You're getting sleepy... so sleepy...

Just keep your eyes on the watch and relax... you are getting sleepy... and now we are going to go back in time a couple of weeks... when I clap my hands you will awake refreshed and you will not remember anything...
tick tock tick tock

Well, before we left Sidnaw this last time we did a little extra washing of the windows, sweeping of the floor and mowing of the lawn.
Heck. I even picked my socks up off the floor.

Then we had a fella come put this sign in the yard:

LAKE FRONT HOUSE FOR SALE
(Click on picture for the link)

We got big plans I tell ya!
Big ones...
Dunno what they are yet but they are goona be big!

The three of us then jumped in the camper and headed West!

'Made up my mind to make a new start, Going to California with an aching in my heart. Someone told me there's a girl out there With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.'

Actually there is MY girl out there with my Grandson in her tummy....
She has love in her eyes... but no flowers in her hair.
Well, not today anyway.

Yup.
Heading to California.

David has traveled around quite a bit but I have not really until the last few years. Here is a pretty shot of North Dakota. The northern part is not quite as flat... rolling plains I believe it is called. Very pretty this time of year.

But there are long long long stretches of lonely road.

Pretty hardy people have tried to make a go of it out in those areas. They apparently have a sense of humor as well...

Yes. That says "HOME ON THE RANGE".

It was out in the middle of somewhere... no houses around... but you can see it clearly from the highway. If anyone tells you America is overcrowded they have not driven through the middle of this country.

I have to admit it has been wonderful driving around the country even if most of it is going by in the window at about 60 mph. The older I get, the more I am beginning to appreciate the history of this country... young as it is... and while traveling east and through the middle you literally trip over places you have read about in your grade school history book or saw in a John Wayne movie.

On this trip out we really had a focus of getting to California as I was worried we were going to miss my grandson being born. The docs said he might be a week or two early so we decided not to dilly dally along the way. However, I had one place in particular I wanted to see on this trip and that was the Little Big Horn Battlefield in Montana. We had driven past it once before on a trip... actually right through the battlefield and Wounded Knee. I want to see both places but on the earlier trip we were too far in the middle of both to detour either way. I told myself if we ever go that direction again I would stop... and so we did this time.

The night before we made it to the Little Big Horn we stopped at a park in North Dakota. It was the Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park and it was a wonderful park. Little did we know... and this was completely unplanned... this just happened to be the last posting of General Custer and the 7th Cavalry before they rode out towards Montana and the Little Big Horn.

The Fort is maintained very well and sits along the Missouri river. The barracks and stables are there and have been redone as well as Custer's home as you can see below.

We arrived early enough to walk up towards the museum and enjoyed another surprise tour. Approximately 200 years BEFORE this was a Fort, this was the site of a Mandan village translated as "On-a-Slant" village. It is obvious why it is called that because it is on a slope of the river and used to go all the way down to the banks. The village was abandoned after a large mudslide destroyed many of the homes and a smallpox epidemic nearly wiped the entire village out. The surviving people moved to what was later known as Fort Mandan... one of Lewis and Clark's stops along their route. I have to give North Dakota some props because this was one of the nicest state parks we have stayed in... not only was the park well designed but the museum and restoration of BOTH the 7th Calvalry's section and the "On-a-Slant" section were very well done.

We had a great tour through the "On-a-Slant" village with a wonderful guide. This was a typical home of the "On-a-Slant" Mandan (Nu'eta) villagers.. it is larger than it seems as I can stand up in the entrance way just fine. When you first walk in there is a wall or partition facing you which forces you to move right into the building. In the center there was the fire pit (hole in ceiling for ventilation) and in the edges were the bedding areas and storage areas. Because the kids liked to play on the roofs, the smoke hole would be covered with the family boat so the kids would not fall in to the fire through the ceiling. Good thinkin'.



This photo below was taken in the 'meeting hall' if you will of the tribe. It was the largest of the buildings and was used for tribe meetings, trading, etc. A town hall. The Mandans were an agricultural tribe and traded with the more nomadic tribes surrounding them, including the Sioux. In this picture below you can see people sitting on the benches... there were 5 or 6 rows of benches around that center area and the benches went back 6 or 7 deep at least.

The park has recreated a small section of the village but the guide pointed out numerous indentations where other homes were and they estimate this village had a population of between 1,000-1,500 people.

Pretty cool and what a surprise tie in to both our last trip
(Lewis & Clark - Jefferson)
and this trip
(Little Big Horn - Last posting for Custer et al).

OKAY.

So on to the Little Big Horn.

The Little Big Horn Battlefield is right smack in the middle of the Crow Agency Reservation along the Little Big Horn river.

