The Deck - Before and After

Hubby and I stained the deck for the second time in June 2022, since we moved into the new condo in the fall of 2018.

dirty after a rainstorm

By the summer of 2024 we realized it was in need of another facelift and neither of us was looking forward to the job.

The next four photos are from the summer of 2025.  The rug covered much of the area, but it was an eyesore to say the least.

Not to show off the cucumbers after adding flowers to the bed, but to emphasize the chipped stain on the steps.

We didn't even pressure wash the deck last spring for fear of losing all the stain.

Even the front door stoop was showing chipping. On one of his almost daily summer bike rides, Hubby talked to guys installing a Trex three-season room on a house in the neighborhood. He asked questions and visited the business showroom. Within a week we chose a style, color and were on the list to replace our cedar deck and stoop.

Demolition started on November 11, after the first light snowfall and prior to a major frost. The floor and steps were removed on November 12th.

For several days the only entrance to the house was through the garage. The front door stoop was the first to be completed. Smaller job.

Thankfully, they could work around the raised cucumber bed. It looks very bare. 

the front door stoop on November 14th

the floor of the deck on November 14th

almost done on November 19th

The HOA lawn service people had aerated the lawn while they were working on building the deck. We may have had some rain during that time, also.  Although the weather was decent the ten days the two guys worked on the project, the side lawn was a muddy mess, as were the deck, stoop and driveway.

We LOVE the new deck and will really enjoy it come spring! Even now, the metal railing gives us a more open view.

Scrapbooks and Technology

 The minister started his children's sermon this morning by asking if any of them knew what a scrapbook was? Then he said, "It was a really popular way to preserve photos in the 1900s." OMG! He was so right. It was a popular thing of the last century. He went on to talk about all the photos he has saved on his iPad and how it (technology) has replaced the scrapbook. There was much more to this opening, but it was the scrapbook, 1900s, and technology that had me thinking and rethinking about my blog postings.

1. We have dear friends and acquaintances who are not on Facebook so do not see my postings of proud grandparent moments or other what I consider worthy posting activities. Some of them remind me that I haven't posted in a couple of months.

2. Hubby, especially, uses the blog as a way of looking back at what we did, where we went, what was happening, and how much the grandkids have grown and changed...like one would if it were a scrapbook. We also use the blog posts to verify the year, date, location, etc. of a specific item or event we can't remember.

3. Back in the 1900s, I did make scrapbooks and photo albums. Both were a lot of work. Nobody looks at the scrapbooks or photo albums. Once the picture was printed, it was done. (Who saved the negatives?) I have probably a hundred or more printed photos (from the 1900s) that did not make it into a scrapbook or photo album. They are still aligned in a shoe box, in the envelope marked with a year (if they are lucky).

3. Since the 21st century, I have thousands of photos to commemorate a person, place, activity, occasion, etc., but only I have access to those thousands of photos. (Only 8400 are on my phone. The other 40K are on a back-up device.) If I do not share the photos, who will remember? Who will know what happened last month? Last year? 

All of this is to say, what I post may not be of interest or importance to you, but it is a visual reminder of something important to me, to us. So Thank You Pastor Jason for reminding me why I need to continue posting on my blog. Not just when we take a trip. Not just to post proud grandparent moments, but to post the everyday things to help us remember the changes, the events, the people. 

There will be new blog posts starting now. I have lots to share in our family scrapbook.

Update on the Grandkids

 We have been enjoying the school activities the grandkids have been participating in this fall. 

The Lincoln High School Chorus groups had a Fall Concert, inviting 8th grade students who will be attending Lincoln next fall, to partipate with the choirs. Our 8th grade grandson chose NOT to participate. Miss W was in one of the 3 groups who did perform that evening.

the full Lincoln High School choir

Cadet Choir

Miss W, second row from bottom, in the center

Miss W, 3rd from right, in a special quartet 

Lincoln High School Band had their concert earlier this month. Again, 8th graders who will be attending Lincoln were part of the performance. McBe participated. Miss W is no longer in band.

McBe is in the blue hoodie

8th graders getting organized before the concert

8th graders with most of the band members

McBe on percussion, first on the left of the 4 percussionists

McBe waiting his turn to play the timpani

This one has nothing to do with school activities, but it was a proud grandparent occasion. McBe participated in a regional TKD (martial arts) tournament in Sioux City last Friday. 

He won 3 gold medals at the event in his class (brown belt), one in each of the 3 categories of TKD: basic technique (demonstration), sparring (most points in 3 matches), and breaking boards. His outstanding effort resulted in winning an invitation to the National Competition in Alabama next summer.

Lucky us that we get to be a part of our grands' performances and honors!

Some Butts - No Boots Rodeo

 We attended the Governor's Cup rodeo last Sunday in Sioux Falls. We had good seats with a good view for the events on one end of the action, but not very good for the Tie-Down, Steer Roping, Team Roping, or Break-Away events.

Sunday afternoon marked the final day of the three-day event. The top eight money-winning cowboys and cowgirls in each of the events participated on Sunday, 

the opening ceremony with fireworks

bareback rider

another bareback contestant

saddle bronc

break-away (women's event)

South Dakota's famous Lisa Lockhart from Oelrichs SD

she had the best time, but knocked over the third barrel

adding 5 seconds to her time and taking her out of the top 4

she did win $9500+ at this rodeo

some bull riding

The top four contestants in each event then participated in the finals where the first place was awarded $32K, second place $24K, third got $16K and fourth place took $8K. This money was above what they may have already won in the first three go-rounds.

bareback event

saddle bronc

bull riding

bull fighters doing their job to protect the bucked off rider

This photo is to show the number of men (usually) who are in or near the chute helping the cowboy get situated on his horse or bull (rough stock). There were 10 flankmen, two per chute. An official (striped shirt) was also at each chute. Usually, two flankmen lean into the chute from the back, making certain the animal is in position (head up, not leaning on the walls of the chute, keeping the cowboy on the animal if it is bucking, helping to tighten any ropes or straps, etc.). In this photo two men (chute bosses) are in front of the chute to open the gate. They watch for the nod from the rider when he is ready. Sometimes, they also prod the animal away from the gate. 

There's usually a guy (often another cowboy/contestant) on the gate helping the rider get ready and helping get the animal in position. Also note the cameraman leaning in from the back getting video of any action in the chute. We have seen horses and bulls rear up and once in awhile lay down in the chute. All those extra people are there to protect the cowboy and the animal. And then there are those standing around getting a good view of the action. Some of them are other contestants. Sometimes they are the parent of the rider. 

10 new saddles were awarded after the final event

10 new buckles and trophies were awarded to the winners of the 2025 Governors Cup Champions. The total payout for the 3 days, 4 events was $1,080,314. 

2025 Governors Cup  is the link if you'd like more information.

Some Geocaching

 We traveled to Cherokee IA last month for a day of geocaching. We geocached in and around Cherokee before attending an event in nearby Cleghorn that afternoon.

a geocache in the city library in Cherokee

and a Little Library geocache

a birdhouse gadget cache called DKOI

Hubby solved all the puzzles for the pie geoart

that was the easy part

going down and up the ditches was the hard part

he attached a rope to the step of the truck

to let himself down into the steep ditches

and then used it to pull himself up and out

we did not finish finding the pie caches 

we will have to go back to Cleghorn

I attended an event in Sibley and completed some geocaches

I earned this souvenir for attending the event

Hubby stayed home and attended a college football game

some of the geocachers who collected trash along the ditches of 

Rice Street in Brandon

our collection of collected ditch trash

the geocachers who participated in the city-sponsored 

Cache In Trash Out event

we earned this virtual souvenir for the event