Steve had said the winter in Virginia City was cold, clear and quiet. And that's just what I needed to finish my book. I left for the west on Thursday, and without a note to my pesky publisher, drove two days straight through plains and mountains to Montana. Steve waived me in as if I was landing on an aircraft carrier. I parked it on the south side of his cabin, plugged in and prepared to hunker down with just the sound of the coyotes and the glow of my laptop. The days were intense blue, sun snow, the afternoons a bronzing spray on the front range and my cheeks. At night Steve would play quiet jazz and the pages would fly from my fingers. By the 2nd week I was done. I uploaded the file via Steve's dish to Chicago and let out a primal scream of joy.

We celebrated that night with braised elk tips, wild rice pilaf, pickled Thai carrot salad and a raft of aged cheeses. Happy Camper Cabernet Sauvignon provided the perfect compliment as the snow drifted and the coyotes cried.