Remember the dilemma of Jorgan's lost birth certificate? He found it!
Safe and sound in his back pack.
I asked if I could borrow it and take it back to the court house to show the gal I had talked to earlier and to ask if she can update the info. This person had asked if I was married when Jorgan
was born and gave me the news that Ellis's name was not on the certificate.
When I took the paper to the desk and explained why I was there the gal that was working that
day said, "I am not the person you talked to last time, but I remember when you were here."
She looked at the paper and said, "I doubt if you got this paper here. It doesn't have a seal on it. And this isn't a birth certificate. It is a certificate of live birth."
I turned the paper over and showed her the date stamped on the back and the name of the
court house I was standing in at that moment and the seal embossed on the paper.
"Oh!" she said. "Hmm!"
She turned it over and looked at Ellis's name and place of birth all filled in at the right spots.
"This looks like it was typed in later. The typing is different than the rest of the document."
You can imagine the feeling of (yes, I will be brave and call it what it was)
anger that swept over me.
"I can assure you that I did not type this name in," was what I managed to say.
"Oh no, I'm not saying you did. And anyway, this is not something we can fix here.
You'll have to call the state and explain what happened and they will fix it for you.
If they say it is a mistake on their part you won't have to pay the $40.00 to get your
husband's name on the certificate."
I imagined a whole morning sitting on the phone waiting for someone to talk to about
the situation. And how could I prove anything over the phone?
All my fears and worries were not needed.
I got a real person when I dialed the number. She listened to my explanation.
She took my phone number and said she would call back. In about an hour or so
I got a phone call from the same lady. She said she had looked up the information
and now my husband's name, Ellis Harshbarger, was on the birth certificate.
The interesting thing about this is she hadn't asked me my husband's name.
So it was there the whole time and someone had made a mistake somewhere along the way.
The other interesting thing is you can get a passport with that paper that says
"Certificate of Live Birth" at the top.
That's all the birth certificate some of us have . . . those of us that were born way back in the
olden days. Mine is printed on green paper and says I was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
So hang on to those old papers and maybe keep them in a fire proof safe.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Saturday, January 7, 2017
South Dakota
Usually when we drive across South Dakota it is dark. Like Monday evening November 14th at 11:30 p.m. Krysta and I were feverishly packing for the great hunting/camping trip. I was getting crankier by the minute until Krysta said, "Did you eat any supper?"
This was a reversal of roles. I remember times when Krysta would moan and cry and be an extreme nuisance until suddenly I'd realize . . . this poor child has not had lunch (or supper) as the case may be.
It's amazing how calm she'd become when I sat her down and put food in front of her. After a few minutes of inhaling the meal she would be a different child, happy and contented, trotting off to play with her dolls. This evening she recognized someone who is "hungry and tired and cross."
We sat down and ate a midnight snack and felt much better. We were expecting a call from Evan and Chelsea any minute saying they were on the way to pick us up. We'd be loading our supplies and then be on the way to Diamond Butte Lookout.
When they arrived we started packing under and around Evan's wheel chair. Chelsea took one look at all of the stuff and said, "I don't think we're going to get this all in." But she set to work like a pro and got most of it in. We weeded out anything that was unnecessary. We started traveling with the knowledge that to stop at a rest area we would have to unpack everything to get Evan's wheel chair out.
Some of us fell asleep. Evan and Chelsea had taken naps so they kept each other awake. (They said I snored.) I slept through South Dakota and didn't see much until the sun was rising Tuesday morning, November 15th.
We got around unpacking the car by stopping at Walmart. Chelsea buzzed in and borrowed the motorized shopping cart. She arrived at the driver's side of the car, Evan opened his door and transferred to the cart and rode in style to the rest room.
Ellis had suggested that we stock up on groceries at the last Walmart before the wilderness. Where were we going to put these groceries? We were already squashed in with luggage at our feet and on our laps and on the seat between Krysta and me, besides the luggage packed floor to ceiling behind us around the wheel chair.
