SUMMER BEGINS - 2012

Summer started for the Lewis family in the beginning of June.  It was time for their annual RV excursion.  This year their adventure was going to take them once again to Arkansas to visit family.  From there they would work their way north and east and end up at Niagara Falls.  That's quite a month (or more) of traveling for a family of five.  They are all so thankful to God for being able to take that well deserved time off and to spend such quality time as a family every year.  If you wish to see how their month long trip went, you can go to their blog at:  http://lewis5.blogspot.com/

Now that summer has started, the plan for me was set into action.  When the time came for them to leave Niagara Falls, their next major stop would be Mackinaw, MI and Mackinac Island.  There they would meet up with me and we would spend Independence Day together camping at the campground for a few days.  So I hitched up my trailer and headed east a couple of days early so I could take my time and enjoy an area that I had never been in before.

Camping in MN

It was really nice to be able to take my time traveling to meet up with them because even though I have spent a lot of time in Minnesota, traveling through Wisconsin and Michigan's UP was all new to me.  I was able to do the type of camping that I enjoy most.  I love to stop at small town city parks that have RV hookups available.  It's usually quiet in these parks and often I get to meet some of the locals.

It's also always nice to unwind after a day of pulling my little trailer by taking a hike through the lush and bountiful woods of the area.  You know me, I look for opportunities to hike and walk whenever and wherever I can!

A trail in the Wisconsin woods.

Wisconsin camping

While I was setting up camp here in Wisconsin I saw a sign in the campground that warned of bears in the area.  Sure enough, on the trail that I was hiking I came across some bear scat.  That evening I closed my windows.

STEVEN'S SUMMER WITH POP

.......................AND WHAT A SUMMER IT WAS ! ! !  The next several stories in this blog have their origins in the Lewis family which go back to when Scott was Steven's age.  Allow me to briefly fill in some of the blanks as I understand them.  A Lewis tradition was started a generation or so ago.  As soon as I was told about it, I was thrilled beyond belief.  Now I am fully blessed to have been a part of such a great experience and to be able to help carry on that family tradition.

The tradition started (at least as I understand it) when Scott graduated from grade eight----WAAAAY back when (sorry Scott).  His parents gave to him, as a graduation gift, a plane ticket to Arkansas to spend the summer with his grandparents.  This exercise was so well received that Scott's other two brothers also followed suit.  Thus the tradition was started.

Now here is where I come in:  Shortly after Steven was born, and after we moved to North Dakota, Scott described to Nana and me what a memorable time he had the summer that he was in Arkansas.  He had memories that lasted, and will last, his lifetime.  It was then that Scott honoured us with the request that when Steven graduated from grade eight, would we consider having him spend the summer with us as his graduation gift?  Needless to say, we not only JUMPED at the offer but talked about it often and looked forward to the day with great anticipation.  Now my only regret is that Nana wasn't here for the event knowing that she would have had just as much fun as Steven and I.  In fact, whenever Steven and I did something "goofy" we would look at each other and say, "If Nana were here right now she would just look at us and say, 'OH YOU GUYS ! ! !'.  It was because of that, that I tried to give Steven a summer he wouldn't soon forget.  I can say without a doubt that it was a complete success too.  I know that I will never, ever, forget Steven's summer with Pop.

So hang on tight!!!  The ride that follows is NOT for the faint of heart.........

SURPRISE TRIP TO LODI

June 01, 2012 and I made another trip out to California to see my family once again.  After having been out west three time last year, 2011 (or was it four times?)  I thought I would take a break and not go out there this year, 2012.  Especially since they are coming this way for a summer vacation in July.  More on that later.

Well, my oldest grandson is graduating from grade eight so how could I pass up such a monumental occasion as that??  Steven is such a special young man to me in so many ways and in so many memories that I couldn't resist a surprise visit to Lodi.

I love all my family so much so it doesn't take much of an excuse for me to jump on the plane and visit them.  Now that the other grandchildren are coming up to that age soon, will I be able to keep up with the travels forth and back??????  I'm not sure, but probably so..........

For the second time in a couple of years I was able to surprise them with shock and awe when I arrived.  I depended on my son Matt to pick me up at the airport in Sacramento and when we arrived back in Lodi and I knocked on Scott and Lisa's door, I was thrilled as always to hear the screams of excitement and jumps of joy when they saw me standing on their step. 

