Couch pilot

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A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. –Proverbs 17:17

I’d like to point out that a bird is also born for adversity. I’m down for the count with that nasty crud that’s going around. Having tried to fight it off, I finally gave up last night and retreated to the couch. But I had reinforcements!

Scooter, who’s going to be nine years old soon, is a faithful watchdog –er, watchbird. If I’m sick, he cuddles up under my chin while I sleep, fluffs up, and acts as lookout. Sometimes he’ll stand post on my shoulder or head, fluffed up and ready. He’ll take occasional latrine or chow breaks back at his cage, but then he flies back to couch duty.

Birds aren’t for everyone; they require ENORMOUS amounts of attention. If you do, however, consider a bird purchase, consider them as a little child. They need attention, conversation, and diligence. For instance, I’ve always let Scooter fly and have never clipped his flight feathers. The price for that, of course, is that I must be extremely meticulous about household hazards, open doors or windows, that kind of thing. And he’s never left out alone or while there’s a hot stove or other hazard in the house. But it’s a price I gladly pay for his company and the joy he brings our family. That’s especially true on a day like this.

On that note, I’ve got a fever and my soup is done. Back to the couch for both of us. Thanks to my wife for the picture.

Kudos to the Bismarck Public Works department

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We all have our pet causes, and regular readers of this site are sure to recognize this as one of mine. I’ve been critical of the use of chip-seal gravel in Bismarck-Mandan over the years, especially when patches of it have not been marked by signage, endangering motorcyclists in particular.

Having addressed the City Commission and talked with Keith Hunke of BPW about the matter, I came away satisfied that they’d try to do better in marking areas of gravel on city streets, and I’m happy to say that they’re doing so. I spotted this sign on one of the streets down near Sibley Park the other day. This certainly is one of those areas I’d talked about previously, with no street lights and curves in the road. Thankfully it’s marked with a bright orange sign.

Good job, guys!

Now if I could just find a way to bolt it to my motorcycle

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I wonder if they make a Suzuki or Kawasaki interface kit? This engine is on display at the Fargo Air Museum, which I visited after a freelance job recently. I believe this particular engine may have come from an F-4, but that’s just a guess. When I went to NDSU they flew F-4s in Fargo, and I was able to get some extremely fun time on/in one. I haven’t been any closer to an F-16 than your average airshow patron, however.

There are lots of other engines, planes, and memorabilia to explore at this museum, including a library of aviation books and periodicals. There are plenty of aviation geeks on hand, too. I use the term “geek” in a good sense…there are motorcycle geeks, photography or video geeks, and many other kinds of geeks. We can spot each other a mile away. Geeks tend to know as much about their field of interest as an avid sports fan, and can rattle off airplane facts as if they were quarterback stats.

I’ve wanted to visit this museum forever and never took the opportunity. So, when the TV station I was working for got me a hotel room for an extra night, we ran around Fargo and played for an extra day. Yes, I took my wife with so she could hang out with other TV wives while we were broadcasting college football. That made the weekend into a paid vacation of sorts!

Revival meetin’

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We all drive past that little white church on the corner whenever we drive down 7th Street, across from Bismarck High School. Open Door Baptist Church will have its doors open Sunday at 5pm and Monday thru Wednesday at 7pm for a revival meeting. All are invited regardless of denomination.

What is a revival meeting? It’s a shot in the arm for Christians, a time of encouragement and a means to recharge and boost spirits. It’s a time to motivate people to get out and reach others for God. A time to revive the passion and enthusiasm of local Christians.

This event is not a membership recruitment drive. It’s not a fundraiser. It’s a time of inspiration and worship. Two visiting missionaries are preaching this week: Joel Logan from Alabama, who’s a pastor of a church there, and Mike Saunders, who has a ministry in the prisons down in Houston, Texas. This is their first time to North Dakota.

Anyone who needs encouragement or wants to hear more from the Bible is invited to attend. There won’t be a lot of fanfare, just Bible study and preachin’. Not only are visitors welcome, they’re also an encouragement. Visit the little church on the corner and see what that means! Tonight at 5, weeknights at 7.

If you’ve studied Bismarck history, this church probably looks familiar. Here’s a photo of the church from sometime in the early 20th century. The building itself was constructed in 1912 by Trinity Lutheran Church, which formed in 1878. It has since been home to 7th Day Adventists, Mennonite Brethren, and Baptist churches. Open Door Baptist has been here for 25 years and is currently working on putting up a new building at 19th and Calgary, as they’ve outgrown this one. I saw this picture in a book of Bismarck history by Cathy Langemo, and recognized it instantly. The steeple is gone, but the rest of the church is unmistakable.

Mornin’ bridge

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It’s dreary out, so I thought I would put up this nice sunny picture of the railroad bridge crossing the Missouri River. This was taken this week on a little walk with my beautiful wife, probably one of the last few walks we’ll get in while everything is nice and green. The view of this bridge as the walking path passes beneath it on the Mandan side is unique, an atypical view of this local landmark.

