Life on the High Plains

 It has been 46 years since these kids decided to tie the knot and make a family of their own. In front of family and a few friends these two became one at the Chapel at the University of New Mexico. Who has longer hair--Irv or Ellen? No makeup, no fancy hairdos, and a dress purchased at the mall.  Oh to be so carefree again!  I've always longed for a wedding dress of my own, it's one of my biggest regrets about our big day.  Every woman should have the dress of her dreams for her special day.  Oh well, it wasn't meant to be. Here I am signing my life away.  I've always regretted not hyphenating my name.  I think a woman should be able to keep that part of her identity after she's married. Here I am monitoring Irv to make sure he really signs. Of course you have to have the obligatory altar photos. One of the few family shots.  There aren't any with my brothers or Irv's siblings.  Maybe they weren't there.  I don't remember a whole lot a...

I thought' I'd continue on with the Norgaard family history Part II.  This history was compiled by Charles Norgaard who was the brother of my great great grandfather, James.  I have taken the liberty of shortening his stories and only telling the significant parts.  My ancestors encountered many hardships during their early years.  I doubt I would have left the city to brave the unexpected. In the fall after settling in their homestead Carrie and Nels were expecting letters from their folks.  The nearest post office was 120 miles away in Sioux City, Iowa.  Nels decided to walk there before winter set in, but he got caught in a monstrous blizzard.  He struggled through the snow and wind doing everything he could to keep his face and eyes from freezing.  He crawled on his hands and knees and somehow came upon a sod house.  He frightened a woman when he burst inside.  She was French and didn't understand English.  Soon the woman's husb...

I thought it might be fun to make a post about some of our family history.  I feel really fortunate to know how my father's family came to America. This is the family fam near Aalborg, Denmark which I visited with my parents and Jillian back in the early 1990s.  Nels Norgaard (my great great grandfather) decided to leave Denmark and head for America to avoid military conscription in 1869.  After a six week, storm filled voyage he arrived in the U.S. and was escorted to the Port of Immigration. Nels boarded a train and headed westward to Harlan, Iowa where his Aunt and Uncle had a farm.  Eventually he went to Council Bluffs and Omaha where he cared for the horse, harness, and carriage of a wealthy merchant.  Later, he went to work for the Union Pacific Railroad laying track west of Omaha. In 1871 he decided he wanted to take up a homestead.  He returned to Harlan to inform his Aunt and Uncle and to ask Carrie Sorenson (my great great grandmother) to become h...

 When the wall was coming down in Eastern Europe in 1989-1990 I made several trips to Czechoslovakia with my girlfriends. The first trip was arranged by a German friend who booked us on a bus with a bunch of Germans.  They arranged an English speaking guide for us. I don't remember a whole lot about the sites we visited, but I do know it was an amazingly beautiful city even back then.  Here's what I do remember:  we had to be on the lookout for gypsies or travelers because they liked to pick pocket, and every meal was served with a shot of vodka.  Russian soldiers were everywhere.  A dollar went a long way in a country coming out of communism.  We bought lots and lots of crystal dishes and such (all of which I recently gave away because I don't entertain like that anymore). We visited a beautiful cathedral that was near a river, but I don't recall its name. We had good times and good food. That's my friend Christa with the musicians.   I hope...

My friend and coworker drove down to West Yellowstone from Bozeman yesterday to check out the conditions in the employee campground. This is my campsite.  This site usually goes from the road in the front all the way through to the road in the back.  They've piled all the snow in the back of the site so now my biggest concern is if the site will be long enough for my fifth wheel.  Where the heck will I park my truck this year? My friend said the snow is as high as the rooftop on the adjacent building. I'm hoping the maintenance crew will get in there and dig out the water, sewer, and electric connections before I arrive, but I'm not going to count on it.  My packing list includes a couple shovels. This is the street in town that run alongside the boundary to the Park. Holy moly!  How much do you think this will melt in the next two weeks?  I think we'll still have snow piles in July.  I've heard this is the most snow seen in Yellowstone in 30 years....