Middle of Nowhere...

Hello....Happy Monday!!

One week of school done, and all is well. Brennen did great last week! He has already more or less switched his printing from the D'Nealian he was taught in Peoria to the more traditional printing this school uses. This is huge as it was one of his greatest fears about attending a new school. He played each day with the other "Brennan" and a few other boys so he feels like he is making friends. He does mourn the loss of his days of play time, but that would be at any school! The school seems very strong academically, very organized. I think it's going to be a good fit for him.

Friday and Saturday morning we spent doing things around the house. Saturday right after lunch we left for Buffalo, a city on the eastern side of the Bighorn Mountains to the north of Casper. We dropped our stuff at a hotel and headed up the mountain to see what we could see. Brennen had fun using a sling shot to plop rocks into Meadowlark Lake and we stopped to visit with lots of cows. No deer, elk or moose to be seen however. On our way back down to Buffalo, Kindrid was sick to her tummy. She seemed totally fine after that, and she wasn't too happy with us that we made her lay low for a while. Later in the evening the kids swam and we had pizza in our room while we watched the Olympics. We all slept great!

Sunday morning we had breakfast and swam some more until check out time. I'd been studying the map and found some back roads that would lead us from the southern part of the Big Horns through some country we haven't seen before and, eventually, down to Casper. We stopped first to explore Middle Fork campground which my bro and sis-in-law said was an awesome place. They were so right! We played by the water for a long time and climbed on the hill for a little bit until we saw this fellow watching us from the top! It was a magical place with sounds of bubbling water, cool, shady places beneath the pines, and stones and logs in and across the stream just perfect for climbing around. We definitely want to camp there some time soon! Thanks, Nic and Heather!

Now, the route I choose for us to get home was, as Kindrid says, through the Middle of Nowhere. Really. It was good that it was dry as it would have been impassable in parts if it had been wet. It was rocky, bumpy, up and down, dusty, muddy and a GREAT drive! I loved it. Brennen complained that his Lego creations kept breaking due to the huge bumps. We did this for hours - a lot of concentration for Todd. We had lunch on the top of the world with views to the west of mountains across a basin, to the east of rolling, pine-covered hills and snow capped mountains to the north. Brennen built a cairn to remind us of this place.

We drove and drove, seldom seeing anyone. Here and there were sheep wagons (follow this link if you don't know what a sheep wagon is...sort of an early RV used by, you guessed it, sheep herders when in remote places), http://www.wyomingsheepwagon.com/gallery/sale.htm a few cabins, RV's seemingly used by the ranchers that lease grazing rights to tracts of this public owned land. We saw just a handful of other vehicles and none the further south we went. Late in the afternoon we did see a truck parked off to the side of the road with no one around. We commented aloud, wondering where its owner was as there was no one in sight. Three miles later we came to a major junction and paused to consult the map to make sure we took the correct fork. We decided on the fork to the right and got a block or so down it when we saw a man and woman walking. Remember what I said Kindrid calls this area? Well, to see folks just ambling along with no packs, no vehicle, like it's a Sunday stroll is very odd indeed. We stopped to ask them if all was OK. The man in his hat calmly said, "Nope, it's not." They were the owners of the truck we'd passed miles back They had taken their 4-wheeler out to check on fences and their cattle. The 4-wheeler died and they'd been walking for an hour and a half seeing no one and with only a bottle and a half of water between them. It was beginning to get late in the day, and they were glad to see us!! Todd left me with the lady (wish you could have seen us sitting by the side of the road in the M. of N. in camp chairs chatting away like old friends) while he took the man back to his truck.

When they came back, we followed them back all the way they'd walked so Todd could help the man load the ATV. We felt like we had backstage passes getting to go through gates and on the OTHER side of the fences!! Turns out the man really didn't need much help as he had (DAD, are you paying attention??) a COME ALONG!! This device is one of the world's greatest inventions allowing one person to move huge weights with a sort of ratchet/winching motion. http://cvfsupplyco-store.stores.yahoo.net/hanpowpulcom.html It's long been one of my dad's favorite tools, and he's used it along with patience to move some pretty amazingly heavy things all by himself. (Of course I put a link to it...once a teacher, always a teacher!!)

