Sioux Falls, Corn Palace, and Sunset

Instead of exchanging gifts with each other for our 25th anniversary, Doug and I decided to take another western vacation.

September 12, the day we left home, was just a travel day, with nothing of interest to share here. The next day, however, we passed through Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Doug and I have been through Sioux Falls several times, but we've never explored the area. It was always just a place on the way to our destination further west.

Last year, though, friends of ours visited Sioux Falls and found the actual falls for which the town is named. Not to be outdone by our friends, Doug and I went looking for the falls on this trip. And we're so glad we did. What a beautiful place.

Falls Park at Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Falls Park at Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Falls Park at Sioux Falls, South Dakota

After spending an hour or so at Falls Park, we went on to Mitchell, South Dakota, where we had a reservation at the Best Western Motor Inn for that night. In Mitchell, we found a new (to us) restaurant called Whiskey Creek Wood Fire Grill. We loved it. It's similar to a Texas Roadhouse or a Logan's. Very good food. Wonderful sweet potato fries.

After supper, we drove downtown to see the Corn Palace, which is a multi-use center for the community and region. It hosts stage shows, as well as sports events in its arena.

The World's Only Corn Palace stands as a majestic, uniquely American, folk art icon on the rolling prairies of South Dakota. Mitchell's first Corn Palace was built in 1892, when the city of Mitchell was just 12 years old. Early settlers displayed the fruits of their harvest on the building exterior in order to prove the fertility of South Dakota soil.

The third and present building was completed for its first festival at the present location in 1921. Each year a new decorating theme is chosen, and the outside of the Corn Palace is stripped and redecorated with new corn and grains. Roughly 275 thousand ears of corn are sawed in half lengthwise and nailed to the building, following the patterns created by local artists.

The Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota

A closeup of one of the murals on the building, made of ears of corn

The arena inside the Corn Palace

The Corn Palace adorned with its evening lighting

By the time we had checked out the Corn Palace, the sun was setting; and it was showing promise of being spectacular. So we went looking for a place from which to watch it and found the perfect site at Mitchell Lake.

Sunset at Mitchell Lake, Mitchell, South Dakota

Notice the arc around the setting sun in this picture.

I took literally hundreds of photographs on this trip. These are just the tip of the iceberg. I have lots of sorting to do to pick out a representative few to share with you all.

More to come in future posts.

Flowers

These are more of the photos from 1983, that I've been scanning into the computer from slides.

Red Rosebuds

Red Rose

Red Rose with Water Droplets

I don't know what these are or where I found them, but they're pretty.

This is the path through the nature preserve I used to frequent. It was May, and the trillium were blooming.

Thanks to Hilary at The Smitten Image for including this post as a Post of the Week.

Critters

Continuing with the scanned slides from 29+ years ago, here are a few that feature various critters.

Chipmunk at Olin Lake Nature Preserve

Another chipmunk at the nature preserve

My beautiful Doberman, Brandi

As much as I dislike spiders, I still find them fascinating.

This is Hutch. He and his brother, Starsky, were barn cats. Starsky was never interested in visiting me inside my house trailer, but Hutch did come for an occasional visit. In this photo, he's sitting on the steps outside my door.

And this is pretty little Sunada, an Arabian filly (AJ Ramada x Jessica Sunrise)

They Don't Make 'Em Like This Anymore

These are some more photos from those old slides that I've been scanning. This is an old house, out in the country, not far from where I lived when I was raising horses. These are all from 1983.

Reliving the Past with a New Toy

I have a new toy. It's a photo scanner that allows me to scan slides. 

We have about 16 slide carousels filled with slides. We do have a slide projector, but it's inconvenient to get it out and set up a screen every time we feel like looking at those pictures. So now I can scan them into the computer to preserve them, to print copies if I choose, and to post to my blog to share with you, my blogging friends. Aren't you lucky?

The first slides out of the carousel and into the scanner were an odd assortment of pictures taken nearly 30 years ago.