I am so thrilled with the accomplishments of Steven, and all my grandchildren for that matter, in their scholastic endeavours as all of them are excelling in their studies and goals.

Now that "Mom" will be their teacher as home schooling takes over this year, I pray that God will bless them even more as their life goes on.

Steven, I know that God has a special plan for you in your life and I deem it a privilege and an honour to be an influence in your life.  May God bless you richly!!!!!!!  Congratulations as you head into your high school years!!!!!!

SINGING IN THE RAIN

Last evening I called my friend and it turned out that we had both been cutting grass all day and had both just come in (all dusty and dirty) from the chores of the day.  It had been a nice day in that there was no rain and the clouds that persisted all day kept the temperature very reasonable.  As we talked on the phone, I noticed that the sunshine was starting to poke through the clouds and the sky was brightening up.  It was then that I decided to go out for my evening walk.

As I walked out the door I noticed a darker cloud to the south but the sky above was so inviting that I just knew I would have a nice walk.  I got about a half block away when all of a sudden--KABOOM!!  Then a rumble in the distance.  A little farther down the street I thought I felt something hit my head.  (It doesn't take much for me to feel something hit my head these days!)  Oh well, what's a drop or two as I walk around town.  At first it was just a drop or two.  But the drops were HUGE.  I thought it was hail when it first started coming down but they were soft so it couldn't be that.

It was about three block away as I continued my walk that I noticed that the dark cloud was getting closer and the very large spots (from the huge rain drops) on the dusty street were getting closer together.  A little farther down the street the sky finally opened up, just as I noticed a neighbour driving around the corner.  I was offered a ride home, but why should I?   I was wet now!  When I got closer to home, I noticed some other neighbours peering out of their garden shed.  They were taking refuge in the shed until the rain let up.  I walked across their yard and chatted with them until it stopped raining, all the time thinking how nice that hot shower was going to feel when I got home.

Thank you Lord, for your wonderful creation, the refreshing rain, and the friends that you bring into my life.   

THE MOVE IS COMPLETE ! ! !

Before I get started on this story, allow me to go back in time a bit to get you caught up on this move that I am talking about:  Shortly after coming to Butte, I bought an old abandoned church building across the street from the house.  I had a complete array of woodworking tools and equipment, but no place to set up shop.  This building had been sitting vacant for many years and it needed to have some life back in it so the logical thing to do was to set it up for my shop.  Now I was obligated to keep the grass cut so it wouldn't be an eyesore from across the street! 

After buying the church, I started moving my tools in and setting up shop.  It was an ideal situation because the wide open floor space allowed me to have room for all my tools as well as a large working area to assemble projects.  The photo below is when I was just starting to set up my tools. 

I made a lot of sawdust in that shop and I was able to always go over there anytime I wanted some woodworking therapy or to make a new project.  As we woodworkers say, "I've got sawdust in my veins".

Now we can fast forward to this month, May 2012:  I haven't been using the shop for several years now and I have kind of lost interest in making sawdust.  Funny how values and interests change over the years,  especially when other things in one's life change as we go down the path that God has laid out for us.  I'm not saying that I will never get into a woodworking shop again.  I dearly love the hobby and at some point down the road I might just start up again, I just don't know when it will happen.

But since I wasn't using the building and it was becoming somewhat of a liability for me, I decided to sell.  Therein lies the move that I am talking about.  A new family in town bought it and they plan to fix it up to live in.  Just that was encouragement enough for me to sell the building and move my shop out.

 Here they are cleaning out the old stuff so they can start work on their new home.  They have quite a task in front of them but they are ambitious and I have no doubt that they will do a fine job.  I am looking forward to having some more neighbours too!

 The church is empty, the new owners are ready to start their project, and I have completed my move.

 I have moved all my tools across the street into a small shed in my backyard.  How long will my tools stay in the shed?  Will I decide to sell them too to go along with my quest to simplify and downsize?  Only time will tell and only God's plan worked out in my life will be the deciding factor.  It was quite a move and I don't really care to go through something like that again soon!!  

I'M MOVING ! ! ! ! !

