Dodey Days

Winter Daze

2009-01-24T21:16:00.009-06:00

I am finally getting around to posting some pictures of the winter season that is shaping up to be one for the records up here in North Dakota - both in temperature and snowfall depth. They say if the current cycle continues, we will have flooding as bad or worse than those that devastated the Grand Forks/Fargo areas back in 1997. That winter there was around 110" of snow, and so far we are at approximately 65", with about 10 weeks at least to go. So here are some pictures showing what we've been dealing with up here. Some times it almost feels like we are fighting our own little war with the snow - my only weapon is a shovel. I'm getting to be an expert at the various types of shovels needed for a particular snow removal task. And now my upper arms and shoulders are in as good a shape as my legs used to get in the summer with bike riding.

December 21 2008

My trusty weather vane was still flying relative high and pretty much always pointed to the northwest.

The snow was still pretty light and easy to shovel - I had lots of energy and made a walkway to the back yard for the dogs and just thought it would be good exercise (seems ridiculous now).

December 28 2008

The snow is getting higher and closer to top of fence. I still had ability to shovel a walkway.

Rowdy is getting a little intimidated by the high walls, but he still tried to climb them when the temps weren't too cold. Snow was still too soft for him to make much headway though.

January 4, 2009

After another snowstorm, it was getting closer and closer to be over the fence, but I still tried to keep the walkway open.

Sam loves the snow and was always around to help me throw snow over the fence.

January 18, 2009

Another snowstorm and this time the wind was so strong, it made the drifts particularly hard. I gave up on my little walkway.

My little piglet is still spinning.

January 19, 2009 - Martin Luther King Day

After chasing the dogs a few times trying to get them to come inside, I decided to make my own little fence and keep them from getting lost out in the countryside chasing something or other. So far it has worked pretty well. But I had to take the day off to tackle the big job of throwing all the snow out and over the fences. My dog-sitter Cindy who lives two doors down the street came over and helped me out. We made the snow 'walls' vertical so they wouldn't be tempted to climb them. The temps had warmed all the way up to 33 (!) that day so it was pretty nice.

Below are more of the neighborhood. Kids in the neighborhood had the day off from school so they were having a great time sledding in the sunshine. I also took a few photos looking out to the western landscape and a couple of the new developments taking shape.

This is kind of hard to see, but down the road from my place was an accident - a pickup hit an icy spot and rolled over. Unfortunately something that happens quite often this winter, usually on the interstate though and not the frontage road because they drive faster on the interstate.

One of the casualities of a harsh winter - I suspect this bird froze in the 40 below temps and then became lunch for some other critter - all that's left are the legs.

This fence was put in by the farmer as a snow fence in this hay field north of my place - the fence is about 4 feet high . My shadow is still pretty long even though it was close to mid day - sun still is pretty low in the sky this time of year.

And finally, below are some mother nature's artwork I kind of liked - keep in mind these drifts are very hard and you can walk all over them without disturbing the design.

Answer Blowin' in the Wind?

2008-07-23T18:45:00.003-05:00

I never expected to feel so excited about a new clothesline, but I was. I purchased it last winter and just this month got around to getting it installed. It is a retractable one and can be kind of hidden behind my deck when not needed.

And fortunately the very first day we had 40 mph winds, so I washed a load of dog blankets and bike shorts to get them dry and smelling fresh in about 10 minutes!

Rowdy was a little curious that first afternoon about the flapping in the wind.

Hopefully, this will help out on the checkbook a little when I pay the electric bill - they raised our rates again this year. I don't use a lot of power, but every little bit helps - besides - I just love how the sheets feel and smell after drying in the breeze.

Now I can make good use of the time when it is too windy to ride bike!

He Could Go Home Again - June 14, 2008

2008-06-25T17:58:00.003-05:00

All spring Dale has been talking about going back home. Since getting an electric wheel chair, he has gradually ventured out of his room and even outside of the building when winter was finally gone. At first he brought up the idea of riding down to the house from the nursing home on his electric wheel chair. But after talking with a number of the nurses and aides, he agreed he doesn't have a sturdy enough chair to get across two sets of railroad tracks and a somewhat busy highway. So he agreed to let them drive him the half dozen blocks or so to his home on 3rd street. Due to a rather wet and windy early spring, and a few days of not feeling up to the trip, he wasn't able to get there in May and finally on June 14th, the weather was perfect. I happened to be in Arlington after finishing a bike tour that took me around southeast South Dakota. So before I headed back up to North Dakota, I stuck around to help with the arrangements for Dad's visit. Amy (one of his favorite nurses) told me the night before that they would take him down around 1 PM and pick him up again at 3 PM. Since we don't have any way for him to get inside the house and up the stairs, we set up a few chairs and tables next to the porch outside for him.

Mom and I cleaned up the yard the night before (we picked up 4 wheel barrows full of sticks blown down in a wind storm).

Amy laughed when she lowered him out of the van, because he took off right away and headed for the door. He said on his way down the alley - "See you later!" She said - "Don't you think I should go up and ring the doorbell for you to let them know you are here?" For some reason Mom and I were watching out the front of the house and not in the alley, so we didn't see them drive up. Amy was kind of surprised at how anxious he was to get going!

Dale adjusting his hat in the sun by the front porch with Marguerite.

The first thing we had to do was get a hat for him, the sun was pretty bright. He rode all around the house on the sidewalk, and then down the block to look at the progress on renovations on a house two doors down (he said there hadn't been much done since he saw it last fall!) Then he wanted to look at all the gutters we installed above the doors to prevent icy sidewalks, and I had to run the garage door opener for him a number of times so he could watch it from both inside and outside the garage.

Dale checking out the new gutter above the back door.

Dale making his way around the south side of the house.

Later he seemed content to sit and visit with Marguerite and just watch the cars go by just like he used to when he sat on his old porch rocker. He kept telling me that everyone has new cars.

Much to Dale's disappointment, this is as close as Nermal would get to Dale's electric wheelchair. So I carried her over so he could give her a little scratch between the ears.

I think he really enjoyed it, but he later told me he was glad to get back 'home' - and that is how he really thinks of the nursing home now I think. He tells me over and over how wonderful they are to him and the nurses and staff aren't appreciated enough.

We are hoping to get him back for a small picnic on the 4th of July if the weather holds out.

Easter Farm memories

2008-03-16T16:29:00.005-05:00

I read this article in today's Bismarck Tribune and decided to post it to share with all the other farm boys and girls out there. Just click on the image to enlarge it to read in a seperate window. (Sorry, but the Tribune didn't post this article on their website)

I've also been scanning a lot of old photos from an album of Mom's and discovered she loved to take a lot of Easter photos over the years that I'll share here.

April 1957 Easter Sunday - Michael, Peter & Paula

April 1959 Paula, Michael & Peter on Easter Sunday

April 1961 - Dodey Martie & Paula on Easter Sunday

April 1967 - Paula, Peter, Pat & Martie

Happy Easter Everyone!