This is a self-portrait. There is a little nature preserve that I used to visit in those days, and I usually had the place all to myself. That's where this picture was taken, in 1983, using the self-timer, with the camera balanced precariously on a stump or a rock or a tree branch. I remember the scramble necessary to get from the camera over the fallen branches to stand next to that tree stump before the time elapsed and the camera snapped the photo.

I don't remember where this old barn was, but this is another image from 1983.

A Napping Sow. Doesn't that look like a smile on her face? Wonder what she's dreaming about.

Amish

A friend asked me this week if I had any pictures of Amish that her friend could use for a missions project she was working on. Her request prompted me to go back through my photos to see what I could find for her. It occurred to me that the pictures I found for her might be of interest to some of you, as well.

A little background information might be helpful for those of you who may not be familiar with the Amish (pronounced Ah-mish). Most Amish live on farms, although many work in a trade, such as carpentry. Some even own successful businesses such as furniture or cabinet making. One family near us owns a shoe store, specializing in work boots for factory workers, as well as traditional Amish footwear. Another family has a machine shop, making and selling products to customers all over the world.

The Amish shun the use of most modern conveniences. As a rule, they do not own automobiles or farm tractors but use horses for travel and farming. They don't have in-home telephones, although most in our community now have cell phones. They don't use electricity in their homes, although some, like those that need electricity to operate their businesses or for powering milking machines for dairy farms, do generate their own electricity for those purposes with generators. Many are installing wind turbines, too.

This is a typical Amish farm.

Here is a little closer look at the laundry hung neatly on the clothesline to dry.

The rules for Amish are dictated by each congregation's Bishop and can vary from community to community. Those in our county do not use enclosed buggies. They ride in open buggies in every kind of weather. However, in recent years, they've been permitted to install enclosed boxes on the backs of the buggies where small children can ride in inclement weather. Often, during heavy rain or snow, the adults will carry large black umbrellas, with a small patch of clear plastic through which the driver can see where he's going.

The next three pictures were snapped as people gathered for a parade in our small town. The state highway, down which the parade would travel, had not yet been closed to traffic, so cars and buggies were continuing to travel it until the start of the parade.

A beard on an Amish man is an indication that he is married.

An Amish family joining those waiting for the start of the parade.

We see many unusual conveyances in addition to the traditional buggies and farm wagons.

I don't know what this is, but it was unusual enough to make me run for my camera.

These are hay wagons, on their way to a hayfield somewhere to pick up some freshly baled hay. Notice the women, extra chairs, and large drink dispenser on the first wagon. It looks as if the work day was going to include a little fun.

This woman was transporting a couple of large barrels in the back of her buggy. (The photo was taken from the cemetery where I was walking when she passed by. Those are tombstones in the foreground.)

A Visit to the Air Force Museum

Last May, Doug and I took a friend to the Air Force base in Dayton, Ohio, so that she could attend the graduation of her grandson from a special training program. While Pat was attending the ceremonies, Doug and I visited the Air Force Museum.

I should mention that Doug is with planes like I am with horses. While I run to the window to watch the Amish horses go by, he will drop what he's doing and rush outside to look up into the sky when he hears a plane flying over.

So he was in his element at the Air Force Museum. I'm afraid I was a little out of my element, but it didn't stop me from taking photos. So, if you're an airplane junkie like my hubby, this post is for you. If you're not, well, stick around. Maybe I'll hit your addiction one of these days.

Doug prepares to do a walk-through of a B-29

Here it is from the inside

F-84E Thunderjet

F-94A Starfire

B-26C

Consolidated OA-10 Catalina

Supermarine Spitfire

DH-98 Mosquito

Doolittle Raiders B-25 Mitchell Bomber

B-36 Peacemaker

B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber

There are many, many more planes than what I've shown here. It has to be seen to be believed. The engineering ingenuity it must have taken to get all those planes into the hangars and on display was marvel enough for me.