O'Pioneer!

Welcome to the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder...the author of Little House on the Prairie! 

*side note...you will get  a history lesson from the next few posts.

Not much to look at is it?  This is the original home that the Ingalls built into the side of a hill in 1880.  It was a one room dugout that homed the Ingalls family while they built their house. 

When you step inside, the walls are nothing but the good old  South Dakota dirt.  Roots stick out like fingers waiting to grab you.  The roof is supported with cloth to hold the earthen top from falling in.  A bed sits in the right hand corner, a dining table to the left of it, and a wood burning stove sits in the center of the room. I stood there taking it all in, imagining what it must have been like to live there. The dugout during the summers would be a nice cool retreat, but oh, can you imgaine the BUGS?  Then I thought about what it must have been like laying in that bed...wondering....IS this roof going to come crashing down on me?  A new meaning of "buried alive" came to mind. 

Can you imagine living like this...with SIX people?

We should all stop and think at how lucky we are that we don't.

In the Spring of 1880, Pa began building Ma's house.  It was built in three stages that would take over 2 years to build, be approximately 500 square feet and cost $16 in filing fees. But, what a home it was!  You could tell that this house was built with nothing but love and it resided there and even after all these years you could still feel it.

Some of the things that Laura would have had to do, the kids got to experience.

Pumping water...

Making ropes...

AND...

GOING TO SCHOOL!

Did you know that Laura went to this school and later became the town's teacher?

Check back to see how well we did in school.  I can tell you SOMEONE got into trouble...but who was it?  You will just have to see!

Vacation Part Deux...

Well....2 HOURS later....we see THIS....apparently like us, this guy and his pet, had gotten lost on the elustrious detour route, as well...

Like a LOOONG time ago...lol!

There were alot of these along the way. 

This one spoke to me the most. It almost looks like someone still lives there. Hard to believe someone just picked up one day and walked away.

Let's Take A Vacation!

A few years ago my Dad wanted to take us to Yellowstone for a family vacation. Since the kids were the ages of 5 and 3 at the time, I told Dad, "let's wait until they are old enough to remember it and not make me completely insane."  Can you imagine driving for days with two monkeys who would need your constant attention and who knows how many potty breaks?  Um....nope!

Dad got very sick last January and called me to come move him home.  My family and I made a whirlwind rush up to Missouri to get him packed up and moved. When we got him home, we all thought we wouldn't have him for long.  As the days, weeks and months progressed, with lots of love and good medical care from my cousin, Daniele and the VA, Dad's color and energy improved tremendously.  With that, brought the renewed desire for the family trip to Yellowstone National Park.  We began planning and saving and here it was!  Nine days, 11 states and almost 4,600 miles later, I will share with you, our great family vacation. Now, let me say, that even though I say "GREAT," that does not mean that there weren't some arguements and tears shed before it was over with, but it was SO worth every bit of it!

DAY 2...because DAY 1 was just driving half the evening to Fort Smith, Arkansas.  I was determined to not waste 5 precious driving hours after work on Friday, July 29th. DAY 2 consisted of driving from Fort Smith, Arkansas through Missouri up into Iowa. Guess what we saw....CORN!

 

And MORE corn...but look how pretty the fields were. Like a piece of art. The terraces were breathtaking and almost hard to believe.

As we drove, we started to notice fields that were flooded.  At first we didn't think much about it until we saw this...and it hit me!  The recent heavy rains we had had, caused the Army Corps of Enigneers to make the tough decision to break a levee on the Missouri River to save thousands of homes at the cost of a few hundred.  THIS is one of those farms...a few months later.  The Missouri is still out of its banks and you aren't getting acrossed it anytime soon...see below.

Awww crap! Detour to the next picture.

RAH-eally, THIS is the detour route? Can't be that bad...or maybe it can. Do you see the sign on the right side of the picture?

Ummm....???

Shhhhyeahhh!!!  20 foot dirt banks on both sides that include its own greenery...the friggin' tree roots!  Kinda looks like Indiana Jones stuff, huh? I'm still wondering WHY anyone would use this road for a detour route, but it sure did give us a laugh and a forever memory! Stay tuned to find out where we ended up 2 HOURS later...