Dale's 80th birthday

2008-03-08T13:14:00.009-06:00

This is the year Dale turned 80 on March 5th. I felt it was a milestone birthday that needed to be celebrated, even if it did happen to fall in the middle of the week. So Mom and I planned a small celebration. We knew he wouldn't be comfortable with a lot of people and noise, so we decided to have a card shower.

I was able to take a few days off and drive down to Arlington with a cake I ordered from a neighbor. The day before his birthday, he had a visit from Lyle Rapp, Helge Larson and Grace Oleson Nemitz. Mom said he enjoyed it all, but it did tire him. So when I arrived late that afternoon, I just spoke with him by phone so he could rest. Pat was able to come up from Sioux Falls to spend the day with us also.

Dale in March 1952 with his dog Chipper and piles of snow.

Even though Dale is in a nursing home, he still almost missed a celebration due to the weather. Mom told us how many birthdays he had spent over the years sitting on a snow plow clearing the streets or moving snow out on the farm. This year there was another small snow storm which may have contributed to a train/semi-truck accident in Arlington. As a result, all streets that crossed the railroad were closed until the cleanup could be finished. Dale was a little frustrated in the morning knowing we were all on the other side of town unable to get to the nursing home. By lunch time Pat, Mom and I decided we would go out of town a few miles to get around the train, but by then they opened up one street.

Dale received so many cards and he enjoyed discovering who remembered him. Surprisingly he got a card from three of his previous teachers, (one Sunday school teacher, one elementary teacher and one high school teacher) still alive and living in Arlington. He explained to me that in those days a teaching certificate only took 6 or 9 weeks to get, and these teachers weren't too much older than he.

Cards received for Dale's 80th birthday.

He also told us that he will never forget his favorite birthday gift of all time. It was back when he was 6 or 7 years old. At that time, they received a lot of goods from the Sears catalog. Any order placed by mail on a Saturday was sure to be filled and returned before the next Wednesday, unless bad weather, then it would be in the mailbox on Thursday. He made it known he liked two items in the current catalog, both pencil boxes. One was 19 cents and the other with 2 drawers was 29 cents. He said he was so happy and surprised when he opened the package from Sears that day to discover the 2 drawer box! What a treasure.

The cake was a great item and all the ladies had to ask who were all those lovely children.

Randy Ivers and his mom Elaine were in the nursing home and we asked them to join us. I think Dale liked joking around with Randy, who always takes great joy in good food - and lots of it.

As usual I couldn't get a smile out of Dale once the camera came out. Here he is waiting with Mom and Pat for the cake to be cut and served with coffee.

Dale watches the entertainer (karoke) from Dell Rapids pack up his equipment to leave.

We all left around 4:30 but Dale made me promise to come back after supper. I really think he is just so grateful to have company. It must be tough for him to see the same faces day after day and not be able to even venture outside for a little break or solitude.

David is planning on driving to Arlington this weekend to spend some quiet time with Dale. He isn't bringing his two very active young sons along this trip.

I think we all wish we lived closer to make things easier, but all are so grateful that he can be in Arlington and close to friends he has known all his life.

Siblings Reunited - Day 3 - July 21, 2007

2007-08-18T20:09:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, Mom was up early again and making sure she had all the flower arrangements down at the church just in case she didn't make it back in time for Saturday evening mass. We all got back up to Janice's place by 10 or so that morning. Mom was glad to Delores and Jerry Kahnke.

Mike-George-Mom-Jerry-Rita-Bonnie-Paige-Peggy passing around some old photos and trying to identify ancestors

Bonnie with that big smile - showing off her son Sam to Delores and Grandma Rita (Bonnie & Sam had matching pants - they were so cute)

Mom brought up some stained glass for George and Bonnie to pick out as they requested. Later they decided to drive through Arlington on the way to the airport in Sioux Falls and look at more of Mom's stained glass and take some back with them.

I really enjoyed the ride we took later on out to the farm and then Ray drove us around the neighborhood to see all the old places Mom and Rita used to go as kids and also to see Stephanie's new home. George and Bonnie were following us in their car with Rita. We ended up back at Jenkins Nursing to visit with Jack some more. He seemed pretty good yet on Saturday and glad to have the company. He looked so much better than the other visits I'd had with him last winter. Rita had made arrangements to have supper with an old school girlfriend, so Mom decided she wanted to get back to Arlington for the evening mass. She was pretty tired again, but I really think she enjoyed her time up in Watertown.

Here is a panoramic view of the O'Toole farm - Leland is the only one living out there now - unless you count the many cats and kittens and one dog he has for company.

Leland and Mike visiting out in the back yard.

Mom visiting with Leland and dog Jack by his pool.

Peggy and Aunt Rita look over the remains of the gardens from days gone by.

The old flower bed looks pretty good - Leland keeps color all year round by using the artificial species - also a favorite shady spot for a cat.

Leland discussing a favorite old photo with Mom and Mike

Little Sam just couldn't stay awake out on the farm - wish we could all sleep that soundly!

Leland-George-Me-Mike (behind me)-Mom-Rita-Peggy

Sisters Marguerite & Rita standing in front of one of the original lilac bushes planted when they were children.

Bonnie Fleming & Ray Stern - the "out-laws"

This is back at Jenkins Home when George is getting a cheek swab from Jack to take back and get a DNA analysis done on the sample - he hopes to match it up with someone over in Ireland.

At the end of the Mom kept saying she wished she could get up there more often to be with Jack, but just can't drive anymore and Dad isn't able to get out as much as he used to. I know she was a little nervous in the days before Rita came up and worried it would all be way too much for Jack and maybe we shouldn't overwhelm him. But I think she relaxed a lot after seeing Rita and Jack both.

Siblings Reunited - Day 1&2- July 19 & 20, 2007

2007-08-18T19:04:00.000-05:00

My Mom's sister decided to come to South Dakota from her home in Scottsdale and visit her sister (my Mom) and brother Jack this summer down in Watertown South Dakota - which is near where they all grew up. I don't think they had seen each other for approximately 8-10 years. Jack is currently residing in a nursing home. My Aunt Rita is still working (amazing), but almost has a full time job traveling around the country visiting all her children (nine) and grandchildren. And we were surprised and excited to find out that one of Rita's sons - George and family would be meeting us all in Watertown with their new son - Sam.

Rita flew into Watertown from a visit with her other son in Seattle on July 20th and was met by Janice Bienn (my Mom's cousin). It was kind of funny on the first day that Rita arrived. She called Mom that afternoon, who was sitting by the phone and answering all calls quickly in the hopes it would be her. When she did call, they talked for only a few minutes and Mom came right over to me and told me she would like to go up to Watertown right away in the morning on Thursday. She thought she "had" to work at the gift shop in the afternoon so we had to get back by noon. Dad and I knew she could get the time off if she asked for it, but we didn't say anything. Anyway, Janice told me later that Mom must not have said anything to Rita, because she sounded so disappointed after that first call and though Mom wasn't going to come to Watertown at all. Anyway, the next morning, we got it all figured out and they ended up spending the whole day together. Our visit with Jack and Jenkins that day went very well. We got him downstairs in a little room with a fireplace next to the cafeteria. He was in a very chatty mood and told stories about his first dates with his wife and how he didn't get home until 5 in the morning and had to play cards with her dad, and about his favorite nurses. He and Rita went back and forth a bit about some things, and I got the feeling that those two have always 'argued' like that. It was nothing major and kind of funny because both Jack and Rita are hard of hearing, so Mom would have to do a bit of translating, which made everyone chuckle a little.

