Memorial Day Weekend

In New England, Memorial Day is called Decoration Day. We would go to graves of relatives and veterans, to honor them by leaving small tokens of flowers or flags, maybe saying a prayer.

First, we would go to the parade with our children. After that, we'd go and clean and decorate Aunt Grace and Uncle Charlie's grave site, in the next town. Then we would go back home and have a picnic barbecue.

However no one I know here in South Dakota cares to do such things. This leaves me with a 3-day weekend to fill with something else that is meaningful. I had some vague idea of going to the hills and wandering around- nothing more. But when my friend Nancy called before I was even out of bed, wanting to know what I was going to do, and could she go too ...decisions had to be made!

I was at Nancy's house by 9 AM and we were on our way.

We first headed out to Harney Peak. The name of this peak is objectionable in the extreme. General Harney was responsible for the slaughter of many innocent Lakota in the 1800's. This particular peak, is most sacred(Wakan) in the Black Hills, and recognized as "The Center of All That Is" by the Lakota. They call it Hinhan Kaga Paha.

"Genl. Harney having concluded to attack them in the morning and sent for most of his officers obtained their opinions and unfolded his plans...It soon became evident that we were not going to come up with the enemy, and Genl. Harney was very apprehensive he would escape especially so from the first thrust...In order to gain time and to learn something of the desperation of these Indians, Genl. H. sent the Interpreter Campbell forward to propose a talk upon which the Chief Little Thunder came out to meet him and said he would come in if the troops were halted so as not to approach nearer his people...Little Thunder said he did not want to fight and he was afraid to talk with so many soldiers..."

The "good" general murdered many innocent people in retaliation for the "Battle of the Mormon Cow". It is a sacrilege that this wakan spot is named for a man who murdered so many innocents. I often refer to it as Epahaska ("that white peak there"), and so I will refer to it, here.

Sylvan Lake was crawling with people, so we continued on down to The Needles, also known as The Nest. The day was unfolding in exquisite beauty.



Custer Park was the most busy that I have ever seen it. We decided to continue on to Cascade Springs, in the Southern Hills. Armed with a picnic lunch, and finally away from the crowds, we had a blissful hour of quiet. Though here, too there were other visitors, the demeanor of all was one of quiet respect, and we were left in peace.



It was nice to see that our small friend, Tsusweca was already here to greet us.


The springs are peaceful and lovely at any time of year, but in the Spring, the beauty is just overwhelming, and has new marvels every time I visit.

Beauty is all around us...what more is there to say!













































Did I mention how beautiful was the sky?

(Do you see the face in the cloud?)







The streams issuing from the spring are lined with watercress, which is now everywhere in bloom!

Our chicken picnic consumed, and one last longing look at the spring's luscious serpentine splendor, and we were on our way.

Through the village of Hot Springs, we traveled North, back towards the Black Hills... it was now late afternoon.









At this time of year the plains are resplendent. Regarding the world of 4-footed's, buffalo calving is upon us. One never knows if any buffalo will be seen.

We were lucky... there were plenty- posing for the cameras... one suspects it to be part of the Homeland Recovery effort, as normally aggressive bulls loll amongst the crazy wasichu, who spare no effort, (or peril to life and limb) to photograph- at ridiculously close-range, large animals that could snort at them and kill them.

No, that would NOT be me, I took this from the safety of my car between me and the bull... also, this photo has been heavily cropped... the original had the bull as a small dot in the middle of the photo! lol!

These two budds were having a whole lot of fun in a wallow just to the right of the photo.









This mom and her babe are just returning to the herd.











































Blue-eyed grass























Campion





















Fringed Gromwell




















Larkspur








































Lonely Lily






















Sand Lily





















Shooting Star





















Wild Iris (Flag)




















Mountain Bluebell













...er-uhh, well, ok! This is not a flower, it is a um, mushroom, or whatever they call these things, that one can eat. It's called a puffball, and I have had them pointed out plenty of times in the New England.

Yes, I have eaten them, when someone knowledgeable picks and cooks 'em... but- no, I am not going to trust myself to know what I am doing with 'em! lol!


