S.D. Part 2

On our trip back from S.D., I asked Andrew if we could stop in Desmet, S.D. It had many signs claiming to be:
There were signs everywhere saying "Laura's home this way". I had read all the Little House books growing up so I thought we needed to stop. Andrew was kind enough to agree. Here is a history of the place for those of you that have not been. (click on history) Isn't it just something when you can almost see forever?More of our trip to come.

S.D. Part 1

Andrew and I got back from a nice visit to S.D. As you can see, it is quite flat and open. We felt right at home because S.D. has about as many large statue thingies as Minnesota. Andrew is standing under the World's Largest Pheasant. This Pheasant is 28 feet and weighs 22 tons. It is made of fiberglass and steel. It was built in 1959.This is a close up of the mural under the bird. It depicts the release of pheasants in to the midwest. Pheasants are not native. They were introduced in to the U.S. in the 1800's, from China.Then we found this White Buffalo in a local car sales parking lot. Apparently the white buffalo is sacred to the Native Americans. This town also has many murals done by local artists. This one depicts the State Fair that is held in Huron every year.
This was a park nearby that has a walking path and a gazebo on an island.This is First Pres. Church in Huron. This was our destination. When we arrived at the hotel, this was waiting for us:
Andrew's response, "I don't know if I can accept this. It might be classified as a bribe." :) More to come from our trip.

Spring or Summer?

I can't tell whether Spring came and went or not. (It is June after all.) The last several days have been in the 50's so I really couldn't even figure out where Spring was! Then I started looking at more recent pictures and realized it is indeed greener. Here is a photo of Andrew and I (when Jan and Alan were here.) I guess it was pretty green then... I have a hard time trusting people who put me on their shoulders. Here is a more recent update of the Goose Family.This is a shot of our driveway. You would laugh if you saw our first attempt to mow this thing. This is a close look as the Soy beans planted in our farm field as they first broke the ground. They are now a couple of inches taller.Since this is our first Spring/Summer in this house, it is fun to see what pops up around here. This flower (a type of yellow snapdragon I think) surprised me this week.I like to take pictures of dandelions for some reason. They are pesky plants but quite photogenic.And my last donation for the day: a dried prairie weed of some type. I thought it looked cool in black and white.

The 1st Year

Can you believe it has been a year since our wedding?

We obviously started the day with church. After the first service, I went home and cleaned up the house a little extra. When Andrew got home we exchanged cards. Andrew really surprised me when he whipped out this little box! (Totally unexpected surprise.)
Mom (Balsley) sent us these pretty hand sewn pillow cases she made. Some friends of ours (from the church here who had made it to the wedding) gave us this:It is a hand quilted wall hanging. It is really beautiful. I decided to put it on our coffee table for now because it matched the coloring and I wanted to display it.

After this, Andrew and I went out to eat at a local restaurant called Blue Sky. Most of their menu ended up being unavailable (because it was a slow day due to graduations) but we had a great time anyway. We shared dessert afterward. (We never get dessert normally but he let me pick something for our anniversary :) Then we went for a walk. It has only been in the 50's here for the high for several days so we actually had to bundle up. It was a great day.

One random side note: Have any of you seen the new pennies? I just got one today. This year is the 200th year since Lincoln's birth and the 100th year since the release of the Lincoln cent and so they have released a new series. This was the first I had seen of them.

Homemade Things

This week happens to be graduation for the High School here and we know several people graduating. We have been invited to their open houses this weekend and I was a little stumped as to what to bring as a little gift. This is what I successfully made: (recognize the fabric Sara? I used some for a little onsie for Violet.)

I even successfully added a zipper (my first attempt at such a feet).Then I found this little metal bead that says "Laugh often", and the other side says "Love much". It became the zipper pull. I really like how it turned out. My other project this week was to finish my very first paper-pieced quilt block. (Thanks to Jan teaching me the basics while she was here the other weekend.) I think it will be a center for a table runner. (who knows, maybe the table runner will be one of your's Christmas gifts this year :)

Flowers Around Our Home

Inspired by all the family posts on beautiful flowers in your yards, I decided to share a few of the flowers here. These Columbine grow wild around here and are right outside our door.

These Lily of the Valleys were planted by the door by a precious owner. These are another Minnesota wild flower. They line the property.The next photos are flowers I have grown: My spring cactus finally bloomed this year.These are Salvia I planted in some huge barrel planters that were already on the property. They look a little sun scorched but they are coming back nicely. My favorite right now are my Marigolds. They handled the transplant a few weeks ago very well and also survived being leveled by bunnies and now look at them. (They are also planted in barrels)
Lastly, I planted Geraniums (.98 cents) around a little palm I had left from last year. I like Geraniums because they are hard to kill.

XXL

Paul Bunyan and his not-so-big blue ox "Babe" in Brainerd, MN, one of a half-dozen towns claiming to be the hometown of his mythic character. Also in Brainerd is this towering castle disguised as a ... water tower. (This one is for you Ezra-the-castle-lover.Uhm.... this thing is also in Brainerd.

Giant Walleye found on Mille Lacs Lake. The lake is 207 square miles area. Andrew says, "My lake could eat your state."Enormous Crow found in Belgrade, MN. Erected in honor of the Crow River, which flows through our area.
"Big Ole" found in Alexandria, MN. Originally constructed for a world's fair, this big fella has been scaring southerners since 1964. Alissa says, "Nice skirt." Andrew says, "Hey, did you know that virtually all English words beginning with 'sk' (such as sky, skull, skin, and skirt) are actually Old Norse in origin. So you're more correct than you know!"
We were so happy Jan and Alan came up to visit us that we felt we just had to show them one of our big Minnesota treasures.