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Friday, July 6, 2018

July Flies By

Sunday, July 1st
We usually go out for breakfast after church on Sunday,
but the kids thought the DQ was a better option.
(They did eat their "real food" first).
Monday was baking day:  Cecelia mixed up
the chocolate chip cookies.
Claire and Lydia worked on the cheesecake.
Made on July 2nd, all gone by the 4th!
Gramma hid some of these (cookies..not kids)
 in the freezer.
After the summer reading program at the library,
we went up to our camper at Lake Metigoshe.
The girls had some "lake time" before supper.
Then we went to the "Skinautiques" show
The girls jumped;
And the guys jumped.  It was a great show.
On the 4th, we were in the Lake Metigoshe parade!
I think there were more in the parade than watching!
Then we drove to Rugby and ate at the Coffee Cottage.
And watched the Rugby parade 
while filling our bags with candy. :-)
The pool was cool when we got home,
and so were the freezie pops at the after-pool party.
(They had pops after every pool party; this pic,
taken on the 2nd, was the best.)
Grampa was breaking down a swallow nest under the barn eave.
(Don't try this at home)
The girls, of course, had their ups and downs on the loader.
They also "helped" put the tractor away. :-)
After playing some tennis/pickleball in Rugby,
the girls decided to be "catty," so they
painted their faces. :-)

The girls had never been to Medora, ND,
so we called Jimmy and Kelly who
live only an hour or so from Medora,
and they met us there on July 8th.

We saw this pretty cool truck en route to Medora.
The plan was to meet Kelly at the Trapper's Kettle in Belfield
for lunch, but we arrived just after their electrical fire.  
So, we drove to Medora and ate at the Cowboy Cafe.
Andrew, Matthew, Kelly & Luke, Grace, 
Lydia, Cecelia, Claire, and half of Bob.
After checking in at the campground, Kelly took
the younger kids swimming. Andrew taught Diane
how to play "Texas Hold-em" before we
went to the museum to learn about Harold Schafer,
the creator of the Medora tourist town, 
the pitchfork fondue, and the musical.
Schafer made his money with Gold Seal products:
Glass wax, Snowy Bleach, and Mister Bubble among others.
The kids enjoyed the camp playground before supper.
Matthew and Luke swinging.  You can see the cabin
we had behind them.  Jimmy and Kelly and all seven kids
stayed there.  Bob and Diane (wisely) slept in the camper.
The cabin had two bedrooms, a loft, a double futon,
a bathroom with a shower, and an eating space plus a 
small deck with a table and a picnic table off the deck.
The girls slept (sort of) in the loft.
After the pitchfork fondue and hot dog dinner,
the kids climbed rocks before the musical at the
amphitheater behind them.
 Matthew (blue shirt), Claire, Cecelia, and Lydia
went onstage and received their own (plastic) 
microphones after learning some clog steps.
 Taking a bow....
 "Entertainment" during intermission
 Jimmy entertains himself....
Closing scene of the musical
Andrew, Matthew, Claire, Lydia, Cecelia, and Grace
"met" Sheriff Bear after the show.

July 9th..the morning after the night before...
 Just outside New Salem, ND, is the world's largest cow.
 Salem Sue got bigger as we got closer!
 Bob helped the kids "milk" the cow.
 "Udder nonsense"
 Bob and the girls decided to "go over the mountain" behind "Sue"
 But all that they could see was the other side of the mountain...
 Salem Sue's view of the kids and camper.
After lunch at the bottom of the hill,
we met Grandma and Papa Martin
and the kids went to spend some time with them.

Tuesday, July 17th, we drove to Pierre, South Dakota,
for the Germans from Russia Convention.
We discovered historic Pierre Street
 and attended a preview showing
of "Guys and Dolls" at the 
Community Theater (for $5.00)!
Bob wanted to see the Oahe Dam which was the largest
earth-filled dam in the US when it was constructed
in the fifties.  It is used to control the flow of the
Missouri River downstream.
 Cactus outside the Visitor Center at the dam
 Part of the dam's power and storage station
 We had a tour of the Cultural Center 
on Wednesday afternoon.

 The border between North and South Dakota
is marked by Quartzite posts every half mile.

 Before we left the Cultural Center, a storm blew through.
 While Bob attended meetings, Diane explored the city.
The State Capitol building was beautiful and is 
situated on 115 acres of developed park land.

 

The interior was all marble.  Downstairs was a display
honoring the wives of all the Governors and each 
had a small replica of the gown she wore for inauguration.
 Dueling horse memorial to the Governor and
seven others who  died in a plane crash.
The memorial was created by Korczak Zilkowski
who designed the Crazy Horse monument
in the Black Hills.
 Around Capitol Lake were memorials
to all the men and women who died in 
service to our country.
 Each step is dedicated to a particular 
branch of the military
 This memorial was for the police, firefighters,
and others who died serving the state of South Dakota.
 Memorial fountain
 The Governor's home along the lake
View of the Capitol from across the lake

On the way back from Pierre, we stopped to see the 
Lawrence Welk homestead.  Since we were there a
couple of  years ago, the family has sold the home to the state.
 I forgot to take a pic of the house, but this is a view from the yard.
One of the buildings was used to tell the history
of the Germans from Russia


 After playing pickleball in Maddock on Monday morning,
I attacked my garden.  
These are the "first fruits of the harvest." :-)
For Bob's birthday, we went to see the musical,
"Route 66" at the Frostfire theater.
I didn't make a cake, so I put a candle
in his piece of rhubarb pie and sang
"Happy Birthday" 
Bob--far court--closing out the month 
playing pickleball at Lake Metigoshe.

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