Storms

Thought i'd share this with you, this is a radar map of the storm that we are headed through right now - so much for Summer, it's only 16C!!
* Here are some pictures of the aftermath!

Sunshine in a flower

These lovely faces are popping up everywhere at the moment. I thought I'd share them with you and bring some sunshine to your day!

Bear Butte

As I keep being told, it's pronounced 'bute' not 'butt', I think the latter sounds far better! Mato Paha or "Bear Mountain" is the Lakota name given to this site. This geological formation is one of several intrusions of igneous rock in the Black Hills that formed millions of years ago. The mountain is sacred to many American Indian tribes who come here to hold religious ceremonies.



















Many American Indians see Bear Butte as a place where the creator has chosen to communicate with them through visions and prayer. There are colorful pieces of cloth and small bundles or pouches hanging from the trees. These prayer cloths and tobacco ties represent the prayers
offered by individuals during their worship. I love the cloth.

Just a walk in the park...

Sonny had the great idea of climbing Harney Peak a few of weeks ago, at 7,242 ft it's the highest peak east of the Rockies! The day we went was relatively cool which made for a much easier climb. It was 3.5 miles up to the top and worth every last steep climb once we saw the views from the top. On a clear day you can see four states; South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana, our day wasn't so clear but here are a couple of pic
from the top.











We spent about an hour at the top exploring all the nooks and crannies and getting an all round view of the area. Our bubble burst when we thought about the 3.5 mile walk back down! We made it back and had packed a well deserved beer each which tasted fantastic! We were going to camp in Custer State Park for the night but as every campsite was taken we headed home. Sonny was quite glad to get back to a comfy bed for the night, as was I!

Playing at Cowboys!

Yes, we managed to get Katy on a horse, i never thought I'd see the day! Minus mum, the four of us (Sonny on camera duty!) went on a trail ride at the Bluebell Stables in Custer State Park.

There were eight of us happily plodding along, enjoying the sunshine and scenery until we came to a water crossing where, on the other side, were four buffalo crossing over to our side.

This was the first time the people taking us out had seen buffalo on this trail. They very 'calmly' (later we found out they were a bit worried!) led us up the hill while we waited to see which way the buffalo were headed. We quickly decided to move on as the buffalo were headed up the same hill!! Thankfully they headed up and over the hill away from us. There are signs all over the park saying 'buffalo are dangerous, do not approach', it's nice to get close to nature, but not that close!

That is how close they got to us. This little guy didn't seem to be too worried!

Then there was the creek crossing... our feet got a little damp!

After we got back to the stables, safe and sound, and met up with mum, she told us that as she was sitting reading her book, the buffalo had come right through the stables and one of the men had got on a horse and chased them away while cracking his whip! All in all it made for an exciting day!

Custer State Park

This is my favourite place in the Black Hills. It's like a mini Scotland with rolling hills, grasslands, trees, lakes and mountains, the only this missing is the rain and midgies! I feel very at home here! We spent a lot of time here, exploring the Needles Highway and going through the wildlife loop road where dad and Katy made some new friends!

Spelunking!

Or caving, as it is better known. One of the days we had terrible thunderstorms and even a tornado watch so we decided that maybe this was the day to go underground. We went to Jewel Cave National Monument. Jewel Cave is the second longest cave in the world, with just over 150 miles of mapped passageways.

Sonny in his element

The image above reminds me of the Doctor Who baddies!

Images are courtesy of Katy and her super duper camera which i didn't manage to steal like I'd hoped!!

Holidays

The Fraser Family (Mum, Dad & Katy) made it State side for two weeks at the end of June. We had a fantastic holiday with them, we did so much stuff. Here are some photos from our first day at Mount Rushmore.

Where we met this cheeky Mountain Goat happily grazing

We've Moved!

Well, we moved back in the middle of May, it's just taken a while to get organised with blog writing again! We have moved to the Rapid City area of South Dakota. There is a lot more to do here than in Aberdeen and there are hills, trees, lakes; so i feel much more at home.
I can't believe it's July already, time is flying past so quick! There are some exciting photos to come of our holiday with Mum, Dad and Katy! :D

No.1 American Craft

I thought as i'm living in a country where quilting must be the No. 1 craft, i had to learn how to do it! I took a Tuesday night class over three weeks (back in March!)and the result was a very spring-like table runner. Quilting is easy in principle but not in practice, sewing in straight, 1/4" lines is so hard! I'm going to have to do a lot of practice to get my lines straight but I'm proud of my first attempt. Hopefully I will be able to move onto a full size quilt (an easy pattern!) and see how it goes.
Here are some pictures of the finished article!