Cardboard boat race - Saturday

Yes... we did seriously talk about it, I wanted to & even talked with the staff..... but no, we couldn't find the time to build one to enter !!!! BUT we went to cheer on the 11 entries. All boats had to be 100% cardboard, with only paint & tape - no sealers, caulk or waterproofing. There were 3 ways you could win: fastest, best of show and the Titanic. Check out the pics and guess which were the winners !!! The fastest boat - got a trophy and $200 first place money !!!

We're still having trouble with internet reception.... so if days go by and no update..... chalk it up to no access. Major storms come thru regularly... last night was big rains & wind. For those of ya'll back home....... it was 69 degrees here this morning !!! And currently it is 82. Every day brings tornado warnings somewhere in this region, but we've been blessed not to be in the path.

Memorial to soldiers, Czech Festival

Every town we visit or ride thru has a memorial dedicated to their soldiers .... it's very humbling while at the same time, we feel a sense of pride, patriotism & loyalty in each community.One evening, we joined our neighbor volunteers and went to Tabor, SD for their annual Czech Festival. Like any town USA which honors their ancestry & heritage.... this event replicates their early homeland festivals. Complete with regional clothing, there were demonstrations, bands, dancing, Czech beer & food, the carnival, parade and queen with her court. We did sample brats & sauerkraut, beer and kolaches. The dancing below includes over 200 community members showcasing some of their reels & whirls.

A VERY "HAPPY FATHERS" DAY GREETING

TO

MARCUS AND SHAUN

AND ALSO TO

ALL OUR FAMILY, FRIENDS & ASSOCIATES

HAVE A WONDERFUL & BLESSED DAY

bv and j

HAPPY 4.5 BIRTHDAY COHEN ! ! ! ! ! !

LOVE YOU, MISS YOU & WE'LL CELEBRATE ON YOUR DECEMBER BIRTHDAY !!!

grandpa & jaja

Omaha, NB - Baseball College World Series

Being this close to Omaha, we just HAD to take a trip and take in some college baseball ! Of course we planned it when UT-Texas was playing !! We lucked out and had a comp room w/ whirlpool tub for 2 nights at the Ameristar Hotel & Casino that looked out over the Missouri River and had a free shuttle to the games ! Monday June 15 we drove down, checked in and BV immediately went to get tickets for both games on Tuesday. I of course, checked out the casino layout to determine where & what to play ! BV got back and that evening we played & relaxed.

Tuesday June 16 we shuttled out to stadium, walked thru Fun Fest, souvenier tents and took pictures. They open the gates 2 hours before game time, and since we had outfield bleacher seats - first come first serve - we got in early.

I walked around with camera in hand, BV saved our seats ! The view across the field is from the bleachers. Our 6pm seats were going to be under the press box, two sections along 1st base side of home base, in the middle of the orange section about 21 rows up.

Great seats ... except for all the Nebraska fans behind/around us that didn't like "any part of Texas". They were really loud during first 3 innings...... then after TX rallied, they even quit watching the game.. and just talked loudly ! The view from our evening seats looked toward the bleachers where we sat for the 1pm game.... just under the big sign in the middle section.

We were walking down just as the last out in the bottom of the ninth was made.... so of course, for those who watched the game....... the final score was Texas 10 and Arizona 6.

Party animals .... and it snowed !!

Ok... it's been a while since the blog was updated. Excuses are: internet has been down, we've been busy volunteering AND we're having too much fun !

Picture to the right is at a nearby Corps of Engineer Park, right on the Lake. BV and I bbq'd hamburgs, hotdogs & chicken .... folks brought all the fixings. We also hosted a cocktail party at the trailer... way fun !

Everyone brought their choice of beverages... we had wine, fruit juice mixer and snacks of deer sausage, cheese & crackers. We're working with a great group of folks !

The cottonwoods are all seeding out and it looked like a snowstrom came thru one morning !

We've been busy still spawning pallid sturgeon, they have ben harvesting walleye and perch along with taking the wild fish back to the rivers.

Playing tourist.... finally !

We took off Tuesday June 2 with the goal of going to Sioux Falls ! Got about 30 miles out and gee.... there was a golf course ! Yep, we turned and played Valley View GC at Freeman, SD. BV did very well and shot an 80... Jac did ok with an 85. Everything was very green & lush !
Driving on to the City, we found a hotel... then adventured downtown to find their central park called "The Falls". The Big Sioux River flows thru the center of town carveing waterfalls, gorges and various rock formations. We walked around it, went up into the tower, visited historical spots. That night there was a free "light & sound" show ... using laser & colored flood lights, they told the history of Sioux Falls. It was really cool.... weather wise it was 59 degrees - see BV all bundled up in June - - - - !

It was very entertaining & lasted 45 min. I tried to get some night photos, but it was difficult.

The next day we drove north to Palisades State Park - folks advised us it was a great area for hiking, water and rock formations. We did hike all around the area - it was a quiet rock oasis in the middle of farmland... once away from the river.... you couldn't tell the rock formations were even there !

