South Dakota to Wyoming Beauty Everywhere

We said good bye to Deadwood this morning and drove to Terry Peak, the place where General Terry, Custer's Commander, sent him into battle...it was a high peak and I do not do heights well, but tried looking up from my knitting to see the view when DH suggested I do so. I have to say it was breathtakingly beautiful when I could catch my breath. We got out to take pictures at Bridal Veil Falls, another spectacular site among many we saw today and for the past several weeks. This was in Spearfish Canyon and I cant wait to show you photos of the yellow spurge, and purple flowers that were in abundance among the pine tree forests and jagged rocks. We took I90 to Wyoming and to Vore Buffalo Jump...the place where they are excavating buffalo bones from this huge hole where the Indians ran the buffalo to kill them for food and hides and tools. A couple of young college students were our very informative guides. Next we stopped at Devils Tower. This is a favorite of both of ours. The photos will be wonderful but nothing quite compares from actually being there. It's this huge rock that comes up out of the ground (from a volcanic explosion) and towers up I forget sorry how high into the sky. The lines of erosion on it's sides is awesome to behold.I do think I have over used that statement many times about things we have seen on this trip, but it fits, what can I say? We took the 1.3 mile hike around the tower, some up hill hiking that left me physically out of breath...too many hours in the car and not enough walks of late leave me realizing I NEED to be doing more physically and soon before I lose all I gained up to starting this trip. But the hike was great, the view wonderful and again just filled with so much beauty in nature. We picnicked at a spot where we could just sit and stare at the tower. We drove through the Big Horn Mts that are covered in snow, enjoyed more wide open spaces filled with wild flowers and trees and red, orange rocks that are millions of years old. Now we are in a very charming clean motel that is full of hanging plants and lovely gardens. The owner was kind enough to lend me her lap top to blog tonight. Tomorrow we head to Yellowstone again, and then on to Idaho, Seattle, Portland, Glide and Roseburg, Oregon. Hoping you all are well and enjoying life to the fullest. I do believe we are.

On The Road Again in South Dakota

I am obviously addicted to my blog and my blog friends, as here I sit in an Internet cafe with 15 minutes to pound out the latest update of our road travels. Yesterday we enjoyed driving into S. Dakota, with me finally sharing the driving. Stopped at a 1880's Town museum that was created for the filming of Dancing With Wolves movie with Kevin Costner. It was extremely well done, and I got lots of photos that I will eventually share. From there we next stopped at Ellsworth Air force Base and museum. DH lived from ages 6-9 here and his father was stationed at this base. So more nostalgia for him. We went down into a missle silo, saw Dwight D. Eisenhower's plane he flew in the war. And lots of other important airplanes. The highlight for me was going into a little shop just off base with the sign: Angeliques's Sewing & Embroidery overhead. Little did I know who I was going to meet and befriend. Angelique's business which at first put me off, as she embroiders words and numbers on military uniforms for military personnel, expanded before my eyes when I saw she also made lotions from goats milk. She raises the goats and turns their milk into awesome lotions and soaps. She gave me a sample and I bought a small container to take home. We got to talking and I found out her love of art with embroidery and knitting. She knits and felts hats which she showed me and they are wonderful to behold. I took photos to share later as well. Angelique, originally from Jamaica and later England, now So. Dakota promised she would try blogging and I assured her she'd have a rich market for her hats and soaps there. Her website is www.nametapesetc.com if you want to check her out. I really left her shop feeling I had made a new friend. We had dinner picnic style in a beautiful park we have visited before in the town of Rapid City, another former home of DH's. We also visited the Dinosaur Park and "played" near the big dinosaurs he played on as a child. Sleep was good, dreams were strange, I was bagging mail, separating things to shred, and toss? I'll leave the interpretation to you. This morning we stopped at a quilt shop and I got green fat quarters of leaves... and took more pictures of beautiful quilts. Fred's drinking the coffee that let me use this computer. Now we'll head to Custer State Park, and Deadwood. We are celebrating my entering my 68th year! Where did the time go? Hugs to all. Your intrepid traveling friend, Lynn

