South Dakota - July 2015

The town where I live has a huge festival every year for the 4th of July.  When I was the Director of the Chamber of Commerce, I always had to work that day (ALL day).

In my new position as General Manager of a local event centre, I intentionally did not book anything on that day (for a variety of reasons).

Long story short, I went to South Dakota last week.

Rapid City is a 12 hour drive from eastern Iowa.

You have to, right?

waiting, not very patiently

He's always had a motorcycle, but this year, he got a Harley, so...

mandatory

Sturgis was surprising.  We did NOT go during the rally, so it was just a very normal small town.

It also has places like these, which we were happy to see, without experiencing the craziness of the rally.

Buffalo Chip

Full Throttle Saloon

delicious!

Emmett

Just next to Sturgis is Deadwood.  I'm absolutely addicted to the HBO show (SO good!).

downtown Deadwood

Mt. Moriah Cemetery

I love cemeteries (I know that's weird), and Wild Bill Hickok, Seth Bullock and Calamity Jane are all buried here.

Calamity Jane fascinates me

Afterwards, we rode through the Black Hills National Forest, stopping at Cheyenne Crossing for an Indian Taco (it was just ok, but apparently is the thing to do), into Spearfish Canyon.

Roughlock Falls

Just off the Spearfish Scenic Byway is the trail to Devil's Bathtub.

The trail is challenging, and requires crossing the stream several times - by balancing across a fallen tree, leaping from rock to rock (or wading through when you just don't care anymore) and sometimes by shimmying across a rock face by your fingernails.

Honestly, I wanted to quit several times.  It was scary!  How cool could it be?

pretty cool

very cool

At the end of every day, we would ask each other what had been the best part.  For both of us (even me!), this was the best part of the whole trip.  It was challenging and humbling and ultimately so rewarding.

The next morning, we went to downtown Rapid City, had a delicious breakfast at Tally's Silver Spoon (consistently ranked as the best breakfast in town) and walked through Art Alley.

The quote reads "It is better to be high-spirited even though one makes more mistakes, than to be narrow-minded and all too prudent."  

(I love that!)

We then headed to Custer State Park...

Sylvan Lake

view from the famous Needles Highway

out to see the Crazy Horse Memorial,

they have a long way to go

then took the gorgeous Iron Mountain Road...

right after we saw this guy we saw a whole herd,
but they're mean & scary so we didn't stop

to Mount Rushmore.

Some friends of mine were talking one day about the lighting ceremony at dusk, so that's when we went and the only word I can use to describe it is "emotional".

The next day we were ready to get off the motorcycle (300 miles in 2 days was enough for both of us), so we got in the truck and drove out to Wyoming...

to see the Devil's Tower.  

(Having seen Close Encounters of the Third Kind as a child, I couldn't help but find this creepy.)

We ended the night in the small town of Lead, known for having one of the best fireworks shows in the country.

The next day was the long drive home.  

On the way, we drove through the Badlands.  This was supposed to be a 1-hour drive along the scenic byway, but we ended up getting out several times for a better look.  

this place is very interesting

Luckily, neither of us had to work on Monday, because we'd spent so much time in the Badlands we had to stop for the night at midnight with almost 4 hours to go.

But, like everything through the whole trip, it was worth it.

Front Porch

I love having a front porch.  It was on my wish list when I was looking for a house.  With this house, I gave up fireplace for front porch.

A really big, really nice, really old Victorian a block away has a ceiling fan on their front porch.  When I saw it, I thought, "Wow. They must be really rich to have a ceiling fan outside".

Turns out, they are really rich, but a ceiling fan outside only costs about $100.

Don't tell anyone!

The best part was, I needed to have it professionally installed, and one day this past weekend I was driving down the street and saw a guy named Mark riding his bike.  I yelled out "Mark! Stop!".  He did, and I told him what I wanted to do. Two days later, it was done.

It's like that in a small town.

Funeral for a Friend

Almost three years ago, a friend's husband (who was one of those spouses of my friends who instantly became someone I considered my friend as well) was diagnosed with cancer.

As a family, they chose not to ask for a prognosis.  Instead, they would just live their life together as if they were going to both live forever and die tomorrow (because really, do any of us know?).

Unfortunately, this father of two young boys died last Saturday, the day before Father's Day.

On Friday morning, I attended his funeral, where someone read this quote, from Shawnee Indian war chief Tecumseh...

So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.

Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and

demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life,

beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.

Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a

friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all

people and grovel to none.

When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy

of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only

in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones

to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.

