Volleyball

 Most Tuesdays and Thursdays are spent in high school auxiliary gyms watching 9th grade volleyball. 

her position is at the net

her serving has really improved

her serves scored 6 points for her team one game

going for the block

We are very proud of our Lincoln Volleyball player. She is one of 12 B team players. 

Freshman Team

She attended the Homecoming Dance at Lincoln High School last Saturday. The report was she had a good time! 

Aurora Borealis

 Aurora Borealis is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of brilliant lights that appear as curtains, rays, spirals, or dynamic flickers covering the entire sky. ~Wikipedia

In the last year I have been on a hunt to see Northern Lights and Southern Lights, traveling to Iceland in the hopes of a glimpse of the colorful flickering bands of light and even to New Zealand because they have been known to make an appearance there in March. But it was looking up at the sky on the deck of our home in Sioux Falls that gave me the most amazing show this week.

8:55 PM on 10/10/24

looking northeast 9:01 PM 10/10/24

overhead 9:04 PM on 10/10/24

overhead 9:05 PM on 10/10/24

northwest 9:15 PM on 10/10/24

overhead 9:16 PM on 10/10/24

9:16 PM on 10/10/24

north/northeast 9:17 on 10/10/24

overhead 9:18 PM on 10/10/24

orange color at 9:20 PM on 10/10/24

pink color 9:20 PM on 10/10/24

and back to orange 9:20 PM on 10/10/24

finale 9:27 PM on 10/10/24

I follow a group on Facebook and this chart was posted this week sharing why we see the colors we see.

It's due to the levels of oxygen and nitrogen charged particles in the magnetospheric plasma. 

I also read somewhere this week that the chances of seeing the Northern Lights in our location (and even in Arizona at our winter home) happen every 11 years. I don't know if that is true, but I certainly have enjoyed the opportunities that have presented themselves in 2024.

I also had a brief glimpse of the Northern Lights on Monday night while I was staying at my mother's house in Pollock. I got a ping (push) on my phone that seeing the lights in my current area was a possibility. "Keep your eyes on the sky." I went outside at 9:15 PM but did not see anything. Then I saw all the Facebook photos and thought Dang! I missed them again.

I crawled into bed at midnight and heard another phone ping at 12:25 AM. I grabbed a robe and my phone,  slipped on my shoes and stepped onto the front lawn and got this view:

12:29 AM on 10/07/24 

I don't think I had ever see such an intense red.

I grabbed my purse and got in the car and drove to the edge of town with a perfect, unlit view of the northern sky. I only saw the dancing green and yellow lights, so drove back to town. (12:33 AM)

12:50 AM 

time for bed and thankful for that ping!

In and Around Detroit Lakes MN

  After our two days in Gilby and one day in Fargo visiting friends and relatives, we headed to Detroit Lakes to spend time with my brother and his wife. These are photos of what we saw while hunting for the Trolls.

Detroit Lakes has 412 lakes within 25 miles of the community. The city has chose sails as their themed art.

not a lot of color amongst the trees as of September 24th

sumac leaves

walking through the sumac to the Golden Rabbit

sumac flowers

this was the final hill after finding The Golden Rabbit

the snow machine was running

the mist felt quite nice as we made that final climb

a bumble bee collecting pollen

and a covered bridge

Hunting for Trolls

 Earlier this summer I was introduced to Thomas Dambo's Trolls through our friends who live in WA. Shortly after seeing Sherry's Troll photos, I learned Trolls were being constructed by Thomas Dambo and his team in Detroit Lakes MN. Many volunteers helped with the construction of the six figures hidden in and around the Detroit Lakes area. The bonus for us is these six figures are geocaches so a hunt for Trolls was added to our September Gilby Adventure.

We did not start with this Troll, but we should have as she was located in the park in Detroit Lakes and had information we missed. 

Alexa Elixir

she has her spoon

her mirror, magic portal

her tub and a book of potions (in the lower right in the first photo)

We stopped at the park on Wednesday morning as we headed for home. There were about a dozen folks standing around visiting, making it hard to take photos.

Barefoot Frida

twigs/branches for her hair

bark for the eyebrows

Jacob Everear

leaning against the tree

the detail on his feet

his big ears

every face is different

Ronny Funny Face

to give a perspective of the size of the Trolls

Dambo uses birdhouses to mark the paths and trails to find the Trolls. I think he got a good deal on the paint colors for the Minnesota Vikings! There were many birdhouses, all in the same colors, so no reason to get lost! (There is a story to Dambo's use of birdhouses at this link: Thomas Dambo Bio)

the detail of Ronny's tongue and his sea shell necklace

the detail of the Troll feet

Walking a path on Detroit Mountain looking for Trolls...

Long Leif

36' tall

just like the feet, the detail in the hands

his teeth and smile

The Golden Rabbit

Following the clues and a special Troll map led to the final of the Dambo Sculptures, the Golden Rabbit.

made of yellow plastic boxes from a manufacturer in ND/MN

a microphone?

to give perspective in size

the hunt for the rabbit was our longest hike, about a half mile 

His project in Detroit Lakes was his biggest project to date. If you have the time and interest, check out his work in other areas of the US and world. “My ultimate goal is to have trolls surprising people in every state,” said Dambo, who has made a career out of building the mythical giants. He has placed 139 outsize trash trolls in 19 states across the U.S., from Washington to Maine, as well as in 20 countries.Jul 9, 2024

The story of Dambo's work in Detroit Lakes can be found here: Alexa's Elixir