Friday, September 22, 2017

'17/#23 Time Is Winding Down

The Labor Day Weekend rush is over and the local tourist season is starting to wind down. Most of the stores and hotels here in Keystone will close for the winter even though Mt Rushmore is open year round. Two of the hotels have already closed and the hotels we are working in are starting to close some of the rooms. The crowds are gone and the streets are empty so a lot of the local merchants are starting to curtail their hours. They are also starting some of their end of season sales. Fortunately there isn't much that we want so we aren't spending too much money.

Another thing that is missing are the international girls that worked here over the summer. They have to get home to start school so they have been leaving us a few at a time over the past few weeks. We have gotten quite attached to them and will miss them. They have enriched our experience in South Dakota and we hope that we made a positive impression on them as well. By the end of September the last of the girls will be gone and we will be nearing the end of our stay.

The two hotels we are working in will be closed by the middle of October and we hope to be on the road by the 20th of the month. Our next destination will be south Texas with a stop over in Colorado to see a friend we worked with in the Post Office. The trip will take us a week or so because we aren't in any hurry. We do have jobs in Texas but we will not be working as hard or as many hours as here in Keystone.

Well I am on the clock and have to get back to work so until the next blog this is goodbye from work near our home in Keystone SD because....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary

Monday, September 11, 2017

'17/#22 Motivation Needed

It's been a while since I have blogged and I have no good excuses. Too busy? Too tired? Too little to write about? No, just too lazy. We have been busy and working hard but we also have been having a lot of fun. In the past few weeks we have traveled in and around the Keystone area seeing some of the local attractions.

A couple of weeks ago we went to Hot Springs to check out the Mammoth Site. There is an ongoing excavation of a prehistoric sink hole that contains the skeletons of wooly and Columbian mammoths. To date they have uncovered over 20 skeletons and have been able to remove some of them for further examination. It is a little hard to imagine these giant creatures roaming North America in the land where buffalo used to roam. Seeing the tusks still attached to the skulls and surrounded by what appears to be complete skeletons after more than 25 centuries was .... well it was awesome! It was well worth the trip and I have been recomending it to the tourists visiting the area.

Last week we finally found our way up to Deadwood. Yes that Deadwood. The one of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, and others that came to this spot in the Black Hills looking for gold. The bus tour through the city and out to the "Boot Hill" cemetery was informative as well as entertaining. We spent several hours just roaming around looking at some of the notable places restored and maintained for history. There are a lot more casinos in town since the last time we were here 10 years ago. Legalized gambling was needed to fund the preservation of the town and the money is being put to good use.

Now to the motivation for me sitting down to blog at this time. Anyone who follows us knows we are from Florida and have family and friends there. And anyone not living under a rock knows of Hurricane Irma. The past few days have been filled with worry and concern for everyone we know and the rest of Florida. Being 2000 miles away and not being able to do anything is frustrating. I am happy to report that we have heard from just about everyone that they have survived Irma and are dealing mostly with debris and power outages. No homes lost, no injuries, and no doubt that everyone will bounce back in time.

Again, my motivation comes from the frustration of not being able to help. I do want everyone to know we have been and still are thinking of you and hope for a quick return to normalcy. We are sorry we can't be there to help but our positive thoughts are with you. Maybe this blog will make you smile a little thinking about us and you will feel better for a moment. That is all I can do for now and hope is enough. Keep smiling as you clean up after Irma (that bitch) and know we are with you in spirit if not in body.

Wishing you all the best from our home in Keystone SD because...

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary