Thursday, April 29, 2010

Sacagawea meets Lewis & Clark

Today Laurence called and needed me to take some things out to the mine. While I was out I decided to take a little road trip to the Knife River Indian Villages. This is about 12 miles from Hazen; the town we're staying in. It was a fun diversion.
This site was once home to several villages of Hidatsa and Mandan Indians, with a population of 3,000 - 5,000 people. This site stands above the Missouri floodplain, on the site of what was the largest and most sophisticated village of the interrelated Hidatsa, Mandan, and Arikara tribes. These villages are where Lewis and Clark obtained the services of Sakakawea and her husband Charbonneau. Visible remains of earthlodge dwellings, cache pits, fortification ditches and travois trails are in an extraordinarily fine state.


A highlight of the park is an earth lodge, reconstructed using traditional materials. Measuring over 50 feet across, and 12 feet high at its central smoke hole, the earth lodge looks exactly as it would have when the likes of George Catlin and Karl Bodmer were welcomed by the villagers during the 1830s. Just north of the earth lodge spread circular depressions in the soil—which are all that remains of the Hidatsa community where, in 1804, the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery was joined by the French fur-trapper Charbonneau and his wife, Sacagawea.
If you follow the trail there is a little walk of about 1 1/2 miles to the banks of the Missouri. The river is pretty low right now, but it had lots of ducks etc. I can't believe that I've never taken the time to make this little trek when I've come with Laurence before......

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

North Dakota ~ Badlands National Park

We traveled to the Dakota Westmoreland Mine in Beulah, North Dakota yesterday. Laurence needed to work there. It's a fun trip, about 5 hours from Colstrip. "I never would have been President if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota" - Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt said the badlands were "so fantastically broken in form and so bizarre in color as to seem hardly properly to belong to this earth."
So many fascinating land formations. They remind me in a small way of a place out past my parents house that we always called the HooDoos.
One thing for sure, you don't wish you could sleep on this trip!

North Dakota ~ Fun Times

Laurence had to go to Beulah, North Dakota for work. Since I can work for Queen Bee anywhere I decided to tag along. We have made this trip several times, but this time we made a few extra stops. One of the fun stops was in Hebron, ND. It is the home of Hebron Brick and Fort Sauerkraut. We didn’t get to Fort Sauerkraut, but we did drive through Hebron Brick. FASCINATING!
The city of Hebron was established in the 1880s in what was known as the Dakota Territory and was formed into a village government in 1885. It was incorporated in to a city in 1916. Hebron grew to its highest population of 2,000 in the mid 1950s and now is a town of about 900 nestled in a peaceful valley 2 miles north of Interstate 94 in southwestern North Dakota.
Shortly after European settlers began arriving in western North Dakota, Charles Weigel and Ferdinand Leutz established Hebron Fire & Pressed Brick Company in 1904. Demand for building supplies was flourishing, and by 1905 Hebron Brick hit full production, competing with 18 similar brick businesses. Today, Hebron Brick Company is the oldest manufacturing operation in North Dakota and the only manufacturer of brick in remaining in North Dakota and one of the most successful brick companies in the Upper Midwest. Their ancient veins of extraordinary clay continue to yield a distinctive variety of colors.

Bleeding Hearts

I LOVE taking pictures! Laurence has a really nice camera, but I seldom let him use it:) I've been experimenting with taking closeup pictures. I would like a macro lens, but am content with what I have (for now).
My bleeding heart is blooming. What a perfect subject!!Last year he and his brother found a really nice telephoto lens at a pawn shop in Wyoming.... maybe there's a macro lens waiting for me this year..... It could happen.....

Sunday, April 25, 2010

NOT MY KIND OF PET!!















ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Those were my thoughts when I pulled this little bugger off my body.

When I first discovered this little darlin' I didn't realize what was going on. Yes indeed it is tick season. This tick took a bite out of me and removed a bit of skin. So, now this little creature is residing in a bottle in my bathroom.

Everything I read on the internet said to keep them just in case something develops. All that has developed is a bruise about the size of a nickle. I think that is all that will develop, but it sure did cause me to have a few minutes of adrenalin rush.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Happy Birthday..........

Today I took my good friend Kit to lunch in Forsyth. It was her birthday lunch. Not bad.... if her birthday hadn't been in January. So, did we go a few months late or a few months early? Hmmmmmm
At least I still had her presents..... the flower necklace and the scarf... who cares that she can't use the scarf until NEXT winter:)We had a really fun afternoon! We ate Chinese, went to a junk/second hand shop, went to the feed store AND to the hardware store.... Hey I never said we didn't know how to party!!Happy Birthday Kit! (Early OR Late!)

Sunday, April 18, 2010

We'Re BaAaCk!!

Spring is truly here in southeastern Montana! This morning I caught sight of my pair of Tree Swallows. Last year they raised a couple of broods of babies in our yard. I LOVE to watch them in the summer, they are so fascinating! I think they were checking out the ole' homestead today, I hope they decide it will work for another year. Please don't tell me they want an upgrade:)
The Red Crossbills have also returned. This one is a female, hence little to no red on her. They are the reason I have had to do away with finch socks, their little mandibles just tear the fabric apart so it streams out. Metal feeders are the only way to go for them.
Welcome, welcome Spring!!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Dutch Oven Fun!

Last night I got to take another Dutch Oven cooking class. What fun! This one was a breakfast class. Laurence was signed up to go with me, but he is swamped at work with conversion of the Rosebud Mine. So, my good friend Kit generously took her time and went with me. Our teacher had 4 different recipes for us to make, Kit and I teamed up to make Dutch Oven Scrappel.Here she is adding the cornbread topping to the scrappel. (That's Bishop Swanson holding up the lid for her).
Our scrappel is done and looks pretty good.
The Bishop and Andrew made Sausage Balls.
The other team made Breakfast Pizza and the Mountain Man Breakfast below.
We had some really good breakfasts!!
Dutch Oven Scrappel
Ingredients:
  • 2 lbs. "Little Smokies"
  • 3 large apples (we used red delicious, but I would use a baking apple)
  • 1 package Marie Callendars Corn Bread Mix
  • Water for Corn Bread Mix
  • 1/2 C. brown sugar
  • Butter
  • Syrup

Preparation:

  • Heat Dutch Oven
  • Put Little Smokies in the bottom of the Dutch Oven.
  • Core and slice the apples into 3/8-1/2" slices and layer them on top of the Little Smokies.
  • Sprinkle the brown sugar on top of the apples.
  • Mix the cornbread mix per instructions. Pour on top of the apples.

Cooking:

  • Cooks in about 45-55 minutes. Check with a toothpick. (Ours was done in 45 minutes.)

Serving:

  • Spoon on plate topped with butter and syrup.