We arranged to meet the guys at Broadus where we could shuffle supplies. Finally, Evan could get his wheel chair out and be mobile again. We were stopping there already so Evan could buy his hunting license. The prices at the little grocery store were comparable to Walmart so we stocked up there and continued on our way to the lookout. Somehow the thought of going back over all those miles was too unpleasant to even consider. We were so ready to get there and let the party begin!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday December 8th was a day trip. We got to see all those signs advertising Wall Drug and Mt. Rushmore. When we got close to Pierre, South Dakota I saw a sign for Bad River. That tickled me since it reminded me of an article in an old Reader's Digest. This story told how to keep humor in your day. One example was of a nurse who was being run ragged by her patients. The last straw happened when a guy turned on his light during supper. When she came to his room to find out the trouble he told her the potato on his plate was bad. She picked up the potato, spanked it and said, "Bad potato, bad potato, bad, bad, bad!" The grumpy guy was so startled that he began to laugh. This little incident cleared the air of tension and good humor was restored.
I suppose the nurse would get in trouble these days. How many questions would come up? Did she have gloves on? Is this how she treats her children at home? etc. etc. Let me just say - it was a really old Reader's Digest.
We turned off the main road and drove seventeen miles on a gravel road to Cherry Creek, South Dakota. We had just enough time to change and head over to the little country church for the school
program. It was an amazing evening! The teachers and students poured their hearts into the songs and verses. There was a little play featuring Joseph and Mary and baby Jesus in the manger. There was an angel to narrate and the animals in the stable took turns telling about that long ago night. There was a chance to visit afterwards and hot chocolate and goodies were served.
On Friday we delivered Christmas bundles. We travelled over the prairies on miles of gravel roads. Pulling in and out of ranch yards, bumping over cattle guards at the ends of each lane reminded me of Mary O'Hara's books My Friend Flicka, Thunderhead, and Green Grass of Wyoming. These books are set in Wyoming but the wide open spaces and huge skies are similar everywhere in the west.
The other thought that kept going through my mind was this verse, Psalm 50:10, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." We saw horses and cattle all over those hills, munching the crisp grass that poked up through the snow.
At one stop a lady motioned us inside and offered us cookies and coffee and conversation. We sat around the table with Ann* and her rancher husband of 50+ years. Her eyes lit up when we told her we are from Minnesota. She also grew up in Minnesota. She came out here to teach Summer Bible School years ago. She also went to Bible School in Three Hills, Alberta. This was a connection as well. Years ago when my sisters and I were growing up we got a monthly magazine called Young Pilot that was printed in Three Hills, Alberta. There were short stories and puzzles and a continued story in those little magazines. Ann had planned to be a missionary to a far away place, but she was asked to teach school in South Dakota. The rest is history. It is so much fun to meet friends and connect immediately.
The evening ended with a cold walk up a steep hill, then back to the *Coffee Shoppe* for coffee or tea or hot chocolate and more conversation.
- to be continued
* name changed
This was a reversal of roles. I remember times when Krysta would moan and cry and be an extreme nuisance until suddenly I'd realize . . . this poor child has not had lunch (or supper) as the case may be.
It's amazing how calm she'd become when I sat her down and put food in front of her. After a few minutes of inhaling the meal she would be a different child, happy and contented, trotting off to play with her dolls. This evening she recognized someone who is "hungry and tired and cross."
We sat down and ate a midnight snack and felt much better. We were expecting a call from Evan and Chelsea any minute saying they were on the way to pick us up. We'd be loading our supplies and then be on the way to Diamond Butte Lookout.
When they arrived we started packing under and around Evan's wheel chair. Chelsea took one look at all of the stuff and said, "I don't think we're going to get this all in." But she set to work like a pro and got most of it in. We weeded out anything that was unnecessary. We started traveling with the knowledge that to stop at a rest area we would have to unpack everything to get Evan's wheel chair out.
Some of us fell asleep. Evan and Chelsea had taken naps so they kept each other awake. (They said I snored.) I slept through South Dakota and didn't see much until the sun was rising Tuesday morning, November 15th.
We got around unpacking the car by stopping at Walmart. Chelsea buzzed in and borrowed the motorized shopping cart. She arrived at the driver's side of the car, Evan opened his door and transferred to the cart and rode in style to the rest room.
Ellis had suggested that we stock up on groceries at the last Walmart before the wilderness. Where were we going to put these groceries? We were already squashed in with luggage at our feet and on our laps and on the seat between Krysta and me, besides the luggage packed floor to ceiling behind us around the wheel chair.