IT'S TRUE......With regard to my previous post of loving my grandchildren at a distance, I am in the process of selling some of my property here in Butte, ND.  Things are in the works as we speak and I will be posting details and photos in the next couple of days with the details of what is happening here in the next few months.  Please stay tuned!!!  And keep me in your prayers as I make more decisions in the future of my life here on the Northern Plains!!!!!!!!

LOVE AT A DISTANCE

I'm watching my grandchildren grow up from a distance.

Oh sure, I do make a trip or two often enough out to the west coast to visit my family there.  And they too make an occasional trip up my way for a visit.  Technology helps too.  Phone calls, e-mails, computer video conferencing, Facebook, and even the occasional letter through the good ol' US post office.  All these things work fine, that is when we take the time to use them.  I'm wondering though, even if I lived across town instead of across country, would I be able to visit more often?  I know that I would be able to attend school and sporting functions on  a regular basis.  I know this because recently I spent three months with my family out there and I did just that.  But they have their own lives too and, like most young families these days, have so many activities in their own right.

We live in an age where we are all so busy.  May I digress and talk about the "good ol' days"?  The days when we spent the evenings (the whole family) outside the house while the children played and the neighbours visited.  And the days when we went for "Sunday afternoon drives" and stopped along the way to visit friends or stopped somewhere to open the picnic basket?  The days when we weren't always on the go, going forth and back, to this and that?  Yes, life was slower (I do remember).  Why, when I was a kid.................

These are just some thoughts that go through my head as I ponder when I will be able to get together with them again.  Lord willing, that day will be soon as they make their plans for vacations and summer travels this year.

But watching my grandchildren grow up from a distance has been made most fun by watching them in my daughter's blog.  There their lives and activities are chronicled permanently where I am able to go back time and time again to re-live their adventures.  Right now I am watching my daughter as she starts the awesome task and adventure of home schooling her youngest and next year the other two join in with Mom as their teacher.  Now as my oldest grandson is graduating from grade eight, I hope to live through that experience as well through their blog.

Sure, it's a little disconcerting to see them grow up at a distance but I do confess that it was my choice to move away from the hustle and bustle of the west coast.  I also believe that God directs all the paths of His people and that He has me here for a reason.  All we can do is pray that God will continue to reveal to us his perfect will for our lives.  I certainly am looking forward to what God has in store for me as much as I am looking forward to seeing my family again soon.

FISHING

Why do most people think that I love to fish?  Is it because I talk about fishing a lot?  Is it because I have a fishing boat, an ice fishing hut, a vast selection of fishing rods, two or three tackle boxes (or is it four or five tackle boxes?),  and all the goodies, bells and whistles that go along with fishing?  Or could it be because I simply love to fish???

My eight year old grandson, who is now being home schooled, has long ago picked up on the fact that fishing is a priority with me (He and all of my other grandchildren have come to the same conclusion, of course).  If any of you readers have been following my daughter's blog with regard to the new educational endeavours at their home, you will readily see that eight year old "D" is really enjoying school at home, and it sounds like brother and sister are looking forward to next year when they too will join in.

"Teacher" has been giving him writing skills assignments and when those assignments are finished he sends them to various recipients.  I have been so very blessed by receiving a couple of these worksheets now and his latest work has been a special blessing to me. 

I can just visualize that when D was presented with this particular worksheet and the accompanying art work, he must have thought of me and the reputation that precedes me.  Excellent work young man!!!!   Your penmanship is great!  Your memorization material is life giving!  And your artwork is the best of all!!!!!!  Keep up the good work and remember that Papa is always praying for all of you......

(Remember, you can enlarge these pictures by clicking on them.)

EARLY CAMPING

It's April 12, 2012 in North Dakota and in a normal year there is still snow on the ground.  This year however, has been a very mild and warm (relatively speaking) winter.  I "got the fever" early since the weather has been so nice, so I started getting my camper ready for some outings and decided to take it out this past weekend.  Most campgrounds don't open until at least Memorial Day.  I called ahead to the New Rockford City Campground and found out that they would allow camping there this early but the water isn't turned on yet.  That was fine with me as I am fully self contained.  Electric hook-ups were on which meant that I could camp with all the comforts of home.

So I packed up and headed out for a weekend of early camping.  I needed to make a "shake down" run with the camper so I would be sure that it will be ready for this summer of activities......Please stay tuned for THAT!!!!!!!!

