Home builders in Bismarck-Mandan aren't afraid to build on hilly terrain. This picture taken from the deck of Mary's sister and husband looks north to neighboring houses. I've always thought the rock-walled terraces were attractive but miserable to mow. They are both.
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My dear wife came into the bathroom this morning as I was shaving and proudly displayed our rain gauge; it showed yesterday's rainfall measuring a bit over two inches. Things will sure freshen up now.
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An article in the Sunday paper printed some man-camp numbers. An outfit named Target Logistics runs an operation at eleven locations with 4,390 beds. A smaller company, Capitol Lodge, lists 560 beds. I know there are other facilities in and around the oil patch, so I don't know the total number they can accommodate, but whatever, the numbers are high enough to boggle the old North Dakota mind.
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Speaking of the oil patch, we have signed up for a guided day trip later in September with the Osher Institute. We've been wanting a first hand look at the area, and now I don't have to drive a car in it.
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Lloyd Omdahl's Sunday column bore this headline: Can North Dakota handle being rich? He reports that, heck, we're not just going to have a two billion dollar state surplus, but a four billion dollar surplus. (That's with a "B") I liked his reference to our "mattress-stuffing legislature," in other words, let's spend some money on us common folks.
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I had a chance meeting in our Target store a few days ago with the man who lives on the historic Anchor Ranch adjacent to the south side of the Cannonball River. I told him I was about to publish a book about the man who established the ranch - William V. Wade. Wife Mary was born and raised on the north side of the Cannonball. Wade wrote a very interesting book about his experiences up and down the Missouri River, and after contacting his descendents who liked the idea, I've decided to re-publish it with additions of my own. I'm hearing lots of interest in the project. Ordering information will be posted here soon.
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The Missouri River claims one or two people every year. She just got one again a few days ago. A man jumped off the railroad bridge for sport. The first time he came up. The second time he didn't. They are still looking for him.