I took Mom and Rita to a nice little bakery/sandwich shop just up the street and then we drove to Arlington. When Rita came to the gift shop (where Mom works a few afternoons a week) and Mom introduced her to the manager, Donna immediately told Mom to close up the store and go home and visit - Rita's visit was much more important that sitting all afternoon in a 'junk' shop! So they talked all afternoon, kind of quietly, while I was fixing a quick supper for everyone. I think they were going over all their kids' lives and troubles and successes, which is what usually happens when they get together; and can take quite some time with 16 children and their visits few and far between. Janice came down after work to pick up Rita and ended up staying until 8 that evening. Mom was pretty tired that night.

Marguerite Manley - George Fleming & son Sam - Rita Fleming

Friday morning we got up and Mom was starting to make a potato salad by 6 AM. We planned on waiting for my brother Mike to arrive from Rapid City and then drive up to Janice's place in Watertown. I made a fruit pizza also. Mike got here right at noon and Mom was ready to go right away. But we didn't get on the road until about 1 pm. That afternoon was really nice.

Janice had her back yard fixed up so nice - perfect sunny summer afternoon for catching up with everyone.

George and Bonnie seemed to be enthusiastic about meeting everyone and seeing all the places around Watertown that were special to Mom and Rita. George has been doing a bunch of genealogy research so he took down a lot of names and dates of our family. He has access to some DNA databases and even thinks he can match up some of ours to someone in Ireland. I tend to think it is a long shot, but was interesting to hear him talk about it. I thought Jack did really well that day and Saturday. He arrived around 3:30 and stayed until 7. He was telling stories with Arbie (an old neighbor from the farm) and laughing. The only thing I heard him complain about was the catheter, which is understandable.

Mike- Marguerite-Janice with granddaughter Paige & daughter Stephanie

Uncle Jack eating lunch with Arbie and listening to a story of Mike's with Mom

A very proud grandmother Janice with Paige - Janice couldn't have been more welcoming and just the best kind of hostess for this little reunion. I really enjoyed reminiscing about all the old times our families got together for holidays and special occasions. Her and I feel much the same about the importance of family get-togethers while we are still able.

Bonnie and Sam look pretty serious about eating that lunch!

Marguerite - Jack - Rita

Jack telling a story to his daughter Peggy, Bonnie, Rita & George Fleming

Stephanie showing the two youngest - Paige & Sam - how to share toys. I found it hard to believe how much Stephanie has changed into a great young Mom - I think the last time I saw her was over 30 years ago when I used to babysit her - and now she is a Mom herself.

Sam had a great time playing with his toys on the old marble coffee table.

These are 3 of Marilyn Peterson's grandchildren - they live in Watertown. Her son runs the local bike shop - hence the cute helmet! They were quite a lively bunch.

I really enjoyed talking with Melinda and her daughter Molly and hearing all about their time in England. George told us that he and Bonnie were excited to hear the good news about the decision to build this huge lab in the old Homestake Gold mine in Lead SD - I guess Bonnie's research had a project or experiment that would be perfect for that lab and they wanted to know all they could about the Black Hills area. After we got everyone back to Jenkins and most everyone left, we were getting ready to leave when Peg & Ray came back with a couple bottles of champagne! I was surprised that Mom wanted to stay and have a glass to toast Janice and also the O'Toole family. It was really nice. She slept in the car all the way home though!

Sunrise on Brush Lake July 15 2007

2007-08-18T15:55:00.000-05:00

I spent about 9 days in Arlington in mid July for my summer vacation. I decided to take my bike along to get in some 'training' for candisc in August. But the only real ride I got was one morning at sunrise south of Arlington to Brush Lake, and another southwest of Arlington to the old Manley farm. I could have rode longer on this day, but the calm glassy waters of Brush Lake along with all the bird activity made me stop and pull out the camera.

I came upon this kitty out getting some morning sunshine just before I turned the corner to get to Brush Lake in front of Dick Christensen's farm. He didn't move and watched me slowly pedal around the long turn in the highway.

Here is the first pelican I saw while looking back to see the town in the background. He was busy cleaning or searching for breakfast and didn't notice me.

Later a couple of other pelicans noticed me and all three decided to swim to the other side of the lake.

Just before I left I got a photo of a group of geese trying to join the pelicans on the other side of the lake also. I just love those early morning reflections on the water when there is no wind. It's hard to get me off the bike in such perfect riding weather, but scenes like this will do it almost every time.

Summer of Construction - July 27, 2007

2007-08-18T10:46:00.000-05:00

The solarium is finally done! Here are a few photos I took so you can see what I see. I still have a bit of work to do under the deck and also get the flower gardens back in shape in the back yard. Now the inside construction can begin. Will keep you posted on that progress - much painting involved I think.

I took this from my neighbor Cindy's place - I was dog-sitting for her that weekend.

Here is a view from my backyard. I think I may move my little wooden chair inside the solarium after I give it a new coat of paint and get some cushions for it.

Another view, can see the windows a little better under the deck.

This is what it looks like from inside my dining room. I still have to get some new window treatments for this door - something that won't cover up the doggie door for Sam and Rowdy.

Here is a view from inside the solarium - Sam and Rowdy are on their way down the steps. Rowdy's favorite perch is still at the top of the steps, but Sam likes to sit outside on the grass.

This is the view looking to the left. As you can see, I have quite a bit of shade from the trees, so it doesn't get too warm inside. I can also remove 4 window panels to provide some ventilation if needed. So far I am really enjoying the improvements.

Summer of Construction - June 6, 2007

2007-06-21T17:44:00.000-05:00

I came home from work this day to find my deck gone and the new windows installed. The dogs were a little confused when I had to block their 'doggie-door' out to the deck. So for the next few weeks, I have to toss them out the downstairs window to go do their 'business' every morning and afternoon. The new deck won't be built until my window/siding contractor is finished. I will be putting up siding to match the neighboring townhouses. The windows are maintenance free as will be my new deck.

Summer of Construction - June 2-3, 2007

2007-06-21T17:16:00.000-05:00

Travis came out on this Saturday afternoon to remove the large tan shed. He arrived shortly after lunch and carefully and slowly started removing nails and taking the walls apart.

His first task was to saw the roof in half and remove it. He and I were both surprised to discover the walls had two layers of sheetrock in them, making each one particularly heavy.

