Rain, Blessed Rain!

Rain at last! I'd almost forgotten what it looked like. But we were blessed with nearly an inch Monday night, and nearly 2" more since then. We're thankful for this, but know it will take a lot more to alleviate our exceptional drought. Although some cities can foresee running out of water within the next couple of months, the state has yet to impose mandatory restrictions!

The Old Girl is Finished!

Our house is finished! My husband's nephew Chip and great crew spent 5+ weeks of very hard work scraping, prepping, priming and painting. We chose a deeper tone for the house itself, adding a bold front door in beautiful Amsterdam blue. Our European neighbor tells us it is indeed the blue seen all over Amsterdam. We splurged on new house numbers, mail slot and door knocker. We even had our friend Hunter come and wash the outsides of all the windows, including the dormers! We don't think the old girl has ever looked better.

Photo Credit: Bill Guerrant

Journey's End

As our genealogy trip came to a close, we pondered what we had learned. We were able to get a sense of the struggles our ancestors had faced but not of the prejudice they must have known. We saw where they lived and where they are buried. But the most incredible thing was meeting a part of our family we thought was lost forever. A span of more than 80 years had gone by with our families being separated! But now that we've found one another, we look forward to going forward from here. As cousin Katannah said when we finally met and hugged for the first time, "Isn't this something? Isn't this something?!" And indeed it is.

Our Last Night

We celebrated our last night in Nebraska with a great dinner at Whiskey Joe's. My sisters enjoyed strawberry lemonade (at least that's what they told me it was)!

Scottsbluff National Monument

This magnificent monument was our last official stop. Sue climbed high up in the hills where she was at last able to see the ruts of the wagon trains which had passed through more than a hundred years before.

A Notable Landmark

Near the Wyoming border lies Chimney Rock. Its unmistakable spike served as a landmark for pioneers going west on the California, Oregon and Mormon Trails.

We spotted this field of sunflowers on our way to Scottsbluff.

Crazy Horse

The Crazy Horse monument is years from completion. Still an interesting sight. The museum there has a very nice collection of Native American artifacts, including these beaded moccasins.

Black Hills Sunset

Our view as we left South Dakota.

Beautiful Mt. Rushmore

We caught this glimpse of George Washington before reaching the summit.



The four presidents. Quite a magnificent sight.


One of the beautiful South Dakota lakes.


My sisters needed an ice cream break during our trek as it was a very hot day!

Carhenge

Out in the midst of cornfields 2 1/2 miles north of Alliance, stands Carhenge. An exact replica of England's Stonehenge, Carhenge is made not of stone but of cars. It is an amazing sight! I especially loved the fish head rising from the soil.

Carhenge is listed as "one of the top 25 places to see before you die." I agree. The place is too cool!

Click on any image for a closer view.