We arranged to meet the guys at Broadus where we could shuffle supplies. Finally, Evan could get his wheel chair out and be mobile again. We were stopping there already so Evan could buy his hunting license. The prices at the little grocery store were comparable to Walmart so we stocked up there and continued on our way to the lookout. Somehow the thought of going back over all those miles was too unpleasant to even consider. We were so ready to get there and let the party begin!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday December 8th was a day trip. We got to see all those signs advertising Wall Drug and Mt. Rushmore. When we got close to Pierre, South Dakota I saw a sign for Bad River. That tickled me since it reminded me of an article in an old Reader's Digest. This story told how to keep humor in your day. One example was of a nurse who was being run ragged by her patients. The last straw happened when a guy turned on his light during supper. When she came to his room to find out the trouble he told her the potato on his plate was bad. She picked up the potato, spanked it and said, "Bad potato, bad potato, bad, bad, bad!" The grumpy guy was so startled that he began to laugh. This little incident cleared the air of tension and good humor was restored.
I suppose the nurse would get in trouble these days. How many questions would come up? Did she have gloves on? Is this how she treats her children at home? etc. etc. Let me just say - it was a really old Reader's Digest.
We turned off the main road and drove seventeen miles on a gravel road to Cherry Creek, South Dakota. We had just enough time to change and head over to the little country church for the school
program. It was an amazing evening! The teachers and students poured their hearts into the songs and verses. There was a little play featuring Joseph and Mary and baby Jesus in the manger. There was an angel to narrate and the animals in the stable took turns telling about that long ago night. There was a chance to visit afterwards and hot chocolate and goodies were served.
On Friday we delivered Christmas bundles. We travelled over the prairies on miles of gravel roads. Pulling in and out of ranch yards, bumping over cattle guards at the ends of each lane reminded me of Mary O'Hara's books My Friend Flicka, Thunderhead, and Green Grass of Wyoming. These books are set in Wyoming but the wide open spaces and huge skies are similar everywhere in the west.
The other thought that kept going through my mind was this verse, Psalm 50:10, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." We saw horses and cattle all over those hills, munching the crisp grass that poked up through the snow.
At one stop a lady motioned us inside and offered us cookies and coffee and conversation. We sat around the table with Ann* and her rancher husband of 50+ years. Her eyes lit up when we told her we are from Minnesota. She also grew up in Minnesota. She came out here to teach Summer Bible School years ago. She also went to Bible School in Three Hills, Alberta. This was a connection as well. Years ago when my sisters and I were growing up we got a monthly magazine called Young Pilot that was printed in Three Hills, Alberta. There were short stories and puzzles and a continued story in those little magazines. Ann had planned to be a missionary to a far away place, but she was asked to teach school in South Dakota. The rest is history. It is so much fun to meet friends and connect immediately.
The evening ended with a cold walk up a steep hill, then back to the *Coffee Shoppe* for coffee or tea or hot chocolate and more conversation.
- to be continued
* name changed
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Happy New Year!
Well, that was a very long vacation in which I wrote nothing . . . no blog posts, nothing in my journal, no Christmas letters, not even any sermon notes to speak of. We had church canceled two Sundays in a row and we were gone another weekend. That means we spent one Sunday at our little white church on the prairie in the month of December.
December began with Tuba Christmas on the first Saturday of the month. It was held at the historic Paramount Theatre in Austin MN and I missed it this year which makes me very sad.
On the first Sunday of December Mrs. Jakobson's students presented a Christmas Piano Concert. Krysta and I attended that and loved it after missing a couple years. Visiting with parents and nibbling delicious Christmas cookies ended the afternoon event.
On the first Tuesday the ladies at the Baptist Church host a Christmas Tea Party. We listened to beautiful music then moved to the basement for a real Tea complete with dainty sandwiches, salad, cookies, tea (of course) and coffee for the Norwegians among us. White tablecloths and lovely table settings along with soft lighting gave an enchanted feeling to the room.
We packed our bags and headed to Cherry Creek SD on the 8th of December. We were part of a group from our church that visited the little mission church there. We hand delivered Christmas bundles Friday and Saturday, traveling many miles over gravel roads to ranches in that area and
some small towns.