Heading out on Thursday proved to be a bit of a challenge as it was quite windy that day.  But then what else is new for North Dakota??  That night and the following day it rained most of the time.  But there were two positives from that experience.  1).  We need the rain up here this spring as it has been a bit on the dry side so far and the farmers need the moisture in the ground.  and 2).  My camper doesn't leak!!!!

Saturday morning was a gorgeous day with the warm sun shining, no wind and the sky so clear and blue as is typical of the North Country.  In the early morning I was able to take my walks which is always so refreshing when it is so pleasant outside.

I pretty much had the whole campground to myself as was able to enjoy the sunrise, and take my walks where ever I wanted to.  How many times have I said this, "Life doesn't get any better than this!!"

THE OPERA HOUSE

Who would’ve thought that a small town in north eastern North Dakota would have such culture?

New Rockford, North Dakota is such a place....

Have you ever heard of the Dakota Prairie Regional Center For the Arts?   A friend introduced me to these events last year and what I am about to describe is the second event that she and I have experience together in the past several months. Last Fall, we went to the drama/play, The Woman In Black. What an experience!!!  Have you seen this play or this movie?  You should, because it is a very moving and deeply thought provoking production.  This winter the Opera House had a production of a Christmas play. We missed that because of previous obligations, but we knew we wanted to see more of what this fine, local, cultural event had to offer.

New Rockford is a town of about 1,500 population. This weekend, the Spring of 2012, we went again to the latest production of the DPRCA.  (Google it to see what's up.)  The spring production is a musical/play entitled: ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE.    We love the short lived life and music of Patsy Cline and thought this would be an experience we would really enjoy. That is an understatement!!!! After all, how well could a small town drama group portray such a superstar???

Susie Sharp played Patsy Cline. Who is Susie? She is the New Rockford City Librarian! Patsy's friend and “business manager”, Louise, was played by Kathy Teschner who is the administrative assistant to the middle school principal at Ft. Totten ND. For any of you who are fans and followers of Patsy Cline, you would appreciate the historical accuracy and significance of the players in this production, not to mention the wonderful and entertaining music of the era. At least WE appreciated it!!!!

“Patsy” sang no fewer than 28 of Patsy Cline's hits during this performance. To top it all off, the musical accompaniment was portrayed as The Grand Ole Opera’s backup band. This included musicians who played piano, drums, fiddle, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, steel guitar and Dobro, LIVE.   As I said before...Who would’ve thought??? And all of these musicians were local!!!! What talent we have here in the Northern Plains!!!

Now, why would we want to travel all across the US in order to see Grand Musicals and Stellar Performances when all of that, as well as Grand Symphony performances (more on that later) are right here in our back yard???? I can answer that for you, but I'm sure you know the answer already......

DOWNSIZING

If you have been following my blog recently, you have probably picked up on the fact that I am simplifying my life and DOWNSIZING!  Most recently my efforts have been on cleaning up my 5th wheel camper and getting it ready to sell....It's just too big for me. 

But no, I am not ready to get out of the RV and camping mode yet.  I probably won't go on any long trips anymore but rather, confine my travels to the Northern Plains.  There are so many sights to see in the Dakotas, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Wyoming, etc.  There are probably more things to see in these states alone so that it would take a lifetime to partake of them all.  (Especially for old geezers like myself!!!!)

When I was in California last spring, 2011, on my second of three trips to the west coast, I bought a small trailer.  My intentions were to leave the trailer there and live in it whenever I visited my family.  I did lived in it for three months that spring and found that even though it was quite small, it suited my needs just fine.  In fact, I liked it so much that I pulled it back home to North Dakota and made the decision to replace my 5th wheel and pickup with this smaller unit.  

I then bought a Jeep Grand Cherokee a month or so ago.  I recently  hooked up to the trailer and it's a perfect fit.  It pulls nice and the whole set-up is much smaller.  I am sure it will be better suited for access and maneuverability around some of the small camping areas up here in north country. 

Out with the old (big)

and in with the new (small)

This is where I lived for those three months right after I bought this small, older trailer.  Like I mentioned before, my friends, Steve and Sharon allow me to park at their place each time I travel to California in my RV.  Here I am parked right next to Scott and Lisa's 5th wheel.  Thanks again guys for your hospitality.