Back in the day, June 25, 1876, a whole mess of different tribes of natives were camped there along the Big Horn having a rather unusual sized gathering. They were their with wives, children, grandparents... everyone. And along comes the army with plans to ... lets be honest... kill as many as they could and then send the rest back to the reservations.

On this particular day, that was a mistake...

Despite the native army scouts warning that there were more Indians there than they themselves had ever seen in one spot... Custer et al ordered the charge. You know the rest of the story. No matter the political agenda on either side... soldiers following orders or the natives protecting their families... this was a running battlefield and it was touching. There are markers where the men fell...

I must note...

There are markers where the soldiers fell, there was no native memorial on this site until a couple years ago. Yes... I said a couple years ago. The newly completed memorial is very fitting and I am glad to see it there sitting across the street from "Custer Hill".

Custer Hill is where a majority of Custer's command fell... including Custer himself.

It is hard to see in the photo below but there are white markers in bunches... or alone... where soldiers died while trying to retreat. While taking this photo I am standing on the edge of the Custer Hill site looking back towards Little Big Horn river where the natives were camped.

I turned around and you can see the native memorial pictured below:

The native memorial was circular, cut down into the earth, with openings at the four directional sides, and plaques on the wall for each of the tribes and bands involved in the battle. Quotes, names of warriors, and scouts who died, photos, and drawings were included. I particularly like the sculpture you see of the warriors riding into battle. It looks like the ledger book drawings and the warrior at one end is being handed a war shield by a woman... wife , daughter, mother.. no matter which. It reminds you that there were native families camped on this bank... not a standing army ready for battle.

It was a very good visit, and the museum is well done too. Small but well done. Many of the ranger folks are local native college students which is helping to balance out the memorial nicely.

Then... we scooted out... past the zillions of tourists (if you go prepare for that) and headed westward again.

Flew past the eye of Sauron:

Oops.. wrong picture....
I repeat we ran past the eye of Sauron:

and made it safely into Idaho. We camped in the lava beds near the Snake River at Massacre Rock. Good grief it was hot. Almost 98 degrees. ::chuckle::

Then we drove on through the backside of Oregon... through Burns and down to Goose Lake, and rolled into California several days earlier than planned. In plenty of time for Amber's shower and before Mr. Donovan showed up.

I do have to report two rather unpleasant things that occurred after our arrival at our destination in California. First... I caught one of my sister being mean to Delta. Pushing her down. Bully.



and the other was that David and I renewed our relationship with this rather unpleasant beast:

Note the red color.. pretty eh?

Hell no. it's not!
That is poison oak and and we both caught it.
Real nice to have in 100 degree weather. DANG.

There... you are fully awake. Now isn't that better?
You are back in the present...
feeling fine and groovy
and not even irritated at the length of this post in the least bit.

* NEWS FLASH *

I had been working away on my latest post to update folks on our quick trip out to California from Michigan but before I could complete it we had a not so much of a surprise arrival.

I will add that post later but right now this one trumps in spades.


As of Sunday, August 16, 2009 at 1:46 p.m.
we have a new family member.

Please join us in welcoming

Donovan Chance Huggins

8 lbs, 4 oz, 21 inches long

Here he is with his tired mother. She did VERY well and true to her... she did not make a peep during the whole thing. My Dad... or I guess I should now say Great-Poppa said she "Injuned up" and got down to business! She was in labor for several hours but when it came time to push... that lasted about an hour and like I said she was silent. The doc even asked me if she was normally so quiet.

Heh heh. I think Dad was right.

I think the doc was a little concerned. Just for info, Amber is not really quiet she has plenty to say when it needs to be said... believe me.

And here is the proud Daddy Kevin. For those who don't know Kevin he has lived around this area for awhile and currently works as a security guard out front of a chain grocery store in a town north of where they live. He has been in security for awhile and enjoys it... has eyes on working in corrections possibly some day. He is quiet like Amber but when I turned to him and asked what he thought about his son... he did not take his eyes off him, smiled and simply said,

"He's amazing."

and here I am... hogging my my grandson Donovan and sitting next to the proud Daddy Kevin. He was taking a picture of Amber I think who was crashed out exhausted.

Oh my... what a boy...

and look how good he listens to Granny telling him stories! Amber's Dad Fred and his wife Tina came to visit later that evening. They have a couple younger ones themselves (16-18 months and another one 10 years old I believe) and even so, her Dad said he was going to take that boy home with him when he left. He just loves the babies. That side of the fam is spread out far and wide but they have been sending lots of love Amber's way and will be visiting asap. Donovan has more great grandparents, Aunties, Uncles, cousins etc., to visit when everyone can connect.

And now some Great Grandparents...

and of course some Aunties squared:

All unwrapped.... He has his momma's eyes.

Isn't it amazing how you can truly fall in love at first sight...

