Cooking with a little Sage

Sorry for the groaner of a pun, but I couldn't help it. Today is a cold, drizzly fall day. Perfect for cooking something in the oven to warm the house up a bit. Anna helped me make some corn spoon-bread and black bean enchiladas for dinner while we listened to the music of Vince Gauraldi -- the perfect soundtrack for fall. The smell wafting through the house is mouth-watering. And, as you can see, Anna was an enormous help in the kitchen (and cute as a button in her pink apron.) Lucky for her, we used the last of the foil on the tube, creating an instant telescope. Life is good.

Farm Tour

Yesterday we went on the annual Farm Tour. Farms across the region open their doors for the weekend. Pumpkin patches...animal farms...honey bee farms...orchards...vineyards. Our first stop was my favorite, Pendleton Farms. Just after we arrived, a green tractor pulling a blue hay wagon pulled up to take us out into the fields. We made a stop at the butterfly bio-villa where we identified different types of caterpillars, watched the quivering chrysalis, and watched the butterflies sucking on blooms and fluttering around their temporary home, getting ready for their migration. Then the kids jumped into a bin of corn-filled bliss. This always seems to be the favorite activity for the kids. They rolled around, buried themselves, and tossed the kernels into the air. Of course we would find corn in all sorts of nooks and crannies for the rest of the day. Then we jumped back onto the hay rack to make our way out into the pumpkin patch. We gathered up enough pumpkins to fill our wagon, and Mom picked up some chrysanthemums. We skipped the maze, as we still had lots of stops to make for the day. Then we went to a sheep farm where the kids tried to feed sheep that obviously had already been well fed. Our last stop of the day included another corn pit, kittens, a small pony, a pumpkin vine house, and cookies with hot cider. Whew! And we barely made a dent in the list of all the farms on the tour, but we had a fantastic time. Can't wait 'till next year!

The South Dakota Files - Part 5: Mt. Rushmore - The End

The last day of our trip (save the 13 hour drive home) was incredibly windy, so we spent the morning visiting a woodcarving museum and the afternoon visiting the presidents. Mt. Rushmore is always impressive even if it's not your first visit, and I always love seeing the collective of visitors from a multitude of countries, not to mention states. The boys went on one of the trails along the boulder field below the monument and saw three mountain goats. While we wished we could have done more biking this trip, we feel more prepared for a trip back in the future. The Mickelson Trail calls!

The South Dakota Files - Part 4: Camping, Skywalk, and Biking the Mickelson

Our vacation also included many mini-adventures. From toasting marshmallows by the campfire, to climbing a huge trail stairway just to see where it

goes, to watching Mom run over a snake on the bike trail, we had lots of fun just hanging around the Black Hills.

The South Dakota Files - Part 3: The Mammoths

Day 3 - we went to Hot Springs to see the mammoth dig site. This amazing site hosts over 50 known skeletal remains of mammoths, and they haven't reached the bottom of the sinkhole yet. All of the skeletons found were male - go figure, probably wouldn't ask for directions. While there are a few woolies in there, most of the mammoths were of the hairless variety and dwarfed their furry cousins. Our amateur archaeologist/paleontologist went to work honing her skills by unearthing fake fossils. Cool!

The South Dakota Files - Part 2: The Badlands

The Badlands National Park is absolutely awe inspiring. Talk about some impressive topography! We were fortunate enough to see a herd of bighorn sheep, and fortunate enough to NOT see any snakes. There were prairie dogs everywhere! We walked on one of the trails and stopped at several overlooks, and I'm happy to say that we didn't lose Anna even once. It's a moody place - temperamental - and I can't imagine what went through the mind of settlers when they laid eyes on this place.

Yes, I say the aspects of the Dakota Badlands have more spiritual quality to impart to the mind of America than anything else in it made by man's God." -Frank Lloyd Wright 1935

The South Dakota Files - Part 1: Apple picking in Sioux Falls

We had a great time on our vacation to South Dakota! Special thanks to David & Iona for putting up with us - er, I mean putting us up for a night. Anna was so excited to see they had an apple tree right in their back yard! David got out the basket picker and they went to town. Later we all visited the beautiful falls. What a lovely town.