Some high lights to remember - the Christmas Program given by the school children, climbing *Holy Hill* that overlooks the town of Cherry Creek, Coffee Shoppe Friday evening when neighbors came from miles around to play games, visit, color, do word searches and sip coffee or tea or hot chocolate. (The girls had another name for this but it slips from my memory just now.) I will put in Coffee Shoppe until someone corrects me or I find the paper with the real name written on it. We had a good time getting to know new friends and old.
The drive home Sunday afternoon/evening was memorable as well. The closer we got to MN the more snow we saw. Winter arrived in our absence.
Krysta flew to Spokane WA on the 13th. Deanne picked her up at the airport. Here is where we began to spend quite a bit of time on the phone txting to find out arrival times and just checking in with family. Krysta went to school with Deanne and met her students. They got to have some quality sister time as well with all the traveling from western MT to MN. They started out the 16th after school was finished for the day. They were all packed and drove east towards Jeremy and Liz's place.
The girls ended up staying there Saturday and Sunday then traveled home Monday, the 19th. While they were in MT they missed out on the school program here and also the youth banquet. We had Christmas caroling on the evening of the 22nd. We had a snowstorm on the 23rd. Brunch/lunch with Evan and Chelsea on the 24th. Christmas Day church was canceled but we drove to our friends for lunch. We spent the evening with my mom then made lefse and Swedish meatballs for supper Monday evening. Jorgan and Zoey arrived later that evening and we opened gifts and took many pictures for Jeremy and Liz.
Tuesday we rented the local township hall and went over there to play games and make pizza. It has been a little while since I've heard the Pit game being played. That used to be me yelling at the top of my lungs trying to make myself heard. hmmm!
We had a couple days to slowly wind down before Deanne left for the west on Friday the 30th.
How can the days go by so fast? We still didn't get a family picture of all of us together at the same time. So I will have to do a collage of pictures and hopefully get them printed and sent out to friends and family before many more days - weeks - months pass.
That's just a quick run down of December. Krysta and I yelled "Happy New Year!" to each other from our beds when the clock struck 12:00 New Year's Eve, waking up Ellis for a moment and then we all settled down for a long winter's nap.
December began with Tuba Christmas on the first Saturday of the month. It was held at the historic Paramount Theatre in Austin MN and I missed it this year which makes me very sad.
On the first Sunday of December Mrs. Jakobson's students presented a Christmas Piano Concert. Krysta and I attended that and loved it after missing a couple years. Visiting with parents and nibbling delicious Christmas cookies ended the afternoon event.
On the first Tuesday the ladies at the Baptist Church host a Christmas Tea Party. We listened to beautiful music then moved to the basement for a real Tea complete with dainty sandwiches, salad, cookies, tea (of course) and coffee for the Norwegians among us. White tablecloths and lovely table settings along with soft lighting gave an enchanted feeling to the room.
We packed our bags and headed to Cherry Creek SD on the 8th of December. We were part of a group from our church that visited the little mission church there. We hand delivered Christmas bundles Friday and Saturday, traveling many miles over gravel roads to ranches in that area and
some small towns.
Some high lights to remember - the Christmas Program given by the school children, climbing *Holy Hill* that overlooks the town of Cherry Creek, Coffee Shoppe Friday evening when neighbors came from miles around to play games, visit, color, do word searches and sip coffee or tea or hot chocolate. (The girls had another name for this but it slips from my memory just now.) I will put in Coffee Shoppe until someone corrects me or I find the paper with the real name written on it. We had a good time getting to know new friends and old.
The drive home Sunday afternoon/evening was memorable as well. The closer we got to MN the more snow we saw. Winter arrived in our absence.
Krysta flew to Spokane WA on the 13th. Deanne picked her up at the airport. Here is where we began to spend quite a bit of time on the phone txting to find out arrival times and just checking in with family. Krysta went to school with Deanne and met her students. They got to have some quality sister time as well with all the traveling from western MT to MN. They started out the 16th after school was finished for the day. They were all packed and drove east towards Jeremy and Liz's place.
The girls ended up staying there Saturday and Sunday then traveled home Monday, the 19th. While they were in MT they missed out on the school program here and also the youth banquet. We had Christmas caroling on the evening of the 22nd. We had a snowstorm on the 23rd. Brunch/lunch with Evan and Chelsea on the 24th. Christmas Day church was canceled but we drove to our friends for lunch. We spent the evening with my mom then made lefse and Swedish meatballs for supper Monday evening. Jorgan and Zoey arrived later that evening and we opened gifts and took many pictures for Jeremy and Liz.