Soon the ATV was loaded and we were all on our way once again. We hope to meet up with Sonny and Marlene Hoburka some time again. They were jolly and fun and friendly and chalked this up as just one more adventure in their world of ranching. It was an adventure for us too. Nice people, beautiful country, a hand lent, memories made!!

Oh yes, and rush hour traffic on the range...

After this small hiccup, we still had hours of going left before we finally hit a "real" road and got back to Casper far later than we'd planned. It was a day full of images of beauty and remoteness. We know yet another part of this incredible state we now call home.

We stopped at a campground for a quick picnic supper...the kids climbed the rocks...

Have a great week!

Christy

Back to school...

Dear Everyone,

Our guests left last week on Wednesday. The house seemed very empty and lonely for days after they were gone. :O( They made it back home safely...thanks for coming, Fiedlers!!

We went to the state fair last week in Douglas which, I'm sorry to say, was a really big disappointment compared to our high expectations of state fairs. We did enjoy looking at lots of cows, pigs and sheep and this fair had a WHOLE room full of hay bales that were judged, not just a few bales like the fair in Casper. We had good food and the kids got to ride lots of rides. However, we will probably pass on this fair in years to come and focus our fair energies on the Casper fair.

Speaking of fairs...it's been a roller coaster ride for the Sandberg family for the past few months, but I think we are finally to a quieter, more routine time once again. With Todd being in Casper for six weeks before us, packing, selling the house, moving out here to the camper, buying a house, unpacking and having house guests life has been pretty nuts. But yesterday something happened to slow it all down and force us back into a more "normal" lifestyle...school started for Brennen. My "little" boy is in second grade!!
It was crazy at the school yesterday morning! Todd was able to come with us, and we all parked a couple blocks away to bring Brennen and all his supplies in. The parents were welcome to stay for the first half hour. It was good to get to see the other kids in his class and meet his teacher briefly. Some thoughts from Brennen and Me:
1. Dress code requires shirts to be tucked in and belts to be worn if there are belt loops present. This was a struggle for Brennen - we have to fight with him just to get him to wear a shirt with a collar. He really doesn't like stuff being "itchy." (Bad)
2. Unlike his previous school, he is allowed to wear camouflage here (note what he picked to wear for the first day). (Good)
3. Two seats away, there is another child with the same name only with an "a," B-r-e-n-n-a-n (Good)
4. He played with the other Brennan at recess and was happy to have made a friend. (Good)
5. There was no opening prayer or scriptures posted anywhere (obviously not since it's a public school, but a big change for all of us and kind of hard). (Bad)
6. His teacher was super organized which works great with Brennen's personality. (Good)
7. The new facility is top notch and gorgeous. How fun to be the first kids to get to use the gym, library, playground, cubbies etc.! (Good)
8. Kindrid's days just got a lot longer with no Big Brother to play with. (Bad)
9. Mommy's days just got a lot longer in some ways and shorter in others. (Good and Bad!)

Letting go is a major theme of parenting that starts for mommies the day the baby is born. Suffice to say I'm not getting any better about it! :O(

BTW...Kindrid is on a waiting list for pre-k where I'm really hoping she gets a place.

Todd's in Albuquerque for today and tomorrow so I'm hoping to get a few projects done. We've had quite a few things go wrong with the house since we've moved in. I'm trying to keep a positive attitude about it because I adore this house, but it really has been a lot of things. The latest involved a plumber, a part of a closet ceiling being removed and yet another repair bill. (This was the plumber's third visit - we've also had visits from the window repair guy - he'll need to return to fix few more - and from the evaportive cooler guy). Dad, when are you moving to Casper??? :O) Anyhow, now the closet really ought to be painted so I hope to do that and the garage remains an absolute disaster that I need to attack.

During the final days of the Fiedlers' visit, we visited the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center here in Casper. What a cool museum! When you come visit, we'll take you there!
http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/NHTIC.html
I got caught up on my friend's blog, "Chez Wilkes," earlier this morning and nothing I post can possibly compare with the history and adventures she and her family are enjoying in Europe, but I am content that we live in a pretty cool place in the good ole USA right now. There is much to see and do here, and we love house guests...hint hint to all you potential visitors! :O)

To my friends J. and J. who nag, nag, nag...thanks for reading!! Glad I keep you hanging from time to time. Really, though, now that we've been here a while, there just isn't as much to report. I refrain from posting as often as I did before more out of a desire to not bore you than from laziness. :O)

Hope all is well in Peoria, Fort Smith, Minnesota and beyond!!