The last stop of the day was the Elk Pasture, and then on to the large pasture to the North of the Fire Tower...




After this the sun was setting, and it was time to call it a day. It was enough for the day, considering that, with such beautiful memories- what more could we want?

Minneluzhan

I have been blogging about many beautiful places that I have been since I moved to South Dakota. However,one of the most beautiful places is within walking distance of the house where I live. The Canyon Lake area, and its sinewy path along the banks of the Minneluzhan (Rapid Creek) is as lovely an area as anyone could find in a city setting.

It is a favorite destination for all ages-two-footed or four. The lake itself, is actually a dammed up portion of Rapid Creek.

Here, people come to sunbathe, walk, rollerskate, bike, have picnics complete with shelter and grill, fly kites, and even get married (in the little pavilion in the middle of the lake!)

There is also wonderful fishing. Cleghorn Springs, was selected for the excellent water source. A spring provides six million gallons of water daily at a year-round temperature of 52 degrees.

Rainbow trout and Chinook salmon are the major species raised. Over two hundred fifty thousand fish, totaling 70,000 pounds, are produced annually.
The fish population is very healthy. As I watched there was much splashing as fish chased each other away from the best spots in the stream. Though they were clearly visible from the bank, every time I tried to get close they swam away!
However, this fellow- a muskrat- seemed to truly enjoy showing off for the camera!
The walk is lovely, and continues in both directions along the creek from one end of Rapid City to the other- a delight for bikes, joggers walkers, skaters.


Along the banks are all sorts of wildflowers and blooming shrubs and trees.
The water was flowing deep and swiftly, reminding me of the terrible Flood of 1972.

In June of that year, Nearly 15 inches of rain fell in about 6 hours near Nemo, and more than 10 inches of rain fell over an area of 60 square miles (Schwartz and others, 1975). According to the Red Cross, the resulting floods left 238 people dead and 3,057 people injured.
It is hard believe that such a lovely spot could have been the site of such devastation and death.


Finally after about 10 minutes of walking we come upon my favorite little picnic area on the Minneluzhan.

Though it's beside the road, because it's on a curve, many people are not aware that it is right there!

It is a favorite spot for ducks, the occasional mountain sheep, and geese parents find it a perfect spot to raise children!





















It takes only half an hour to walk there, and of course, another bit of time to rest and enjoy the great beauty of the spot.

All sorts of wildflowers grow along the banks, and at this time of year this assures the viewer of never having the same walk twice!

Here are some Western Wallflowers, looking not at all "wallflower-ish"!

Return to Fairburn

I had a plan of action for my Mom's birthday. I was making her a Fairburn lamp for her bedroom, using an old Tequila bottle. Not just any old bottle, though, but that of a high-end Tequila label, the packaging of which had won an award for excellence in design:

2006 Clear Choice Winners
December 14, 2006
Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) named the winners of its 2006 Clear Choice Awards, the only awards program that recognizes consumer product goods companies that package their products in Glass. "Glass says 'purity,' 'premium,' and 'sustainability,' like no other packaging material," says GPI president Joseph Catteneo. The judging panel includes representatives from the packaging academia, design, and trade media. In the past years, entries were judged on aesthetics, creativity, marketability, and form and functionality. All 2006 Clear Choice Award winners received an engraved Steuben Glass award.

Overall Package Design

Winning Product: Corzo Tequila

Manufacturer: Bacardi Bottling Corp.

Glass Container Supplier: Saint-Gobain Desjonquéres

Judges Comments: The Corzo bottle design blends art and science, with a tequila bottle design like no other.

This may seem an odd gift to give to one's proper New Englander Mother. lol! However, I had described my gift to JhonDuane-a very similar one (his is an oil lamp) and she was sold on the conception, and wanted one too!

In order to construct the piece required many tiny sandblasted clear quartz stones of varying hue. The Fairburn agates would go on top. The point of this exercise was to replicate the way that many Fairburns are found- namely surrounded by their cousins, the quartzes!

Unfortunately, JhonDuane had pneumonia, and was temporarily "benched"! So, after some consultation with him, I headed solo to Fairburn, South Dakota. This holds a special place in my heart, as this is where Jhon took me when I came to visit in 2006, to attend the Rock Swap... never imagining that this beautiful place would soon become my home.