Tuesday we rented the local township hall and went over there to play games and make pizza. It has been a little while since I've heard the Pit game being played. That used to be me yelling at the top of my lungs trying to make myself heard. hmmm!
We had a couple days to slowly wind down before Deanne left for the west on Friday the 30th.
How can the days go by so fast? We still didn't get a family picture of all of us together at the same time. So I will have to do a collage of pictures and hopefully get them printed and sent out to friends and family before many more days - weeks - months pass.
That's just a quick run down of December. Krysta and I yelled "Happy New Year!" to each other from our beds when the clock struck 12:00 New Year's Eve, waking up Ellis for a moment and then we all settled down for a long winter's nap.
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Supper
Yes, I fell asleep when I was wading through all of the entries written in that log.
Besides celebrating the Holidays, Hunters, Hikers and a couple on their Honeymoon stopped here.
People brought pets and children. Everyone had a grand time!
Unless the disgruntled folks didn't write their thoughts down for others to read.
I suppose that could be possible.
When I woke up from my nap I made chicken and dumplings for supper using a recipe from my
Mennonite Community Cookbook.
After dark the hunters came back to camp. It was getting cold and windy. The guys moved one bed out of the wall tent and moved a table in. Some of us sat next to the wood stove and others crowded around the table.
The forecast was for snow. . . and wind.
We were thankful for a wall tent and heat inside it. (a wood stove cuter than a bug's ear and it really works! also a propane heater) There were wooden beds up off the ground with foam mattresses, pillows, sleeping bags and blankets for warmth.
Up in the *castle* the princesses had a propane heater that kept the room toasty warm even though the wind howled around the corners.
As I write I am thankful for Chili Soup and an onion and cheese sandwich for my supper tonight.
This reminds me of my dad who always made himself an onion sandwich when he had a cold.
Let me tell you!
A whopper of a cold caught up to me with all of the travelling
we've done in the last two weeks.
Vitamin C and onion sandwiches to the rescue!
November 16, 2016
Besides celebrating the Holidays, Hunters, Hikers and a couple on their Honeymoon stopped here.
People brought pets and children. Everyone had a grand time!
Unless the disgruntled folks didn't write their thoughts down for others to read.
I suppose that could be possible.
When I woke up from my nap I made chicken and dumplings for supper using a recipe from my
Mennonite Community Cookbook.
After dark the hunters came back to camp. It was getting cold and windy. The guys moved one bed out of the wall tent and moved a table in. Some of us sat next to the wood stove and others crowded around the table.
The forecast was for snow. . . and wind.
We were thankful for a wall tent and heat inside it. (a wood stove cuter than a bug's ear and it really works! also a propane heater) There were wooden beds up off the ground with foam mattresses, pillows, sleeping bags and blankets for warmth.
Up in the *castle* the princesses had a propane heater that kept the room toasty warm even though the wind howled around the corners.
As I write I am thankful for Chili Soup and an onion and cheese sandwich for my supper tonight.
This reminds me of my dad who always made himself an onion sandwich when he had a cold.
Let me tell you!
A whopper of a cold caught up to me with all of the travelling
we've done in the last two weeks.
Vitamin C and onion sandwiches to the rescue!
November 16, 2016
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Solitude
What a gift! A whole day to myself - in a lookout - at the top of a butte.
Everyone else went hunting. I watched two pick-up trucks drive away and thought about what I wanted to do first. At the top of the list was reading *The Log* we had found on the shelf, several stacks of yellow lined pages stapled together, mixed up with maps and books. They dated back to 2010.
Before that luxury I wanted to bake a cake. It is very distracting to look at the panoramic view out the windows while trying to concentrate on the recipe for Jiffy Feather Chocolate Cake. I didn't bring the recipe because I know it by heart. As I gathered the ingredients and cleared a working space I heard clomp clomp clomp on the wooden steps outside the door.
I looked out the window. A man looked in and said, "Do you work here?"
I couldn't hear him but I could read his lips. I opened the door and stepped out.
"Hi! We are renting this place for four days."
"What? You can rent this place? That's great!"
"Yeah, my husband found the info online and reserved it for this week."