We both wondered if the prevous owner had lived through a tornado or something as he built this shed way too sturdy. I also heard him mumble a number of times, had he known how heavy they were, he wouldn't have taken the shed. His buddy came out in late afternoon and helped him load the walls and they were able to leave around 9 PM, quickly heading for the closest tavern I'm sure.

Here you can see the area with the shed now gone and only the little brown shed under the deck. He didn't damage the concrete floor, so it will become the landing for the stairs on my new deck which will be moved to the other side.

Sunday afternoon the other bargain hunters arrived. A motley crew of two high school age boys with nose & eyebrow rings anxious to use a borrowed electric saw on anything that they had permission to cut, a woman well into her 40's but trying to pass for high school age, her boyfriend who didn't speak much at all, and a very large friend who could have passed for Andre the Giant. I wasn't watching them closely at first, until I looked out the window and realized they had somehow managed to drive a trailer and pickup inside my yard and were now having difficulty getting all out the yard again without knocking over the the utility boxes. So I quickly went out back and guarded the utility boxes with my body at times, and tried to gently motivate them through quarrels and give suggestions on how to maneuver everything out. At one point the large man got so angry and frustrated that he stomped off to the west into the field yelling and screaming. We all just looked at each other and kept quiet, not one of us offered to go after him, but it was his truck so we just had to wait for him to cool down. He stopped yelling, came back and quietly and slowly moved all out the yard and took off quickly with the trailer and shed rocking down the road. That is the most nervous I'd been so far, and decided the rest of the project would be easy compared to that afternoon.

The only picture I dared to take was after they were all gone. All that is left is to remove the existing deck and start the new construction.

Summer of Construction - May 22, 2007

2007-06-21T16:56:00.000-05:00

I finally decided to get my back yard in shape. After paying off my car loan and all my credit cards, I decided it just isn't the American way not to have some debt to work on. So after a trip to my local bank, and a number of interviews with carpenters, I took the first step. I placed a 'give away' ad on the local online classifieds hoping someone would take away two sheds that I don't use and are blocking by view of the valley to the west. My back yard is narrow, enclosed with a chain link fence, and has two utility boxes that cannot be disturbed at the back of the yard, making the whole removal process pretty tricky; hence the 'give-away' ad. That weekend was particularly wet and muddy with over 5 inches of rain falling over 3 days. I hope that is the last time I place that type of ad. I took so many calls and spent the holiday weekend letting people either trudge through my house to the backyard or through my neighbor's yard to get to my gate. Lotz of people made me promise to save it for them, only to not show up again or return my calls.

This was the most popular shed - it is pretty sturdy, had a concrete floor, had a locked door and shingled roof. I finally let a young engineer from one of my company's competitors agree to take it. He was very excited as it matched his siding on his home and he had planned on spending a couple thousand dollars to build a shed exactly like this.

This little odd shaped brown shed was built half under the deck. Only 4' high on the low end and 6' high on the outside end. I suspect at one time it was a dog house for a large dog. When the dog got too big, the previous owner decided to enclose the deck with plywood and use it for the dog house. This one didn't have a foundation, so would be easier to move (I thought) than the larger shed, at least after the larger shed is gone. Kind of hard to get a good picture of it.

Bike to Work Week

2007-06-21T16:35:00.000-05:00

Finally going to get some pics uploaded from a fun winter project. I helped a local group of committed bicycle riders plan the first official "Bike to Work Week" in Bismarck. They met in the evenings and due to my work schedule I wasn't able to attend many meetings, but through the magic of email, I kept in touch with them. When they were in need of a poster design for the flyers, brochures, etc. I offered to help.

It was a success and we all were asked to get our photo taken with Governor Hoeven and his Secretary of Ag Roger Johnson.

As we were waiting for the photographers to get set up, one of the guys asked the governor if he biked to work (his residence is less than a block away from the capital). He laughed and said he'd make it faster if he picked up the bike and carried it to work.

I ride with girl behind me in red - Marian. She is going to join me on Candisc this summer. The other person I collaborated with most was a scientist working for the Ag Research Center - Mark - he is in the tan shirt behind the governor and in front of the ND Flag.

North-South-East-West Dakota Christmas 2006

2007-01-13T07:31:00.000-06:00

Again this year, I decided take the full week off between the two holidays and travel across the states to catch up with family and friends in South Dakota. My two canine travelling companions were so anxious to get on the road. We left the morning of December 22nd. The sun was unusually bright for a late December morning and gave off enough heat to raise the temperature to the mid 50's by mid afternoon which made for perfect travelling. I made my mid-trip rest stop in Ipswich this time because they have a nice city part along the highway that Sam & Rowdy love to explore.

Here are Rowdy & Sam back in the truck after a run thru the Ipswich Park, ready to hit the road again.

As I got closer to Highway 14 I began to gradually see more and more patches of snow in the grasses that turned into small drifts. But when I crossed the James River in Huron, it was as if a curtain was dropped from above. The sun was gone, the fog rose up thick, damp and cold, and I knew I was in eastern Dakota again. By the time I got to Arlington the streets were a mess and all trees, outdoor Christmas decorations, and sidewalks were covered in a thick sheet of ice.

Dale, of course, was worried and so glad to see that I made it, admonishing me weakly for travelling in such nasty weather. Brother Dave and Pat didn't brave the roads to come to Arlington. Earlier in the day I was puzzled by this, but not after I crept along the highway through DeSmet, Lake Preston and finally Arlington. After an hour or so of unpacking the truck laden with Christmas gifts, food goodies and dog beds and blankets, I was able to relax and catch up on all the latest news from Arlington.

On Saturday I went uptown and bought some of the last ice melt I could find in town and went to work on the terrible ice on the steps to the newspaper box and the walkways in front of both doors. The sun managed to come out later in the day and helped a lot. And I decided to take advantage of the light and ice and take a few photos of the winter sparkles.

Later in the afternoon, I had a long phone chat with Randy and caught up on his adventures of living with and caring for his mom, gardening, and musical outings with a brass quintet. He seems much more relaxed and has found a way to incorporate all his passions into small town life with an elderly parent and failing health. He never did like life in Denver with all the traffic and pollution and noise. We made plans to go for a drive sometime over the holidays and invited me to bring the folks to the candlelight service in the Lutheran Church on Christmas Eve. His quintet was going to perform throughout the service.

Sam & Rowdy enjoying their Christmas gifts of chewbones from Matt.

So on Christmas Eve, we all got up and Mom wanted to open the gifts that had accumulated over the week. I had some gifts from Pete & family, they both had gifts from everyone. And even Sam & Rowdy got a treat or two from Matt. Later we drove down to the church for the late morning mass. The church seemed so small and modern to me after all the old ornate churches in small towns I had visited over the summer on bike tours. It was decorated beautifully as usual. After the service I had a chance to visit with some of the ladies who expressed wonder and worry both to me about Mom. They were so glad her health was on the mend, and realized when she was gone, there were many things she took care of at the church they weren't aware of. So now, they are making a point of questioning her about the 'whys' and 'wheres' of all the preparations she does for mass each week. One of the ladies has a very cute precocious little girl who follows Mom around and watches everything she does and where she puts every candle, alter cloth and vestment. I think she kind of enjoys it a little bit, thought would not admit so. We came home to a small meal of pork loin and all the trimmings. In the afternoon, we made and received various phone calls and watch a movie made from a book Mom had read and really enjoyed - 5 People You Meet in Heaven. Mom and I decided to go to the Christmas Eve services at the Lutheran church about 4, we were early, so took a drive around town to look at the decorations.

