Rapid City SoDak

Maggie and Heath's little house in Rapid City South Dakota

This is the whole house, I'm standing at the front door looking at the kitchen, room with door opened and bedroom with door closed

and bathroom next to closed door bedroom.

Front room...it's small but quaint!

Black Hills National Forest

Badlands

Missile storage

Maggie was the third leg of a relay in the Black Hills,

she had to run just under 4 miles. This was a marathon, half marathon and relay. Maggie's team came in second for all women relay team and 14th for relay.

Almost done...

I can't believe she is smiling!

The handoff.

She ran her leg in about 33 minutes...way to go!

Maggie and Heath in front of Mt. Rushmore.

Truly impressive!

These animals were at Bear Country, just outside of Rapid City.We stayed in our car and drove through this animal park. Here we have a mountain goat.

Elk, Heath was ready to go hunting right from the car.

White wolf.

Black Bear.

Baby bear, sooo cute!

Builder Mike.

We loved South Dakota, it is so pretty! There are so many things to see, we will have to make more trips out here to see it all. We will NOT be coming out in the winter. Probably next spring. We saw Rushmore, Keystone, Deadwood, Sturgis, Badlands, Wall Drug, Black Hills forest, it was fun, long drive.

Spring Lake Powell

It was windy,windy windy!!!

This was our first trip to Powell this year and it was windy. These photos are in backwards order, this first one is our boat at the end of the week, it is NOT in the same place as where we started. The wind pushed us about 30 feet towards the main channel of Halls Creek.

This really doesn't give the wind justice,

sand drifts were forming around each little bush.

Sand blowing across our beach.

A hole where our anchor was...

Saving this anchor from the wind.

When we first beached the houseboat, Builder Mike put a stick in the water right at the edge. Our ramp was on the other side of the stick and rock days before. The water was rising about 4-6 inches a day while we were there.

This was day two, I didn't take a photo the first day the stick was placed.

The stick is in front of my beach chair.

Hole in the rock...simply amazing that the pioneers made it down with their horses and buggies. I was not meant to be a pioneer! This was one of our warm windless days.

Choppy due to WIND!

Sunrise...

Sunset...

I love Lake Powell.

Next trip in July.

Last years berries...

I decided to make jam before this years berries came on, so before the two upcoming trips we had planned I made two dozen cooked and six freezer jams from the strawberries and raspberries saved from last years crop. As everyone probably knows that last summer we were up to our necks with construction and NO kitchen. Hopefully this summer, my berries will be taken care of in proper time.

What we've been up to...

Since finishing the main construction on the house, we have made several quick trips so far this year. We went to Arizona & Oregon to see our grandkids (parents too). When we got home, spring was trying to get here-the key word is trying- with all the rain and snow, my tulips finally came up. We will probably start the next project in July-main floor bathroom, then maybe a deck in the backyard.

This is a photo of our front room all painted with some pictures hanging on the walls.

Reesie at the Oregon Omni standing in front of a blower.

Serious Griffin opening his birthday present (zhu zhu), he was VERY excited!

Maddox posing for grandma.

Jack showing off his riding skills on his new bike he got for Christmas.

Gracie posing, She finally let me put her hair in ponytails.

Garrett showing off his rock climbing skills.

Oh how I miss these kids (and their parents too). Everyone will be home the end of June, YAY. In the meantime, Builder Mike and I will be heading down to my favorite place on earth-Lake Powell. But in the meantime, busy working in the yard, organizing the garage, and getting ready for summer.

before the paint

Here are a couple of shots of the beadboard completed. We like the look of the stained beadboard, but it's just too blotchy. We had our painter come in and paint it all white(not stark, just warm), and it looks great, photos to come shortly.

Installing beadboard

This is what we woke up to this morning... Just when I thought we were heading into spring. I NEED warm weather!

I had no idea what was entailed when I requested to have bead board installed in our front room. Builder Mike chose to go with tongue-n-groove rather than paneling (I like the look of the tongue-n-groove much better, but had no idea how messy it would be). The sheetrock had to be taken down and plywood had to be installed for the bead board to be nailed to.

Builder Mike busy nailing up the boards. I'm staining each board with a white stain, but we have since decided to paint it after it is all installed. The staining is too washed out and uneven.

I'm going to love this room when it's done, but agian this is more work than I ever expected, but hey-isn't this whole project that way...It will be all so worth it when we are done. Still, I'm looking for a break to Lake Powell in May.