On the road from Minn. to South Dakota

Pictures by words today...we got up early, DH had 15 hrs sleep yesterday total so was rested enough to drive out of MN saying I could take over in So. Dakota. We traveled through country lush with green trees clustered deeply on both sides of the roads for miles and miles in Minnesota. It's so green and so treed! And then suddenly we are in open country where there are fields as far as the eye can see and nary a tree to behold. Farmland...red barns...llamas, donkeys, cows... And roads that seem to go forever before and behind you. Gas in MN was $3.81 at Fleet Farm and $4.09 in So. Dakota!!!! How much is gas where you live? In Michigan the day before yesterday we saw cars and trucks and RVs for sale all along the way miles and miles of vechiles for sale in front of peoples houses. Sad this. Such a statement on our current economy. Where is everyone? Where are the summer travelers such as ourselves? We were it! I drove three hours today and followed at one time two motorcycles, one big truck, but otherwise I had the miles of road to myself. No one in sight, no traffic...NONE! We landed in Pierre, South Dakota this evening. Had dinner out for a change...a "burger meal" not great...but warm. (I actually had tenderloin pork and turkey sandwich)... Backing up a bit we stopped in Clark , MN or was it S. Dakota around one p.m.? I forget now, and had a nice picnic lunch at a city park in this tiny burg. I swung on the swings afterwards. It was a nice clean park but again we were the only ones there. I wondered where the children were? It's summer...it wasn't particularly hot out? At one point we wondered if the world had come to an end and we were it's sole survivors but it wasn't being told on the news. LOL We also stopped later at an antique store...I found a treasure trove of fabric and embroidery floss and lace for my projects. 3 yrds of cotton for backing for a quilt for $2. What a deal!!!! So now you are caught up...tomorrow we head to Rapid City and see another old homestead of DH's childhood. (Oskota, MI was the other one)... and hopefully Custer State Park and lots and lots of buffalo! Not sure when I can check in again...this motel gave me half an hour on their computer. And they have exercise equipment, but truth be told I am too tired to get on it right now. A good nights sleep sounds grand. Happiness on you all. ADDENDUM: I got up early to use treadmill in motel but none work. Poor sleep, worse bed in trip so far. Was convex in shape and I was on a "hill or ledge" and DH down in the valley below...I of course kept falling off my ledge into his valley...he slept fine, but I did not. I dreamt some so must have fallen asleep toward morning. I had a gab fest sitting on the floor with Obama (my second Obama dream of late. He is so personable and fun to be with); and then I bumped into Meryl Strep getting out of storm she had to pass me at a gate. Her daughter was with her. I tried to ignore the fact that she was someone famous. Later she came into the room where I was with lots of other people and she spoke to me in Yiddish. I did not understand a word she said. But she too was very pleasant. I forgot to mention my knitting yesterday. I have finished the back and two fronts to a cardigan sweater I am knitting my grand daughter, while we drive for hours in the car. Started one sleeve yesterday. It's in rainbow colors called Crayola in a bounce acrylic nubby variegated yarn. Very soft and very cute. She'll love it. Picked up heart shape buttons in all the different colors for it at a quilt shop. Oh, my SIL gave me an early BD gift of Paint Stiks for painting on fabric. Can't wait to try them out when I get home. Now I think you are caught up. I need to see if I can get these treadmills to work. I need the exercise. Enjoy the day.

42 Year Later...Meeting Anneke Again

The Hebrew word for Love is on Anneke's license plate:



Here she is showing us the photo of the people who hid in her home for three years. The photo was taken the day the war ended and it was safe for them to see daylight again. Can you even imagine? I cannot.
In 1961 I went to Israel from California, I was short of my 20th birthday...I had been traveling in Europe...maybe one day I will blog the whole story, but for now its enough to say that while in Israel (a five week trip that lasted five years) I met a young woman from Holland, her name was Anneke. We were both young, idealistic, having come from different backgrounds, mine Jewish, hers Christian. She had a connection to Israel ever much or more deep than my own. She is the daughter of parents, who during World War two, when Jews were being herded like cattle and put into train cars to be carried to camps where they were exterminated, hid eight Jewish people in their home in Holland for three long years. This of course was at great risk to their own lives and the lives of their three children, should they be caught.

I had the honor on this vacation to visit Anneke in her current home in Michigan for the first time after that first meeting 42 years ago in Israel. To say it was an emotional visit would be an understatement. It encompassed several things to make it so.

First, just seeing each other after all these years, (Anneke is responsible for keeping our friendship going as she picks up the phone and calls me often. She is not an e-mailer) and catching up and revisiting our early years together as young brides, mothers on the kibbutz where we then lived...Then, being with her a short year after the death of her dear husband, who she met and married during our time together in Israel. I missed not being able to re-meet him as well. And this was sad on all fronts. And finally, because we had the high honor of sitting and listening first hand as Anneke shared with us the story of her parents heroic deeds and the impact they had on her as a young child age 3-6 yrs.

Her hospitality was beyond measure. Her home lovely, very European in style and feel, a collector of antiques, art, books, (her husband left a library of over 8000 books and they were all in her home)...it was just fun to wander from room to room...not to mention the garden where he had planted over 1000 trees and made lovely natural gardens of flowers and other plants. We were only there one day, but it was filled with love beyond belief.