Love,
Christy

Wild, Wild West...

Hello Fam and Friends,

Wow! Didja watch the Opening Ceremonies last night? It just blew our socks off! Kindrid, Collin, Brennen, Andrew, Todd, Robin and I gathered around Todd's Big Ole TV last night to watch with great interest what the Chinese would come up with. If you saw it, I'm sure you felt, as we did, that nothing quite like it has ever been seen before. What a great time to celebrate our cultures and the unity that sports brings among widely diverse peoples. Those of you that know me know I'm definitely not a sports kinda girl, but I do like this time every couple of years when it brings together so many different people and provides the media an opportunity to do some positive reporting. From brushing up on rusty geography to learning about the struggles so many of the athletes face, the Olympics are a chance for the world to become a little smaller. I think I am more fascinated by the "human interest" pieces they do than by the incredible physical feats the athletes exhibit! More than politics and the interests of nations as a whole, I think the experience is about individuals with dreams - isn't that realization much more likely to draw us together than drive us apart? Anyhow, that's my two cents! I know not everyone agrees, but it's my blog so there! :O)

We've had a good week here with the Fiedlers. Mike made it safely back to Peoria early in the week, and Robin is picking him up tomorrow in Ft. Collins - they'll spend the night there and explore Rocky Mountain National Park on their way back. I'm jealous! They might find me hiding away in their suitcase!! Not that one would see much from a suitcase! I digress...

Yesterday we visited the Paleontological museum in Glenrock. http://www.paleon.org/about_us.htm

If you plan to come visit us, you can be sure I will be dragging you there! We had a personal tour from a paleontology student and, although the museum is small, we saw some totally rockin' stuff! WAY old bones, the lab where they are cleaned, and we even got to take home some bits of dinosaur bones to keep. The kids loved it. So did the grown ups!

Today Robin and I got to do some shopping - big hug to Todd who watched all four kids. We bought them hats at the dollar store:

Kindrid, in true Diva Form, considers a purple princess dress, turquoise water shoes and a cowgirl hat totally hip. (Her mommy considers words like "hip" totally fine to use despite it being the new century and all) :O) Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Love,

Christy

The Red Road...

Hi,

We had a full weekend of exploring with the Fiedlers. We visited Garden Falls:

Had a picnic where the kids had a blast playing on the rocks:

And so did Robin and I:
It was my birthday on Saturday and I wanted to go down this rutted, red track we'd seen before south of Casper Mountain. Todd can't refuse me on my birthday so we did a little of what Andrew called "off-roading." It was his first time doing a little 4-wheeling and he loved it! On the way back, we saw this Big Fella who obviously wanted to cross but wouldn't due to the cattle guard. It's a good thing he couldn't as Mike marched right up to him to get this shot. He (the Big Fella, not Mike) very theatrically pawed the dirt (probably more in an effort to rid himself of several hundred flies than to scare Mike but the effect was pretty awe-inspiring to those of the wiser of us observing from the safety of the Big Blue Truck).On Sunday we headed to the natural bridge for a day of picnicking and playing in the water. Andrew floated around the entire bend many times (that's him in the blue tube), and the kids really had fun splashing around.We ended the day with a fantastic meal at Sanford's Grub and Pub where Mike found yet another Big Fella to photograph. See the kids on his feet?

Mike made it safely back to Peoria and will re-join us early next week.

Have a great Tuesday!

Christy

Waiting...

and waiting...
...and waiting... ...and waiting...
Finally around 4:45 our friends from Illinois, the Fiedlers, arrived! Brennen was so happy to see his friend, Andrew ('course I don't have a picture of their reunion)!

Here is Robin after two days in the car with her kids!

Here is poor Mike, having to whip up his own steak sauce from scratch since I completely forgot we'd given all our fridge stuff away before we moved and staples like A1 and Heinze 57 don't just magically appear without restocking! :O)

It's wonderful to have "old" friends here and share food and conversation with them. We had a great time visiting over dinner on the deck. Andrew isn't feeling too great tonight - tummy problems - but we're hoping he is much better tomorrow. Lots of adventures await us at the beginning of this visit - it's so fun to share this with our friends!

Hope you have a great weekend!

Christy