South Dakota

Here are some of my favorite photos from this past summer in South Dakota.  It was a real learning experience for everyone in our family.  I think that Allen and I learned a lot about ourselves and our kids.  Living in such close quarters and for such an extended period was trying and wonderful.  Equal parts.  We all found out we are much more intrepid than any of us could have imagined.
 The first thing that really struck me about the Dakotas was the space.  Horizon to horizon of waving grass and rolling hills.  After years of trees, just to see forever was really amazing.  Our base camp site was about 15 miles off the paved road.  Note, in South Dakota, even the paved road is remote.  We drove through fields and prairie to get in and out of the nearest town.  In the early summer we would try and identify what was being planted and Allen got it right. (Farmer that he was) By the end of July we were seeing some of these....

 In some cases it was sunflowers as far as we could see.  There were also gorgeous fields of blue Flax flowers.

 We saw plenty of Bison and Cow/Bison mix herds.  It is strange to see bison with ear tags.
These next pictures are NOT my favorite part of SD.  This is the picture of the only rattler that made it all the way into camp.  It was dinner time and we were all in the kitchen tent when the dogs started going crazy.  Aljoe had just walked into the kitchen area and he turned around and walked back out to see what was up and found this beauty coiled up by the truck, not ten feet from where we all were.  Right in the middle of the place the girls always play.  YUCK! He dispatched it with his shovel and then we found out that a rattlesnake head will still bite for quite a while after it no longer has a body. All of this was more than I ever wanted to know about Rattlesnakes.  We started seeing many along the roads in August.  This was the only one we SAW in camp.  SHUUUDER

 Now onto better things.  Jacob started fishing this summer, and had a great little spot near one of the dig sites.  Many thanks to Aljoe and Derek who spent several evenings sitting on rocks at the fishing hole with Jake. 

Jake at the ole fishin' hole

Jacob and Marley, the dig site is in the bluffs in the background

Just one more cast? Please?

Jake and Aljoe

 Lastly the picture of Jacob's first fish!  Jacob didn't want to stick his fingers in the Catfish so Derek held it for him.  He got over his aversion to handling fish pretty quick once Aljoe said that he wouldn't bait hooks for him anymore and that dealing with your own fish was what a man did.  Life lessons and fishing.

Jacob and Derek with the Catfish, Jacobs' first catch.