South Dakota or Bust!

Yippee... Vacation is almost here!



We are heading out Saturday morning and I can't wait to see what has been done in a year to my friend, Crazy Horse!


There is just no way to fatham the majesty of the Black Hills and the creations that have been laborously created in this stone...



Gonna have to stop by and see the Gents too -


Then on to Wyoming, to check out Devils Tower - you know that place from Close Encounters that Richard Dreyfus made from a pile of mashed potatoes? We tried to make it last year, and had to turn back with bike troubles. So keep your fingers crossed.



Maybe my friend will be waiting for my return? I sure hope so!
Nothing compares to touring our great country on two wheels!



Every once in awhile, someone asks me if we camp out when we go on our trips - and I just laugh... after 6 or 8 hours on a bike, the last thing I want to do is sleep on rocks!

I like Maxine's view best -

Happy Birthday Daddy-0!

This is a picture of my dear old dad and my bff Kathy. At the time this was taken, she was a stewardess for Pan Am and Elmer was enjoying life being retired.
I was always Daddy's little girl - anywhere he was, you could bet I would be right by his side.
My dad was my hero and I respected and trusted him completely. He was the type of man that everyone loved and trusted immediately. He could make strangers feel welcome in an instant, he could calm a frightened child with a kind word and a twinkle in his eye and he could fix ANYTHING that was broken! He was so knowledgeable and such a resourceful man, too!
My husband loved him like his own father and learned so much from him. We moved back to Missouri from Colorado in 1987 to spend more time with him - and I'm so glad we did. He passed away in 1991, but we have so many wonderful memories of life with Elmer....
Today is his birthday and he would have been 86 years old. He will always be my hero and I will never stop loving or missing him.
♥ Happy Birthday Dad ♥

Shhh... Don't wake the Baby!

I received an email couple of days ago and thought it was so sweet, I had to share it. I would love to claim it for my own, but alas....

An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard; I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of.

He calmly came over to me, I gave him a few pats on his head; he then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the corner and fell asleep.

An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out.

The next day he was back, greeted me in my yard, walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour. This continued off and on for several weeks.

Curious, I pinned a note to his collar: 'I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful sweet dog is and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap.'

The next day he arrived for his nap, with a different note pinned to his collar: 'He lives in a home with 6 children, 2 under the age of 3 - he's trying to catch up on his sleep. Can I please come with him tomorrow?'

Say Hello to my Leetle Friends

These are my newest friends, Sandy and Tildy. We were actually introduced to the girls recently and they have been gracing the journals of the TDIPT blog with their escapades and tales of horses, dogs and celery w/ peanut butter!

I'm not sure I've ever seen a restaurant serve peanut butter in those little "to go" containers but it's quite inventive, wouldn't you agree??

♥ Sweet Pappy ♥

Pappy is a precious old soul who worked many years as Santa's "go to guy" in the workshop ... You know the type of guy I'm talking about - the one who can fix what needs fixin!

Even though the younger WhipperSnappers can nail circles around him, don't pull up the rocking chair just yet! He may be on in years, but Pappy ain't ready to draw no pension checks just yet.

These days, you'll find him caring for the reindeer out in the barn instead of busting the conveyor belt on the assembly line.

And the reindeer couldn't be happier to have him as their "go to guy"

Pappy will be makin' his debut on the TDIPT Mercantile come July 15th.

He Never Saw It Coming...

If your men are like my men, there is something about the 4th of July and the need to blow stuff up that drives them to do crazy things!

After a nice leisurely ride in the country last week, we were sitting around our friends house on the 4th, enjoying the afternoon. The burgers and brats were on the grill and the lit punks were busy igniting fuses on every kind of firework you can imagine.

The neighbors were getting ready to leave for the city's fireworks display and "the Mrs." made the mistake of telling my friend (her neighbor) that it would be perfectly fine to blow up a Santa that had graced the top of their house for 2 years. Apparently she hated it but her husband had a running bet with someone on how long he would leave it attached to the roof.
So, without missing a beat - Dayl grabbed his ladder and climbed to the top of their house and pulled the old boy down (notice the stogie the poor fella is chewing on)!
One pass with the punk and this was all that was left ... I bet that Styrofoam blew 50 feet in the air! What can you say about boys and gunpowder? It's a deadly combination!

