Heading West to Missoula

It's amazing how we can script out our lives yet somehow the best laid plans can fall by the wayside.  I first visited Missoula, Montana for my brother-in-laws wedding in 2006.  At the time I remember remarking to my wife how beautiful it was here.  I also remarked that "I don't think I could ever live here because of the winters".  Now, nearly eight years later, I find myself a resident of this western frontier town.  Ironically, this development came about because of two amazing years living in Madrid, Spain.

During the summer of 2010, my family was presented with a unique opportunity.  We were offered the chance to relocate to Madrid for a two year assignment with my wife's company.  This was an incredibly difficult decision, and ultimately one that would change the course of our lives long after the assignment had concluded.  The truth is that Madrid changed us.  It opened up a whole new world of possibilities.  From Madrid we were able to explore places like Amsterdam, Leeds, York, Northern Wales, Bordeaux, Rome, Seville, Porto, Lisbon, Gibraltar, and Morocco.  During these adventures, I discovered a love of food, wine and culture.  I also learned that the three of these elements along with the rich history of a region are all intertwined.  Together these experiences awakened a love of food and experiencing a culture from a culinary perspective.

We returned from Madrid in December of 2012, but I continued to seek out the unusual and the rich.  I made a point to discover new restaurants and cuisines in Northeast Ohio.  I dined at places like Michael Symon's Lola and Superior Pho in Cleveland.  I got to know the purveyor of the finest restaurant in East Central Ohio, Sherry Shie of Shy Cellars, and I continued to seek out new culinary experiences.   Eventually, going backwards began to weigh on our psyche.  My wife and I both discovered that one of the hardest things to do in life is go backwards.  Once that sense of adventure has been fostered, and new doors have been opened, you can't simply close them again.

So that is how we ended up moving 2000miles cross country to begin a new life in Missoula.  Despite having family in Ohio, and a successful career at a local small museum, I wanted to try something new.  We found that new challenge when I won the job as the new Executive Director at the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula.

Our new situation has also renewed my interest in blogging.  My first blog, 2 Years in Madrid, documented my experiences with food, museums and history in Spain.  This blog is intended to do the same here in Missoula, Montana.  I want to experience the rich history, culinary traditions, and fabulous restaurants of this great town at the convergence of the Clark Fork and Bitterroot Rivers.  I also want to travel and explore an entirely new area of the country.  The posts that follow will share these new experiences as I get to know my new city.

Whether your interests lie with history, culture or cuisine, I hope you will find something interesting in my posts.  I know I'm bound to enjoy the research.