Kalispell jewelry artist Nanci Williams works with glass, sterling silver, semi precious stones, wood, wire, bone and pearls...and all other shiny things with holes in them. She is particularly drawn to the interplay of color in her designs. Often a new jewelry piece will come together in her mind before leaving the shop or show where she buys her beads, and sometimes a strand of stones, pearls, or beads will be just for admiring hanging in her studio.

Williams discovered beads at a bead shop in the sixties when she lived in Atlanta. Though the fascination and her collection of beads began then, she was a graphic designer and didn't jump into beading seriously until she moved to Montana in 1999. For the last seven years she has shown her work at various arts and crafts shows in the Flathead valley from spring to late fall as well as the Kalispell and the Downtown Whitefish Farmers' Markets.

Meet Nanci during Whitefish Gallery Night, Thursday, July 5, 2007 from 6-9 PM. Nanci's work will be displayed during the opening and throughout the month of July.

Outdoor living spaces are many and varied. Yours might be an extension to the house like a deck or front porch. If not, or in addition, you can easily make an outdoor space in a back yard.

Choose a space where you would like to eat, read or watch the day end. A space near the house works well if you eat outside frequently. If you want to get away and relax choose a sunny or shady corner in the yard. It's important to define the space. You can make a flagstone or brick area the size you want and add pots of flowers to further define your outside room. Choose furniture that appeals to you. A picnic table might be perfect or you might prefer wicker furniture. A wide variety of styles are available. It's always worth a look at antique stores and consignment stores for furniture and quirky touches like birdhouses and lanterns. The more the space reflects you the more comfortable it will be for you and your family.

Bill Gates is hanging out with the chairman of General Motors. "If automotive technology had kept pace with computer technology over the past few decades," boasts Gates, "you would now be driving a V-32 instead of a V-8, and it would have a top speed of 10,000 miles per hour.

Or, you could have an economy car that weighs 30 pounds and gets a thousand miles to a gallon of gas. In either case, the sticker price of a new car would be less than $50."

"Sure," says the GM chairman. "But would you really want to drive a car that crashes four times a day?"