The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally snuck up on us quickly in the summer of 2019, perhaps because summer already seemed half over after two weeks in Mexico. So I got our school books ordered and everything organized for fall and then we got the house ready to rent for the fifth time since 2015 (2016, 2017,2018). This year we rented twice, back to back to two different groups. It's a good way to make some extra money and it's always worked out well for us.
Since we had to be out of our house for so long (Aug 2-15), we stayed at Shari's for the first five days. Shari and Jesse went to D.C. for a couple's get away and the girls went to the ranch, so we house sat for them. It worked out wonderfully.
While there Terry realized our kids basketball knowledge was woefully shallow. That's what happens when your driveway is a hill and you don't have a hoop. However, when we returned home he ended up buying a used hoop and setting it up despite the incline.
August 2nd was our first night at Shari's and since they were still in the house packing and what not, we went out to eat. Culvers is the best.
The next day, August 3rd, Shari's crew was gone. I made waffles with the sourdough starter Shari left out for me. I look weird but they were good.
Evie spent the first night away with Abigail and came back with pink hair.
Terry and I drove across town to check on our house, get the mail, and water our plants. We needn't have bothered with the watering since it poured on us while we were there.
I made pizza for dinner that night since it was Saturday.
After church on Sunday the 4th we went to the ranch to hang out with the girls and Terry's folks.
Walking down to the bridge.
Rock throwing per usual.
Poor pregnant and hot Luna. What a great picture of her though.
Roller coaster fun. Ezra wanted to go forever.
I looked after Rebekah.
Terry and I took a four wheeler ride to check out how full the stock dams were.
Very full just like in 2015 when we were out at the ranch for the same reason.
Our favorite little corner.
Green and flowers everywhere!
On the way back to Shari's place we stopped by our house again to check on it. The renters said to check out their "trikes" in the garage. Whoa.
I also discovered my very first dahlia of the year! Due to the wet and cool summer I had to wait until August 4!! That's very late.
Worth the wait.
The next day, Monday the 5th, Terry went to work and I took the kids to Sarah's house to play with the orphan they were hosting, Lena. She is one of the three from Christmas 2018!
They played in tubs of water and then had a water fight that Samuel and Ezra just couldn't resist. I think Evie may have spent the night?
On Tuesday the 6th we went back to the house to clean since our first renters were gone (I think?) and MORE DAHLIAS!!! 😍💗
We also visited my parents (to drop off a car?) and ran into this visiting Australian Shepherd puppy. 😍
Shari and Jesse had come back that day and we had some fun cousin time as we got ready to depart on our own vacation to Colorado the next day.
Terry was finally back from a week in Utah with his seven students and we were glad. It was so good to have him back. I love my husband and really hate it when he's gone. It's hard but his homecoming always makes for a sweet reunion. It usually takes him about a week or more to recover from trips so the grumpies are real. He did pretty well after this trip though despite being exhausted. It's also hard to go from going nonstop to dropping everything. He likes to be busy. It's good he married me because I don't like to be busy.
So anyway, as a quick recap, we were staying with Terry's parents at their ranch because we rented our house during the rally. This was the fourth time we've done so (2015, 2016, 2017 - I can't believe how fast time goes) and it wasn't ideal for Terry to have a trip during that time, but we made it work. Jerry and Alice took such good care of us.
The following morning after his return, Sunday August 5, we slept in just a little and then got ready for church. Initially we thought he'd get in so late that we'd skip it but they got in earlier, plus most of his students would be there and he wanted to see them. Mission trips tend to bond people and with only seven students, they really grew to love each other.
After church we went to our house to make sure it was still standing and see how the garden was doing. I discovered a new dahlia bloom, Mystique.
And one more called Critchon Honey.
We had a little drama afterwards with the renters and I'll just leave it at that. It ended up working out I think. From there we went back to the ranch and visited the chickens.
Noah and 17 year old Girlie. I think she liked all of the company with her outside since it's usually very quiet out there.
Alice would pour out some grain on the ground to try to draw the chickens over and Samuel helped this time.
It worked. Those fluffy butts crack me up.
Alice ended up with one rooster, something she did not want. They were going to have a friend butcher it but found another friend who actually wanted a rooster. He will live!
Terry the boys wandering around.
Explaining how the rake (?) works.
My favorite tree.
Evie and a giant wheel.
Look at those arms!
I like this old piece of equipment.
The rest of that day was spent just chillin around the house. The following morning, Monday August 6, Terry and Jerry drove into town right away to get our van figured out (it had kept dying the previous week so I wasn't driving it). They took it back to Batteries and Bulbs and this time the battery tested bad so they bought a new one. Meanwhile me and the boys were snuggling and watching the Price Is Right or playing handheld Connect Four.
Once the guys got back they started cleaning out the garage where the chickens like to peck around. Somehow all the motorcycles had fallen over so they pulled them out and got them started just to keep the engines fresh. Terry took the littles for rides up and down the driveway.
First up was Samuel.
I opened the back of the Envoy for us to sit and watch the fun.
Next Ezra went with daddy.
Ezra's video.
Grampa got the littlest bike out and go it going.
Then he took it for a ride. Ha! He looks so big on it, like a Shriner in a parade on one of their mini bikes.
Now that everything was working again, it was time for Noah to try his hand at riding again. I thought he'd only done it once before but I have two posts from 2014 and one from 2016 that show otherwise.
Just a quick review...
...and he was off. He is 13 now so he can definitely handle going ten or fifteen mph down the driveway.
He still doesn't like trying to shift so he just stays in first gear.
Evie is ten and wanted to learn so why not?!
Terry ran with her when she first started but there was no problem for her.