Mom really enjoyed checking out the tops of all the trees that glistened in the late afternoon sun.

When we returned to the church, it was full to overflowing. I had forgotten just how large the Lutheran congregation in Arlington is. Up here on the western side of North Dakota, the majority of the population is Catholic, but not down in the eastern side of both Dakotas. It was a beautiful service and the quintet sounded great, although we were seated way in the back (Mom didn't want to get too far in front as she said she felt a little like an outsider). After the services, I felt like I was in the winter version of Arlington Days because I saw so many old friends and their families I hadn't seen for years. It was particularly nice to Grace, Sue & Mike and the whole family - which is four generations now. I think Mom enjoyed it as well. We went home to a small supper, and then decided to go to the Christmas eve evening mass at St. Johns. The crowd there was much smaller but very nice.

Marguerite & Jack on Christmas Day in Watertown

Christmas morning was quiet and we all decided to make a trip to Watertown after lunch to visit Uncle Jack in the Jenkins Living Center. Mom hadn't been up in quite awhile and seemed anxious to see him. The day was calm and sunny and Dad always enjoys riding and checking out all the farms on the drive up. The center was busy with visitors and found Jack right away. He seemed glad to see us and was moving around all the time in his room, but still in his wheelchair. I think these visits are always a little conflicting for Mom. She worries about him, but at the same time is glad he is safe and taken care of. I know she sees his frustration in losing his independence, but knows he isn't able to live on his own anymore. I found some unopened gifts from Kathleen, so opened them up and we all sampled all the candies and goodies she sent along with an old photo of Kathleen, Peg & Leland taken I suspect sometime back in the 60's - it was great. We stayed for a couple of hours then, decided it was time to get Dad home before he stiffened up like the tin man without his oil can.

On Tuesday, Pat and family were able to drive up from Sioux Falls, so we had a nice meal with them. I was so busy listening to all the wonderful stories that Aislynn created, I didn't get too involved with the meal-making. Andrew is getting so mature (he looks like he belongs in New York or LA - not South Dakota) and as most teenagers are at that age, longing to be anywhere else but with the family - I remember those days well.

Aislynn taking her "babies" for a stroll in the snow (which they hadn't had yet in Sioux Falls).

Aislynn & Pat watching Marguerite open her Christmas gift.

Aislynn busy creating 'famlies' to live in her new doll house - a pop-up book gift from Grandma for Christmas.

Aislynn and I had great fun filling her new dollhouse from Grandma with cut-outs from magazines and making up stories about all. Later, Katrina wanted to explore Grandma's attic for a costume for a future party with a theme of the 60's. And Aislynn had great fun modeling all the pieces we found.

Here is Aislynn once again posing with that big smile after a trip to Grandma's attic and the theater costumes.

After a small supper, Pat packed his family and dog up to go back to Sioux Falls.

Later on Randy and I made plans to go for a drive out to Lake Poinsett. It was a nice drive and so easy to visit with him again for hours. We decided not to stop in to any of the old hangouts, went for a short walk along the beach, then headed back to Arlington and some blueberry pie - he still has that big old sweet tooth he always had. We sat up and chatted with Mom for a bit, but then he decided to go home when he noticed I suddenly looked particularly tired. Guess he saw the first signs of the flu bug that bit Mom and I overnight.

I had planned on driving Mom to her rehab in Brookings on Wednesday morning, however, we both were not feeling up to it. She was worse than I however. And Dad was weather worried again about an upcoming storm the radio/tv were predicting to be statewide and bringing feet, not inches of snow. My initial plan was to drive across the state to Rapid City on Thursday, but Dad wouldn't hear of it. He insisted I'd be stuck in Arlington and possibly not able to make it back to Mandan in time to go back to work. So reluctantly I packed up my truck, stocked up on crackers, soda water and pepto bismol tablets and headed for the interstate. I really didn't feel so bad, just tired and a little queasy. The weather was cloudy, but calm and warm. To my dogs' delight, I made plenty of stops. Finally someplace about 20 miles west of Chamberlain, I was so tired, I pulled into the parking lot of a small country church and took a nap for about a half hour. The rest of the trip was good and arrived at Martie's home just as she was pulling into the driveway after work. Her daughters were out shopping at the malls spending their gift card money and Roger was still at work. I was glad to be off the road and feeling a little steadier. Later it was quite a change of pace from Arlington - with the teenagers chattering all over the house and their young dog Ted so excited to have some buddies to play with. We decided to go out for supper to Chilies. My stomach wasn't steady enough yet to have anything, but was nice anyway to be around all the activity and catch up on all the Rapid City news stories from the girls.

On Friday, Ceci and I decided to take a drive up to Spearfish and visit Paula. Ceci is at that tender age of such rapid change and uncertainty. Sometimes she seems like a little girl, especially when I see her with a lapful of dogs. And then I'll look over and can't find any of that little girl in her and she seems ready to go at it all on her own. But most of the time I think she has all those teenage doubts in the back of her head, searching for the right thing to say or do. Besides all of that she is so tall - everytime I see her I'm amazed at how she has grown. She is turning into a real beauty, inside and out.

Paula asked Ceci and I to help her learn to play a card game that Tim's girlfriend, Leslie, liked a lot. After reading and re-reading a list of rules in a paperback of card games, I think she felt confident enough to play with her son's numero uno and win.

Later on we visited in her newly decorated living room and I had to get some photos of her silly gift to Jim - the crows. I guess he likes to birdwatch from his porch as they go after the fallen walnuts in their front yard. We also got to see a lot of Mike's published art - he seems to be doing quite well in his field and she is sure he will eventually be able to support himself with his art.

On Saturday, I joined Martie and Roger at the ice rink and watched them curl. They didn't have enough members for a full match, so did a lot of practicing.

Martie & Kathy visiting about either the next shot or where to go for a cup of good coffee.

Roger is getting ready to throw the stone - he's gotten very good at this in the past year or so.

We later went out for a cup of cocoa. Martie and I did a little shopping in the afternoon. After watching a dvd movie, Mike came over for supper. One of the annual traditions when I go to Rapid City is to get out a board game when Mike comes for supper. This time Liza's boyfriend Steve joined us. It was a lot of fun. I can really see the difference college has made in Liza. She seems so much more relaxed and mature. Just doesn't seem to sweat the small stuff like she did just a year ago.

I decided to drive back to Mandan on Sunday, rather then Monday. I knew I would have a lot of laundry and chores to finish before I went back to the office, so thought I'd give myself extra time for it.