When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are

filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep

and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way.

Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.

Chief Tecumseh (Poem from Act of Valor)

Flipping Chicago

After a particularly grueling Memorial Day Weekend (4 events in 4 days), I spent my "weekend" (Tuesday & Wednesday) in Chicago, getting my rental unit ready for a new tenant.

After the three-hour drive from Iowa, the first order of business was lunch at Kopi A Travelers Cafe, and a brief walk around Andersonville. 

Candyality

Swedish Bakery

Brimfield

Brimfield

Brimfield

Yes, I like that Brimfield place (both the town in Massachusetts and the store in Chicago).

After a little spackle and touch-up paint, we took a break to see Far from the Madding Crowd, the story of a headstrong, independent women who refused to marry...

“Well, what I mean is that I shouldn't mind being a bride at a wedding, if I could be one without having a husband.” 

― Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd

(Me too, Bathsheba.)

Because...

“It appears that ordinary men take wives because possession is not possible without marriage, and that ordinary women accept husbands because marriage is not possible without possession” 

― Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd

(That is GOOD!)

The next morning, we had breakfast at A Taste of Heaven (another favorite), which was once (relatively) famous for a simple, wonderful sign.

After finishing the work on the apartment and turning over the keys to the new tenant, we did a little yarn shopping at Windy Knitty, where I purchased the pattern and red yarn to make the adorable Audrey in Unst, and stopped at the amazing Gethsemane Garden Center.

Next year, I'm going to plan ahead and take a bigger car.

Saving the Worst for Last

I started ripping up the carpet throughout the house almost two years ago.

(I took a lot of breaks.)

I had one room to go, and with the prospect of an available truck & trailer this weekend to haul it away, I decided to finally finish the job.

I am SO glad this was the last room I did or I probably wouldn't have done any of the others.

These floors were, by far, the worst in the house...

This is something I hadn't seen before.  What is that?!?  It looks like the top of a tin can, nailed to the  floor.

It is the top of a tin can, nailed to the floor.

The tin cans (yes, there are three!), are covering gouges in the floor - not all the gouges, though.  Some are still there...

Me?  I prefer the gouges to the tin cans.

The odd thing is, although these floors are in the worst condition, they instantly became my favorite floors in the house - they're SO old!  I love them!!!

Sunday

After working Saturday, and a meeting Sunday morning, I drove to Wisconsin for lunch and a barn dance (that's right).

It was pouring down rain when I left home, but luckily that ended, because...

new bike!

We went to lunch at Daniel's Lounge, a bar inside a motor sports shop (yes, really), then rode to Galena, where I paid way too much for a very small can of paint.

I've been intrigued by this Annie Sloan Chalk Paint stuff for a while, so decided to finally try it.  I was going to be practical and get white, but as soon as I saw all the colors (so many pretty colors!), I knew that wasn't going to happen.  I was drawn to Antoinette, a very pretty pale pink, so that's what I got.  Projects to follow!

We finally made it to the barn dance at Council Hill Station, but it was late and soon became a private concert.

So we went outside and watched a bunch of guys drive jeeps through the river.

(Yes, really.)

National Parks Week 2015

This year, National Parks Week runs from April 18 - 26.  I'd never even heard of National Parks Week until about a week ago, but once I did, I had to celebrate. 

The closest National Monument to me is Effigy Mounds, about 2 hours away.

I recruited my former "partner in wandering" (and ex-boyfriend), and we started with lunch at The Riverview Cafe in Guttenberg, Iowa.

how the Riverview gets its name

we were "on vacation"

Pikes Peak State Park is on the way to Effigy Mounds and has gorgeous views.  It rained pretty much every time we stepped outside the car.  It was miserable, but didn't stop us.

didn't stop this guy either

From the NPS website...  "The Late Woodland Period (1400-750 B.P.) along the Upper Mississippi River and extending east to Lake Michigan is associated with the culture known today as the Effigy Moundbuilders. The construction of effigy mounds was a regional cultural phenomenon. Mounds of earth in the shapes of birds, bear, deer, bison, lynx, turtle, panther or water spirit are the most common images. The Effigy Moundbuilders also built linear or long rectangular mounds that were used for ceremonial purposes that remain a mystery. Some archeologists believe they were built to mark celestial events or seasonal observances. Others speculate they were constructed as territorial markers or as boundaries between groups."

Whatever they are, they are fascinating!

Wet, cold and tired, we ended the day at the awesome Fort Mulligan's Grillpub in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. 

P.S. No, we are not back together (yet?).