Our life is just a rollercoaster, hold on tight because falling off is not an option.
am I to figure that no one wants something?
I guess that makes it easy for me, though I’ll admit, I’m a little hurt. Maybe it’s just that no one wants to have to reciprocate?
Anyway, LIFE has gotten a little crazy, stressful and all the rest around here, so if I’m not around for a few days (including finishing posting our pictures) I hope you understand.
Well, I’m bringing this back up because I think with all the travel pics posts, it’s been missed. I also have decided to participate in Andrea’s homemade meme, so I figured it made sense.
Well, traveling kept me from reading most blogs and I missed the cut off on Kim’s Homemade goodies, but I love the idea. So I’m going to participate anyway. And I already have an idea of what the ‘goodie’ will be. (If you have a problem with leather, just a hint, don’t)
Here are the rules:
It is simple. If you are one of the first three commentors on this post, then you are in. I’ll send you a homemade gift sometime. (When inspiration and time collide for me.) In return, you go to your blog and make the same offer. So, you’ll be making 3 things and receiving one.
What if you don’t have a blog?
Well, if not, I’ll host your request here.
What if I don’t like my gift?
Too bad. Mom taught us all how to be gracious.
What if I’m not crafty or artistic?
So? Do it anyway. Even if it is a paper airplane.
What about shipping?
Well, you’ll have to plan on dealing with that.
What? I have to give someone in cyberspace my address?
Well, yeah. How else am I going to get anything to you?
By the time we got to Devil’s Tower (yes, we did all 3 in one day), the rain was moving for good and it was late and we were tired. 
We didn’t do much while we were there, but I wanted to stop.
About 10 years ago when we had stopped before, I had taken the kids’ picture in front of it and used it for our Christmas card that year. I wanted to get that picture again. 
Crazy Horse is all of about 30 mins from Mt. Rushmore. And as you can see from these pictures, by the time we got there, the sun was coming out. 
I’ve always found Crazy Horse more interesting than Rushmore. I’m not sure if it’s that they are still working on it (no end in site), or the huge scale of it. According to the people at Crazy Horse, Mt. Rushmore will fit in Crazy Horse’s hair if you were to compare the two places. It could also be the connection is has to the Logan’s Run books (but not movie or series). 
I did find out on this trip (or at least it registered) that the artist and his wife had essentially homeschooled their 10 kids. When he had started work there had been no one any where around, so they a school just for themselves. Of course that was more than 50 years ago.
The original artist died a few years ago, though his wife still runs the foundation that oversees the work. Most of the kids have stayed to work on the project and in fact the third generation is now involved in the work.
The movie that we saw (that had the previous info) was very vague about why/how 3 of the kids didn’t stay. I’d be very curious to hear more about their stories. 
They finished the face about 10 years ago and now they are working on the horse’s head. I believe that it will about about 22 stories tall.
The morning we went to Mt. Rushmore it was suppose to rain. It didn’t.
But the overcast sky kept it fairly cool while we were there. 
We decided not to spend any time in the museum, but did take the walk out to the edge of the mountain and into the Artist’s Studio. I wish I had counted how many stairs we went up and down.
It did give us some interesting views of the profiles as we walked though. 
We had an interesting conversation as we hiked about which 4 presidents might be used if the mountain was craved now. FDR instead of Teddy was suggested and Kennedy was considered. It’s hard to settle on which would be the most fitting.
Anyway, I thought I’d put these up in shifts. These shots are from the 
Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD. All I can say is that I’m happy we didn’t have to pay to see this place. It was kind of neat, but wouldn’t be worth an admission price.
There’s 3 shots of changing the design.
It’s changed every year. And then there’s 3 shots of completed panels. 
Wow, what a fantastic trip.
We had a great time. It was wonderful to catch up with my sister, L. We had a great visit with Frankie and her son. (I also wish they lived closer).
We stopped at The Corn Palace, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Devil’s Tower, and Yellowstone Park. (pictures are coming, but I haven’t dug out my camera yet.)
We nearly hit some deer (Montana) and a baby moose (Wyoming) and nearly blew out a tire (thankfully, the low pressure warning light worked correctly).
We saw deer, moose, elk, buffalo, antelope, ducks, geese, chipmunks, squirrels, insects, turkeys…….
We saw license plates from 48 states. The only ones missing were Delaware (why?) and Hawaii. You usually see the Hawaii plates on service men and women, so I’m figuring that not very many of them have the time and inclination to be traveling at the moment. But Delaware?
We drove through the 67th motor cycle rally at Sturgis and counted bikes by the hundreds. Got a good laugh at the people that came and went to Sturgis, not on their bikes, but in a car, truck, or camper towing their bikes in a trailer. Also enjoyed the people trying to smoke while they rode their bikes on the interstate at 80 mph. (they were in the back seat.) And decided that woman (no matter what their body looks like) should not be wearing corsets on motorcycles - why?
My kids got to meet a cousin and his kids (who are nearly the same age as Boy and Girl) for the first time. They may never meet again, but at least they’ve met once.
We got to sit in the music studio (fully solar powered) and listen as L finished mixing her first ever CD of music that she’s written. She’s selling them this weekend at the local huckleberry festival (where she is also playing).
And that’s all the highlights.
My mom told about something where you read a book, then write a book review about it on your blog. She said I could do this one, since it is a kid’s book. 
Edited afterwards - The coordinator of Mother-Talk has requested that you click this link if you are interested in the details -
The book’s title is 
Maximum Ride: Saving the world and other extreme sports. It’s a fantasy by James Patterson. I was told to review the third book in a series. I’ve never even heard of the first two, but I understood it pretty well. It is about six kids who have had bird wings ’stuck’ onto their backs. They can fly, but otherwise they are normal. They are running from an organization called ‘Itexicon’ (or something like that. I can’t remember everything!)
It was pretty bad. My mother said it was written for 8-12 year-olds, but I’d say 8-10. I probably would have given it to a 10-year-old boy I know who would have gone “People with wings? Cool!” I wouldn’t have put it on my list of good books or suggested to people I meet who like to read.
I found it very predictable. She keeps saying that she felt that she and someone were ‘truly brother and sister even though they weren’t related.’ Guess what? That’s her half-brother!
I also didn’t like his writing style. One of my favorite authors always puts these weird facts in his books that fit in perfectly, but are things that most people don’t know. Patterson, on the other hand, wrote very simply. It felt at times like one of my grammar assignments. ‘Take this paragraph and use more descriptive words.’ Truly, I like some of the stuff about the language. Max (the lead character) is very sarcastic. I like all of her lines, just the way she talks. Most of the time, it could be better.
Short recap:
Title: Maximum Ride: Saving the world and other extreme sports
Author: James Patterson
Score (out of ten): 3/10
Mom’s take
I also found the book written very simply. It reminded me of Gary Paulsen’s White Fox Chronicles. It does not have the depth that the Harry Potter or Eragon stories have. And I really think that even younger kids do better with more depth and not spoon fed pap.
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