North West Company Fur Post

"Step into the recreated world of 1804, where you can stop at the Ojibwe encampment and learn how the seasonal living of the Ojibwe changed when Europeans arrived. Meet a fur trade clerk who explains the system of barter that moved beaver fur from the hands of Indian hunters onto the heads of fashionable Europeans."

Respect

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/respect

re·spect

   [ri-spekt] Show IPA

noun

1.

a particular, detail, or point (usually preceded by in ): to differ in some respect.

2.

relation or reference: inquiries with respect to a route.

3.

esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability: I have great respect for her judgment.

4.

deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or someone or something considered to have certain rights or privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy; acknowledgment: respect for a suspect's right to counsel; to show respect for the flag; respect for the elderly.

5.

the condition of being esteemed or honored: to be held in respect.

Rodeo Time!

34th Annual Isanti Firefighters Rodeo

Isanti Lions

Well, it's bulls and blood
It's dust and mud
It's the roar of a Sunday crowd
It's the white in his knuckles
The gold in the buckle
He'll win the next go 'round
It's boots and chaps
It's cowboy hats
It's spurs and latigo
It's the ropes and the reins
And the joy and the pain
And they call the thing rodeo. Garth Brooks

Stone Arch Festival of the Arts

Stone Arch Festival

Tatanka Killer

Jeffers Petroglyphs
It was a hot summer day. Not a cloud in the sky, and the wind was blowing up a red dust filled haze across the open prairie. You could taste the grit being blown into your face. The family had not eaten in hours. We'd tracked the long hunt path past the petroglyphs, around the fields of prairie grasses and wildflowers back to the watering hole. It seemed hopeless. When scanning the the northern horizon from within the man made shelter we spotted our prey. Not more then 100 yards from the back door of the trading post, standing there in the prairie was the lone buffalo. I stalked my way into the fenced in channel which protected onlookers from the charge should it come. To my wandering eyes I located an atlatl and the projectiles at the end of my journey. I load up my first quarrel and set it flying, the 30 mile wind pulled it hard to the left and it dropeed behind my target giving it no warning of my intent. I quickly loaded a second and thanks to the nearsightedness of the beast he did not see the projectile clear him and land in the field beyond. I loaded up my third quarrel and took careful aim and just grazed the buffalo's back. He stood there in shock and that is when my fourth projectile flew threw the air and pierced his heart. A perfect throw, unmatched in the previous couple weeks of many attempts by others. And that my friends is how you earn the coveted piece of parchment naming you a buffalo hunter out at the Jeffers Petrogrlyphs.

Saints Game ~~ Revisited

Saint Paul Saints Baseball

We spent an evening celebrating Kevin's graduation from the University of Minnesota with a night out at the Saints Game.

It began with a tailgating meal of chicken and hotdogs in the parking lot. Followed by Kevin and Alex competing on the ballfield in a race for fame and glory and fabulous prizes. They won, of course!

Then, after many snack, peanuts, popcorn, cookies and more, we watched the Saints play. Thankfully, the sunset and watching became easier from our right field seats.

As the game continued, the Lincoln catchers (and pitchers) began warming up directly in front of our seats. Bwo~~~~op! They became our main entertainment for the middle of the game. Fun times.

The later innings were filled up with an extended visit with Mudonna. Finally, we all trampled out onto the Saints field after the game to have our photo taken under the scoreboard with Kevin's announcement on it. All in all, it was an enjoyable time. Unfortunately, over the years, I am now 0-5 in Saints games. Maybe next time, I will see them win!

Jeffers Petroglyphs

Way down south in Jeffers, many years ago, indians got together, carved on all the stone!

The Jeffers Petroglyphs are located in Jeffers MN. What are Petroglyphs you might ask? Well Petroglyphs are carvings of things like turtles, snakes, and hands. Most of the carvings are hard to see. So they have a guide out there to help you see them.

It was a nice day to be out there because they were doing some special hunting things that normally don't do. It is about a ½ a mile walk just to get out to the Petroglyphs. Plus another ¾ of a mile if you go thought the prairie to get back to the main building. Back to the hunting thing what you get is an atlatl which is basically an arrow. Then you get a wooden block thing that you attach that you atlatl to. Then you throw!

On the Banks of Plum Creek

Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum
Walnut Grove, MN

http://www.walnutgrove.org/index.html

"Once upon a time, sixty years ago, a little girl lived in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, in a little gray house made of logs." Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Today, in a world filled with stories of vampires and wizards and entire amusement parks dedicated to such notions, it is difficult to imagine a time when kids were enthralled with stories of normal family life, filled with school time, dinners and evening songs by the fire.

Laura Ingalls Wilder inspired a generation of female readers. She told them it was alright to despise cooking and cleaning, that not everything worked out as planned, and that she could be an equal in her relationship with her husband. Considering the time period she was writing in, these truly were revolutionary notions to be passing on to the youth of America. Compare that to the fawning, I'll follow you anywhere because you are a handsome (vampire) man, message, of Twilight, and it is hard to believe we haven't stepped back a couple of generations in the messages our books are sending to teenage girls.

Unfortunately, the Little House books have fallen out of favor with young readers, today. This did not lessen my excitement at visiting the museum in Walnut Grove, MN where Laura spent part of her childhood. Having lived in Minnesota for my entire life, I don't know why it never occurred to me to drive out to the small town before now. To stand in the very location where her dugout home was located, was thrilling. Just looking out at Plum Creek, and imagining the Ingalls family stood in my very footsteps, was an awe inspiring sensation.

Nine different buildings make up the Museum, including a replica of the dugout house. Inside the sod building, it is hard to imagine five people spending an entire Minnesota winter locked inside the tiny dirt walls. The location of the actual dugout location is a mile and a half north of the museum. Our schedule did not allow us to go during the Wilder Pageant. But this year, they have a couple of celebrities from the television series. We will have to check back next year.

Death by Chex Mix

Remember when it was okay to buy a cart full of cereal just to make snacks. Ah, in honor of the good old days...

Corn Chex® cereal half box

Rice Chex® cereal half box

Wheat Chex® cereal third box

Cheerios® quarter to third box

mixed nuts ~~ only for Christmas

pretzels sticks quarter bag

12 tablespoons butter or margarine or 1 ½ sticks

6 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons seasoned salt

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon onion powder

pinch of cayenne pepper

Melt liquidy salty stuff together in sauce pan. Pour over mixed cereals in large turkey pan. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Package in airtight container once cool. Hide from children or begin again.