On the Road again!!

Right on schedule Thursday morning we gave the Cabin one last check, locked it all up and hit the road. We departed at 0730 on a beautiful morning with hardly a cloud in the sky. We had a nice easy trip, 410 miles to the same place we stopped last year, the Great Platte River Road Archway on I-80 near Kearney, Nebraska. This is a wonderful place to spend the night. They welcome RV’s and trucks for overnight parking and we had it mostly all to ourselves.  The Arch was closed when we arrived but it opened at 9am the next morning.  We wanted Gregg and Bonnie to see this wonderful exhibit so we waited for them to take the tour.  It is truly a great stop…



Ms. Megabyte2 stretches her legs after a long travel day.  It was a gorgeous evening and we all rested well....the heavy traffic from the Interstate right next to us didn’t bother us one bit.




I had a new toy to play with this trip.  This is my new Silverleaf Electronic Engine Monitor.  It sure gives you a lot of information about what is going on with that big Cummins engine.   It is a special cable that you purchase that connects to your engine computer and then to a laptop on the dash. A lot of our friends have one and I have been wanting one for a while. The software is a free download and you can arrange the gauges on the screen any way you want… Neat!!

Friday shortly after noon we pulled into the Lancaster Event Center in Lincoln, got all parked and soon headed over to Ann’s place for Happy Hour! How great it is to see her again, as usual. It seems that Scott should be here, but he isn’t. Some of the memories are painful but God gives both Ms Pat and I the strength to get through it and I know he is in Heaven smiling down upon us.

Saturday was a big day.  Just happens that they are having a GUN SHOW here at the Event Center this weekend.  WOW! How lucky can you get.  We took in the Gun Show for a couple hours, then headed on over to Ann’s to help her with some chores she needed to get done before winter set in… like get her SNOW BLOWER running again.  I’m happy to say, it started right up!! Gregg and I worked hard but we got a lot accomplished and then sat back and enjoyed a fine meal that Ann and Ms. Pat prepared.  We finished eating just in time to watch the BIG RED vs. Wisconsin football game on TV.  During the half, we hurried back to the RV and went to sleep watching the 2nd half.  Sounds like it was a good game and even better when I discovered that Big Red won!!

Today is the big day for me. I will be seeing the twin Great Granddaughters!!!   Ms. Pat couldn’t wait so she and Ann ran over to Shala’s yesterday while Gregg and I worked on Ann's place. She said they were beautiful babies.  She got to hold them and play with them for a little while.  I can hardly wait.  Remember I promised you a picture of me holding them both.  I’m so excited, I haven’t held a little baby for years and years….and now I get to hold TWO!!

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thanks for stopping by. Tomorrow we will head on towards Little Rock and should be there by Tuesday afternoon…….

See ya Wednesday!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

Buffalo Roundup 2012

Monday was the annual Buffalo Roundup in Custer State Park. So bright and early, just as the sun was coming up, we found ourselves headed to the Buffalo viewing area on the Wildlife loop.  The line was a good 5 miles long but most of the time it was moving right along.



It was a beautiful clear brisk morning and the colors were outstanding………


As we approached the South Viewing area, many of the people were already there and had been for hours.  We like the South side best, as you get to see the buffalo come down from the hills. It amazes me how this event has grown, from a crowd of just a couple thousand, to a crowd that was somewhere between !4,000 and 16,000.


Everybody was getting excited now at the first site of a horseback rider on the horizon.  See him on top of the hill? There must be Buffalo up there somewhere, soon to be coming into view..


Now they have them all pushed down from the Hills and will bring them right up close to us and into the corrals..



They are getting closer! That is the news media set up with all the cameras.


Approximately 1400 Buffalo being herded right before our eyes,,  You can smell the dust and feel the power! No where else in this world can you experience an event like this!!


This is my favorite picture......only in America and only in the Black Hills!!


