The Myth & The Majesty

It is once again rally week here in the Hills. More importantly, it's the 75th rally -- which means that things kicked in a bit earlier than usual and we are now host to extra thousands of bikes. In response to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally three years ago, I posted this letter. As it is once again that time of year and I still like what I wrote then, I thought I'd give it another chance to be read ... with some revisions.   *   An Open Letter to Sturgis Rallygoers Welcome! We're glad you're here. No, really -- we are. This is one of those events that South Dakotans have a (possibly grudging) appreciation for and we're happy you're here to enjoy it. We know it's a big year and we're actually pretty excited about it, too. That being said, there are some things I'd love for you to keep in mind. 1. If you're not currently in Sturgis, please pay attention to the non-rally-goers around you. If you're out and about, you're surro

Ten years ago today, I was on my way back from Russia. I find that absolutely mindboggling. But wrapping my brain around it is something that's ... just not going to happen. So instead, here's yesterday's xkcd , for those (like me) that need a little extra peace this week.  

There are certain hazards to my job that I didn't necessarily predict. Things like the shopping trips for cookies, soda, and eight rolls of plastic wrap. The conversations about emergency rooms. The number of times I've given directions to Mount Rushmore. [Sigh.] But then there are days that reach ridiculous levels. Today, all of these sentences/exchanges actually occurred. * "Pharaoh's army isn't very intimidating this year. Probably because there are two Ninja Turtles and an M&M." * "Sure. Jared can be Bob." * "No. If you climb the rocks, everyone will want to and then you'll all have poison ivy. And you know what? I'll laugh at you and you'll deserve it." [... I'm not very nice.] * "I'll ask. We can maybe even do it legitimately, and he can bless them after they get back from rock climbing." * "Yes, Ashley, we needed those! Why weren't there bananas in our first aid k

If you haven't seen the new pictures of Pluto yet, go find them. They're beautiful. If you have ... well, look at this xkcd from Wednesday .  

In March of this year, the Bossman was diagnosed with colon cancer. The prognosis wasn't terrible. It was stage 2; there'd be some chemo and radiation immediately with surgery to follow sometime in the summer (and then probably more chemo, because cancer sucks). There was generally some sickness expected with the chemo (he had pills to start with, so not too much sickness expected) and then the downtime that comes with major surgery. All in all, it fell into the "could be worse" category while still being, you know, cancer. And yet, "could be worse" can be incredibly frustrating. 2015 has been a bit of a Year (at least in my family) and to be perfectly honest I may have thrown a fit or two when this particular piece of news came about. Why? What the heck was the point of that? What was up with the timing? It was an entirely selfish response, I admit. However, my go-to coping response is assimilation, and a big part of me made the immediate assumptio

Clearly that experiment crashed and burned. I'm referring, of course, to some ridiculous idea I had about posting daily. That for some reason I decided to start at the end of April. Which leads immediately into the summer. Dumb. Tonight, I find myself contemplating life on my deck while listening to a 100 kids dance along to "Thriller" over at the main hall. I can't be positive, but by the sounds of the clapping ... they actually know what they're doing. Which is nuts, given that none of those kids are over 12. It's been a crazy summer. Mostly good ... but definitely nuts. My baby brother got married. My boss just had surgery. My summer crew is excellent but also prone to hosing each other in the dishroom. All the while, the things that make camp life interesting -- like the dance party on the patio [Why?! Why must they play LMFAO?!] -- continue to be fodder for so many stories. I need to talk about the wedding and the surgery and the staff -- and a