. I guess this is more in the documentary genre.

 

I'd love to hear the rest of the story about these intoxicated cowboys.

actually, I ike that ice machine there, it adds to the wackiness. I think that the handicapped sign right next to the intoxicated cowboys is hilarious. Yeap, handicapped-intoxicated dudes. Cheers, Micheal

Well I should have known with your whacked out sense of humor that you could tie it all together.