He looked out across the countryside. "This would be great to bring the wife and kids out here!"
We agreed that it is pretty awesome. He asked what is provided and I told him about the fridge,
stove, heater and lights all ran by propane.
"Just look up *Diamond Butte Lookout* online and it will tell you everything you need to know."
- - - - - - -
After the cake was in the oven I curled up to read the papers that tell the history of the lookout.
It was fascinating to read where people came from. Some from as far away as Spain and Finland.
Pack rats and mice came to visit and bother the guests. When one couple went hiking they met up with a rattle snake.
Descriptions of the scenery and the weather took up a lot of space.
The climb up the bluff was a challenge for everyone.
I found out what food was prepared and served.
People stay at all times of the year celebrating every major holiday from New Year's Day around the year to Christmas and the eve of a new year.
Some tales told about arriving after dark and struggling to open the gate using the code you are given.
Another whole set of stories tell of struggles to keep the pilot lit on the heater.
There have been new windows installed and maybe some insulation, too, because we had no troubles with the wind blowing out the pilot.
November 16, 2016
Everyone else went hunting. I watched two pick-up trucks drive away and thought about what I wanted to do first. At the top of the list was reading *The Log* we had found on the shelf, several stacks of yellow lined pages stapled together, mixed up with maps and books. They dated back to 2010.
Before that luxury I wanted to bake a cake. It is very distracting to look at the panoramic view out the windows while trying to concentrate on the recipe for Jiffy Feather Chocolate Cake. I didn't bring the recipe because I know it by heart. As I gathered the ingredients and cleared a working space I heard clomp clomp clomp on the wooden steps outside the door.
I looked out the window. A man looked in and said, "Do you work here?"
I couldn't hear him but I could read his lips. I opened the door and stepped out.
"Hi! We are renting this place for four days."
"What? You can rent this place? That's great!"
"Yeah, my husband found the info online and reserved it for this week."
He looked out across the countryside. "This would be great to bring the wife and kids out here!"
We agreed that it is pretty awesome. He asked what is provided and I told him about the fridge,
stove, heater and lights all ran by propane.
"Just look up *Diamond Butte Lookout* online and it will tell you everything you need to know."
- - - - - - -
After the cake was in the oven I curled up to read the papers that tell the history of the lookout.
It was fascinating to read where people came from. Some from as far away as Spain and Finland.
Pack rats and mice came to visit and bother the guests. When one couple went hiking they met up with a rattle snake.
Descriptions of the scenery and the weather took up a lot of space.
The climb up the bluff was a challenge for everyone.
I found out what food was prepared and served.
People stay at all times of the year celebrating every major holiday from New Year's Day around the year to Christmas and the eve of a new year.
Some tales told about arriving after dark and struggling to open the gate using the code you are given.
Another whole set of stories tell of struggles to keep the pilot lit on the heater.
There have been new windows installed and maybe some insulation, too, because we had no troubles with the wind blowing out the pilot.
November 16, 2016
Friday, November 25, 2016
Diamond Butte Lookout
“Rapunzel! Rapunzel! Let down your golden hair!” These were
my thoughts as I climbed the hill to the lookout that would be our home for the
next four days. Jeremy and Liz got there ahead of us and opened up the gate and
turned on the propane for the cook stove, fridge, lights and heater. Liz sent a
txt that said, “I feel like a princess!”
Elizabeth, our daughter-in-law with golden hair, waved at us
from the deck. With much huffing and puffing we hauled our food supplies,
cooking utensils, clothes and sleeping bags up the steep incline. The elevation
is over 4000 feet at Diamond Butte Lookout. Before the week was over we were
all wishing for a lift of some kind. All the wishing in the world did not
produce an easier way to reach the sturdy room perched on top of this section of the world.
At some point in time this was a lookout for spotting fires.
Now the Custer National Forest Service rents it out four days at a time to adventurous people. The very first thing to be done is cook lunch/supper while the guys unpack
and set up the wall tent and the bunk beds. A little wood stove is set up to
heat the tent. The guys cut some firewood in case it turns cold.
Liz, Chelsea, Krysta and I have the lookout for our bedroom.
