Urban Harvest returns to Bismarck next week
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Aha…they DO still have some signs
First off, I think chip-sealing a road is a dubious attempt at street maintenance. Second, the city doesn’t want to spend the money to do it right; if they were to apply the tar, then the gravel, and compact it with a roller or something, then they could quickly sweep up the excess and have a finished job. But they’re too cheap to do so, relying instead on vehicle traffic to compact the gravel into the tar layer.
The problem with that is they have to spread it so deep because car tires throw the gravel to the side instead of compacting it. The deeper they spread this stuff, the more hazardous it is. They should either do the job properly or, as I prefer, not at all.
Independence Day at the Capitol
I filled three 1-gigabyte cards with fireworks, and haven’t had a chance to find “the” photo of the evening. They’re all pretty good…they put on a heck of a show for us! I like the added touch that they always use the windows of the capitol building to display things such as the year on New Year’s Day, or “4th” for Independence Day.
Lunch break’s over…back to work! Hope you enjoy the photos and were able to partake in last night’s activities for yourself.
Not with a bang…but with a whimper
I know a couple of guys who ran fireworks stands this year. The only real business they had was from people who were on their way to Detroit Lakes for the big events there, or headed to other parts where fireworks were still legal. Most of these guys are entrepreneurs, and this is going to hit them pretty hard.
Even the big fireworks at the State Capitol and the Mandan Rodeo were in jeopardy this year; there were several cars and trucks of fire department staff parked in a huddle on the east side of the Capitol last night, as marshalls and chieftans weighed the decision of whether or not to go on with the big show. Only at the very last minute was approval given to launch the display…the possibility of a strong breeze exceeding 15mph had them worried about the danger. Well before the show, the grassy area to the east of the Highway Department and Capitol buildings was hosed down, especially around all the launchers. Fortunately the breeze died down and we were able to go on with the show.
A freedom we take for granted
That’s why our country is so blessed. That’s why we have such hope, such energy, and such prosperity. It was made evident to me in the presentations given by a bunch of the young ladies in our church who joined a missionary organization on a trip to Poland a couple of weeks ago.
I’ve got my study Bible, one in my truck, one in the trunk of my motorcycle…and I don’t read them nearly enough. Jesus said, “to whom much is given, much is required.” I haven’t lived up to that lately. What it takes is to see what it’s like to have lived one’s entire life without that gift. To see this man’s joy in finally getting a Bible, in his language at that, is very convicting.
We live in a country where we don’t get arrested for having a Bible. If we don’t have the five measly bucks to get one at Wal-Mart, someone will give you one. They’re in the dresser drawers at hotels. Maybe that’s why we don’t spend much time with our nose in that book. Take a few seconds to put yourself in the shoes of these people, who were desperate at the thought that they might not get a Bible that night. Then thank God that you live in a country that was founded on the faith in God, who provides all the many freedoms and blessings our country enjoys today.
Mandan’s annual July 4th / Rodeo Days parade
The crowd was huge. I did the usual “show up 20 mins early and sit on the east end” routine. It’s the fastest way in and out of town. Simply park over by Bonanza, walk a little ways, and catch the parade participants as they make the turn onto Main Street.
This was a great time and the weather was beautiful. Although it was in the low 90s today, it didn’t feel that way. There were some neat floats, but for the most part it seemed it was vehicles with advertising stuck on them. I’d hoped for more homemade floats. There were a bunch, though; for instance, Leingang Siding & Windows had one in the shape of a big cake celebrating Morton County’s 125th. Savvy skate & snow shop had a neat display too, and an army of skaters performing along the way. Earl Pomeroy was there, hoping nobody remembered that he voted NO on a bill in the US House declaring “that the United States will prevail in the Global War on Terror, the struggle to protect freedom from the terrorist adversary.” Governor Hoeven, on the other hand, was walking with North Dakota soldiers. You’re not fooling anyone, Earl.
Time went pretty quickly…it’s not that hard to spend a couple hours out in the sun when there’s such a sense of community in the air. One thing you can count on with Mandan’s annual parade, thousands of people will show up in unity and celebrate our nation. It sure was a great day to be an American!
Got a flag hangup
I was going to take a nice shot of the American flag flying proudly in front of the North Dakota state capitol. But I was unable to do so, as there was a bit of a debacle at the top of the flagpole:
Hopefully, since there will be a skeleton maintenance crew on duty Monday, they’ll be able to get the flag situation repaired for Independence Day on Tuesday.
First Annual “The Campout”
Saturday night was a great night of music, hangin’ out, campin’ out, the works. My musician buddy Luke Graner organized the first annual “The Campout” at a location that remains undisclosed here. So what was the campout?
Basically it was a big ol’ open tent with a bunch of amps and stuff set up, with local musicians jumping in and out of the mix. Stacy and I didn’t camp because we had church early in the morning, but we did get to hang out for plenty of incredible, experimental music.
