North Dakota

Here we are exploring a new state.

Our first stop is Fargo, ND, the largest city in the state, actually we are staying in Casselton Inn & RV Park 20 miles west of Fargo.  Casselton has it's own little fame as it boosts of having 5 governors coming from this little town.  What made us stop here was a PBS program about Robert Asp and his dream of building a Viking ship.

 Well he did build one, he started in 1972 and in 1980 he sailed his ship on Lake Superior but he didn't get to do his ultimate dream of sailing it to Norway as he died  of leukemia in 1980.  But in 1982 his family and friends sailed the Hjemkomst 6,100 from Duluth to Bergen, Norway it took them a month and five days.   The ship was brought back to Moorhead, MN and a museum was built around it.  (Moorhead is Fargo's sister city.)

Arrow wood NWR

 Guy Paulson had a dream of building Viking church, so he did and donated it to the museum.  It took him five years to build and carve Hopperstad Stave Church a replica of the one in Vik, Norway.




Of course we have to do some birding and ND is a destination for birders especially in May and June for the spring migration and breeding season.  But since we are here in the summer we'll catch what we can.

Tewaukon NWR

 The glaciers carved out 'pot holes' which are great places for ducks, pelicans and grebes to breed.  In fact, ND has 63 National Wildlife Refuges more than any other state in the lower 48, and we are going to visit just a few.

In fact, we can find the birds just driving along the county roads it is where we spotted this Upland Sandpiper.

This morning we spotted a life bird for us at the Tewaukon NWR, a black tern.  We may have another lifer but we didn't really get a good look just a passing glance as it flew up and into the grass I was guessing it was a Sharp tailed Grouse.

I was asked what our goal was and I answered to see all the National Parks and of course as many of the North American birds as we can.  Then I was asked how many Parks there were, well there are more than 360 Nat'l parks, monuments, byways and battlefields but we have seen only 59 so far.  As for just National Parks there are 51 of which we have visited 30.  We would also like to visit all 50 states of which we have been to 35 so we have some traveling to do.

So I hope you will follow along with us via my blog as we explore our fabulous USA.

Back on the road

We are back on the road and it's time to start posting again.

My brothers.

Here are some of my favorite photos taken last week.

One of the sculptures at Wayne Porter's Sculpture Park near Montrose, SD.

We enjoyed the Power on the Prairie Air Show in Sioux Falls.

This is the Miss Mitchell..

So come back and visit time to time as I will be posting my favorite photos of the week.

10th Anniversary

O, to be sure, we laugh less and play less and wear uncomfortable disguises like adults, but beneath the costume is the child we always are, whose needs are simple, whose daily life is still best described by fairy tales.      Leo Rosten

Civil War Re enactment

 We took a break Saturday from our work around the house and took in the civil war re enactment in Kingston, MO.

 A local farmer donates his field for the battle re enactment.

 Looks real doesn't it.

 The re en actors are all ages and genders. 

 The little town of Kingston was raided by bushwhackers in 1862, robbing the stores and courthouse.

 Bushwhacker ??

 Union civilian camp

The Union had a militia in Kingston and a battle followed the raid.

The Union lost this skirmish.

Well, back to finishing up the work on our house, nearly done.

Birding at Squaw Creek

Thursday we drove up to Squaw Creek Wildlife Refuge to bird.

Family of Canadian Geese

We had never seen so many Orchard Orioles  before.

                            There were lots of Dickcissels.  
                                               

Or so many frogs.

 But after coming home with 55 species we saw birds posted on line that others had seen there we hadn't, we still have a lot to learn about birding.  We need to get out our scope and take closer looks at those shore birds.

I'm not sure how this post will look as I still haven't figured out how to arrange photos and captions.

Have a great Memorial Weekend!

This weeks photos

 The Baltimore Oriole at our grape jelly feeder.

 Little Wood Satyrs were everywhere today at Watkins Mill.

 So were the Fritillaries.

Aren't these day lilies beautiful, I enjoy them every year.  

They were given to me when I worked at the golf course when one of the ladies was thinning out her bed, lucky me.

We tried to see the eclipse Ken got a couple of photos, my camera couldn't get any, I'll just have to enjoy his. 

We finished the master bath and bedroom floors, painted the walls too.  I just have to put the little stuff back and the paintings.

Have a great week! 

Taking time for the birds

 We have been busy around here, Ken's got the tile down in the bathroom and almost has the new flooring down in the bedroom.  I cleaned up the gardens and most of the RV, but we have taken some time to do a little birding.

The Catbird above is one of our visitors to our feeders.  It's was nice to see most of our regulars are back, we have a couple of Black capped Chickadees, Baltimore Oriole, Ruby throated Hummingbird, Downy Woodpecker, Robins, Morning Doves, Cardinals and of course the grackles, starlings and house sparrows.

 We went over to Watkins State Park for a look and I got a nice photo of this Indigo Bunting who was singing away up by the old school. 

We saw several Brown Thrashers, Eastern Kingbird, Bluebirds and Thrushes not sure which ones.

We are going with the Backyard Bird people tomorrow over to Westin Bend State Park to do a little birding.  It's to be a grey day, maybe some rain but it'll be nice to get out and maybe see a bird or two.

Have a Happy Mother's Day

and have a 

great week.