Back from Girl Scout Camp!

We dropped Charlotte off at Camp Sacajawea last Sunday. She went by herself, and she was placed in Cabin 2. Char chose the "Ooey Gooey" camp experience, so she was gonna get dirty.

We were early enough that Charlotte had her pick of the bunks. She's always wanted to sleep on the top of a bunk bed, so this was an obvious choice.

She wasn't exactly alone. Pinky came, too.

The scouts were not allowed to bring any electronics, and the camp would only call if there was a grave problem. Char's only way of comunication with us was through postcards.

We picked her up on Friday.

She came home with a bag full of dirty clothes and new tricks. On the way home, she shared new stories, knock-knock jokes, campfire songs, and clapping games. Her voice was hoarse from shouting with her friends.

In short, she had a blast.

Her belongings were packed when we arrived, and she had no problem carrying her own stuff to the car. It felt like someone had pressed the time fast-forward button a few months ahead. She seemed more mature. When Char ran back to Cabin 2 to look for a letter she had forgotten, I said to Daphne, "She seem so much older."

"I know," Daphne replied.

Girl Scout Camp - it can change a person.

When in Rome... or at least in the Black Hills - a food post

We took a trip to the Black Hills as soon as this school year ended. One minute I was saying goodbye to friends at school, and the next we were saying hi to these guys.

Our first stop was a night at the AmericInn hotel in Hartford (they had a pool!). We had dinner next door at the Blue 42 Sports Grill. Since we were in south-eastern South Dakota, I ordered the chislic basket. I won't judge you if you haven't heard of chislic. It is definitely a South Dakota-thing; they even have a chislic festival.

I substituted tater tots for the fries, and I'm struggling to find words to describe how much I loved this dinner. Let's just say I wished I ordered two baskets. Bar food at its finest.

The next day we stopped at Al's Oasis for lunch. I can order a hamburger anywhere, so I went with a Buffalo Burger.

I'm not a food connoisseur, so I can't tell you exactly what a buffalo burger tastes like... except that it was really good. If I hadn't known that I was eating buffalo, I don't think I would have noticed that it was different from a burger back home.

That night we unpacked our car in Keystone where we had rented a tiny house for nine nights. The Big Thunder Bar & Grill was across the street. 

Daphne and I both ordered the special.

"Note: The Game Burger is a combination of Deer, Elk, Boar, Buffalo, and Antelope."

We both enjoyed our Game Burgers. There was no way that I could have identified the different types of animal ingredients. It just tasted good.

Did you know one of the founding fathers of the United States can be credited with the first known ice cream recipe recorded by an American? Jefferson also likely helped to popularize ice cream in this country when he served it at the President’s House in Washington.

It's vanilla, and we'd like to thank you, President Jefferson.

I don't know when I'll get another chance to eat Buffalo Ribs, so I ordered them at Red's Chicken House and BBQ. I hope I get another chance; these ribs were great.

We went back to Big Thunder to try their brats. Daphne had the Elk and Jalapeno brat, and I ordered the Rattle Snake and Pheasant sausage.

I'll be honest. I was a bit worried about eating snake. I thought it might be gamy or dry. It was neither, and I'd eat another one for sure. Daphne also enjoyed her Elk brat.

Char really liked eating at the Br Gr 61 (say "burger"). They have 61 different ways to top your burger, but that's not why Char liked the place.

The tables are house doors with plates of glass on top. Beneath the glass you can see the business cards, pictures, notes, and tickets that patrons have slid in over the years.

Let's zoom in:

It's fun to leave your mark on a place... legally.

Speaking of that, in Rapid City they have statutes of all the US presidents and other significant historical figures. I spotted this statue in the city park. Can you see the joke that someone left behind?

Let's zoom in:

I don't think that's disrespectful. I just think it is funny. Like this sign I saw in a gas station outside of Sioux City.

We didn't give Char $100 when we visited the Candyland store, but she made out alright.

Neither Daphne and I had heard of chocolate covered pickles, so we bought a spear to share. The taste was salty, sweet, pickely, and fun.

They served a pickle beer at last year's Iowa State Fair, so maybe pickles are becoming cool? I don't know. I do know I enjoyed eating in the Black Hills.

I'm No Angel

But Char took this picture of me while we were on vacation this week.

50 points to Gryffindor* if you can name the city we are in, and 20 more points if you get my shirt.

*I'll explain later.

Summer... Finally!

June 7 was the last day of school for Daphne and me. Whew. Let the adventure begin!

One School Year Later...

Due to our school calendar and snow days, Charlotte is still going to Karen Acres on June 5. But today will be the last day that she is a third grader. I'm happy for Char, but I feel a twinge of parental loss when I look a these before and after pictures.

First day of school: pretty excited.

Last day of school: very excited.

(Fun Fact: Dad (me) picked out that dress at the store, and I ordered that t-shirt for her, too.)

I think someone grew a brick taller. 

First Day:

 Last day:

During past couple of weeks, Char had a Sunglasses Day:

A Hat Day:

A PJ Day:

A Sports Team Day:

And she had a blast on Field Day. (Thanks to Mrs. Gilbert for this photo.)

Actually, thanks to teachers like Mrs. Gilbert, I can honestly say that after three years I can count on one hand the number of "bad days" Charlotte has had at Karen Acres Elementary. I don't think that is because we are lucky. It's because the staff at KA works so hard to support their kids.

I guess we are lucky after all.

Here comes summer!