I fell in love with him like I fell in love with his mother.
Blammo!! and I was smitten. We all are.

Congratulations Amber and Kevin...
and welcome to the world my sweet little man,
we have been waiting for you!

and now... commence with the spoiling!

Change goona come...

Well... after a very sad few days we have dusted ourselves off and are looking around us and beginning to wonder what comes next? Our gypsy blood is calling and I think we are ready to answer.

Next stop on this express train is a trip (temporary) to sunny California. We will have the camper packed soon and be heading out to welcome the first grandson! Showers are being planned, doctors are being visited, nerves are being frayed... and one heck of a thrift store shopping extravaganza is being mapped out... We all are beside ourselves waiting for him to arrive. Along with that, David and I have many irons in the fire right now and we are itching to grab one out and run with it!

Stayed tuned to see what happens next.

Round and round with family tales.

Well we had a bit of excitement here in the U.P. after the last posting. I wrote in that post about spring fever and the joy at seeing the snow melting. Well, on April 21st-ish I went to let Delta outside about 5 a.m. and there was about 5 inches of snow covering all that once was brown.... those few inches then proceeded to turn into 2 FEET of snow in the next 47 hours. I had just started to look at my garden seeds. I admit actually shed a little frozen blue tear.

These pictures are in order... each about 2 days apart... and yes the snow is in the middle. The biggest difference is Delta playing one day in that little pondy area near the dock and the snow covering it all the next day. Crazy. But the snow did melt... again... and we are back to where we were.... Again.

May Day is nearing! Yeehoo!
Time to get out the pole and ribbons...

heh heh...

Could you just see me and David dancing round and round out in the yard?
Nah me either.
The neighbors already talk... I think that might put them right over the edge!

In the last couple days the loons have also returned...

So have wood ducks, and other kinda ducks, and eagles (which never really left) etc etc. David got back to building on his dock. The fish must like the our little beach area because we have enjoyed watching a bird show right out in front of our house each morning. The eagles have been hitting the lake pulling out fish, and the other waterfowl who have paired up already are busy looking for places to make their nests. I don't remember it being this active last year. Of course, this time last year we were busy tearing down that old camp that was here... not enjoying the scenery.

If the eagles are not around, the loons try to rule the lake and we have seen the male loon run off pairs of ducks so maybe the loon nest is near here. I hope so. I heard them calling the other day... the first time I heard them this year. It is a wonderful sound in my opinion. As this is a smaller lake we will only have one pair of loons. Apparently they like their privacy.

Having the loons come back again makes me a bit nostalgic as does the apparent return of spring. Lots of thoughts of family and memories of childhood rattling around in my head... and not just because of the loons either. More on that later...

My neice had a project for school about her family tree which put me in the mind of family history. Before I went to college, I worked for awhile on a family tree on one side of the family and I really enjoyed it.

We traced a line back on my father's paternal line from Germany to San Francsico (pre-state) and pre-1906 earthquake) into the gold fields of Virginia City and then into Ukiah. We are still trying to fill in that information more fully. My father's maternal line is harder to follow as they are truly native Californians... Pomo to be a little more accurate... and of course the written records only go back so far and are a bit tangled.

It has been easy gathering information on my father's side of the family because it is all still local to Northern California.

However, on my mother's side...

Her family are California transplants... Okies to be technical... so running down to the local courthouse for records has not been as easy. Below is a picture of my mother Norma May Killion and her sister Gay. Well, Gay's name is really Lawanda Gay Killion but she shortened it.

Yes I said Lawanda.

Anyway.... They came to Northern California from Oklahoma. This is the truck they came in (note the plates) and in this picture it is parked on the bluffs near Westport.

There was a handful of people in that truck with them along with their belongings. Behind them came two more carloads FULL of people and household goods. My mom said they camped along side the road as they made their way from Oklahoma. This other picture is my Grandad Ed Killion, my Uncle Brother (Duane Killion), and my Grandma Vernice Killion. I think that photo might be in Oklahoma.

As far as my own personal history... well I was a 70's Northern California kid for sure. I have great memories of my turquoise wanna-be "Sting-Ray" bike with the flowered banana seat.

I would ride all over our bay area neighborhood with my friends Kelli, John-John, Johnny, and Timmy.... oh yeah and once in awhile twin boys named Tracey and Stacey Francis who could spin on their heads on the asphalt playground like tops AND turn their eyelids inside out.

Quite impressive.

It was a real "Sandlot" suburbs kinda childhood actually.

If you have not seen that movie... watch it. It is a GREAT family show. We also played pick up games, pickle, catch, and we played a lot in the street with a Nerf football. That movie was based a bit earlier than my childhood time but we also had PF FLyers and we knew how they made you run faster and jump higher. I had a pair (mine were actually navy blue).

