Christmas Day in Reflection

Christmas Day in  reflection...A little over a month ago we were off spending time in the far north.

Time to get our goodies ready and get going to Justin's mother's house around 11ish for some gift opening.

We were joined by other friends of the family in enjoying holiday fare prepared by our hosts and sides we all chipped in for a very tasty meal. Ham, Turkey, Green Bean casserole and many more treats we find special this time of year...The men sat around snoozing after they got their fill and a tad bit more.

What's Christmas without our family pets?!? Great news! All four dogs from our direction were invited to join the two little lap dogs already in residence.

Sadie was the only one not having any fun...I tried something daring on one of our walks to relieve her anxiety and regretted the results. I thought that Sadie would stick close after pursuing Sprite in what we interpreted as play - chasing.  Only silly Sadie got her wild Timber look, when she wants to do her own thing, and ran out into the street, oblivious to what that big black oncoming  4X4 pickup truck could do to her. Thankfully the young man saw her impish self and she came back as far as the snowbank along the side of the street closest to me. The little country bumpkin was having a bad behavior sprint ...not wanting to get caught, couldn't resist the offer of a ride though. Control was mine again after Sadie followed me down the street to our little Chevy.She got mad and headed for her bed to pout after I led her into the house because the promise of a ride was not happening at that moment. I decided to leave that spoiled dog to stew in her own emotions for a little while.

Not wanting to be anti-social I headed back down the street to rejoin the others at Justin's mother's place...only to meet the parade headed back to Kyli and Justin's house. In the lead was little Sprite, then Champ , falling in after them was Kyli and her Dad, arms full of boxes filled with gifts. I took pictures as Sprite sped past and Champ was lumbering along in his yellow Lab gallop. Then I  turned around to head back to get out of the cold before the two legged family members reached my spot on the sidewalk.

                 I decided to catch a marker for the end of another good day,Christmas Day 2010...


 

Christmas Eve. Day in Jamestown,North Dakota

A very nice spot for an inside  winter stroll...

My daughter Kyli and I got out in the gray snowy weather a couple times on Christmas Eve Day to get ready for the festivities to come on the 25th. We passed the Mall several times on our visits to the south side of town.

One of the places I like to go to visit on almost every stop in Jamestown is the local tourist attraction overlooking the Interstate,Frontier Village. The Biggest Buffalo in the world doesn't change - remaining constantly ready to stroll the North Dakota prairie, nor do the buildings that once were parts of towns in the frontier west, but I still like checking them out...

Frontier Village attractions

I think Iowa is cloudy and gloomy in the winter, but while we were in Jamestown you could almost reach out and cut the gloom.

On our picture taking trips we ran across a fender bender on one of the busier main streets.The driving surfaces were still snow/ice covered and slippery,  making cross traffic exchanges very exciting. So we traveled ever vigilant of the other person.

In the late afternoon of the 24th, We headed to the north side of town. We attended the Christmas Eve candlelight service with our daughter Kyli, at St. Paul's United Methodist Church. Hubby and I got to meet some friends of Kyli and our son-in-law Justin. Justin's mother also came to share the evening with all of us...

I didn't have prior clearance to take pictures during the service, not knowing how people might perceive it, these pictures were taken as we gathered to celebrate the remembrance of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ...

After the service we headed back to Kyli's to unwind from the day and opened a couple of gifts to prime us for Christmas day...The end to a perfect day! ;)

Destination Jamestown,North Dakota

Daytime view of entrance ramp off I-94

Jamestown,North Dakota came rolling into view off Interstate 94, in the early morning hours of December 23rd.

It was a good thing since I was starting to take catnaps. Even though I  wasn't driving I wanted to keep alert. Lapses in awareness started after leaving Fargo. Catching myself nodding I would try to shake off the overwhelming slipping in to unconsciousness by deeper breathing and wiggling around . The effect was short lived. 

Daytime view of the Christmas Trees

Heading into town on Highway 281 we were greeted by perennial evergreen trees lining the thoroughfare, decorated with red and green Christmas lights. The cheery nighttime ambiance is an annual event provided by a couple of the local merchants. A very welcoming sight with the snow laying along side ...

The traffic empty streets were full of snow and ice. So our arrival came at a time with no worries of slipping and sliding into anyone else.

Ah! There's the traffic lights for downtown,a bit further, then we can begin our recuperation from the miles traveled.

Sadie was ready for another exit from the backseat...she had been to Jamestown before,but not for a year and a half. Being an only dog and not a distance traveler on a regular basis she had quite a curve to get around. I grabbed her bed, heading for our daughter and son-in-law's house to let her see we would be finding a place to lay down again.