The final group go into the large holding pen just outside the corrals. This picture shows the North viewing area.  Just look at all the people….  and this isn’t even half of them.  Here's a short video from the 2011 Roundup.  2011 Buffalo Roundup  


This is a picture of Gregg in the “crow’s nest” above the chutes where the Buffalo will be worked.  The calves will be branded and the young bulls tested and any other treatment needed. This is also where they are sorted for the Big Buffalo Auction that is held in November. 


Ms. Pat and Bonnie are on the “cat walk” above the chutes watching for the Buffalo to be pushed through those trees and into the pens. They are standing above the pen where the baby calves will be branded and vaccinated.  It was a long, busy day and even though we got back home shortly after 1:00 pm, I was bushed.

Tomorrow is our departure day.. We have been busy loading everything up and winterizing our summer cabin. We are so thankful for all the wonderful help Gregg and Bonnie have been in all this preparation and loading.  It is work!! Plus Gregg has polished and cleaned everything we own.  He loves to polish, and of course, I love to let him!! He did the entire Motorhome, including the roof, both the old and the new pickup trucks, my Harley and even his own truck and 5th wheel.  I don't know where he gets all the energy and I don’t know how we could have done all this without them…

Later this morning, we will blow out all the water pipes and close the cabin up for the winter.  Then Thursday morning, if everything goes as planned, we will be “on the road again”! Praise the Lord!

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!      

Thanks for stopping by and we hope you enjoyed going to the Roundup with us as much as we enjoyed going. 

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

OK, Definitely Time to “Load ‘er Up”

The departure time is getting close now. So many things we have to wait until the very last minute to do……… but the time has come..



Ms. Pat had her last Line Dancing class Friday and here she is finishing up a few last stitches on her sewing machine as she gets things ready to head South.




We took Gregg and Bonnie up to the Old Gold Mine where our personal “Cache” is located. We wanted to give it one last check before we left it for the winter..




Here they are way back in the "mine"…



Then we went on up top where our hidden cache is and showed them the view.  Gregg spotted the cache right off.



Then yesterday we checked out the annual Arts and Crafts Festival out in Custer State Park. Here Ms. Pat checks out all the Entertainment and Activities. This affair gets bigger and bigger every year…  We have watched it grow from just a small gathering into what it has become today. Unbelievable! It's is a two day affair held before the Buffalo Roundup tomorrow (Monday).



Gregg and Bonnie inspecting the many many booths of all the different crafts.




It was a gala affair with every type of item you could dream of.  These type deals wear me out in a heartbeat.  It all seems so elaborate and vast that it just blows my mind.




There are many, very talented artists from all over the country. I especially enjoyed watching this gentleman create this beautiful creation of a Buffalo….. What talent!!




Ms. Pat also found what she loves!! I thought it was quite appropriate, this sign and Ms. Pat standing right along side… Ms. Pat Loves to Quilt!!

So now we are off to Church this morning and then tomorrow (Monday) is the Big Buffalo Round up!!  Then we will finish the winterizing project here at the "Cabin in the Hills" and move into our "Home On WHEELS"!!


The plan is for a Thursday departure date. If the Good Lord is willing, we will make it, if not we’ll change it. But that’s the plan!!  Maybe I’ll find time to post a Blog Wednesday and maybe I won’t. So if you don’t see me, you’ll know what I'm doing…

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

God Bless you all and Travel Safe..

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

Sunday Was a Busy Day!

Sunday after Church we decided to go up to Rapid City and do a few things we had been talking and thinking about. The thing that got me real interested in going was a Gun Show but it only lasted until 3pm, so we had to rush. We arrived before 1pm and easily had time to browse all the tables and look at the goodies.  Guns, Guns and more Guns, plus everything else you could imagine. I managed to purchase only one item, a leather holster. However, I enjoyed looking at all the firearms and stuff and even saw a couple friends.

As soon as we got out of the Gun Show, we did a little shopping and shortly it was time for us to head to the Movie Theater.  We went to see the movie “2016”.  WOW, a very interesting movie to say the least! I promised myself I would never get into politics in this Blog, so I will just say that if you haven’t seen the movie, maybe you should.