Here I am looking a little wilted due to battling a stomach bug the night before! Ughhh!

Behind me are the trees lining French Creek. This place is infamous for the discovery of gold in the Black Hills, by a member of Custer's 7th Cavalry named Horatio N. Ross. (Yep,- a ROSS- damn him!)

There Goes the Neighborhood

Two Lakotas stood on a hillside and watched as Custer and the Seventh Cavalry set up tents below. One sighed sadly. The other looked at his friend in surprise and said, "Why so glum my friend?" His friend looked at him sadly and replied "Damned immigrants! There goes the neighborhood!"

"Two years earlier Secretary of the Interior Columbus Delano had set the stage for George Armstrong Custer's 1874 expedition to the fabled Black Hills in Dakota Territory.

In a letter written March 28, l872, Secretary Delano, responsible for the integrity of Sioux territorial rights, said:
I am inclined to think that the occupation of this region of the country is not necessary to the happiness and prosperity of the Indians, and as it is supposed to be rich in minerals and lumber it is deemed important to have it freed as early as possible from Indian occupancy.
I shall, therefore, not oppose any policy which looks first to a careful examination of the subject... If such an examination leads to the conclusion that country is not necessary or useful to Indians, I should then deem it advisable...to extinguish the claim of the Indians and open the territory to the occupation of the whites.
Delano's remarks were in direct contradiction of terms defined in the l868 Laramie Treaty: "...no persons except those designated herein ... shall ever be permitted to pass over, settle upon, or reside in the territory described in this article."
from Deadwood Magazine July/August 1996
I took a simple left (East) off of Rt 79, and started down the lovely gravel road.










Fairburn agates were created in the Black Hills, and rolled over incredible eons of time, out into the prairies and Badlands. This photo shows just how far the hills are from this location... (yep, that tiny bit on the horizon are the Black Hills!)





The town is pretty quiet now, but silent skeletons attest to a livelier previous history.






Driving a little further, I got a brief clip of the skittish antelope that inhabit the prairie grasslands here.

After passing through town I glimpsed an incredible view of a large herd of buffalo, grazing at the edge of the Triple Seven Ranch.




These magnificent animals have supplied me with incredibly soft buffalo down fiber, which- in the near future, I hope to spin, and eventually create a truly unique and luxurious item (to be determined!)
To give you an idea of the size of this herd, just watch this video!

Finally I got to the entrance of the agate beds.

Once past the camp grounds, one must pass across French Creek, which can be a tricky proposition during rainy season. Fortunately, my little RAV4 was up to the challenge! Mud, water, deep ruts steep angles- not a prob!

After a short traverse of uphill, and through a stock fence, I was within the kern beds.

I remember feeling overwhelmed with the wide open spaces, and incredible beauty-so different from what I had ever seen in New England.

Here I am looking much more self-assured than I actually was (hat courtesy, JhonDuane!) lol!

If you think that it's like looking for a needle in a haystack, you are SO RIGHT!

Quartzes of every possible size, shape and color! I was, however, looking for the small round sand-blasted kind, that looked so like the beach glass I used to collect at Plum Island.

Finally, after several hours of blissful peace, I had all I could ever need, and so it was time to retrace my steps.

(Yes, that IS the road!)

On my way I silently passed by- one last time- the woman in the too big hat. I tipped a nod of acknowledgment in her direction.

Should I have told her what the path had in store? Maybe. But I saw the look in her eyes. No where to go but straight ahead, full-speed and damn the torpedoes...

anyway, the treasure is in the journey- not the destination... and I knew she could do it- she was made of strong stuff- and I...

had a lamp to make!

Spring in Hot Springs

The other day I saw my first Robin. Then I saw my first Red-winged Blackbird. Then, on Sunday, I woke up and it was WARM! I just jumped into my clothes and jumped into my car and started driving...first to Dunn Brothers for some delicious coffee, then on down the road- wherever the car decided to turn was where I was going.