END OF AN ERA

My RVing in a big rig is coming to an end.  I have decided to sell my 5th wheel camping trailer and my Dodge diesel pickup.  It (the camper) didn't even get out of the shed last year, 2011.  What? did I have other things that occupied my time that year?    The last time I used it was in 2010 when I made a 6000 mile trip around the western US.  I went to California by way of South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada.  My friends, Steve and Sharon were gracious enough to allow me to camp in their yard near Lodi, CA.  (THANKS AGAIN, GUYS!) while I spent some quality and rewarding time with my Son and Daughter, and all the grandchildren that spring.

My journey back to North Dakota took me to Arizona where I visited with my niece Mary and her husband Tom.   From there I went through New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma.  In OK I enjoyed a long time over-due visit with my Nephew Bradd, and his lovely family.  (Tammy, you are the best!)   I so enjoyed my time there with them even though they experienced one of the biggest floods of the area in quite some time while I was camped in the local campground.  The water got so high that I had to move my camper to higher ground!  That area is the home of Will Rogers, and one of his famous quotes is, "Oklahoma gets twelve inches of rain a year.  And I was there there that day."  So was I!!!!!

I intended to travel from Shawnee, OK to Waco, Texas to visit my cousin and her husband Danny, (Kathy, are you my cousin, second cousin, or cousin once remove?)  I like to see us as brother and sister in the Lord!!  How's that?????  Amen?  If I had gone to Waco, TX I would have traveled on to Austin, TX to visit my nephew, Lee and family.  But I had been experiencing some health issues so I headed back north through Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and home again.  As it was, I covered over 6,000 miles and twelve states, some of them twice.  If any of you are planning a RV trip like that I would fully recommend my rig.   A 5th wheel trailer and a diesel pickup.  The whole trip, I didn't even know that I had a trailer behind me!

So now my rig is on the market.  Stay tuned for what is next in my adventures!!!!!!

Colour

First of all, I am not an interior decorator nor the son of an interior decorator.  But I want to make my new living room with my "uncovered" original (cir. 1950) straight grain fir wood floors have a "punctuation mark" --Yuppie speak for "punch" according to the PBS program This Old House . 

I have asked numerous friends and acquaintances alike, "What colour should I paint my walls now?"  I guess I have determined that most of my friends are not interior decorators either.  But I still respect any ideas that they may have.  So I am throwing my question out to my blog readers (all six of you):  What suggestions do you have for the colour I should paint my living room walls?

A friend gave me a left-over paint can that she used on her walls.  It is a neutral brown colour and I "splashed' a little on my wall to see what it looks like.  I was a little disappointed in the look because it looked a little boring.  This photo makes it look like the wall is blue but actually it is white.  I'm not sure if the brown is too neutral but I think that a little more punch, like gold or a darker colour would be better.  Any ideas?  I am open to suggestions.

SPRINGTIME IN NORTH DAKOTA

Could it really be spring time in North Dakota?   After all, it's only March 10th, 2012.  But here I am, sitting out by my fire pit (without a fire)  under a clear blue sky in the middle of the afternoon of March.  It is so warm that I could be sitting here getting a suntan...  (Good thing there is no one here to  take a picture of that, eh?)

I raised my flag on the flagpole for the first time this year after I washed my car on my driveway.  I parked my fish house under  the pine trees which means that the ice fishing season is over for  this year.  Even though we can still get a snow storm in the month of May, the Game and Fish Dept. has advised us to remove our fish houses from the lakes because the ice is deteriorating fast.  Right now, I am starting to look forward to what is in store for the summer months.  Will I be having company this summer that will be taking up my time with fishing and camping??????

Stay tuned for that, as I am really looking forward to what God has in store for me this summer with visits from my family and enjoying His great creation!!!!!!!!!

A WEEK ON THE FLOOR

In keeping with my new theme of trying to simplify my life and reduce clutter, I have spent the last couple of weeks working in my living room.  Out with the old 1980's avocado green and gold shag carpet ! ! !  And out with the same colour scheme drapes, shears, and valance.  (What I will replace these window coverings with I still am not sure....open to suggestions ! ! ! )  I considered posting some "before" photos of the living room but after seeing these "after" photos, I just cannot look at the old living room anymore!