I, of course, knew of their superhuman abilities... that was why I wanted them after all. I tested them out as soon as I got them home... running and jumping around the yard. It was almost like taking steroids. A-Rod, Bonds, and all those other goofy guys missed out... they should have just got themselves of pair of those sneakers. Problems solved and no asterisks necessary.

One of the many things I loved in "Sandlot" was how the story of the dog grew and grew as the dog did throughout the movie. I can remember all the neighborhood kids sharing tales like that about legendary houses and people in our own neighborhood. For instance, the man across the street from us was building an ark... honest... he was really building a big wooden boat in his backyard and it was very ark looking. It kinda of made you nervous thinking maybe he knew something we didn't.

Then there also the house by the back fence of the school. All of us kids just KNEW that there were dead bodies hanging in the shed! If you peeked just right through a knothole in the fence, through the grimy window, and if the light was just right, you could see the bodies all just hanging there! Any kid who dared to be skeptical was shown the proof. That proof consisted of being shown the thumbs of the victims that were hanging in the tree near the house. (Um.... they were Ponderosa pine cones on the end of the boughs but bloody thumbs were much more interesting.)

You can see how kids might mix up pine cones and bloody thumbs.
Sorta.

Anyway, I also remember the REAL herbal essence shampoo... the groovy kind not that freaky weird shampoo they have now. I hate those commercials.

Man I loved that stuff... sorry it is gone.

I also recall Joe Namath with his furs and panty hose...



and O.J. before he started killing folks and stealing things... when he was just 'the Juice' and seemed to be late to the airport a lot.

I also recall thinking this was the coolest car on earth...
before the Datsun (translation Nissan) Z cars started showing up on the scene.
Actually, I still preferred the bugs.

Later in life when I started driving at the ripe old age of 16, I eventually had a '72 green bug as well as a '69-ish purple/bondo one later on. I kept having to replace them because my boyfriend at the time... and his friends.. kept wrecking them. Anyhoo...

We did a lot together as a family and did not even fight too much. Here is me and Dad.

and I dunno who these devil children are but they keep showing up in family pictures:

oh dear! I just noticed something.... just look at the similarities!

Just kidding...

That was Bethy sporting her new snoopy lunchbox and Brooke in her strawberry dress. I think Bethy was starting school that day. A big day for both of them.

Dad, Beth, and Brooke again at the beach. Hmm... Look at Dad. Now I can see where us girls get our eyebrows and mustaches. Just kidding Brooke geez... don't be so sensitive.


Sniffle. Buffy.

Actually, I don't recall EVER hearing my parents even raise their voices at eachother and while I am sure my sisters and I were not the easiest children... especially them of course. All I remember are fun and even funnier times. We seemed to take a lot of pictures. I remember not liking it but I am so glad we did. We took a lot of threesome pictures. I kinda thought... um.. this is so dorky! But now I love to do it. Ignore the various hair-dos please.

We also come by it honestly... here is my mother and her sisters... except for that whole bathtub thing... it is the same photo style.


I get a kick out of this next one... you see my sisters and I used to love to drink Rondo soda... I don't know if you remember the commercials but it seemed like it had to do with getting super strength or something if you drank it. That is how we took it anyway. So here is my sister Brooke as a child wearing one of Dad's toolbelts building a fort out of construction materials Dad had lying around. She had just drank yet another can of Rondo and apparently was feeling productive. Really quite sad actually. Obviously it remained in her system for years because the other child in the photo is her daughter showing the same Rondo-type symptoms and facial expression.

You see... one of the family secrets is that Ella is a Rondo baby.
Try not to despair Ella. The effects eventually wear off over the years.

Speaking the of the next generation, we took lots of photos of them as well. I particularly love the teenage years pictures because you can see they think it is just such a drag. First came my daughter Amber....

and then Ave
and then Ella.

And here are my nephews Grant and Garret along with little Grandpa.

This picture of them is taken with my Dad who... by the way is around 6'1". All three of the nephews are taller than Grandpa now I think... especially Grant and Garret, last I heard one is nearing 6'7" and is not quite done growing yet.


Amber and Ave cruisin' the parking lot.

Ella and me.

The Pacific ocean and Ella.

The "kids" at easter.

The family eating the dilly beans they all helped can.

Well, that is quite a few pictures I admit. There is one more I will be adding and it explains the other reason I am feeling so nostalgic and family oriented lately. It is not just because of the family tree research, or Ella's school project. You see we have a new member who is going to be joining the family in August and we are all just so very excited!

Amber and Kevin are going to have a son in August!
Congratulations!

At least the ultrasound says a son and the nurse wrote "tallywacker" on the screen so she seemed pretty sure. And without further ado:

Ladies and gentlemen for the first time in a public appearance anywhere:

My grandson

What a profile he has!