The air was so warm that- for the first time, I had the windows down. I was headed South on 79, and just South of Hermosa, I tuned West onto the road that goes to Custer State Park. Just after entering the park my phone rang- it was JhonDuane, my favorite partner in adventures! He wanted to know where I was, and when he heard I was driving through the Black Hills, he said that he'd meet me in Hot Springs after church... and so there was- A Plan.

I never tire of driving through the hills. Custer State Park is glorious at all times of the year, but in the Spring it is especially wonderful. The above red stone formation is a favorite of mine. It is just beside the road, and so I have photographed it from all views, at all times of the day. It almost feels alive it is so sinuous in form!

Before long I was passing the The State Game Lodge. It served as the "Summer White House" for President Calvin Coolidge in 1927 and was visited by President Dwight D. Eisenhower for several days in 1953.

It was built in 1920, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. when the rich wanted quaint "cottages" that had all the amenities of home. For a virtual tour, click here:

This is "bigger than life" country. The land is big, the people are big (JhonDuane is well-over six feet) experiences take you by the scruff of the neck, and you either "walk the talk" or are part of the evolutionary process. lol!


Soon, beauty was all around me! It is hard to drive and rubberneck 360 degrees, so as not to miss all the amazing scenery. Luckily, there are many turn offs so that one can stretch legs and take pictures without risk to life and limb!

Strangely enough, I saw very little wildlife until at the southernmost end of the park, and nearly about to leave.

Here I saw a small group of buffalo grazing and licking the ground for minerals. This is a favorite convening place for all kinds of wildlife. It is especially popular during calving, as the females have extra need at that time, but it's possible to see anything at all times of the year.

It was nice to see that this group had come through the winter in pretty good fashion. I have heard that the mountain sheep have been decimated this year due to widespread pneumonia- something to which all sheep are susceptible.

Just outside the southern gate, is the opening that is the beginning of Buffalo Gap. This is a gorgeous stretch that- Lakota people say the buffalo traveled when they first emerged from Wind Cave.

Once in Hot Springs, I decided to purchase a small snack, and wait for JhonDuane by a little chapel I know at the East end of town.






As you can see it's pretty tiny. But the interior is even more beautiful than
the photo can express.

















The stained glass looks as though it may have been created locally- perhaps by parishioners?? All images are lovely and sweetly rendered.





Wandering around outside, I saw my first flowers of the Spring! These are tiny little things, about the same size as the circumference of a grain of rice. They were blooming there little hearts out, and so I just had to do them the justice of a photo!



After this pleasant past time it was definitely getting warm. So I decided to go back into town and wait for JhonDuane by the lovely river that flows through its center.

The water is tepid at all times of the year, due to the hot springs for which the town was named, and so it never freezes.

I had a short nap in the sun until JhonDuane arrived.



Since the day was so lovely, we decided to stroll the walkway that graces the length of the river through town. JhonDuane took many more photos during this jaunt... I was still sleepy, and content to just follow his lead!

Hot Springs is a charming old town. Originally called Minnekahta (warm waters) by the Lakota, its waters were prized by all. As the rightful dwellers were pushed out of their ancestral lands, Europeans took it over. The town construction started in the late 1800's.

Its buildings are constructed of cut sandstone and brick- outer siding casually allowing less than perpendicular streets define their outer borders.

Above is an example of one of the many little alleyways to surprise and lure the unsuspecting stroller.


Upon returning to the shade where we had left the cars, JhonDuane suggested a drive down Fall River Road to Sheps Canyon. The vistas are nothing short of spectacular. I have only this one shot, as I was falling out out of the car window in total amazement at the sheer beauty of the place.

Remote though it seemed to us in the early Spring, we discovered that it is a major route to boat launches along Angostura Reservoir. In the summer, no doubt, the road would be plenty travelled and dusty!


After such a busy afternoon, our appetites were well-whetted, and we repaired to my newest favorite place to eat- The All-Star Grill. Over a glass of wine and Fat Tire Ale, we munched delicious salmon and wall-eye and reviewed the day.

Once we were happily full, we said goodbye to Hot Springs, and turned our car homeward- the glow of another full moon lighting the way.