Underneath the carpet I found GOLD.  No, it wasn't hardwood floors.....  It was softwood floors!  Otherwise known as straight grained fir.  Yes, the floor was filled with lots of "character marks".  These "flaws" are several generations worth of life.  How did all these marks, dents, and scratches get there?  Who knows and who cares ! ?   In a house that is almost as old as I am, whatever defects one may find are totally acceptable with me.  Just like I hope that my friends may find my defects acceptable.

The floor had been varnished when it was new but after many, many years of being covered with carpet, the pad underneath had left its marks, so I proceeded to wash the floor with mineral spirits first, then with soap and water.  After a loving application of hand applied paste wax,  the shine shone through and lovingly smiled back at me for bringing back the most natural look that any floor can have.  I trust my new floor loves being exposed to a "new life" as much as I love having it as part of my NEW LIFE. 

I also eliminated a lot of the furniture that was in my living room.  After all, if one is trying to simplify one's life, then why have so much furniture that it just clutters up the place?   Next?  To paint the wall with an appropriate colour.  Again, Open to suggestions....... 

NEW CARS

This past fall, 2011, a friend drove up in her brand new car... a 2012 Toyota Highlander!  After sharing in her excitement and feasting on all the new features that these new machines bring to the table, I made a comment...  I told her that I have had a couple of car that were painted black and how difficult it is to keep them clean and that they can get mighty hot in the summer time.  Furthermore, I told her that I doubt that I would ever own another dark car because of that.  (Even though my pickup is a dark red.) 

Now we'll jump ahead to today, February 2012 and take a look at my new Jeep...  Even though I said what I said, and the fact that my old Jeep is black, what colour do you suppose my new Jeep is?????  Could it be Dark Charcoal Grey?????  Any thing wrong with this picture?  Or anything wrong with my thought process????

FROZEN FINGERS.....

The Frozen Fingers Festival was in Minot this past weekend, February 11-12, 2012.  Every year since they have had the festival, I have wanted to go.  It is always held in the middle of February.  So why didn't I go to it in years past?  Simply put, there was either something else going on that weekend or the weather was so bad that I didn't wish to travel on icy roads.  But this year was the exception.  We have had one of the most mild winters we have ever seen in a very long time.

I actually didn't even know that the festival was going on this weekend.  But when I got up on Sunday morning and settled down with my cup of coffee, I saw the notice as I read the morning paper.  The decision was made at once!  I would go to church, leave from there to go to Minot, and take in the festival for the afternoon.

So what is the Frozen Fingers Festival?  The Frozen Fingers Music Association of Minot bills it as "a dedication to the preservation of Old Time and Bluegrass music".  And that it is!  I love Bluegrass music and there was plenty of that.

There was also lots of Folk and Country music.

Plenty of Western and Cowboy music as well.

And this group who is from the Wildrose, ND area (near to where I was born) entertained with mostly gospel music and Bluegrass.  Seven very talented children and a couple of very ambitious parents!

And what better way to end the evening than with a rousing rendition of The Orange Blossom Special ! !

19 DEGREES OUTSIDE

Yes, it was 19 degrees outside today with the sun shining and the sky clear.  The fish weren't biting as well as they should have been (or was it the "catching" of the fishermen that wasn't so good) but such an enjoyable couple of days on the ice it was. 

So with just a few perch in the pail, I decided to sit outside of my fish house in the afternoon and "rough it" instead of sitting inside of my 70 degree home-away-from-home.  What an enjoyable winter this has been so far.

THE SOUND OF ICE

You've heard “The Sound of Music”, right? Well did you know that the ice on a frozen lake makes beautiful music too? And by beautiful music I mean crashing crescendos, explosive cracking, painful popping, and giant groaning. No, not even my feeble attempt to use descriptive words comes close to describing the sounds that ice makes. If you haven't heard the sounds first hand, you wouldn't know what I am trying to describe.

I would liken it to, perhaps, the sound of an avalanche, which of course most of us have not heard first hand or up close. Or maybe the sound of a giant glacier when it calves. That sound I have heard while in Alaska. But I was so far away that I had no way of appreciating the sound it must have made up close. I could also describe it as the power and rumbling of an earthquake, several of which I have been through. The only way I can describe the sound that ice makes, though, is to think of the wildest 4^th of July pyrotechnic show you have ever been to. Or the most severe summertime thunderstorm you have ever experienced. Perhaps, even, if both of those events were happening at the very same time, you would come close to what the sound of ice moving and building on a cold night would sound like.