Northern Pacific Railway began construction on this bridge back in 1881, and it’s had a few problems along the way. The east pier has shifted since the bridge’s initial construction, requiring occasional intervention. You can read more about it here if you’re interested. Local history is fun!

Downtowners Association kneecaps non-profits during Folkfest…again

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There was a dark cloud over today’s Folkfest celebration in downtown Bismarck. No, I’m not talking about the one that dumped a torrential downpour on the event just after my wife and I got into the truck… I’m talking about the heavy-handed tactics employed by the Downtowners Association.

Many groups such as the Boy Scouts use events like this to sell homemade items or concessions as a means of fundraising for their organization. A year or two ago, however, the word came down from the Downtowners that nobody could sell pop at this event but the Downtowners themselves. It’s actually in the Food and Vendor Application form available on their website. I asked around to a few of the places that were selling concessions, and none of them were very happy about this arrangement. People at some of the non-profits I talked to admitted that this did affect their fundraising efforts significantly.

The Downtowners allow vendors to sell “brewed coffee, brewed tea, and/or fresh hand squeezed fruit drinks.” I didn’t see anyone running around with much of any of those. I did, however, see a lot of people running around with Coke products sold by the Downtowners.

The Downtowners is the association that whines about parking and a lot of other pet issues they have down there. They actually kept a list of license plate numbers of people who they knew worked downtown so they could complain. When I worked at KFYR-TV, one of our reporters caught wind of that because his vehicle was one that they’d “tagged.”

Apparently some people think that downtown Bismarck is their own little area to regulate as they see fit. It’s just a shame that they’re taking away money from organizations that could really use it. I give the event a big thumbs-up, but the Downtowners Association two thumbs down. Their handling of this part of the Folkfest is a disservice to the community.

Here’s an idea…if they want to monopolize sales of pop so they can protect their deal with Coke, they should allow exemptions for non-profit groups. The exemption could give fundraising organizations the ability to serve fountain pop as long as it’s Coke products. Then the Downtowners could continue to sell the 20 oz bottled drinks exclusively. They could even include a stipulation requiring that soft drinks must be included in a food purchase, such as “Brat & Coke – $4.00” or something. Everybody could do their fundraising, including the Downtowners, and nobody gets cut out. And it would best serve the customer, too…did any of you enjoy waiting in line for a turkey leg, bread bowl, or indian taco, then having to run around to the closest intersection to buy a bottle of Coke?

If you agree with me, click here to email the Downtowners Association and let them know. I bet a few non-profit organizations and their fundraising directors would thank you.

Wade out to the dock

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In an effort to correct one of their many mistakes on the upper Missour River, the US Army Corps of Engineers has throttled up releases from Lake Sakakawea to try to cover up the water shortages in the Oahe basin. As a result, we’ve got a very high river. So high, in fact, that it’s pretty much impossible to get out on the dock at Fox Island without getting wet! These guys don’t care, though; in fact, it’s a good way to stay cool on those last few hot days.

With the releases so high, there aren’t many sandbars remaining. That raises the question of protected habitat for the piping plover and other endangered species that nest on those sandbars. If the Corps could just come up with a decent equitable way of planning the Upper Missouri River management, they wouldn’t compound their problems so badly.

Allergies bad lately? This may be why

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If you’ve tried to see the horizon lately, you’re likely aware of the fact that it’s hardly visible at times. The reason for that isn’t just because it’s been really windy and a lot of dust is getting kicked up – I suspect it has a lot to do with all the forest fires next door.

The Rockies have had an eventful fire season this year. Livingston, Montana is currently fighting a fire that’s grown to 29 square miles. My old stompin’ grounds in southwestern Montana is in a similar situation, as are many other areas of the Rocky Mountains right now.

It never fails…when there are large forest fires downwind, we get hazy. Earlier this year it was from Canada, and now from the west. If your allergies have been flaring up, it may be due to the extra stuff kicked into the air by the forest fires, not just smoke from the fires themselves. This can also cause headaches. Great, huh?

Spike

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This little crawler was sitting on a park bench I wanted to use along the Missouri River, along the walking path on the Mandan side of the river. I refer to him as Spike because of that protrusion on his posterior. I imagine it’s intended as a deterrent to any bird who might think of swallowing him. Many animals have unique defenses, and they’re neat to observe. This guy and his spike are no exception.

If you’ve been putting off a walk down that trail, don’t wait much longer! The leaves are starting to turn color, and the weather’s starting to change as well. Soon it’ll be a cross country ski trail again! My wife and I took a nice 3 hour walk down this 5 mile path, pointing our cameras all over the place…in fact, we could have made the walk much longer but had an afternoon church service to get to!