The Mac

In 2017, Kelly and I moved back to Australia after almost ten fabulous years in Montana. We loved making a home in Billings, based in our humble house on Yellowstone Avenue. It was perfect for us, cosy in winter but big enough to welcome Mum on her visits and our kids when they boomeranged. Inviting our big, Irish family and friends for a celebration could be challenging in terms of space, but we snuggled in. We knew early on that we wanted to replace the deck on the house for backyard summer gatherings, and Kelly was excited to plant a garden, in true McCarthy tradition.

After I went to see the first Mamma Mia movie with Terry, Erin, Tera, Darcy and Christina, I came home and requested a courtyard like the one in the dancing scenes on the Greek Island. Over a number of years, Kelly transformed the backyard to something wonderful with some help and outsourcing at key points. Only one fingernail was harmed in cutting the awfully heavy flagstones!

The backyard became our favourite place to have a drink at the end of the day and served up some of the best food in Billings. We lovingly called it The Mac. “Want to have a drink at The Mac?” The Mac is now safely in the care of family, Kathleen, Casey and Gabe. Here’s a tribute to Kelly’s creation.