Local artists on display

The Bismarck Art & Galleries Association is holding a Member Artist’s Exhibit until December 22nd. They’ve lined up a building full of items from local artists on a variety of mediums. Yours truly has some photography on display as well. The best part? Everything’s for sale! That means there’s a chance for diaper money; our little boy is due any time.

There’s some really neat work on display down there. Jack Kline has some scratchboard paintings that are absolutely intricate. Tim Bumb has some watercolors that would complement any cowboy home. My friend Ken has some photographs on metallic paper that are absolutely spectacular. Please go check them all out!

I only took up photography a short time ago, and absolutely fell in love with it. It’s now starting to open my eyes to the Bismarck-Mandan art scene as well. I’d never known much, if anything, about BAGA in the past. There are also other shows in the area, and I look forward to exploring more of them! When I do, I’ll pass them along. There are a many such events going on around our fair cities that most people don’t hear about, and I’m going to help spread the word.

Where the sidewalk ends

I guess they needed the room to pour more footings below. This is the end of the road for foot traffic on the south side of the Memorial Bridge. Actually, the south sidewalk is closed on both ends, and there are construction supplies stacked thereon. But if a person was stumbling across that side of the bridge unawares, he’d end up having a really bad day at the end.

There’s actually a pretty good chunk of roadway missing here, too. Anyone who’s crossed the Missouri River here can attest to that. While a row of sturdy concrete barriers prevents anyone from driving off the side, there’s an open slab on the other side of them. Much of the roadway has been cut away, presumably to make room for the work being performed below.

I remember when this bridge had a grated deck. When I was younger, one of the highlights of coming back to North Dakota to visit family was the ride across the bridge deck, looking down to see the river and boaters below. Sadly, that deck was covered by concrete in the 1990s. It was a real trip taking a motorcycle across that grate, as the pattern of the gridwork would cause vehicle tires to “swim” back and forth slightly as they crossed. It was wild.

I also remember crossing this bridge on my BMX bike in the middle of the night, way back when. I was looking out over the river when I came across one of the metal access panels in the sidewalk. It made a nasty *clang* as I rode over it, and it scared me half to death! I seem to remember there being a patch in the sidewalk at one time that was grating as well, but I don’t remember much more specifically about it.

I also remember when there was no Expressway Bridge; in fact, I got my learner’s permit the week that it opened. Prior to that, Memorial Highway saw a lot more traffic from the Memorial Bridge. The Holiday Inn there flourished and was probably the biggest hotel in town at the time. I competed in the state spelling bee there in 1982-1983, and President Reagan even stayed there once. After people began to bypass the Memorial Bridge for the new Expressway, the Holiday Inn began its slow demise. It changed hands a few times before finally being condemned, then razed to make way for the new Bank of North Dakota building. It’ll be interesting to see what the new bank and new bridge do for the area’s development.

As for the title of this post: Where the Sidewalk Ends is a book of funny kids’ poems by Shel Silverstein. When I was younger and lived out in the mountains, my cousin Carolyn would read that book to me every time we’d visit her house. During our last visit with her and her husband before we moved back to North Dakota, she gave me a copy of Where the Sidewalk Ends with a nice little note written in the front. I read that book a LOT when we first arrived here in Bismarck. Last summer I dusted it off and read it again, and was able to reminisce with Carolyn about that when we went west on our honeymoon last year. To me it will always be a part of my North Dakota experience; Shel and his poems were there to comfort me when I was a little kid, transplanted (back) to North Dakota and missing my mountain home.

Don’t think North Dakota hasn’t got ’em

We North Dakotans like to think we’re pretty level-headed folks, and for the most part we’re right. Then you get the occasional goofballs like the woefully ignorant ND Peace Coalition, with their affiliations to rabid Communist Party members; Ryan Gustafson and his ilk calling us “the Taliban” because most of us oppose abortion; and this fella, who would probably vanish completely from history if not for some North Dakota bloggers picking up on his story.

This fella, Malachi Ritscher, lit himself on fire on a freeway ramp in Chicago this month in protest of the war in Iraq. Hardly a brilliant political statement, especially because nobody had any idea who he was or what he was doing. If it wasn’t for an online suicide note, it’s doubtful anyone would still have the slightest clue what was going on in this poor guy’s deluded mind.