Halt, Stop, Crunch, Sqeal, Breaks On, Trip Stalled...

A break in our trip due to fatigue on part of my DH.
Resting here in MN at my SILs home for another day, after returning from traveling to Michigan, Canada, and back through Michigan again, Wisconsin, and Duluth, MN and now Brooklyn Park, MN.

Rest of trip to be decided.
Changes to make: I will do more of the driving.
DH will probably NOT continue my knitting. It can wait.
Some photos of trip to now to enjoy in the meantime:

DH and his ma the day before we left on the next leg of our journey North
Barns in Michigan are mainly white, some red but with multiple silos
Car art kept me entertained along the way
The four hour ferry boat ride took us to Michigan
I was most concerned with safety and took photos of all the life boats around the ship ;-)

I hope you are all having an enjoyable summer where you are.

Photos to go with the Canada Visit post

Long lost cousins meeting for first time:
Wonderful meeting Sylvain and Kelly....

Kelly took us out to lunch for my soon up coming birthday. So sweet. So delicous too.



We had such a wonderful visit...short but very, very sweet. What a delight to be with these two.

And yes, Human Being you were in the hugs, and yes, Elspeth, you were mentioned as well. Were your ears burning? LOL We shared our blogland thoughts and kept saying how strange it was, as if we had jumped out of our monitors to be together in person. But the hugs were genuine and warm, as was the hospitality. We all hoped we could do it again...maybe next time in California!

Meeting Kelly and Sylvain

We are in Canada!!!! And at this moment my DH is singing an Irish Ballad by Paddy O'Rielly to an audience of two: Kelly and Sylvain. Many of you know Kelly from her blog Kikipotumus and Sylvain from his. Well, Kelly is absolutely who I have to thank for teaching and introducing me to blogging. She is also a distant cousin of my dear husband's. They met each other via genealogy searches a year or so ago. Now we are all gathered together and we all say "how weird it is" to meet someone who has become a friend out of our computers. But is a very wonderful weird. We have spent a lovely day in their fair city...will have a music fest on going now, and some dinner out soon. Earlier today we enjoyed visits to some art museums, a local history museum, a walk along a waterway where we could see Detroit over the other side of the water. Our trip continues to be fun, exciting, interesting, ....more to tell but they are calling me to dinner... Gotta go, thank you all for your wonderful comments on my photos and other blog postings. They are much appreciated. More photos to follow when time allows.

More Vacation Shots from On The Road

Crow is for Human Being!!!!


Dandilions are for Joh/Hopper!!!


This is a marmot!

Latest Quilt and Health Plan

If you are interested in seeing the progress on my 1940's art quilt and/or my healthy eating and exercise progress you may go to my other two blogs via the side bar here under My Other Blogs.<

Photos from On The Road With Lynn

On The Road...Day Six

We left you in Wyoming I believe. The Grand Titons are a MUST if you travel here. They are covered in snow this June, and the beauty is beyond what words can convey. You just have to BE THERE. (It was there last time 2005 I think) when I asked DH to renew our vows and we did it then and there overlooking those wonderful peaks. He used humor, can't remember the exact words but something legal sounding and fun.) This time we both cried...just getting in touch with such awesome grandure...and being so grateful to be alive and HERE. From there we drove to Yellowstone National Park. Again, lots of ohhing and ahhing...been there before too but this was the first time I got to see Old Faithful erupt. Wonderful old gysers...steam coming out that looks like smoke and then this amazing burst of water spray high into the sky. A beautiful waterfall, Kempler Cascades...and then it started snowing!!!! Yes, SNOWING on us in June! We went into a Buffalo Bill Museum. There were quilts and guns...so we were both made happy. ;-) The Grizzly Bear motel was cheap but the shower flooded the bathroom. I do not recommend it. But it was there I could use a computer so not all was lost. Oh, we found the largest Quilt Store I have ever seen, called Big Horn Quilts in Grey Bull Wyoming. Run by a woman whose daughter (get this) lives in the town we live in in California!!! Small world. This woman ships fabric all over the world, her business being mostly by internet she said. Great story. More snow through the Big Horn Mountains. Shell Gorge is beautiful too. On to Montana... Where we visited (again) Custer's Last Stand... And nice museum there. Then on to Pompey's Pillar. A big rock where at first they said we could not climb up (there are ramps and stairs, we were not asking to take the goat trail) as they were expecting a sudden thunder storm and they didn't want to be responible for our lives in a lighting storm. But the storm seemed to pass and we did go up after all. Spectacular view. Out of breath due to high altitude. Nice ranger who gave us lots of history. We saw the place on the rock where W Clark signed his name. ( Of Lewis and Clark). In Miles we got a hot chicken to eat in our motel room. Can't tent camp in storms we've been experiencing. Don't want to. Since we aren't camping to save money we are eating all our meals out of our cooler in the car or in our motel (breakfast) or by the side of the road. It's also helping me stay on my eating regiment of healthy foods only. ;-) On our fifth day we made it to North Dakota. We saw lots of buffalo close up and personal in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Moose too. A herd of about 50 buffalo grazing in a meadow...calves too. A moose couple walking through a glen of greenery...we were this close...can't wait to see my photos myself. We visited Abraham Lincoln State Park yesterday...had a wonderful Native American guide who gave the two of us a personal tour of the Mandan Village. We saw how the lodges where the Mandan Indian's lived were constructed...and learned a great deal about their customs. From there we went to Custer's house, where everything inside was said to be at least 100 years old...furniture, musical instruments, clothing, QUILTS, sewing machines...again, very interesting. Our guide there, another Native American woman, shared that she too is a quilter and we shared quilt stories and emails so she can send me photos of her quilts. They sound awesome. She does lots of applique and lots of Native American designs. And yes, I have taken 100s of photos and will start blogging them soon. I need to get them down loaded onto discs first. Soon. And now we are in Minnesota at my SILs home. I suspect soon we will go to visit DH's ma in her nursing home. I look forward to seeing her, getting my hugs and giving some too. We'll be here for five days...so I'll be on line more. Thanks to all of you who responded and commented on my first Trip Blog Post. I do appreciate hearing from all of you so much. I missed you these past six days. REALLY!!!!!!!!

