They’ll need a crane
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New Beacon
I have a LOT of readers who are former North Dakota residents, and there’s a section in the Beacon for you. In fact, it’s often my favorite section: R. Schmid’s “Looking Back from the Left Coast” features tidbits from around North Dakota, many of which you won’t find anywhere else. How does he do it? I don’t know, but he sure has his ear to the ground. Local news outlets could learn a lot from Mr. Schmid!
Another of my favorites is the back cover automotive stories by local car buff and former North Dakota governor, Ed Schafer. This month he highlights former President Theodore Roosevelt’s 1910 flight in a Wright Model B airplane. Last month talked about a special edition Chevrolet designed solely to win NASCAR races! That was, of course, back when they actually raced real “stock” cars in NASCAR.
A third series that I look forward to is Tessa Sandstrom’s articles highlighting local landmark buildings. It would be a blast to perform the research she puts into these articles, but it’s also a joy to read the results of her work. She doesn’t have an article this month, but I suspect that’s because of the exhaustive coverage of the WSI scandal. I expect her to reappear in the June issue of the Beacon.
My mom originally discovered the Beacon and gave me a copy with her recommendation to give it a read. I was hooked immediately and subscribed shortly thereafter. In fact, this week I’m renewing my subscription for another year.
Last night’s storm
After I got off work Monday, I noticed these clouds boiling up east of town. When clouds get that big, you know something’s brewing. When they start travelling northwest in North Dakota, that means there’s REALLY something on the way. It was, in the form of a long stretch of thunderstorm activity reaching from South Dakota nearly to Canada. There were even a few tornado and hail photos on Kevin’s weather last night from the Beulah area. Check them out on KFYR’s Sky Spies page.
I had just spread fertilizer/weed killer on my lawn, so hopefully this will help me rescue what’s left of it after last year’s scorching summer!
Talented tunes – Strolling Strings
I’m thankful again for the invitation by my favorite stroller and family, and encourage anyone who receives an invitation to see and hear these kids perform to jump at the opportunity. Their schedule is pretty much over for the summer, but they have typically done a Medora event in the past and will resume in the fall. Congratulations on another talented season, Strollers!
The cutest picture…with the saddest story
This was a pretty odd location for them, but the consensus at the office was that we shouldn’t move them or otherwise interfere with them. We put out a company-wide email to make sure that nobody disturbed the babies, then left them alone once everybody had gone out to take a sneak peek at them. They were climbing around a little bit within the little burrow, but their eyes weren’t open and they didn’t do much besides snuggle.
The parking lot this is in faces south, and that brick wall next to the bin acts as a giant reflector. Sadly to say, when I checked on them in the afternoon, they’d burrowed deeper in the chips but couldn’t survive the scorching heat. While it’s unlikely they would have survived any tampering on our part, by leaving them in place we were unable to give them shelter from the sun’s heat. All four were casualties yesterday afternoon.
As my boss and I disposed of the poor little guys (I work for a compassionate guy, I’m proud to say) we did see the mother hopping around the edge of the parking lot. It’s too bad she didn’t stay with them to care for them throughout the day; I’m not sure if she could have helped keep them cool, but at least she could have provided them some shade. In any case, I’m hoping she picks a different location to have her babies next time around. We’ll have to move or dispose of the bin of wood chips so it doesn’t encourage the same mistake.
Under the great wide open
One thing that was remarkable was the low river level and its impact on the layout in the Double Ditch area. There were a lot of sandbars I hadn’t known about before, and it looked like a pretty interesting place to try to bring a boat through. Apparently it was a good opportunity to wade out into the Missouri and see what’s biting.
Bath day
Endangered view
As Bismarck and Mandan grow steadily northward, a lot of really scenic riverside views are becoming history. This view, for example, will likely not survive 2007. It’s on a hill just north of Bismarck, where a neighborhood is being built at this very moment. I’m not the only one who knows of this spot; in fact, someone had put some old patio furniture there last time I ventured out there!
This looks like the fencepost at the end of Double Ditch park, but it’s actually overlooking Pioneer Park. The doubletrack trail leading up to it is still intact, but will likely soon become someone’s back yard. That’s okay…there are plenty of other nice vantage points surrounding our fair cities. Many are just waiting to be discovered.
The Fort Lincoln rip-off, and the night of ten ticks
Out on a drive the other night, I decided to see how the blockhouses would look at sunset. I had my family with me in the truck, and we went good ol’ Fort Lincoln. I like North Dakota parks and the opportunity to support and enjoy them, but I have to give Fort Lincoln a big “thumbs down” for this trip.
It’s five bucks to get into the park. If you approach after hours, just slip a fiver into one of the envelopes at the gate and drop it in the slot. That’s what I typically do. Then you’re free to roam about the park, including a short drive up the hill to the blockhouses. The only problem is: the gates to the blockhouses were locked! There’s a sign next to them indicating “GATES LOCKED AT DARK.” Fine, but it wasn’t even close to dark yet. This is the second time this has happened to me, and I’m getting really tired of not getting my money’s worth. In fact, on my desk I have a ND State Historical Society Foundation membership form ready to send in. Part of the benefits include free admission to state historic sites. What good would that be if the gates continue to be locked?
My wife is a saint. She said that if I wanted to hike up the hill instead, grab a quick couple of shots when the sun got to the horizon, and bolt back down…well, that was fine with her. I did so, not really getting any decent shots at all, but collecting TEN wood ticks. It was almost a tick a minute on that hike, since I had forgotten to apply any insect repellent. I found nine that night and one the next morning. I was working on a DVD and felt a tickle on my neck and…YIKES! Then I had the creepy-crawlies all day long.
If you’re thinking about going out to Fort Lincoln, just park on the north end and hike in for free. You’ll save five bucks and achieve the same result. And don’t forget to take a can of OFF or another type of tick repellent. They’re crazy this year!
Another local ad with Bismarck misspelled
There’s a TON of construction going on out there these days, much of it along my daily route. So what does one do while stuck at a standstill because some dork wants to turn left in the middle of a construction zone? Pull out the camera and take a photo of the misspelling of “Bismarck” in the window of the Bis-Man Transit bus in front of me, of course!
I’m pretty sure Bis-Man Transit doesn’t make the window stickers, and neither do most of their advertisers. With that in mind, I’m sure that both BMT and Firestone employees know how to spell Bismarck. As far as the ad agency or printer who made this decal…well, they need to go back to school!
This sign has been on the bus for a long time, as its Firestone Red has faded to a faint communist pink. I wonder if anyone’s told Firestone that their ad has Bismarck spelled wrong, and that they should get their advertising account credited for the blunder? I mean, if I was paying for someone to drive around town with my business name on their bus, I wouldn’t want to be associated with spelling my own city wrong. What if someone thinks it’s my fault and doesn’t visit my business as a result? It’s a stretch, but people are wacky that way. I would want my money back, or at least some free ads (with the spelling corrected, of course).