The scariest thing is that he could very well have been a world-famous assassin, if his self-written obituary was true:

“I have had one previous opportunity to serve my country in a meaningful way – at 8:05 one morning in 2002 I passed Donald Rumsfeld on Delaware Avenue and I was acutely aware that slashing his throat would spare the lives of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of innocent people. I had a knife clenched in my hand, and there were no bodyguards visible; to my deep shame I hesitated, and the moment was past.”

North Dakotans have plenty of really scary characters in our midst. Take Cheryl Bergian, for instance. She was the Democrat candidate for Public Service Commissioner, running against Tony Clark. She’s a big-time gay rights activist, most notably known for fighting to have the Ten Commandments removed from public view in Fargo. Did that ever come out during the campaign? No.

Ms. Bergian is one of two employees of the ND Human Rights Coalition, which basically is an atheist homosexual rights group. They also link to groups which oppose the war in Iraq, but once that war is over they can get back to championing sodomy and other sexual immorality while trying to remove God from public view. And this activist almost won a seat on the Public Service Commission! Can you imagine what kind of mayhem she could wreak on those evil utility companies from there?

Whether it’s a hapless would-be assassin or a cleverly disguised activist politician, we’ve got all kinds of folks right here in North Dakota. We just need to be a little more self-aware, lest people like this actually stumble into power and start trying to implement the insanity they fight for when they’re not running for office.


It looks like the Wizards are off to a decent start – the Civic Center was hopping pretty good Saturday night with good attendance. They didn’t look to be in the best of form, but they were able to perform a buzzer-beater win over the Skyforce. With the talent pool they’ve got and Coach Joerger at the helm, I’m sure they’re going to gel quickly.

One secret to the Wizards’s success as a franchise is the way they get local businesses and fans involved in the games. There are plenty of little promos they run during time-outs and quarter breaks to keep the fans entertained. In an area the size of ours, with fans as fickle as ours, that sort of thing is necessary. The Wizards have done very well at it. I’ve got a short memory, but I’d credit Jane Link and Kim Mueller with developing really fun game-day attractions for the fans. The new crew looks to be continuing in the same fashion, so fans shouldn’t be disappointed.

It’s interesting to see how the minor league sports are received here in Bismarck-Mandan. Does anyone remember the Dakota Rattlers? Or the Bismarck Blaze / Roughriders? For some reason they never quite took off. Travel 200 miles east and baseball flourishes, while the basketball flops. But it’s obvious that indoor football doesn’t, and never has, belonged up here in a state where people would much rather enjoy the shorter summers outside.

People really seemed to be enjoying themselves as always at last night’s game, and the numbers usually hang right in there if the team’s season is going well. I spent a lot of time showing cute kids and that kind of thing on the big screen. We don’t have a Kissing Cam promotion this year, so you’re safe! I had made a 30-second animated whizbang to kick off the season, but we actually didn’t have time to run it. That was kind of frustrating since I spent a while animating and remixing music for it, so I’m going to see if we can’t get it going before the starting lineups at the next game. Otherwise I got to be part of the most fun in the place, as our video crew is a group of professionals from around the area that get together and do the Civic Center gigs as a way to hang out and have fun doing what we love.

Actually, the night could have been a real bummer for me: I left the dome lights on in my truck! Fortunately, Lee Timmerman spotted it when he got to the Civic Center. He came and told me and, since I was busy running camera, went out and shut ’em off for me. For some reason my truck’s dome lights (there are many) drain my battery in almost no time.

Don’t forget to check out the Wizards games this year – they’re quite fun. The next home game is Tuesday, December 5th. You can check out their schedule and stats at DakotaWizards.com, which will redirect to their NBA Development League site.

Friday night sunset

With the holiday comes the ability to move around a bit, and of course the trusty camera equipment came with as my wife and I did some geocaching. I was about to take her for a scenic loop around Burnt Creek Loop when I spotted this photo through the tree row. Hunting for photos like this is as fun as hunting for geocaches, and there are no instructions to follow!

For a while there I was doing the Thursday Night Sunset and got a lot of pleasant comments about it when talking to folks. Nowadays there have been so many cool sunsets, I’ve had a hard time confining them to just one day. Then came a really busy stretch with six major videos to be done on a timetable, so I haven’t had much time for photography. I’ve got a bit of a breather here for a few days before my next big deadline, so…here you go!

