Chris Brandt's Web Log

Badlands Trip - 2010

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 07:28:00 GMT

August 5, 2010: Thursday - First things first. Happy Birthday, Janet! We arrived back in Indianapolis about 2 a.m. on the 5th, just in time to all sing Happy Birthday to her while standing in the middle of Lancet Lane. We had just gotten back from a late night flight from Denver where we had wrapped up a great western adventure with good friends Don and Julie. We had been in the Black Hills of South Dakota and the Badlands of both South and North Dakota and had a terrific time. This is a part of our country that is not particularly easy to get to from the Midwest. We flew to Denver and rented a car, stopped for groceries and supplies and headed north for about a 5 hour drive to the center of the Black Hills -- Hill City, SD. We stayed for 4 nights at a Bed & Breakfast in that area and still just scratched the surface of things to see and do. On our first full day we drove from south to north (very important) to see Mt. Rushmore via the Needles highway. We drove though several tunnels that had been constructed to frame Mt. Rushmore. Second day was set aside to visit Badlands National Park, which was a little drive to the east and the wind was simply howling. Third day, we saw our first bison at Wind Cave National Park (what a surprise!) and also spent time in Custer State Park and the Sylvan Lake area. July 25th: Photos 1 July 25th: Photos 2 - Don July 26th: Photos 3 July 26th: Photos 4 July 26th: Photos 5 July 26th: Photos 6 - Don July 26th: Photos 7 - Don July 26th: Photos 8 - Don July 26th: Photos 9 July 27th: Photos 10 July 27th: Photos 11 July 27th: Photos 12 July 27th: Photos 13 - Don July 27th: Photos 14 - Don July 27th: Photos 15 - Don July 27th: Photos 16 July 28th: Photos 17 July 28th: Photos 18 July 28th: Photos 19 July 28th: Photos 20 - Don July 28th: Photos 21 - Don July 28th: Photos 22 - Don July 28th: Photos 23 - Don Then it was time to say good-bye to the Black Hills area and head north towards Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. We drove through Deadwood (a nice surprise), Spurgis (we were there two weeks before the big 70th anniversary bike rally) and Spearfish Canyon in the morning. We stopped for lunch at the Geographic Center of the Nation in Bell Fourche and continued due north on S.R. 85. A highlight (maybe only light) of the drive was a general store called Crow Buttes (for sale). Other than that it was wide open space for miles and miles. We stayed in Medora for two nights in order to spend time at both the south and north ends of Theodore Roosevelt National Park along the Little Missouri River. We figured at the furthest north point we were about 75 miles from the Canadian border. Medora and T.R.N.P. were nice surprises. We dined at the Cowboy Cafe for a few meals and toured the park which wasn't crowded at all, especially the north part. July 29th: Photos 24 July 29th: Photos 25 July 29th: Photos 26 - Don July 29th: Photos 27 - Don July 30th: Photos 28 July 30th: Photos 29 July 30th: Photos 30 July 30th: Photos 31 July 30th: Photos 32 - Don July 30th: Photos 33 - Don July 30th: Photos 34 - Don July 30th: Photos 35 - Don July 30th: Photos 36 - Don July 30th: Photos 37 - Don From Medora we back-tracked down S.R. 85 and hung a right at Bell Fourche to enter Wyoming. Devils Tower National Monument is actually just due west of the Black Hills of South Dakota and is truly a magical (sacred place for the Indian nations) experience. We made it in time to catch a sunset at the tower, which personally made my whole trip. The next day we spent the morning at the tower watching all the climbers and taking in the wonder of the place. July 31st: Photos 38 July 31st: Photos 39 July 31st: Photos 40 July 31st: Photos 41 - Don July 31st: Photos 42 - Don July 31st: Photos 43 - Don July 31st: Photos 44 - Don August 1st: Photos 45 August 1st: Photos 46 August 1st: Photos 47 August 1st: Photos 48 August 1st: Photos 49 - Don August 1st: Photos 50 - Don August 1st: Photos 51 - Don August 1st: Photos 52 - Don August 1st: Photos 53 - Don August 2st: Photos 54 August 2st: Photos 55 August 2st: Photos 56 - Don We ended our western trek back in Colorado. We had a day and a half to enjoy Rocky Mountain National Park. Mountains, alpine meadows, wooded lakes and waterfalls. What more could you ask for? August 3st: Photos 57 August 3st: Photos 58 August 3st: Photos 59 August 3st: Photos 60 August 3st: Photos 61 - Don August 3st: Photos 62 - Don August 3st: Photos 63 - Don August 3st: Photos 64 - Don August 3st: Photos 65 - Don August 3st: Photos 66 - Don August 3st: Photos 67 - Don August 4st: Photos 68 August 4st: Photos 69 August 4st: Photos 70 August 4st: Photos 71 August 4st: Photos 72 August 4st: Photos 73 - Don August 4st: Photos 74 - Don August 4st: Photos 75 - Don August 4st: Photos 76 - Don August 4st: Photos 77 - Don August 4st: Photos 78 - Don

