I originally posted on this a few years ago and wrote an article for the Dakota Beacon as well. Later on the local TV stations picked up on the story, probably around Christmas time when the windows were decorated again. It’s one of those little things that makes Bismarck-Mandan special!
The staff I’ve talked to are very excited about their enormous expansion, which hopefully will be done very soon. I imagine business is good with all the construction going on in our state, and it’s wise to grow along with it. Even better is the hospitality shown to the community, and the resulting smiles on all those kids’ faces! Thanks again for a breakfast experience that will be tough to beat.
Part of that high energy was the cheer team for the Shiloh ladies: these dudes. I don’t really know what to say about them other than that they took team spirit to the max, and offered ample support to the girls on the court tonight!
If you want to read more about the Cold War remnants around our state from this photographer’s perspective, try some of these links, which will each open in a new window:
Cold War Mancation, Part Two: Nekoma Missile Base (Mickelsen Safeguard Complex)
Cold War Mancation, Part Three: Former OMEGA Station LaMoure
This is STILL the world record for single-site snow angels.
You may remember a while back when I posted that Canadians had made over 15,000 snow angels for a new record – but they were at multiple sites across a wide area, so it is NOT the same record as ours.
Fear not, NoDaks…we’re still undefeated.
The YouTube video I’m going to link to below contains the second half of the show. I have a copy of the full show, raw as it was sent from the truck to the network, but I don’t have permission to put it online. The first song they play, Beautiful Day, is also on YouTube; just search for “U2 Super Bowl Halftime” and you’ll find it. But the part that had me standing, jumping, and cheering that day was the second song, perhaps their most famous: Where the Streets Have No Name.
(Link – it’s no longer able to be embedded)
When Bono is walking with the microphone before he begins to sing, he quotes Psalm 51:15 – “O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.” In an episode of VH1’s Behind the Music, U2’s manager tells the story of how, in the band’s early days, he’d find them in the bus after their shows reading the Bible instead of out partying it up. Apparently they’re Christians of some sort. According to the program, they almost called it quits when all the fame took hold because they didn’t know what it might do to them. They didn’t break up, however, although Bono has since jumped the shark. I like their music and choose to remember where they supposedly came from.
Tonight’s halftime show was predictably garbage – half dressed “dancers” writhing around without a musician among them – so I tuned it out. In fact, I didn’t even get to begin watching the game until the start of the second half, which turns out to be the best part of the game. I kept a thumb on the remote button to switch away from any of the racy commercials, caught the Dodge Ram “Farmer” ad (easily the highlight of the night), and kept my family’s eyes safe from whatever assault Big Media had prepared for them.
“Pancakes and Planes” is the local aviation counterpart to Buggies & Blues. If it’s lesser known, that’s too bad; it’s a great time of hospitality, fellowship, and cool displays. Here’s a tour of what you may have missed last June, and an exhortation to support this event in the future.
The Mandan Airport is getting some major improvements this year, so I don’t know if it will be available for a Pancakes and Planes event this year. Hopefully it won’t have to take a year off; however, as June approaches and everyone starts talking about Buggies & Blues and other summer events, remember to watch out for Pancakes and Planes. I know I will, and will be posting a reminder here.
Remember when any ragtag bunch of hippies would get together for some sort of cause, and the media would be there to inflate their numbers and use it to try to sway public opinion? Well, now your average everyday Mom and Pop are there, they strike a clear contrast to the filthy and disrespectful “Occupy” movement, and they’re showing up in even greater numbers.
The same media used to try to minimize these rallies and their numbers or ignore them altogether, but both local TV news teams and the newspaper were there on Saturday. It’s getting harder and harder to ignore the fact that people who were content to just live their lives as everyday Americans are sick and tired of having liberal progressives intrude further and further into their lives every day.
The brisk North Dakota winter air wasn’t the only wind blowing this weekend. The winds of renewed patriotism and an awakened electorate are sweeping the country as well, and I believe we’ve got what it takes to sweep away the bogus, counterfeit Hopeâ„¢ and Changeâ„¢ that are threatening our nation.
We spent New Year’s Eve at a friend’s house with a ton of folks from church, then came home to put the little ones to bed before midnight. I figured I’d just snap my capitol shots after dark on New Year’s Day. That didn’t go entirely as planned, however.
First it was snowing, which on a long exposure can ruin a shot. Then, once the snowfall tapered off and I ventured out, the wind picked up. Again, that’s devastating to a long exposure. I did finally catch a brief window of calm to get my rather generic 2013 shot.
I wanted to be all creative…after all, I’ve been discovering new angles all around the capitol grounds lately, but the cold and wind shut me down. I’ll try to brainstorm something for 2014 instead…and take the first opportunity to photograph it, not the last.
Now the windows will return to normal until Independence Day!
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