Been missin’ the mountains lately

During a discussion with some other video graphic professionals, the subject of burnout recently came up. More specifically, how do we deal with burnout? My answers were simple: photography, my new hobby; writing again, which culminated in this blog; and triple-digit speeds while dragging knees on my motorcycles. This is a picture of the third; I fabricated an aluminum mount and bolted a video camera to one of my Kawasaki 750s to go blazing through the Smoky Mountains. Digging up this picture got me thinking how much I miss living in the mountains lately.

I’m a North Dakota native, but as a little kid I grew up deep in the Rocky Mountains. It’s a whole different experience: the schools have ski teams, kids learn forest fire prevention in the classroom, field trips involve hiking and visiting ranger stations. I lived near a proving grounds for Smoke Jumpers, firefighters who literally parachute into the site of forest fires to begin combat. Once you’ve lived in the mountains, they’re part of you for good.

One interesting point of view I got from moving back and forth from the Rockies to the North Dakota plains is that we have some beautiful, wide expanses here. When I lived in Big Sky, for example, I had the face of a mountain about 25 feet from my window. Moving back, I was thrilled to look out over the plains while cruising down I-94. But every time I make my way back west, I get the same thrill as those “purple mountain majesties” poke up above the fruited plain. We’ve got it pretty darn good in both places.

By the way, the video above was taken at Deals Gap, North Carolina. It’s in the Smokies along the TN/NC border and is the most fabulous motorcycle road in the country. It’s 11 miles long and boasts 318 corners! It’s quite a workout. One does not want to fly off the road, either…it’s an unfathomably long way down. Our internet motorcycle racers’ club has annual gatherings there, which I haven’t been able to attend in a while. That’s okay, now I spend my time blazing around North Dakota with my camera gear strapped to my back. It’s pretty inspiring to find all the neat places and scenery here in my own back yard, and report them to you here. That allows me to combine all three of my aforementioned “anti-burnout” activities into one great big one. I hope you enjoy the results.

Guess the statue III

I’ve been working somewhat around the clock lately, so I have had to resort to finding fun photos that cross my path instead of hunting for them. That’s okay, because this one was actually a request of sorts.

I’ve had a couple of posts of statues in the past and have had email requests for other ones around Bismarck. Okay, here you go. Guess where this statue is located? Obviously it’s indoors, but it’s in an area where a person is likely to have passed it at one time or another.

If you’re really good, you’ll know the name of the artist and the title of the statue. You’ll actually be better than me because I think I forgot them. Maybe it’ll come back to me, but it doesn’t matter – it’s your job to guess.

Bridge night

The reason I haven’t been posting a lot of photos lately is simple: I’m too busy working to get out and take any! Nearly every waking moment has been spent editing or animating something, either at work or at home. I see a light at the end of the tunnel simply because the due dates on these projects are looming.

During a taco run for dinner I was able to snap this photo before returning to the office. It’s the bridge used by the trolley to Fort Lincoln. While I’m sure it still sees use by the trolley, I have yet to actually witness this. It’s one of the things my wife and I always say we’re going to do, but never quite get around to it. Hopefully it’ll be running in the spring, because we’d love to take a ride. At that time we’ll need a babysitter!

Even if you don’t believe it – THEY DO

Webster defines fundamentalism as “a movement or attitude stressing strict and literal adherence to a set of basic principles.” I’m a fundamentalist Christian. I believe that the Bible is the inerrant, inspired word of God. I try to read it daily, I believe what it says, and I strive to live my life accordingly. I don’t get to pick and choose which parts of it I think are authentic and which parts are not. That includes the parts such as “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

By the same token, what is a fundamentalist Muslim? He reads the Koran and Hadith, believes that they are the inerrant word of their god, written in heaven. They try to read it daily, believe what it says, and strive to live their lives accordingly. They don’t get to pick and choose which parts they think are authentic and which parts are not. That includes the parts that give instruction to “strike off their heads, strike off the very tips of their fingers.”

For some reason, nobody seems to want to even address the fact that what these hateful, sick people are doing in the guise of a religion comes from the fundamentals of their beliefs. The muslims believe that the Koran was written by their god in their version of heaven…why would they presume to weed out the parts of it that are not politically correct? If it’s in there, they believe it. Period. And if that’s how their god instructs them, those are the instructions they’re obligated to carry out. Yet nobody wants to acknowledge this! These fundamentalists are the TRUE muslims, the ones who take the words of the Koran at face value. Yet it seems more convenient for the deceived westerners to simply label them as “extremists” and be done with them.