This room is square, 16ft x 16ft and has windows for walls. The door opens into
the corner of the room. A table and a twin bed line the south wall. One cot is
set up along the west wall. There is just enough room for the third cot to be
set up with the head end by the window and stretching into the middle of the
room. We had blue mats stacked on top of each other to make the fourth bed on the floor.
Sleeping bags, fuzzy blankets and soft pillows add finishing touches to our
sleeping quarters.
On the east side there is a refrigerator, cook stove,
cabinet and a low coffee table piled high with our kitchen supplies. We really have brought everything but the kitchen sink this time. The fire finder stands in the very center of
the room. It is now used as a book shelf and holds maps, books and the log book.
Guests can write down their experiences to help newcomers know what to expect.
The very first morning we had a scrumptious egg bake made by
Liz. I learned the fine art of making coffee in a French coffee press. We took the food, hot from the oven, down the side of the bluff to the waiting men. The ones who didn't care for onions and peppers dished up their food out of one pan. The rest of us had a pan all to ourselves with yummy onions and peppers mixed into the egg bake.
It is the middle of November! What a gorgeous autumn day!
November 15, 2016
November 15, 2016
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Hunting Trip 2016
So, if a family has two nearly identical vehicles
(one is white and the other is forest green but otherwise identical)
and keeps one for spare parts to repair the other
it is a good idea to keep track of the paper work
and not rush off and buy tabs for the license plates of the parts vehicle
(and insurance too)
then notice that the numbers and letters on the license plate don't match
the numbers and letters on the paper/cab card.
Fortunately, we discovered this before we stuck the new tabs on the wrong license plate.
There is always, always, always something to be
thankful for
(quoting from a motto hanging in the home of a dear friend.)
Ellis transferred the insurance to the right van and endured some teasing from our insurance agent. Then he drove straight to the DVS office and found they were closed for Veterans Day. This caused some anxious moments because he is/was planning to leave on a hunting trip tomorrow morning bright and early.
After some phone calls Ellis found an office that was open. Krysta and I made a quick, unexpected run to Rochester and spent more hard earned $$$$'s to get the right tabs for the right van.
As Laura's Ma said many times, "All's well that ends well."
Ellis has been burning the candle at both ends the past few days getting ready. He worked on the van and he built bunk beds to put in the wall tent the guys are sleeping in. Now comes the job of fitting everything in the van so he can drive to MT tomorrow. Maybe he will need to pull a small trailer.
Here comes the surprise! Krysta and I took off work and we are heading out to join the hunters - leaving in the early morning hours Tuesday - between midnight and 1:00 A.M (If all goes as planned)
This marks the beginning of the story. This was written late last evening, November 11th.
I forgot to click on the word *Publish* so this didn't get posted until Saturday morning.
Ellis and Jorgan are on the way MT.
(to be continued)
(one is white and the other is forest green but otherwise identical)
and keeps one for spare parts to repair the other
it is a good idea to keep track of the paper work
and not rush off and buy tabs for the license plates of the parts vehicle
(and insurance too)
then notice that the numbers and letters on the license plate don't match
the numbers and letters on the paper/cab card.
Fortunately, we discovered this before we stuck the new tabs on the wrong license plate.
There is always, always, always something to be
thankful for
(quoting from a motto hanging in the home of a dear friend.)
Ellis transferred the insurance to the right van and endured some teasing from our insurance agent. Then he drove straight to the DVS office and found they were closed for Veterans Day. This caused some anxious moments because he is/was planning to leave on a hunting trip tomorrow morning bright and early.
After some phone calls Ellis found an office that was open. Krysta and I made a quick, unexpected run to Rochester and spent more hard earned $$$$'s to get the right tabs for the right van.
As Laura's Ma said many times, "All's well that ends well."
Ellis has been burning the candle at both ends the past few days getting ready. He worked on the van and he built bunk beds to put in the wall tent the guys are sleeping in. Now comes the job of fitting everything in the van so he can drive to MT tomorrow. Maybe he will need to pull a small trailer.
Here comes the surprise! Krysta and I took off work and we are heading out to join the hunters - leaving in the early morning hours Tuesday - between midnight and 1:00 A.M (If all goes as planned)
This marks the beginning of the story. This was written late last evening, November 11th.
I forgot to click on the word *Publish* so this didn't get posted until Saturday morning.
Ellis and Jorgan are on the way MT.
(to be continued)
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