Boy was I glad I did, as I got within 5 miles of Mandan, I realized there really had been a snowstorm - we got about 10 inches. It was really beautiful though, as the snow obviously just fell straight down with not wind. All the evergreens looked like a christmas card. The streets were plowed out but my driveway was not. After unloading the dogs in the back yard to play in the stuff and phoning Dale to stop the driving worry I knew he was having about me (but he had to make a specific point of how he enjoyed listening to Randy's quintet - 'they are loud enough even for me' -in church that morning), my first chore was to shovel snow so I could drive into the garage. Worked off all the candy calories in that hour and a half I think. Felt good to exercise so I decided to do my neighbor's walk as well.

The holidays are over and January is here - we had a little thaw the next few days, and now a cold spell has set in with the 'Alberta Clippers' that are coming in.

My Frosty Neighborhood 12-12-06

2006-12-16T12:03:00.000-06:00

We had two full days and nights of fog and steady temps in the high 20's and light winds, which makes for a lot of frosty sights. So one afternoon after work I decided to take a stroll around my little neighborhood with my camera. Nothing to spectacular, but so pretty.

The first is a pic of my view from the back yard. It is looking west along the interstate. All the others are from houses in about a 3 block radius east of my place.

This is a new fence installed after a new development got started on the other side of it. I used to live pretty much out in the 'country' but the city is getting closer and closer every year.

This small little red leaf really stood out in a sea of white frost everywhere.

These people have beautiful manicured gardens in the summer as you can see by this tree in the front of their house.

The lights were on but a little hard to notice.

Note the smiley face on the windmill.

Backyard birdhouse

The frost seemed to have 3 different tints in the late afternoon sun in this yard.

This guy barks at me every morning when I go to work, but not a peep when he saw me walk by with my camera.

Birds & Bovines on the Bike Path 12-09-06

2006-12-16T11:19:00.000-06:00

This was such a beautiful day that I'd been looking forward to all week after listening to the weather forcasts. And they didn't disappoint me when the day brought temperatures in the 50's. So mid morning I got out my hybrid bike knowing I may come across a few icy or muddy patches along the way. I decided to ride over to the Memorial Bridge construction site to see how the progress was coming along and if I could even cross the river at the point on my bike anymore.

The bike trail takes me around a municipal golf course that is a favorite winter feeding spot for a flock of geese. They are a little shy so I couldn't get too close.

On the other side of the path is the stock yards. This one was pretty curious about me and my camera.

Seemed like all the animals were enjoying the rare warm winter rays of the sunshine. The black birds were particularly noisy up in the trees on the edge of the golf course and weren't bothered by me at all.

Once I got to the bridge I had to get a few shots of the south side - which is basically gone. I used to ride east across the bridge under this sign.

This is the from the same spot only looking east across the river. You can see where the sidewalk is cut off on the south side of the bridge.

I decided to get a shot of the ice breaking up and long winter season shadows on the river. The ice looks so rough but great contrasts in the sunshine.

And as often happens when I'm on a bridge taking pictures, I was joined by a pigeon probably wondering why I had stopped so long in her house.

The ride felt great but was all too short as the sun doesn't get very high in the sky up here in December. After some rides around Bismarck, a visit with a friend, and a little Christmas shopping, I had to make my way back to my home trail by 4:30 to beat the darkness.

Heart Healthy Thanksgiving

2006-12-03T16:18:00.000-06:00

This year Mary, Sarah and I decided to plan and prepare the whole Thanksgiving Day menu along with help from Dave and Peter. We thought we'd try to find recipes of the standard items converted to be heart healthy, inspired by Mom's surgery, but better for us all in the long run too. All seemed to work out well except the green bean casserole, definitely not as good as the original. The smoked turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, wild rice hazelnut stuffing, cranberry stuffed acorn squash, cranberry chutney, apple pie all were well received.

The weather was beautiful until the Sunday drive home. Light jackets were all that was required on the drive down. Dave and Sarah and family arrived in Arlington shortly before I did late Wednesday (Nov 23rd) afternoon. Collin and Jackson perked up from their naps in the car when they saw Sam and Rowdy bound into the kitchen.

The next hour or so was spent unpacking cars with boxes and boxes of food along with getting the sleeping arrangements made.

Pete, Mary and Matt arrived shortly after supper and we started the whole process again. Matt seems a half foot taller yet again.

The next morning Pat, Aislynn and Andrew arrived fairly early and the house was pretty hectic getting all the menu items prepared.

Marguerite watched the grandkids while the rest of us prepared the meal.

I was so glad to have help from Mary and Sarah as they are much more experienced at preparing large meals. I'm good at cooking for one or two, but more than that I accept all help that is offered.

After all the food was eaten and dishes done, we didn't settle down for the usual football thing, but Peter took the lead in a brisk and long walk around town. In fact he managed to herd us outside at least 3 or more times a day. The dogs loved it and I would have except I didn't bring along the right walking shoes.

Collin followed his cousin around closely and Aislynn seemed to enjoy the role of 'teacher'. He was so sad to see her leave that evening after supper.

Friday morning Mary and Sarah got up early to hunt down all the best Black Friday shopping deals in Watertown. They were out of the house before 5:30 am.

Collin having a chuckle on the swings and Jackson on the slide.

Later on, after the boys got up and dressed, David and I took them down to the city park along with the dogs to burn off some energy and enjoy the beautiful weather. Jackson is growing so fast and trying to hard to keep up with his big brother Collin. He is talking so much but nothing anyone can understand yet. It is so cute.

Jackson is telling a long story to his Dad who dutifully pretends to understand it all!

Friday afternoon, when Sarah returned, Dave headed up to the bowling alley for a bit of relaxation after taking care of the boys by himself most of the day. Pete and Matt joined him later for a game or two.

Peter, Dodey & Dave at the bowling alley.

Later Mary and I visited the flower shop and the gift shop on our way up to watch the men bowling. Peter talked us all into visiting the new community fitness center at the high school after supper. It is really nice and a great asset for the town.

Saturday was spent with Xmas decorations for the house. We decorated the outside, inside and left some for Mom to finish on her own. But I left many many unopened boxes up in the attic. Later in the afternoon, Peter, Mary, Matt and I all went to the bowling alley for the holiday special of 3 games, a pitcher of root beer and large pizza for $20. It was a lot of fun, although Matt wasn't too happy to get a score lower than his Mom! After suppler we watched a dvd of a movie that was shot in North Dakota with Kris Kristofferson and Peter Fonda. It was kind of corny about some old cankerous sheep farmers, but seemed to be just right for the holiday.

All in all, a typical Manley Thanksgiving, although maybe a little nostalgic as we all knew it most likely would be the last one in that house in Arlington. Mom and Dad are getting closer and closer to accepting the idea of moving - encouraging all the kids to take things from the house and almost pleading with us to stop giving them "stuff".