The Religion of Peaceā„¢ at work in Iraq

It’s jaw-dropping to see how the wool is being pulled over Western eyes when it comes to Islam. Even a lot of Christians are deceived about it (For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. –Matthew 24:24) and you have to dig for yourself to find any real information on the so-called Religion of Peace. Go to the solarium at St. Alexius Medical Center and you’ll find a Koran in a glass case, turned to a page talking about how Allah is scolding Israel for being disobedient. This is symptomatic of the entire Western world right now. It’s not just that people are too distracted by American Idol to care, it’s a nearly willful disregard of what the muslim world is doing and plans to do.

Even our own President, who professes to be a born-again Christian believer, refers to Islam as the “Religion of Peace.” It seems like the whole world seems to be grabbing its collective ankles to accomodate Islam, while at the same time trying to rid itself of Christianity. If religion itself is the problem, as liberals claim, then why cozy up to muslims while trying to force Christians out of public society? For some reason Islam is the giant elephant in the room that nobody acknowledges, and it defies all logic or reasoning.

After the September 11th, 2001 attacks, already groups were lining up to make a memorial there that explains why the poor persecuted muslims were forced to do it. The Crusades, which were the Christians’ way of stopping a muslim onslaught into Europe, have been re-branded as a Christian imperialism into the pristine holy lands of Islam. You don’t dare take a Bible or appear to pray in public school, but some of those same schools are requiring classes on Islam. Does any of this make any sense?

Imagine how many European panties would become irreparably twisted into an angst-ridden bunch if President George W. Bush, a born-again Christian, were to preface an address to the United Nations with the following:


“Lord God, I thank you in the name of your son, my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, for this opportunity to address this Assembly on behalf of the great nation of the United States of America. I also praise you, Father, for gathering this body of people together, that we may bring our expression of views and aspirations for the world which you’ve created. We seek you, Lord, humanity craves your Truth, your Justice, and your teaching to love others as we love ourselves. I praise you, Lord, for this blessing, and ask your guidance…in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Democrats would immediately draw up impeachment paperwork, liberal blogs would seethe till the very Internet melted, and the whole world would be raving with fear about the “Crusader” George Bush. He’s been called that already, and never had to utter a public prayer to do so! Yet, here’s how the President of Iran prefaced his address to the UN General Assembly in September:


“I praise the Merciful, All-Knowing and Almighty God for blessing me with another opportunity to address this Assembly on behalf of the great nation of Iran and to bring a number of issues to the attention of the international community.

I also praise the Almighty for the increasing vigilance of peoples across the globe, their courageous presence in different international settings, and the brave expression of their views and aspirations regarding global issues.

Today, humanity passionately craves commitment to the Truth, devotion to God, quest for Justice and respect for the dignity of human beings. Rejection of domination and aggression, defense of the oppressed, and longing for peace constitute the legitimate demand of the peoples of the world, particularly the new generations and the spirited youth, who aspire a world free from decadence, aggression and injustice, and replete with love and compassion. The youth have a right to seek justice and the Truth; and they have a right to build their own future on the foundations of love, compassion and tranquility. And, I praise the Almighty for this immense blessing.”

He really did say this to the United Nations, and claimed on videotape “I felt the atmosphere suddenly change. And for those 27 or 28 minutes, the leaders of the world did not blink. . . . It seemed as if a hand was holding them there, and it opened their eyes to receive the message from the Islamic Republic.” Granted, he’s praying to a god that doesn’t exist, but still…isn’t it amazing how he was praised by the press, accepted in as a great dignitary, and generally fawned over? Had a Christian of any stature tried something like this, they’d have been the subject of an immediate discreditation campaign and run out on a rail. Had the President of the United States prayed before the UN General Assembly, the repercussions would be felt for months.

Video from a mosque in Iraq

Before I get into the eschatological part of this, let me just say this for any atheists or non-Christians who might be reading. I had 11,171 hits on Wednesday alone; I have to assume there are some of you among my readers. Even if you don’t believe in Christianity or Islam or any religion whatsoever, they do. Look at what these people are saying! They’re broadcasting it, webcasting it, teaching it in their schools, and indoctrinating their children with it. Heck, it’s been going on for a long time…wouldn’t it make sense even to the greatest of skeptics that sooner or later, this stuff is going to get some traction?