As I lay in my bunk one night when the temperature was well below zero, the lake came alive. When ice is forming, or “building” it expands and contracts. It's hard to understand the awesome force and power that a chunk of ice can have. The LOUD popping, cracking and groaning is perhaps like all of the above sounds put together. Especially when you hear the crack starting in the distance and the sound of the crack gets closer and closer and finally the crack goes right under the fish house and the house shakes a bit. I closed my eyes as the groaning, popping and crashing started and visualized a fireworks show that went right along with the sounds....Ooooh,.... Ahhh, isn't DAKOTA LIFE great ! !

FISHING DEVILS LAKE

The Devils Lake Volunteer Fire Department's annual ice fishing tournament was a great success in that many fish were caught and between four thousand to five thousand participants were involved. Not only that but the weather was so good. Yes, there were a couple of snow showers that weekend but the temperatures were in the 30s during the day.

Even though sufficient fish were caught to make the tournament a success, overall the catching was a little slow on the lake. By slow I mean that the Walleyes that I caught were mostly pretty small. Usually the Walleye population in the lake is quite substantial in size. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago an eleven plus pound Walleye was caught near to where I was set up. Devils Lake was once renowned for its jumbo Perch too. I did catch one of these jumbos on this trip and that is always a thrill to pull one of those up through the hole in the ice.

LIVING ON THE ICE

Four days of living in my fish house on the ice of Devils Lake this last week of January, 2012 was one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had in quite a while. The peace, the quiet, watching the snow fall and then blow into drifts across the lake. I don't need to go far to enjoy God's wonderful creation and enjoy the LIFE here in DAKOTA !

I realize that some people wouldn't think that spending several days sitting on top of twenty inches of ice which is floating on forty feet of water is anything but enjoyable. But as I have always said, “I love the challenge of something different and new experiences”. Especially when it involves the outdoors!!

I might have had a different outlook if I had been out there last year (or the past several years for that matter) since it was such a severe winter those years. But this year has been so nice and mild. Yes, I thank God for blessing me with being able to enjoy the solitude and beauty of his wonderful creation.

BUCKET LIST

OK, another item can be crossed off my bucket list!!! That's right. The Devils Lake Volunteer Fire Department's annual ice fishing tournament was held this weekend: always the last weekend of January. I have always purchased an entry ticket in years past but “things” always got in the way for me to go to it. Some years it was prior obligations, some years it was the weather and some years I just didn't feel like it. The entry ticket not only got you into the tournament, but also made you eligible for the door prize drawings which this year amounted to $190,000 in prizes.

As most of you know, I am not a fan of big crowds and this event draws a VERY LARGE crowd. So I was quite happy to just be there but not necessarily participate in the shoulder to shoulder fishing contest consisting of several thousand fishermen. No, I was happy enough to just be on Devils Lake, if nothing else to be able to say, “I was there during the tournament”.

Shoulder to shoulder fishing!

Besides that, I am always looking for something new and different to do and to take advantage of seeing new sights and experiences. Also, I've always heard about the excellent fishing there, so I hooked up my fish house and headed out!

New Belt?????

I don't mean to be bragging or boastful but rather to give thanks to Creator God for the encouragement he has given me through my blessed family and my many friends.  For the past nine months I have purposed to get back down to the weight at which I feel most comfortable.  So far I have met two of my goals and wondering now whether I should shoot for my high school weight!!!!!

When my health was threatened by the excess poundage that I found and held onto over the past couple of years,  I had no choice.  I recently had another major physical (thanks to Medicare which I am now on) and was found to be on the road to good health with a re-newed spring in my step. 

Yes, I suppose a new belt is in order since I am running out of space for new holes!!!

NOW THIS IS REALLY EMBARRASSING ! ! I thought I'd look through my picture file to find a before photo to use as a comparison to the photo that I took today. I found one of me at work taken in August of 2010, six months before I started taking care of myself. I really hesitated posting it. But since I will NEVER look like this again, here it is.......UFFDA ! ! !

Red Sky

Red sky at night,
Sailor's delight.

A fisherman's delight as well.....

When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’.  Matt. 16:2