Look at that confident smile.
Even a quick thumbs up!
Evie's video. I knew all the kids would want to see themselves on the bikes so...
Evie really liked it and went up and down the drive many times. Terry had time to take Ezra and Samuel along side her.
In the grass after turning around.
I guess he was a little behind or in front of her to give her plenty of room.
Yay, Noah went again!
Shari and her girls had arrived for lunch so Evie went over to tell Grace how much fun she'd had on the bike.
I got to thinking, if Evie could do it, I could definitely do it.
I had never actually ridden a motorcycle before so I had Terry give me quick explanation and I was off. Super easy.
Now that Shari was there we went inside for lunch. Afterward we visited the chickens again and brought them leftovers.
Terry and Jerry had puttering to do in the garage and I didn't want to leave my husband who I had just got back, so instead of going back inside with the girls, I wandered around taking pictures of the incoming storm.
Black cows in the distance.
In love with that tree.
I like when it rains during rally. It makes me smile to think of all those bikers getting rained on. Ha!
Here it comes!
I made the kids stay outside with me in the garage during the rain because they had been too rambunctious in the house and were driving us all insane. They needed some outside time. Once it stopped raining they played in that big puddle, making a stew.
This is the garage we were in and circled are the swallows that would swoop in and out.
The guys were working on Terry's 1969 Triumph Spitfire Mark III. It'd been many years since they'd started it up and it needed a little TLC. The story with the car is that it originally belonged to Terry's grandpa down the road. Then it made it's way through several of his kids, Terry's aunts and uncles. David finally crashed it and there it sat in Elmer's garage until Terry and Jerry took it up as a project. I think Jerry and Dallas rebuilt the engine and then Jerry got it repainted. Terry said he actually drove it quite a bit in high school but after that it sat. He wanted to drive it from our wedding but I didn't want to smell like gas. We stuck with the trusty Malibu but I think he's still a little sad we didn't drive the Triumph.
First it needed some new gas but it probably would've been wiser to drain the old stuff first...
We were chillin with the chickens when I noticed Evie and Grace's hair standing on end! It started raining again not long after.
Girlie was afraid during the second storm and kept nosing around the four wheeler where I was sitting. I couldn't figure out what she was doing until she actually jumped up there with me and tried to sit on my lap. I had to push her to the back, but she insisted on touching me, and sat there shivering until the the storm passed. It was weird because it wasn't even thundering and lightening very much. So cute though.
The Triumph did not want to start.
How cool is it though?
Triumph
Spitfire.
Trying that ignition yet again while Jerry pumped fuel into the engine.
Jerry with this little bottle of fuel.
I was laying back on the four wheeler and spotted this little baby swallow nest!
Look at them! They sure kept me entertained while the guys were busy. The kids had gone inside to watch a movie.
I love babies!
They were almost ready to give up when it finally started working.
Terry was actually able to drive it out of the garage.
Bam! But look how huge he looks next to that teeny car, lol.
It was high time the old girl had a nice wash.
Nicey nice.
The tags were from 2004!!! Yep, the was the year we got married. Oh poor Terry. I'm so sorry. Kind of sorry not sorry though.
Pretty girl.
Backing her up.
Filling her up with fuel.
Airing up the tires.
Then she was ready and I got to have the first ride with Muh Hunny. We just drove down to gramma's place and back. It sure would be fun to go for a drive more often. Too bad we don't have more room at our house or we'd park it there. We need our own ranch!
The littles went next.
So cool.
It's SO COOL!
Evie's turn.
I recorded them coming back.
Noah's turn.
The littles waving as they came back.
A frightened barn kitten.
The guys parked the Triumph, put a new car cover over it, and we went inside to rest. Samuel demanded Terry take his picture with his log cabin. The littles fought incessantly over those Lincoln Logs.
After dinner, just as Ninja Warrior was starting (something we all love), we finally went out for a four wheeler ride. The boys had been begging to go on a longer ride and it didn't seem right to visit the ranch during the rally and not go.
Love that sign behind them.
I was hoping to remake the amazingly beautiful photo we had taken in 2015 when this stock pond was crazy full, but the sun was too high. Also the pond wasn't as full as I hoped it'd be after all our rain. Even though we've had a ton, it must not be as much as three years ago or we were so dry that a lot of just soaked up.
Terry, Samuel, and Evie.
Noah, me, and Ezra.
The same pond but from further off with Terry driving away. Love it.
About halfway back Terry waited for us so I wouldn't drive off this rock step.
I always take this shot because it's my favorite view at the ranch. Also, I like to try to remake the photo from 2014 that is the header of this blog.
A little to the right of the above shot.
I always take this shot too, because it's another favorite and the perfect place to build a house.
I loved this lone wild sunflower tucked back there.
Evie found a shed somewhere around The Rock.
Another mostly full stock pond.
Terry taking our picture.
Heading back. Totally beautiful.
Check this out!!
Terry climbed up this compost poop pile and then had to back down.
She gets her crazy eyes from her dad. 😂
Terry took our picture before we headed back to the house, Ninja Warrior, and bed.
Pretty sky at the ranch.
Once the show was over we had to put the chickens to bed one last time.
Goodnight chickens!
Thought this bailer with the pink clouds and pretty sky was cool.
Even Jerry's pile of antlers looked pretty in that light. 😜 And that is the end of our ranch hotel 2018 saga. It was a good week, especially after Terry got home, and we were grateful for how Jerry and Alice took care of us, but we were ready to be home the following morning!
After moving away from home in 2007, I became weary of emailing recent photos of our kids to the grandparents. So I started a blog. And even though we moved back home in 2012, I still really enjoy keeping track of our lives!