October Fears and Fun

2006-11-08T17:33:00.000-06:00

I'm finally getting back to this to record a somewhat major event that happened to our family just before Halloween. It was the day before my birthday when I received a hurried call on my cell phone while working at the office from my brother Pat in Sioux Falls. He wanted to let me know Mom was on her way by ambulance to the Avera Heart Hospital. He was going to meet her there and get her admitted. Dad had taken her to Brookings and the doctors there sent her right away to Sioux Falls. At that time, that is all he knew, and left me in charge of contacting all the other siblings. Then he was gone. I think I went into my old "secretary" mode and immediately got down all the information I knew to everyone and sent by email to everyone at their work & home addresses. But when I got ready to send it, I started typing the words 'ambulance' and 'Marguerite' in the subject line and almost lost my breath to the fist of fear I felt down in the pit of my stomach. It's the same feeling I get whenever I hear and see a loud ambulance whiz past me on the street. Instant tears that come and go with the noise of the siren. I often wonder if everyone who has ever been in an ambulance reacts the same way.

The responses started coming immediately and everyone seemed to have a plan on what to do first. But I think Martie, who probably knows me best, called me on the cell and instantly calmed me down with her statement - 'Are you getting any work done' - think we were both feeling the same kind of fear and helplessness. We decided we needed to be back in Arlington to try and help in any way we could. We got out of our offices early and hit the road. We managed to arrive in Arlington within minutes of each other, her coming from Rapid City and me from Mandan.

Somehow the 330 miles seemed to fly by and inch by all at the same time. I hate to drive and talk on the cell phone, but everyone kept calling and wanting more information. Pat finally was able to get back to us with news that Mom was admitted and safe, but still hadn't seen a doctor, expecting to at any moment.

When I walked into the house on 3rd street and saw Martie and Dad sitting at the kitchen table with papers scattered about the table with phone numbers and addresses, I knew I was in the right place. It was immediately known to me that Dad felt better with us there. I was still pretty worried inside so I got on the phone and contacted Kathleen and Peggy to let them know where Mom was - just in case.

Later that evening we finally found out from Pat that Mom would be having an angioplasty and/or angiogram early the next morning. So we all went to bed pretty early with a plan to get out of town by 4 or 4:30 am. I of course, slept poorly, so I got up and tried to make a pan of hot hash browns for breakfast for everyone, but they were pretty mushy, and none of us had much of an appetite anyway. We mostly rode in silence in the pre-dawn darkness down the interstate to the city. More miles in the darkness with headlights few and far between and scary thoughts in all our heads, even though Pat tried to reassure us this type of surgery was relatively common and without complications.

When we finally made our way into the hospital and to her room, that fist of fear was back in the bottom of my stomach when I saw Mom lying in her bed. She was visibly frightened and her skin seemed to be almost transparent in a weird way. Dad was pretty quiet, but stayed close to her and Martie tried to get a chuckle from all by reminding her that 48 years ago she was also in the hospital delivering me! That felt weird to think about too. Pat seemed to be the only one who was calm and confident about things. Guess he is used to being in hospitals and around doctors, etc. more than we are. By a strange coincidence, Mom's night nurse was married to the son of our cousin. I think she helped Mom relax a bit overnight as they discussed that side of the family and kids, jobs, etc.

As we accompanied her to the surgical rooms, we wished her good luck and headed to the waiting room for what we thought would only be an hour but turned into about four. Gradually as the sun rose higher the waiting room filled up with family members of other patients quietly but anxiously waiting for some news. Every time the phone in the waiting room would ring it got quiet and we all waited for our name to be called to get some tidbit of news about progress. Once we were told things were going smoothly, then later a doctor came out with pictures of her heart to show us hard to see blockages. Next we were told she was comfortable and things were going fine. More time passed, then we were told it was taking a little longer than expected. Finally we were told it was successful and she was in her room, and we could go up and visit. She was still so groggy and seemed to want some information about what had happened. Pat calmly and slowly told her everything the doctor had told us. I think that helped her relax a little bit. The nurse brought in some lunch and Mom really seemed to be hungry, which for some reason really surprised me, I guess I hadn't even thought about food for awhile. She couldn't eat much and did admit to being sleepy. So we all left to go back to the cafeteria, get some lunch, and hope she would get stronger. Pat went home to do some errands while Martie & I stayed to wait with Dad at the hospital.

Dad is taking his own nap in the waiting room.

Dad is waiting in the afternoon sunshine while Martie is checking email on a computer.

We read magazines, walked around the grounds, worked on puzzles, watch some TV, and just sat and imagined all kinds of things.

Finally about 3 pm I walked by her room to see that she was awake. I quickly went back and told Martie and Dad. What a difference a few hours of sleep made. The familiar Mom I've always known was back inside those eyes. She told us it was the best sleep she has had for many many days. Later Pat came back and we all talked for a few hours telling her about what we had all been doing in our respective homes. But then it finally got to be too much for Dad so Martie and I decided it was time to get him back to Arlington.

However, our timing was not good, as we happened to leave in the midst of Friday night rush hour traffic, and got stuck in a traffic jam. It took us just as long to get out of Sioux Falls as it did to get from Sioux Falls to Brookings. For some reason it didn't bother me to be the driving, but it was kind of hard for Martie & Dad to just sit and wait it out.

While we were stuck in late day interstate traffic, Pat had gone home and brought his daughter back in her Halloween costume to visit and cheer up her grandma.

Aislynn in a glittery scary witch costume.

After we finally arrived back in Arlington, Dad was visibly lighter when he walked through the door into the kitchen and saw their cat waiting for us. Martie made some grilled cheese sandwiches and he headed off to bed.

The next morning, Dad told us he didn't think he would go to the hospital that day. We all kind of expected Mom to have to stay in the hospital for a few days. After making a long list of supplies needed around that big house, Martie and I decided to make a trip to Wal-Mart before we headed to Sioux Falls for a visit. It happened to be Hobo Day in Brookings and was hard for Martie to leave town without staying to visit with her daughter who was there for the first time, but busy with parade preparations. Then a phone call from Pat on the way out of town surprised us with information that Mom had been walking and would probably be released after lunch! I couldn't believe it, not even 24 hours earlier she was in the middle of heart surgery! So we quickly made our way down to Sioux Falls.

Mom was looking 100% better and very anxious to get out of the hospital. Katrina and Aislynn were there also which I know Mom loved. The doctor (who reminded me of a much younger Uncle Art) was patiently explaining her surgery and I felt like I was 50 pounds lighter. She had a great appetite and talked freely with us all. That afternoon Martie also felt better as she decided to accompany Pat and Aislynn to the SDSU Hobo Day football game, while Mom and I got her prescriptions filled and made our way back to Dad in Arlington.

He was so funny. When we got home, he wanted to see all the pills and immediately sat down and figured out how to use the pill splitter and split all the pills in that had to be given in half dosages, not just one or two pills, but all of them. He was so studious as he was doing this, guess it made him feel like he was helping in some small way.

Mom did tire easily, and took everything very slow, but it was so clear she was so glad to be home.

