I’ve been thinking a lot lately about space. Not outer space, mind you, but the kind we live on. The ground under our feet. Specifically, the ground in the Gallatin Valley. It used to be that you could look out and see quite a bit of it, uninterrupted. Now, sometimes I drive out past Four Corners and it’s like a whole new town sprung up overnight.

My wife, Carol, and I bought our place back in 2006. It was a modest rancher, just outside what was then considered the edge of town. We had a nice, big yard for the kids to play in, and the price, well, it was a normal amount of money for a house in Bozeman at the time. You worked hard, saved up, and you could get yourself a piece of the pie. A solid, honest piece.

Now, I look at the new developments, and I just scratch my head. They’re building these “luxury condos” with names that sound like fancy wines, all stacked up right next to each other. They’ve got balconies, sure, but sometimes those balconies are practically looking