I particularly liked when the sax and trumpet kicked in, and there was one point where the bass line was driving a mellow groove with the keyboard dancing around in there. Each session was a journey, not necessarily one with a destination. Thanks, Luke! Even without bring our camping gear, we had a great time.
You can find out more about these bands at cozymusic.net.
City of Bismarck resumes annual program to maim motorcyclists
…who knows, maybe this year they’ll kill one!
I’ve got a really big chip on my shoulder, and my arms, and my legs, and my helmet, and a few other places about this issue. The issue is called “chip seal,” and it’s an extreme hazard to motorcyclists.
I took photos today to illustrate my story, which transpired last night. I was out for a leisurely cruise on the big bike when I came around the corner at the south end of Sertoma park…
I was seriously injured in an accident due to a similar situation: chip seal gravel spread several inches thick on the crest of a hill, in a corner, where there was no illumination from streetlights. I was the first rider in a group, the only one without a passenger. I hit the gravel leaned over into the corner and almost saved it, but the bike went out from under me. I won’t give you a description of my injuries, because they’re pretty nasty. I’ve got photos and horrible scars to prove it. If I had not been wearing my helmet I would certainly have died…I slid straight toward a curb, hitting it hard enough to take a chip out of the concrete. I was able to push away from the bike at the last instant, thankfully. The gravel rolled up the sleeve of my riding jacket, allowing lots of damage to my arm. It also sliced right through my pants, and that was even worse. The rest I’ll leave up to the imagination. Thankfully we had a doctor, and RN, and a surgical technician there that night…I think God was really taking care of us that evening.
So, along comes the City of Bismarck, spreading gravel in dark corners with no signage. They own thousands of dollars worth of big orange signs saying “FRESH OIL – LOOSE ROCK” but only put them up in well lit areas around downtown. They won’t put them where real danger exists. A couple of years ago I saw a crew chip-sealing Fox Island Road, including the tight unlit corner at the end. I saw the foreman sitting in his truck, rolled up on my motorcycle, and asked if they were going to be putting signs up at either end. I explained that the gravel is dangerous to motorcyclists who can’t see it that easily in the dark. He gave me some smart-ass answer and just stared at me with a stupid grin. These are the people entrusted with our safety, and I guess the signs stay on the truck.
This is an annual thing, obviously. Those of us with a lot of motorcycling experience know that mid-June means surprises are even more likely around every corner in town. How many new riders know that? They stand to learn a very important, possibly painful, lesson that motorcyclists must always be twice as vigilant as your average cage (I’m sorry, car) driver out there.
With all the rich folks riding Harley-Davidsons™ these days, it’d be interesting to see some high-priced attorney lay down his Hog on some unmarked gravel, then heal up just enough to sue the living pants off the city. I’m not a fan of liability litigation, but I’ve been making noise on this matter for over ten years. Nobody’s listening. So if you’re a motorcyclist and are reading this, be warned: the City of Bismarck, in its negligence and carelessness, is setting the traps for you. Pay extra attention when you’re riding out there.
Yellow is the perfect color for this magnet
Their website indicates that they believe such moral gems as “…one person’s terrorist being another person’s freedom fighter” or “Terrorism ranges from crackpots or right-wing conspirators such as a mailbox pipe bomber to Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, to anthrax postal terrorists to hijackers crashing airplanes into skyscrapers, all the way to actions by governments who employ large numbers of troops and weapons.”
Of course, you won’t find any mention of ecoterrorists anywhere in there, only right-wing crackpots. For instance, when I worked for ski patrol at a ski resort in the Rocky Mountains, we had to inspect our ski lift towers for sabotage from people like this. Loggers had to inspect trees for large nails, put there to make saw blades explode in the faces of loggers trying to support their families, before cutting. But those aren’t crackpots, I guess. Would the peacenik clowns trying to sabotage a ND missile silo last week fall into that category? Of course not…they’re part of the agenda.
Think of the cowardly silliness in this magnet. Protect our troops by bringing them home? What kind of creampuffs do these idiots think our soldiers are? We aren’t sending the Girl Scouts overseas…we’re sending some of the most courageous Americans on our behalf.
I’ll use Alex, a young man from our church, as an example. He’s in basic training right now. He enlisted because he wants to serve and protect his country and its citizens. When he announced his decision, he didn’t say “but I sure hope they keep me somewhere out of danger.” None of the men and women of the Armed Forces did…they volunteer to face danger of all kinds so we don’t have to. I think they’d be offended and insulted if you told them we were bringing them back to US soil so they wouldn’t be in danger.
I’m proud of people like Alex who, while our country faces casualties in war overseas, volunteers because he wants to help and loves our country enough to risk his life for it. I don’t see any of these peaceniks risking their lives for anything…they just sit back and enjoy the freedoms that people with real courage earn for them. Deranged, yes…but it’s their right.