We watched carp gulp food & squirrels play in trees..... we were just having fun playing tourists for a while !! On we drove to find a golf course in Beaver City, MN.... well we found the city, but the course had gone bankrupt and wasn't open. So, we decided to just drive on back to the trailer. We had also picked up some large metal parts to repair water lines and didn 't want to leave them in the truck overnight. That trip - we were in 3 states..... SD, MN and Iowa.

Just another day ....

End of May has been very active !Jac staffed the bookstore, took lots of working photos, began working on the draft displays and put together a kids "touch n feel" bookshelf... with items found around the area ... painted turtle shell, turkey & canadian geese feathers, mu sell shells, bird eggs, deer antlers etc. It's fun to watch the kids & adults handling the items.... and then I have my laptop on to show the animals in real life.

BV had framed up the two 8x18 RV patios.... one afternoon he & the staff (even the biologists)poured and finished them. We had to wait a day for them to cure, but we promptly set out the lawn chairs, tables, outdoor fan and cooler - inviting folks to come by and join us for some "cold ones" in celebration of a project well done !

The Paddlefish eggs (spawned from wild fish caught earlier) hatched into fry and when they grew to just less than a half inch long, over 400,000 were bagged and taken to the outdoor ponds for release. Later in the fall after growing several inches, staff will release them into various rivers. Paddlefish can age to over 50 years and reach 100 pounds.

And there is always grounds maintenance..... BV spends time mowing or weed eating, filling holes & re-seeding, trimming etc.

Just another day volunteering !!!!

Exciting day - three states !

Thursday May 28 ... the biologist asked us to go with him on an all day excusion to release some sturgeon back into their native habitat. Pulling a 4-compartment tank we left SD at 7:30am & drove to Iowa for the 1st release, then to NB and back to SD at 5:30pm for a total of 4 river stops.

These are native wild pallid sturgeon, caught, then spawned at the hatchery and returned. Kinda ugly... and are very strong ! Takes two, sometimes three staff to manage one fish in the tank. The males shown here are small compared to those at the hatchery.

We still have not gone sport fishing.... out of state license is $60... a bit high. I think we'll try to "bribe" our way into getting some fish.... it stays light until 9:30 and many times when the staff get off work.... they go out below the dam for a few hours.

Tagging

OK....Mrs. Jenk tagged me... so let me see if I can do this right ! Not many people I know have a blog..... so Tiffany, you are tagged !!! And Linda... if you get internet... you're also tagged !!!! Just answer these questions on your blog and tag someone else's blog.

Six names you go by:
1. Jac
2. Jacque
3. Ms. Beaver
4. Ms. Magill
5. Stepmom
6. jaja

Three things you are wearing right now:
1. Sac State T-shirt
2. jean shorts
3. scrunchie

Three things you want very badly at the moment:
1. good health
2. safe trip
3. lose 15 pounds

Three people you are certain who will fill this out:
1. Tifany if she has time & reads this blog
2. Linda if she gets internet
3. no one else I know has a blog !

Three things you did last night:
1. spent quality time with Mr. Beav
2. worked on emails
3. looked at maps

Two things you ate today:
1. cottage cheese
2. chinese food

Two people you last talked to on the phone:
1. Mom
2. Shelly

Two things you are going to do tomorrow:
1. walk
2. work on our brand new patio

Your favorite beverages:
1. diet coke
2. sweet tea

Paddlefish... Whoaaa

Very cool fish........We don't have these in TX !! Just looking at them, they seem to be a cross between dolphin & swordfish ! While we were doing our west SD swing...... the biologists netted 11-(30-40lb) male & 7-(60-90lb) female paddlefish from the Niabrara River and spawned them at the hatchery. We had the good fortune to assist with releasing them back into the wild.....

The crew assembled, some got into the big tanks.....BV jumped right in.... the males being smaller were caught by hand... the females were so big, stretchers were used to get them out .... it was like a wrestling match, sometimes the fish won !!! Staff loaded them into small portable tanks on a haul trailer & we drove about 30 min to the release area. While I took photos in the rain, BV helped unload the males, get the females into stretchers and then "coax" the fish into the river.... where I think, they were very relieved to be home !

Exploring the Black Hills, Day 1 !

Monday May 18 - Thursday May 21

We took a whirlwind tour of western SD, volunteering to take some equipment from Gavin's Point Hatchery to the DC Booth Hatchery in Spearfish on our days off. We saw soooo much, I can't include it all in one blog. So.... I'm going to post photos with narrative over several blogs..... and take ya'll on an adventure !

Monday: first stop enroute was at the "Corn Palace" in Mitchell, SD. The outside is completely covered with corn depicting scenes from around the world. Inside is a huge auditorium for concerts & events... again surrounded by scenes in corn. First bldg was decorated in 1892 and they have been doing this ever since.

We then continued on thru the Badlands....