«« Chillaxing »»

I picked up on a new word from my Jinxie - who picked it up from Kipp but it's for sure a keeper... chillaxin!
This is sweet Eliza - taking in a cool dip in the pool and enjoying a tall glass of something refreshing, I'm sure!

A girl can get downright parched, out in the hot sun all day... now, where did our Cabana Boy go with that refill??

►In the Spirit of Patriotism ◄

Back in the early 1900's formations of soldiers were brought together to form human photo's of great American symbols.

I had previously received the photo of our grand Statue of Liberty but thanks to my pal, Patty of Winding Vine Wanderings, I can share more wonderful photos that were created in the pure essence of American Pride!

This photo was the Formation of Uncle Sam: at Camp Lee, Va., 1919. Number of people involved: 19,000.

The photographers were from Chicago. The newspaper has several other similar patriotic photos that they also did in 1918. All were done during WWI.



Browse through all of the wonderful photos at the Chicago Tribune
and read more about the history of the Human Photo's!

Happy Independence Day, America!

I got this sweet silhouette from my friend Nancy Malay - I think it represents the most perfect 4th of July celebration ever. This day is all about our celebrating our freedom and showing American pride for our great country - hand in hand with the simple childish joys that fireworks (boomers) bring out in each of us.

I thought this quote very appropriate to pass on for the occassion:

"This country is extraordinary. We have unlimited opportunity here. Quite frankly....no one has ever said -
'If I could only escape from America and finally sneak into Cuba or Poland, my life would really get going.' "
- Jim Rohn

WISHING YOU A WONDERFUL & SAFE

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY !

Be Still, My Heart

Some folks think you can have too much of a Good Thing ...
personally I do NOT!

I absolutely adore my friend's work ...Carol Roll of Nostalgic Folk Art, (endearingly known as Jinxie by many of her close friends) has a way of creating the most precious pieces of art from a pile of paper mache! Whether a sweet little imp is licking a lollipop, or carrying a handful of balloons, or precariously poised, one footed on a building block, Carol's faces will tug at your heart and have you ooohing and aaaahing outloud.

My hubs has heard these very sounds coming from my mouth many times as I open my newest treasure from her. I wish I could buy it all - but I can't ...
and that is GREAT NEWS for you!

Carol is having a massive sale going on right now - with eye popping prices. She is getting ready to strike off in a new direction and wants to make some room in her studio for a massive show she will be attending in a few months... So get your tush over to her website and click the "Super Duper Sale Items" category on the left. If you are like me, you might just find yourself having to make some hard decisions!

PS: forgive my photo ... I know it does no justice to her work, but it's dark and rainy here today and my camera does not want to cooperate!

- Remembering the CoffeeHouse Days -

My hubs and I used to be youth leaders at our church and we had such a great group of teenagers - we would spend every weekend doing something together, whether it was hanging out in our little cramped basement - elbow to elbow playing games, watching movies and laughing till we cried- or taking trips to Canada for a weeklong fishing trip on Dog Lake with Frank and Marie Drown, our lives were enriched and full with the experiences we shared.
At least once a month, we would spend a Saturday night at the New Earth coffeehouse in Kansas City - listening to our favorite local group, WATERDEEP and jamming all night long in a cramped church basement of Pastor Sheldon - filled with incense and exceptional sounds! Waterdeep was such an awesome band, fronted by husband and wife Don and Lori Chaffer. These guys knew how to write and sing and to this day, I still love their music (which I highly recommend you buying if you like what you are hearing now). I miss those days, but hey... this is what memories are made of, right?!

♥ Priceless ♥

I am captivated by this photo and my admiration was rekindled after my brother sent it to me again this morning. I love to study the photo and make out each man. Taken in 1918, it depicts 18,000 men preparing for war in a training camp at Camp Dodge in Iowa! Imagine: 18,000 MEN SHOWING THEIR AMERICAN PRIDE & HONOR!


What a priceless gift
from our grandfathers.