Surprise From Lynn On The Road

Hi! From Wyoming!!!! We have been doing A LOT Of driving the past two days... CALIF...Nevada...Utah...and today, Wyoming. We are enjoying the wide open spaces of America. Summer traffic is nil. Nada, none. Except for one 45 minute hold up when we found ourselves stopped dead in our tracks for 45 minutes surrounded by cars and huge trucks in front and behind us as far as the eye could see. We saw once traffic started up again that a huge semi had caught fire and the entire rear of it that carries the goods was melted metal. Firemen had put it out. And fortunately we could see the driver in the cab of the truck separated from his load safe and on his cell phone. Calling his boss, or wife with excuses for being late? We have visited one fossil museum and one Mountain Man museum today. DH getting all sorts of good info for his students next term. And besides that I have been embroidering on my quilt for ten hour stretches at a time. All the intertwining circles are trimmed in blue...bob-wire has been added to the concentration camp sign, and the six Stars of David have been distressed to look old. It is beginning to POP! I am an embroiderer in training (self taught) so am not sure if my ideas will be transplanted or not but we shall see. Plenty of time for trial and error. ;-) Oh, and btw, I packed for summer but this evening had to dig out socks, my one long sleeved shirt and my sweater, and turn my new cropped jeans into long ones...It's COLD!!!! We heard it was snowing at Yellowstone. So far it's been motels, not camping. But that could change tomorrow. But I am thrilled to find a computer at this motel. I'll check in again when I get a chance. Meanwhile I hope you are enjoying summer wherever you are or what ever season it is where you are. ;-)

Progress on New Art Quilt and Going Fishing!

Hey guys...We are going fishing...well hunting for fish fossils, camping, visiting friends and family, even several from Blogland. I will be able to check in along the road...till then,

you can see my latest quilt in it's not quite finished state...This piece is for an art show at the gallery in July. The theme is: "Life in the 40's America's Greatest Generation"

Thanks to Hopper for the Tz-daka box photo (for charity for Israel) just like the one my mom had...in upper right hand corner.


The group family shot on the right is my family circa 1944. We are on vacation, but look so stoic. It makes me wonder just how the war going on in Europe and the Pacific were affecting us on our home front? I of course was too young to understand what was going on.

Fourth photo is an actual letter written by my husbands great grandmother to his father in 1940 with concerns of the war in England.
My husband's American father and German mother, who met at the very end of the war in Germany, when she worked for him as a translator and he had the job of interrogating Nazi war criminals. They married and she became pregnant with my husband, and they had to wait a year and a half after he left for the US to go there themselves to meet him.
The young soldier in the center is my beloved Uncle Harry, who served in Guam. He married my mom's youngest sister in 1945. They are still sweethearts today at age 89.

I just noticed this morning that I put six stars on the quilt. Six being a very significant number for this piece. Six million. And they stop 3 quarters of the way to the right when the war comes to an end, the camps are liquidated and Israel becomes a state. I think I do a lot of work unconsciously, but my unconscious knows what needs to be done.