How sweet it is...

We just returned from a long weekend trip that proved itself to be a children's paradise...

Let's start with a couple nights at Fairmont Hot Springs... less than a 2 hour drive and oh so far away (or far enough away) from Bozeman and Livingston, school and work, the phone, the mail, the computer... it's heaven on earth for children to swim and splash in a double Olympic-sized pool and slide down a 350 foot waterslide! Doug and I, meanwhile, thoroughly enjoyed soaking in the hot pool when not playing a rousing game of water volleyball with complete strangers or taking underwater photos of the kids and each other.

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But you can't soak in the pool forever, so we stopped in Anaconda one morning after breakfast so Sam could try out the Benny Goodman Skate Park and I could visit the Hickory Street Antiques Store. No treasures this time, but the true find was the bounty of information from the store owner who suggested we take the kids for a trip to the candy store...

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Now apparently this candy store was worth making quite a little drive for and the Saarel Family of Montana, always being up for a road trip and a little adventure dutifully took it upon ourselves to embark on this journey...

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From Anaconda, the Candy Store was best reached via the Anaconda-Pintler Scenic Highway, a 63-mile road that travels through both conifer-clad mountains and sage-covered hills following Flint Creek, passing Georgetown Lake and landing you in Philipsburg. Along the way, we stopped for lunch (as suggested) at the Brown Derby, but it wasn't enough LUNCH to stop Sam & Larissa from eventually filling up at the candy store!

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And so we arrived in historic, charming Philipsburg, Montana which began as a booming mining town in the late 1800's. It's downtown, full of beautifully restored buildings from that era, includes the world-famous Sweet Palace. So here I must say...don't even bother asking your children to restrain themselves...just forgedaboutit...and go grab a bag yourself. The price is $7.99/lb, no matter what you pick!

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Your children will probably not notice the wide-plank floors, gorgeous pink crystal chandeliers or stunning tin ceiling. Their eyes will fixate on the 870 different kinds of candy from 18 different countries...

For the most part, our Sam & Larissa grabbed their old favorites...Smarties, Taffy and a few giant Lolipops. Next door, at the Sapphire Gallery, I had fun trying on a $40,000 Sapphire ring...but can you garden in it???

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It was a wonderful weekend getaway, but as always...so good to be HOME again...we always miss our dogs, our horses & our goats, Zuzu (the cockatiel) and our fish when we are away...we are, after all, just one big happy family...