Martie and I decided to spend the weekend and stay through Halloween to help out while her incision was healing. I kind of 'cracked the whip' with chores to get done around the house and made Martie work! But it felt good to know we were helping out. She also had visits over the weekend from Liza, Pat and Aislynn.

On Halloween, one of her favorite holidays, Mom carefully laid out a big box of toys and big bowl of candy near the front door. Her plan was to have each of the kids come inside and pick out their treat. This way she could see them all better, they could warm up, and she wouldn't have to carry the box or bowl around. At first she tried to answer the door each time, but after about 50th kid or so (there was a total of 103 all evening), I started answering for her and she just greeted them. It was fun and she seemed to know a good share of the kids and the moms that came along with the little ones.

I was able to leave the next day knowing Pat would be coming to take her to a follow-up doctor appointment the next day. I relished the long drive back to gradually take me out of the fearful world of losing a parent and into the everyday routine of my real life back in North Dakota.

I knew I was home when I got a face full of dog kisses from Sam and Rowdy as I unlocked my door.

Winter's arrived 10-17-06

2006-10-17T18:42:00.000-05:00

Our first major snowstorm hasn't been so bad. It started out as rain almost all night last night. But as the sun rose, the rain turned to snow. It's been snowing all day and since the temp hanging right at freezing all day, we have the heavy wet stuff.

So since I couldn't ride my bike, I decided to burn some calories shoveling some snow in the back yard. Didn't really need to back there, but the dogs love to be outside with me and they really get pretty frisky.

The plastic pink flamingo is my neighbors - she loves them and has them sprinkled all through her flower gardens. They weather man says tomorrow we may lose most of the snow as the sun will return with temps in the 40's, but snow will be back this weekend. We sure can use all the moisture so I can't complain. And thankfully there has been no ice.

Halloween is in the Air

2006-10-08T17:31:00.000-05:00

October 7, 2006

I believe this day is probably the last 'summer-type' day we will have this year - the temps around here got in the 80's. So I decided to go for a day trip on my bike along all the many trails up and down the river. It was so gorgeous. I also picked up a Halloween costume from a friend that contained a 'fake foot'. We are having a costume contest in our office this year. So as I was riding the trails with my backpack, we left the toes hanging out and I got many a chuckle from others out enjoying the late summer sun.I had to get a few pics of all the decorations going up around the neighborhoods. It was such a colorful autumn day, but by late afternoon, the wind had switched to the NW and I had a tough ride up that last big hill to my home. It was worth the effort to be outside all day. In two day I expect to see snow on the ground over all the golden leaves now blown off the branches after two days of strong winds.

Also decided to post some pics of my favorite trails all covered in gold and some sites along the way.

These pics were all taken along the trails in Ft. Lincoln State Park south of Mandan.

Here are a couple from along the Heart River, for a couple of minutes I was sharing the summer sun on a rock overlooking the river with a pigeon.

And here is the trail on the east side of the Missouri that runs along the outside of the Riverwood Golf course - so many trees and full of great shade in the summer.

9-24-06 New Baby Blue

2006-09-24T16:07:00.000-05:00

I finally took the plunge and went to Fargo yesterday and picked out the bike I've been reading about for months online. It was a little scary but a lot of fun. I've never spent so much for a bike ($1600) and hope I won't regret the expense. But it was just such a beautiful ride, and I couldn't pass it by. After a 3 hour drive under dreary cloudy skies, I discovered the brand new Scheels All Sports store was fortunately only 4 blocks from the interstate. It is a huge new 2 story brick monster of a store and the first thing you see when you enter is a large comical NDSU buffalo mascot standing in front of a ferris wheel offering you a token. After a trip through a bunch of clothing racks, I started to go up an escalator trying to see where the bikes were, hoping they weren't on the upper level. Fortunately, I spotted them way back in the corner of the store behind the escalator. So I made my way past all the hunting displays and winter clothing and a candy/deli store to rows and rows of bikes - all the way to the ceiling. At first I didn't think I would be able to find a salesperson, but a cute young blonde found me wandering around and made a few calls to someone who could help. Julie came over talking on a cell phone to someone and describing all the bikes I wanted to look at. When she finally finished, I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have one of those experiences where I felt like a stupid amateur and the employee would try to impress me with how much more they knew about bikes than me. But I was pleasantly surprised, as Julie spent the next 3 hours with me to find out what kind of riding I do, the size I would need, and then bringing up bike after bike for me to examine and we finally found a Trek 5000 WSD (women's specific design) that fit great. I got all outfitted to go for a test ride. It has stopped drizzling and so I went out behind the huge store and rode around the playground for the day care kids of the employees and across the parking lot to an empty lot of the Blue Cross/Blue Shield offices. It is a lot different than riding my old hybrid. Hardly feels like there is anything under me. But the shifting was so smooth and I just could feel my body more than my body pulling a bike under it. Today I got all my domestic chores done early and then brought the bike out to get the computer set up and figure out how to put the clips in and out of the pedals. After a couple of laps around the neighborhood with my young neighbor Miriah, I pulled up in front of my garage and almost had my first tumble, but she caught me. Her Mom came over to admire the bike and keep an eye on her daughter, I think she was worried she would have some kind of mishap with my new bike or something. I went in and got my camera and decided to hit the trails and practice clipping in and out of the pedals. It is going to take a lot of practice before I can do as well as some of the riders I've seen who mount and dismount with ease. But I'll get there. I tried to stand up and really get some speed on it, but almost fell over, felt like there was nothing under my legs. So this is going to take a few months to get all the kinks worked out. Hope we have a nice fall so I can get used to it.

9-22-06 Last summer rain

2006-09-22T20:05:00.000-05:00

It has been raining steady since around midnight last night. Not a hard stormy rain that frightens Sam & Rowdy, but very slow and gentle. Great to see, even though my tomatoes could have used it earlier this summer, but better late than never. I didn't pick them green off the vine like my neighbor to avoid a possible frost. So am hoping a few days of sunshine after this rain will turn them bright red. I may have to harvest them all and make a big batch of fresh tomato soup for when the cold autumn weather is sure to return.

I'm getting excited about tomorrow - am going to get up early and drive to Fargo to pick out a new road bike. It will be the most expensive one I've ever purchased and hope I can find a good deal. Also am hoping the rain stops by the time I get there so I can get in a test drive or two.

9-20-06 Late summer ride

2006-09-20T17:35:00.000-05:00

The cold spell has finally passed and with a southeast wind I had to get back on the bike. Decided to take the camera along in case I saw something nice to post. When I got to my favorite workout trail, I had to stop and get off and take a few shots of the trees in the valley and how much they had changed since last weekend. My thermometer said it didn't freeze yet at my house, but it got within one or two degrees.

Just rode about 16 miles this afternoon, but felt good to get some of the stiffness worked out after sitting in front of the computer all day. And I wasn't alone, the trails were full of kids going home after school, and adults riding bike, walking dogs and roller blading.

Am not looking forward to winter, so every ride these last few days of summer seem kind of precious in a weird way.