When we got out of the Movie Theater, we were hungry and, of course, Ms. Pat and I miss our "Seafood". So we headed to about the only recourse for Seafood in the Black Hills, that being the “Red Lobster”. Now in Ms. Pats home area of Tallahassee, Florida, Red Lobster doesn’t even qualify for a decent Seafood Restaurant but here in this dry land you can’t be choosy. The place was packed and after over a 30 minute wait, we were escorted to our seats and enjoyed  a few Shrimp.

When we got out of the Restaurant it was beginning to get dark and I could only wish that I was home in my recliner.  I was tired....so I handed the keys to Gregg and he got us home safe and sound.  It doesn’t seem we are ever out after dark anymore.  It seemed strange but does give away our age I guess. I was happy to get home but it had been a Super Day! We accomplished a lot in just one day…..Church, a Gun Show, a Movie and then a Seafood Dinner with the company of our great friends Gregg and Bonnie. Wow, that’s about a week or more accomplishments for us!! (would you believe a month’s?)


We are so sad that our good friends and North Ranch neighbors Paul and Nancy couldn’t make it out to see us this summer. They had planned on being here with us right now and go see the World renown “Buffalo Roundup” with us.  Paul wrote me and sent a picture of our place at North Ranch so we could see how much the trees have grown.  Ignore the date on the picture....it is not correct.

WOW!! I was shocked to see how much our tree’s had grown in just 3-1/2 months! I had those tree’s trimmed so they were over 6’ from the ground.  Unbelievable!  However, Paul said they had been having a lot of moisture the last couple months..  Thanks so much for the picture Paul. We called “Les”, our yard guy, and asked him to go trim them and clean the place up a little.   We should be there in about 6 weeks.  We sure miss you, Paul and Nancy, and wish you were here but we will look forward to seeing you soon. Hopefully you can make it next summer!


A lot of people commented on how much they liked  Gregg and Bonnie's Flag and wanted to know where they got it. They bought theirs at a flea market in the south Texas town of Donna. Now that’s a far piece for most folks, so we researched and asked everyone else to let us know if they could find a place where it could be ordered. Several of you sent me links to different flag sales places but just last night someone sent me to a link for one just like theirs.  Here it is:    USA/CANADA FLAG   Where else but right on good ole' eBay!!

Thanks to “yabuddy” for sending that to us. Now you know where you can get one, so you better get it ordered before it's time to head out for the winter…..

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thanks for stopping by.  We are ONE WEEK from departure date!!!  Ms. Pat tells me to not get all stressed out about it but you know, even after all these years of doing it, I still get mighty excited!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Clear The Barn.....Time for the EOS PARTY!!

Ms. Pat told me to "Clear The Barn",  it's time for our “End Of Season” Party….   So we moved out the Pickup, and the 4 wheelers and set up the chairs…… Ms. Megabyte2 even got to help.

We got the FOOD tables all set up and Ms. Pat had the famous “Gina Special” Taco Soup cooking all day in her crock pot.  Boy, it was smelling good.  We’re gonna have a PARTY!!


At 4 pm sharp, the friends began arriving and bringing food of all types.  Some delicious stuff!!  The chairs were all filled up, except for one. Poor Bonnie has not been feeling well at all and she just couldn’t make it.  Sure hope she gets to feeling better…

After Happy Hour, the food was served.  Here is Bob, Gregg, Larry and yours truly chowing down on Ms. Pats Taco Soup…  It was all “Oh So Good”!


Then it was time for some EOS serious conversation.  Here is LeeAnn, Shirley, Michal, Ms. Pat and Geri discussing something interesting.

JRoger, see your Buffalo Skull hanging up on the wall? I’m wondering how in the world I am ever going to get it transported all the way to Florida to you without breaking it. Don’t worry, we will get it there, even if Ms. Pat has to hold it on her lap!!


Here is Larry, John, Bob, Gregg and Larry#2 all listening to each others interesting tales of the great times they had in the Black Hills this summer!