Now for the religious “end times” stuff. We Christians believe that in the end times, there will be tremendous violence and chaos, at which time a great peacemaker will appear. The born-again Christian believers will then be taken up to be with Jesus in what is referred to as the Rapture. Back on earth, however, this peacemaker is an Antichrist and a deceiver who will bring about seven years of tribulation. He will form a one-world religion, and any who reject it will be beheaded. Those who accept it will get a mark on their head or in their hand. Ahmadinejad is praying for his god to send the Mahdi, a so-called perfect human being, to come and bring peace to the world. Sound familiar? The deception’s running rampant and the pieces are in place.

And who’s doing the beheading these days? Muslims. From the Indonesian muslims that stalked and beheaded a group of Christian schoolgirls last month for a Ramadan trophy to the cowards over in Iraq who can post their beheadings on the Internet but don’t have the sack to do it without a mask on, the beheading club in this big ol’ world of ours exclusively practices Islam. And guess who’s out there claiming that Iran will put a mark on the forehead of its enemies? Good old president Ahmadinejad. I watched Iranian video of him saying it tonight. He believes it’s his duty to bring about the return of their chosen one, which can only be done by chaos and violence. He’s publicly calling for the annihilation of Israel, yet over here the lefties claim George Bush is a terrorist. It’s downright spooky.

While Islam gets a major re-branding and image makover here in the West, it’s amazing how they’re training their kids to be martyrs, even in their cartoons. They’re plotting the bloody conflict with the West, while we sit back and wonder if Britney Spears will get custody of her kids in her divorce from K-Fed and send our kids to “Understanding Islam” classes. It’s just plain sick.

Cartoon teaching little kids to be martyrs in Jihad

This week on CNN Headline News, Glenn Beck hosted a special where they show cartoons, TV shows, and what the Islamic leaders are saying over in their home territory. It is downright chilling. They come here with warm smiles and talk of peace and get treated like celebrities. They then return home and incite crowds numbering in the hundreds of thousands into martyrdom and hatred of the Western world. There’s also a movie called “Obsession” which describes what muslims are saying back in their world, as opposed to what their CAIR mouthpieces are spouting here in the United States and other western nations. Both of these deserve your attention. While CNN Headline News is replaying the Glenn Beck special tonight, the movie is still awaiting theatrical release.

You can view the Glenn Beck special here as long as the link is valid: YouTube

You can find out more about the Obsession movie here on its official site: Obsession: the Movie

Want even more information about what these people are really saying and planning about us? memritv.com

L E A – visible only at night

One of the best views of Bismarck is from atop the hills on the northeast side of town. There’s Hillside Park, which is quite popular, and then there’s the steep streets of Laforest and Northview. Northview is also known for the neighborhood which decorates all the trees in unison during Christmas, and becomes a busy street during the season. Laforest is one block over and faces more westward, providing the view you see above.

With potentially slippery conditions in the winter, the hill has always been marked by the prominent HILL sign you see above. For the past twenty years or so it has also been marked by something else: the letters L, E, and A. They were apparently painted on somehow and removed, leaving a lasting impression on the sign. They’re pretty well invisible by day, but stand out quite obviously when the sign is in your headlights (or flash).

So what’s the deal with those three letters? What do they stand for, and how’d they get there? As luck would have it, I know the answer to that story. A friend of mine used to live in that neighborhood when she was younger, and told me the story when we first started spending time together. In fact, she’s quite directly involved.

As the story goes, another kid in the neighborhood a long time ago wanted to get my friend in trouble. Apparently the only way they thought worthwhile at the time was to try to vandalize this sign. They got some paint and put her name, Lea, prominently above the HILL on the sign. Naturally the neighbors all spotted it right away. Lea maintained her innocence until the truth came out.

I suppose the sign was never replaced because during the day it’s nearly impossible to see anything unusual about it. But I’m sure dozens of people who come up Northview each Christmas to see the lights, taking a right at the top of the hill to come back down by Laforest, see the letters L E A in their headlights as they pass this sign. Now you know why they’re there..