We were met at the door by the three family dogs;Peaches,Champ, and Sprite. Sadie and I eventually worked out a method for her to not be interrogated by them every time she walked in the door. Two of the three dogs I have known for a long time but the third,Sprite, was a new pack member. A bright little doggy who keeps everybody perked up.

After getting the car unloaded, we visited briefly before turning in for a couple hours.

Activity for the day started around 7:00 for a few of us. Especially with dogs who enjoy going outside in the colder temps to play. Short numerous trips proved to be par for the course.

The rest of the day was spent with family,catching up.


Next post for December 24th, our daughter Kyli, and I get out and around Jamestown. ;)

Getting Out of Iowa

It had been a year and a half since I got into the car to break beyond the Iowa state boundaries. Time to make a visit to Jamestown,ND  for the Christmas Holiday.

Hubby and I decided to take off after he got home from work on Wednesday, December 22nd. Being in between weather fronts and questionable travel conditions became our focus so we could make  a visit to our daughter and her husband.

I worked at getting the car loaded for our trip off and on through the day as I got things organized. Sadie, our wonder dog, was sure interested in all the activity because her bed had just taken up a spot on the backseat of our little Chevy. She loves a ride and decided that it was time to go,only it wasn't, so she sat, and sat, and sat some more...The only thing that made her leave the perch in the driver's seat after 45 minutes was the promise of a "chew". Our definition of one of the treats she gets to enjoy.

Hubby got home in the late afternoon, then we headed west on Highway 30 to make our northbound connection on Interstate 35 at Ames.

The day was cloudy,the season newly becoming winter, left the late afternoon gloomy and swiftly losing the light of day.

Barilla pasta factory at Ames.

My passion of late is to take pictures on the run - highway speed. Most of the pictures in the next couple posts will be taken from the little Chevy...

We made our way to Clear Lake for the first fuel stop.Then we were ready to continue on our way through to the Twin Cities where we caught Interstate 94.

Making one last stop at  Rogers,MN., we got the car fueled up before setting out on the last leg of the first part of our journey.

Jamestown,North Dakota  here we come! ;)

Jamestown, ND Flooding

(Thanks to Justin Schnackenberg for catching this helicopter in action) While we were enjoying our visit to Jamestown,ND. last weekend we were keeping an eye to the sky,the sandbag walls,and earthen dikes. Flooding has been a very serious concern in Jamestown as well as the whole State of North Dakota. In good times the Jamestown Dam and Pipestem Reservoir are great fishing spots. However, this year with large amounts of snow and ice,now rain, the ground is saturated with nowhere for the extra water to go except overland. The clean-up at Pipestem is already being planned to get it opened for all the anglers wanting to get back to the important business of fishing. "First time" records are being set for the Jamestown Dam.

Gun&Reel Sports

115 1st Street West Jamestown, ND 58401 701-252-2850 800-427-2850 www.gunandreelsports.com My visits to Jamestown, ND. have taken me past this outdoor sports supplier many times. I kept telling myself the next time I came to town that I would go see what they had in their inventory. This past weekend became that opportunity. I would like to thank Gary Docktor, son of one of the original owners, for his time in sharing how Gun & Reel has come to be an outdoor sports supplier for the residents of central North Dakota and those like me who stop by when they are passing through. When I asked Mr. Docktor how things began, this is what I learned - Gerome Docktor and Bob Brastrup returned to Jamestown from their tour of service in different branches of the military. They each had different careers until a common interest in hunting and fishing brought them together. In 1953 they decided to become partners in a business to help meet the needs of those of like interest. In 1987, Bob passed away and Gerome incorporated to sell shares to his employees. Presently there are three partners, two of them are interested in retiring soon and Gary would like to keep the business in the family. He will be buying out those shares with hopes that eventually his son may decide to join him in running the store after his graduation from college with a business degree. The same route that Gary took after he graduated from high school. The original business began two doors to the east of their present location. As time went on the business evolved and moved to the vacant Montgomery Ward building, with more space came an expanded inventory to cover a wider range of needs. Present inventory covers hunting,fishing,athletic apparel,ATVs,motorcycles, lawnmowers and generators to name a few catergories. Gary said he enjoys mainly bird hunting( ducks,geese,and pheasant). There are enough of his friends that take larger game that he receives their extra to supply his table. Gary's son was mentored by his grandfather in the full range of outdoor experiences and shares the love of hunting the bigger game. I really enjoyed the family owned - hometown atmosphere that Gun & Reel Sports gives to those who enter their doors. It will be a place for me to stop again when I visit Jamestown. Stop by and take a tour through pictures, or maybe even onsite the next time you are passing through central North Dakota off Interstate 94.