ANNOUNCING...

Hudson Warrick Beasley

Born: 22 Feb 2012, 2:42 AM

Weight: 9 lb 0 oz

Length: 21-1/4"

Praise the LORD! Mother and baby are doing well, there was no complications, and Hudson even slept a few hours this morning so all involved could begin to catch up on sleep.

Psalm 127:3

"Sons are a heritage from the LORD,

children a reward from him."

Beauty for beauty's sake

Why do we have sunsets? Do they have some great purpose? If we didn't have sunsets would the earth cease to function?

Why are there so many flowers? Surely a few different varieties would provide the enough substance for the bugs and animals that eat them?

Why create vistas that make you want to weep? Or glorious night skies that silence you in awe?

God is the original author of 'Beauty for beauty's sake'.

Chapter Seven: The last chapter...

In which our rather exhausted heroes drive like mad men to make it home, but not with out religiously observing a stop any true Nebraskan feels called to make... the Sidney Cabela's!

Elsie was ecstatic when we pulled into the Cabela's parking lot. We'd be trying to explain the trip schedule to her, telling her that we'd go home after we had seen the 'big animals'. In her desperation to be back home horses and cows along the road had become 'big animals'.

I think the enjoyment of seeing the grizzly and elephant was sweetened by the thought that she would be sleeping in her own bed that night [smile]!

A very friendly Cabela's lady gave all the little people stickers. Edmund immediately ate his, and Yelena spent the rest of the trip home occupied in trying to get hers off. When we tucked the beanies in their own beds at midnight it was still attached [smile]!

Chapter Six:

In which our heroes, having made it through several wet and tempestuous nights, decide that the time has come to pack up their tent and embark on the homeward journey - much to the delight of their eldest children.

We took a different set of highways and interstates home, because Caleb wanted to stop at Chimney Rock.

Elise enjoyed running up and down the deserted sidewalks - until she took two face-plants in a row. Poor little nipper.

Looking back, maybe stopping that close to nap time wasn't the brightest idea we've ever had.

But Band-aids can heal just about anything. I knew we hauled that first-aid kit along for a reason!

Chapter Five:

In which our heroes undertake a brief expedition into the halls of learning, and the elder two at least return greatly benefited and edified.

If any of you end up in Ft. Robinson, I would highly recommend the camp's museum. The displays were very well put together, and kept the attention of two year old and twenty-six year old alike [smile].

The following exhibit cracked me up. It told what happened when Ft. Robinson became home to several thousand people - soldiers and families - after WWI.

The placard next to the picture explained that sanitation was becoming a big problem at the fort - animals were running amuck. The problem became so acute that Major G. Henry issued the following warning to pet owners.

"To properly train these animals in respectable ways all violators will be taken up and placed in the pound, from which they can be taken by owners on payment of $2 for a dog and $1 for a cat. The owner must be notified , and if not claimed at the end of 24 hours they are to be shot (not the owner)."

Chapter Four:

In which our heroes are exposed to dangers that run rampant in the outdoors - indifferent camp food and sunburn.

We were going to take it easy after all the hiking the day before, a happy breakfast and trip to the park...

Elise and Yelena waited patiently for the pancakes to be ready.

Caleb, Elise and Yelena played 'Pooh-sticks' while waiting for me to clean up breakfast.

'Pooh-sticks' is a fabulous game in which two sticks - or in this case two left-over pancake bits - are dropped on the up-stream side of a bridge. The players then run to the other side to see whose bit comes out first. It's usually easier to play if you use sticks - there were several times when the water logged pancake didn't come out the other side [smile]!

Poor Edmund looked like a little sausage in a swing, but he did seem to enjoy himself.

It's been years since I've been on a swing - although between giving pushes, and admiring Elise going down the slide - I didn't really get to swing very long!

Elsie was a natural - she and Daddy had a lot of fun together [smile].

It was a rather overcast day, so you can imagine my surprise when we all started turning pink that afternoon. I guess even overcast sun reflects off gravel and give sun burns!

My handsome man!

Chapter Three:

In which our hero and heroines' children decide they've seen enough 'bus-a-lows'*, and that it is in fact, time to go home.

For the first couple dozen wild buffalos Elise was enchanted. After the next couple dozen she was less so. And after we'd been driving through buffalo country for an hour we heard impassioned pleas from the backseat to go home.

"Time na home? Time na go home?"

We bolstered moral with a lunch break.

The buffalo were a prelude to Mt. Rushmore National Park. There are four national and state parks all clumped together in that incredibly scenic part of the country.

Mt. Rushmore Park was lovely - despite being hit hard by the vile spruce beetle. The hills looked like it was fall, because of all the spruce bug's devastation. The Park staff were so worried about the beetle's effect on the pines they sprayed all of the trees around the carving so as to preserve the traditional view.

The park had a great 1 1/2 mile walk around the base of the cliff, where you could see the carvings from different vantage points, read about the subjects (i.e. George Washington, Abraham Licoln, etc.) and the artist who was in charge of the project.

Despite already having walked several miles that morning, up and down the Black Hills, Elise was a trooper. She enjoyed the stairs on the trail - and firmly insisted on doing them all by herself!

Worn out, we returned to camp to recover and eat hotdogs!

*For those of you that don't speak Elise-ish 'busalow' means 'buffalo'.

Chapter Two:

In which we tackle the scenic buttes of the Black Hills and find that the age old saying is true - It is easier to get up than get down!

I have always been of the opinion that hiking in the wilderness, or in fact anywhere with grass, is just one great big tick hunt. The little stinkers seem to sense my aversion to them and come from miles away just to sit on grass next to the trail I am taking. They then hand out prizes to the ticks that can grab ahold of my skirt and make it home with me [shudder!]

The other inhabitants - and by that I mean non-insect inhabitants! - were much more pleasant to observe. Ft. Robinson used to have a major horse breeding operation back in the early 1900's - they provided calvary horses to the army. The horses that still live at the fort are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen.

Elise turned out to be a fabulous hiker - despite the lack of a morning nap...

...Though towards the end poor Yelena was dozing off in the back-pack [smile!]

The view from the top of the buttes was great - if you remained on your feet long enough to enjoy it. The wind was fierce, and we had to keep a tight hold on Elise, or she would have sailed off like a kite!