For the second year, we participated with our Cub Scout pack in the Wreaths Across America event at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery. There were many volunteers and family members there to lend a hand.
The boys and I helped lay wreaths on the headstones
including Brad's father.
Brad takes pride in his food art. It used to be a way to get the boys to eat (as opposed to my method - "Just eat it!").
I've been a sewing fiend lately, getting ready for Halloween. I enjoy sewing costumes because the stakes are low - they don't need to be perfect or very durable. They turned out great, and the boys loved them.
Here are this year's jack-o-lanterns. (Connor, Dylan, mine, Brad) This was the first year that Dylan carved his own pumpkin, and he managed to keep all his fingers intact. I love carving pumpkins!
Second graders at NR study a pioneers unit, including creating a vegetable critter. Connor (pioneer name Tom Baker) was very pleased with the result of his.
We made it out to Papa's Pumpkin Patch for an afternoon of the usual fun with haybales, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin chuckin', and pumpkin shopping. I love this fall tradition.
This year is a milestone birthday for me. We never have parties, so I wanted to throw a big one for this.
Marcy offered to make cupcakes, and she even set them up on a tiered display. They looked so good that people didn't want to eat them.
They really were delicious, with a Hershey Kiss baked into each one. Brilliant touch.
Brad set up a sound system and dance floor in the garage. How awesome is that?!
It was a beautiful fall evening, and we all ended up sitting around the fire pit.
Over 40 family, friends, and neighbors came - I was thrilled and honored.
The latest installment in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon arrived today. Yippee!
We had the upstairs windows replaced this month, nine in all. The living room window is very long, and this was a crazy sight - an enormous, gaping hole in the front of our house.
This was a portion of the oak trim that I stained and varnished for the new windows. After a coat of stain and three coats of varnish, I got pretty good at it by the end.
Here's the whole neighborhood gang getting ready for the walk to school - grades K through 6.
They were devastated to arrive at NR and discover that their "meeting tree" had been cut down!
Connor - 2nd grade
Dylan - 5th grade
The stars aligned, and we took a family vacation to the Black Hills! The last time I was there was about 1982. Things have changed a lot since then.
We stopped in Medora on the way down and saw the musical. The featured act was a troupe of Chinese acrobats. They were truly incredible; unfortunately, my camera battery died before they went on, so I have no pictures.
Our first stop the next day was at the Mount Rushmore National Monument. It was foggy and rainy and kinda cool to be in the clouds.
The Monument has a beautiful viewing terrace and ampitheater, where there is a nightly short program.
We took a side trip up to Rapid City and the South Dakota Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth Air Force Base.
We got to tour the Minuteman Missile Silo. The site was once a training facility, and it was very interesting.
The kids' favorite part of the trip was The Cosmos. It's a cheesy tourist trap, with all kinds of gravity- and physics-defying exhibits. It just made me nauseous.
My favorite part of the trip was a complete surprise. We almost didn't even stop there, but I'm so glad we did because it was wonderful! The President's Tramway in Keystone is a chairlift up to a beautiful mountaintop garden.
In the middle of the garden, there is a little outdoor cafe with burgers on the grill and a gorgeous view of the Monument.
Connor and I rode the chairlift back down the mountain, but Brad and Dylan took the Alpine Slide down.
Brad as George.
Dylan as George.
Connor as George.
At the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, the boys got to assist our tour guide with her props. Here's Dylan holding a replica of a mammoth jaw bone.
Here's Connor with a replica of a mammoth leg bone.
This is my favorite photo from the entire trip.
Bison in Wind Cave National Park.
Several mules were blocking the road, and this bold one sauntered up and licked the side of our vehicle.
This is a side view of the Monument on the way down the mountain. A fitting final photo from our trip and for this entry.
Brad has taught at the BPS 5th grade band camp for many years, but this year Dylan was there, too. Brad had about 30 drummers all together. Here he is directing the entire band at the concert. They sounded pretty good for only 8 days of camp.
Dylan is easy to spot with his pink hair.