I told you I would show you a picture of the painted shed today, so Gregg put the finishing touches on the trim after we got the second coat on the sides…….


Now here is the finished product……..WOW, it looks superb!! Even better than I expected…. Thank You so much Gregg for your BIG part in getting this “project” completed. I couldn’t have done it without you…


The paint matches so well and it looks GREAT.  Ms. Pat and I are so happy and proud of it, along with our new Porch….  Boy, we have completed a lot this summer……..


It looks so nice, I almost hate to leave………….. But time keeps marching on. Next week at this time, we will be preparing to attend the big Buffalo Roundup on Monday the 24TH. After that, we will soon be ready to head South…..


I had so many compliments and comments on Gregg and Bonnie’s FLAG, along with requests as to where one like it can be purchased, I wanted to mention that they purchased it at the Don-Wes Flea market in Donna, TX. We have all googled and searched and searched for a place that sold them and haven’t come up with one yet. We found some with the American Flag on the top half and the Canadian Flag on the bottom, but we all prefer one like theirs. How about it, has anyone out there found a place where this exact type Flag can be ordered? If so, let us know....if worse comes to worse, we can send some of our good friends down at Retama in Mission, TX. over to the Donna Flea Market to pick up a few……

 It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thank You all so much for stopping by, We hope you will stop back again soon. We continue to give our Father in Heaven our praise for his many blessings….

Travel Safe.....

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

Quilts, Quilts and More Quilts!!

Sunday after Church, Ms. Pat and Bonnie headed to Hill City where there was a big Quilt show. Gregg and I stayed home and just passed the afternoon relaxing and enjoying what we like to do most, nothing!!

From Hill City Quilt Show Sept 2011

For those of you that would like to view all some of the hundreds of Quilts on display all over town in Hill City, just click on this slide show and go to my Web Albums and check them out.  The camera battery died about halfway through so Ms Pat didn't get pictures of all of them but there were some unique and outstanding quilts…….

Ms. Pat has a new project that she has been spending a lot of time working on lately. Here is a picture of the "Quilt Top" she has put together. It's her first larger quilt.  She's been making "baby size" quilts so this one is a little more of a challenge. Pretty neat don’t you think? She has more work to do on it, but enjoys every minute of working on them. To me it looks like a lot of WORK!  However “work” has many different definitions for different people….. 



Gregg and I found a little project that needed to be done. I wanted to put some wood preservative on the retaining wall in the Motorhome shelter. We used treated wood, but it was sure drying out fast and it's only been up for about a year.



So I sprayed it on and Gregg smoothed it out.  It went on pretty smooth and looked real good. I took a picture of the finished product, but I seem to have lost it somewhere. But main thing is that I hope it works! The girls went to the big city (Rapid City) yesterday and picked up some more paint for the shed, so now we can finish up that project……. probably today.




This is the flag that Gregg and Bonnie fly on the rear of their Escalade Sportster Toyhauler. This is what happens when a Canadian and a US resident get married. I think it is a beautiful flag…..


I couldn’t help but think about this Flag a lot yesterday.  Since 9/11 is always a day to remember and one that none of us will ever forget, it is great to see a flag that designates Peace between two countries. We have so many, many Canadian friends and I wish we could enjoy a relationship with all countries that is as friendly as the one with our great neighbors to the North…….

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

God Bless and thanks for stopping by……..

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Wow, That was a Close Call!!

Wednesday evening my computer was acting real strange but it was about bed time so I shut it off and went to bed, hoping it would be all OK when I turned it on the next morning. Well it wasn’t, in fact it went crazy and I couldn’t do anything with it.  I hollered for help from Ms. Pat as she can usually get me straightened out and back to normal.   Not this time, she tried everything and nothing worked. She finally got in touch with McAfee and they had her do a few things to my computer and then told her she had better back the computer up completely and call them back. 

