Author: CharliesTrail

  • Thank you, Jefferson County, for your kindness

    —

    by

    CharliesTrail
    in

    It’s bittersweet leaving Boulder, Montana, a place that warmly embraced me as an editor, and Kari and I as husband and wife. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to serve Jefferson County at the helm of The Monitor and to rock out with Depot Hill.

  • Former tourists grateful to be locals

    —

    by

    CharliesTrail
    in

    For the past several years, my wife, Kari, and I have come to Jefferson County to soak at Boulder Hot Springs Inn, Spa and Retreat Center. We’ve celebrated birthdays and anniversaries here. The water and the intimate nature of the place – which emphasizes healing and recovery – attracted us to the rustic, historic refuge.…

  • Road to Joy: Seattle duo inspired by Boulder waitress

    —

    by

    CharliesTrail
    in

    It was a quiet February day in Boulder when Sarah Brunner, Tyler McGinnis and two friends sat down for a meal at the Elkhorn Bistro. Brunner and McGinnis, Seattle musicians who recently formed The Hipocrats, rented out a cabin at the Free Enterprise Radon Health Mine and were enjoying being off the grid. There was…

  • ‘Learning to fly’ — and feeling right at home

    —

    by

    CharliesTrail
    in

    At a recent gathering in eastern Montana I ran into friend and lead guitar player Mark Iwaniak, who lives in Butte. I’d been looking forward to seeing Mark – with whom I’ve played shows through the years – to tell him I’d taken a job as editor of the Boulder Monitor and was now in…

  • Remembering Jim “Mighty Big” Devine

    —

    by

    CharliesTrail
    in

    The passing of Jim Devine has been a tremendously difficult loss for me, as we were brothers in harmony. We were songwriters and performers together. We were kindred spirits. These are the hardest friends to lose. I’m still processing his death, and will be doing so by continuing on our passion. I’ll be finishing the…

  • Why I’m returning to journalism

    —

    by

    CharliesTrail
    in

    It’s good to be back. For more than a decade I was a reporter for twice-weekly Montana newspapers in Glendive and Lewistown. Before that, I was regularly contributing to one publication or another. Journalism consumed me. Looking back, it was a no-brainer for me to pursue this career path. I’d always had a passion for…

  • Looking for a new Christmas flick? Try this surprisingly sentimental Netflix romcom

    —

    by

    CharliesTrail
    in , ,

    It’s too early to consider Hernán Jiménez’s 2021 romcom “Love Hard” a Christmas classic, but it’s certainly one I would recommend this holiday season. Written by Danny Mackey and Rebecca Ewing, this silly, delightful film has stayed with me, and not just for its memorable Meatloaf karaoke scene. “Love Hard” has a lot of simple…

  • Show stoppers

    —

    by

    CharliesTrail
    in

    “You pretend I’m Laura and I’ll pretend you’re Christian,” Jamie said, putting her hand on my thigh and leaning into me as we watched a production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at an outdoor theater on the coast of St. Ives, England. The Atlantic was calm, but brought with it a cool breeze perfect…

  • Moving In

    —

    by

    CharliesTrail
    in

    She got off her bike and looked in the direction of the U-Haul. When we locked eyes everything escaped me, the past a distant memory. The moment I saw her I stopped caring about it all.  Stepping off her bike, she walked my way and gave me a smile, a kind, welcome-to-the-neighborhood expression, her dirty…

  • Remembering (and celebrating) Kobe’s greatness

    —

    by

    CharliesTrail
    in

    On May 15, 2021, Kobe Bryant was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Below is an entry I wrote in my journal shortly before the coronavirus changed all our lives. Here is updated version of a journal entry I wrote on Kobe, one of the best we’ll ever see.  It was a…