Bike and Build -- Anne

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 13:44:00 GMT

Sunday; July 11, 2010: Jim, myself and Janet traveled to Bloomington to visit with Jim and Janet's daughter, Anne. She and 30 or so others had just ridden their bikes into town the night before from Boston on their way to Santa Barbara. And today was one of their days off. Charles and Tessa caught up with us and met us at Farm for brunch and got caught up on all of Anne's adventures so far. She has 1124 miles under her belt and approximately 2,700 miles to go. Amazing! Photos For more information, check out Bike and Build's web page at: bikeandbuild.org/cms/

Brandt Family Reunion

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 19:30:00 GMT

June 19th, 2010; Saturday: It was another hot June day, but at least the rain came early in the morning and was gone by time for the Reunion. We hosted the Brandt-Rosenstiel Family and, I think everyone enjoyed seeing each other. We missed the last of the elder (2nd generation) members, Charlie (Chuck) and Mariamelia (Meady); but got to welcome Evelyn Grace (5/5/10) and Fisher (5/14/10), the newest 5th generation members. Now, it's the 3rd generation that are becoming the old guard...oops, that includes me. Jan and her crew came down from the Chicago area and Hillary came with Dimitri (Dimo) from Washington, D.C. Photos 1 Photos 2 Photos 3

Arthur's 63rd

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:13:00 GMT

Sunday; June 13th, 2010: A.A.C. celebrated his 63rd birthday today and he still hasn't been back to a National Park to try out his new lifetime pass. But at least he can still recognize three babes when he sees them. We met at Zuppa's for a wonderful brunch and then on to check out the new digs on North Central. Photos

Bob, Pat & Tessa

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:32:00 GMT

SUNDAY: June 6, 2010: Tessa; her Mother, Pat: and her Grandfather Bob came for a quick visit before heading back home. Of course Charles was here, too. Bob had missed the wedding so it was nice that he at least got to experience a little bit of where it was held. It was great to meet him and we enjoyed his company a lot. We had just (and I really mean just) finished our house addition, so it was extra special to have family come for a visit and see the results. Patricia got to sleep in Janet's new cupboard bed in her studio which she said she enjoyed very much. Photos SATURDAY: May 29, 2010: We celebrated Charles' birthday a day late, but it was worth it. Charles choose the Kopper Kettle for dinner. Jane cracked up over the card she got Charles. Let's just say that Jane has a strange sense of humor. Photos SUNDAY: May 23rd, 2010: Betsy brought over the Charm Club quilts so I could photograph them for possible publication. Here are the unedited photos of some beautiful quilts. Photos 1 Photos 2 Photos 3

Collin

Mon, 24 May 2010 16:38:00 GMT

Saturday; May 22, 2010: Gramma Sharon and Gramma Artur hosted Collin's 1st Birthday Party. A good time was had by one and all. Green was definitely the color of the day. Photos 1 Photos 2

Mother's Day 2010

Wed, 12 May 2010 16:01:00 GMT

SUNDAY; May 9th, 2010: We went to Bloomington to celebrate Mother's Day. Tessa and Charles prepared a scrumptious picnic, that we took to campus. Things are definitely quieting down as the students have mostly left for summer break. Then we found a few geocaches just for fun. Photos

Coal the cat

Wed, 12 May 2010 15:53:00 GMT

May 2, 2010: A black cat showed up on our doorstep and decided to stay for a couple of weeks until we could find it a permanent home. I dubbed her "Coal" for obvious reason, and even though I'm allergic to cats, I did enjoy her company. For a cat, she had a great personality. We finally let her come inside the house, where she made herself right at home. Jane's friend, Joshua, said he'd like to have her, so she has now moved on to Franklin, where, I'm sure, the both of them are very happy. Photos

Easter 2010

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 06:03:00 GMT

Sunday, April 4th, 2010: We gathered in Bloomington on a beautiful Spring day for a superb Easter brunch. Then we went hunting for Easter eggs in Bryan park. Found three out of four which was pretty good. Photos

Sharon's Dream House

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 16:09:00 GMT

Sharon in itchin' to move and she thinks she has found her "Dream" house. It's an 1896 run down Victorian in the Near Northside downtown area. It does have quite the curb appeal with a columned front porch, 12' ceilings on the ground floor and 10' ceilings on the second and has a quasi-finished third floor. But therein lies the rub. It looks like the previous owner may have removed a few very important interior bearing walls to open up the space, because the roof structure is definitely sagging with some of the dormers listing inward. A structural engineer should be consulted. It looks like they got way in over their heads. It's a true handyman's special on a grand scale, but with enough money invested, it could be quite stunning. We'll see what develops. Photos Sharon's "Dream" house #2 is a stunner. Recently remodeled, this house is ready to move in with many amenities. I believe this one is a done deal. Photos 2