The part that got me was that McAfee told her it would cost $89.95 for them to clear the computer of this Virus.  Whoa, wait a minute! We pay them an annual fee to protect our computers, now we have to pay to have them do what we pay them to do under our annual contract that we have on all three of our computers? Didn’t sound right to me and they wouldn’t proceed without our full credit card info so they could charge our card. Really?? I couldn’t believe it, but what do you do???  They got ya!

It took a couple hours to back up my entire computer, then Ms. Pat called them back. They spent about an hour doing all kinds of tests and poor Ms. Pat doing what they ask her to do and having a tough time understanding the tech……as you know they never speak English.   Then he told her it was not going to be an easy fix and she would have to make an appointment with a super technician and the soonest he could get her in was Saturday……..WHAT??   2 days later??  Yep, that was the best he could do and he would have this SUPER TECH call her between 10-11am.

So we waited and waited, as I wondered if I would ever see my Computer again.  I kept having thoughts of them having to completely sweep the hard drive and I’d lose everything.  Finally, Saturday came and sure enough, shortly after 10am the "Super Man" called and began working on my computer.  He was inside my computer and you could sit there and watch him do stuff....one by one he went through different things with Ms. Pat watching and following his directions as best she could as he was another one that was tough to understand.  FINALLY, about 2 hours later the Tech told her “OK, it’s all yours...it's FIXED”….. 

So, I’m happy to report I have my computer back and it seems to be working fine………Wow, CLOSE CALL!!   I am always very careful what I click on but some of them can get past you. This is the first time this has ever happened and I hope it is the last.  I still don’t know how the virus got in, but from what I hear they are getting better and better at disguising them. One thing I learned is that by paying McAfee an annual fee, they will still charge you to fix your computer if it becomes infected.  They don’t help you and fix it for the regular fee you pay them year after year.  I’m $90.00 shorter but my computer works.  They have become such important items in our life, you are almost willing to pay anything to get them restored. Strange society we live in…….. who would have ever thought…..?


It sure is enjoyable having Gregg and Bonnie here with us.  We have been looking forward to their visit all summer.  Gregg's Harley is in the shop, so we aren’t doing any riding right now, but it should be fixed this week and we’ll enjoy a spin or two in the Hills.  Gregg always tells me to line up some projects for us to do while he is here. Now I know I told you a couple times already that I was "Project'ed out"!! No more projects!! But wait, there is one thing....hmmm maybe a couple things I would sure like to get done and to have a willing helper is WONDERFUL.   


Our little storage shed was starting to need paint.  Gregg said “Lets paint it”!!   Who could pass up an offer like that?  We spent a couple hours prepping it and then the painting began.   We also wanted to get it painted to match the Big Building, so we took some samples to town and the guys at Menard’s said their computer would match it for us.  I was a little skeptical but it seems to be a super good match so far.  Don’t know about the trim as we are saving that until last…..


Ok, here we go! Gee, Gregg is a good painter, he is off and running. I will be glad when this job is DONE, painting is not my favorite thing to do.


Here we are all the way around and about to finish up.  I was laughing as Ms. Pat took this picture telling her that we better not let Rollie see it. He would say, “Get down off that ladder, Pops”!! LOL

After we got all done and looked at the finished product, it sure looked good. But we also noticed a few spots where it wasn’t covered completely, so that means a second coat. Hmmm, darn I hoped one coat would do it but a second coat will go a lot faster and it will look even better.  That wood really sucked up the paint. So next time we are in the big city we will get some more paint and go over it again.   I’ll show you the finished project when we get it completed.    Now Gregg asks, “What's the next project”?

It was 34 deg when we got up Saturday morning.  You can sure tell Fall is in the air. Trees are turning color and it's really getting pretty, although still extremely dry.  We are wearing jackets on our morning hikes and not even breaking a sweat.....I love it.  Pat took these pictures with her phone.......

Only 3 more weeks until our departure date. with a ton of fun and excitement left to do here in the Hills before we call it another season. Come on back next time and see what some of those exciting things are. Meanwhile, Gregg says we need another project!

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

God Bless you all as we continue to give our Father in Heaven our praise for all he continues to Bless us with..

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..