A Thundering Good Time

South Dakota is having an exceptionally green year. This is because South Dakota is having an exceptionally wet year. While this makes for a beautiful landscape and bounty for the birds and bees, it also makes mud. South Dakota has a lot of mud. At least our little part of it does. We had to wash Norman's feet off last night before he could come in, because we let him run in the north field a while. Sqidge, squidge. His toes were packed with mud. So he got a free cold water paw wash courtesy of the motorhome's outside shower. Up til then, I had thought an outside shower a frivolous item. But it was way better than trying to carry a 60 pound dog inside to the shower and then having to smell a 60 pound wet dog all night.

We are well settled in and have become official South Dakotans. As suspected, we paid less to license our 4 vehicles than we did in RTA taxes in Shoreline. We cackled with glee when we got the registration bill. I am sure the courthouse clerk thought we were more than a little off balance. You guys in WA pay way too many taxes. I don't know how South Dakota does it, but they manage to have a fine state with much fewer taxes and way, way fewer people paying said taxes. Our new driver's licenses cost 25 dollars and are good for 5 years. No emissions testing. They just cared that we paid 3% in sales taxes to someone on those vehicles. We handed over our paperwork and the clerk said, "Oh, my, yes, you did. And then some." No kidding. Not so fond farewell to near 9% sales tax. In my new state, it's 3%. Tops. The cities and counties can't go sticking taxes on for this and that thing they want to fund on the backs of the taxpayers. Ha! Done with tax rant.

We have grown to like our little barebones campground by the freeway. With the exception of the young Hispanic man on the west end of the row across from us, I think Ray and I are the youngest people here. When you go into the office, someone says, "Welcome home!" We found out we're only 1,000 feet from the border of Rapid City. The busy Flying J truckstop (DJ Saturday night in the J Bar! Karaoke on Wednesday and Friday Evenings!) is in Rapid City. I don't even hear the trucks at night. Have not since the very first night. The staff and the other campers are very friendly for the most part. There's lots of dogs here, one just got back from jail yesterday. He was incarcerated because one of the campers said the dog bit him. The owner denies it, saying it was just a nip. I don't know and stay out of his way just in case. Across the street and two sites east there's an ancient basset hound couple. They go for 2 or 3 very slow walks every day, and the owners have a ramp and doggie door so the dogs can wander in and out. There's also a pet fence bout shin high, but it keeps old Mr. and Mrs. Basset in. Next door to the east are a lab mix and a collie mix. One of them woofs incessantly when the owners are gone. Just telling you he's on the job guarding the moho, I guess. Behind us is a little teeny hairy lap-dog that gets carried around all day by her "Dad". They call her Maybe, cause maybe she's a real dog. Across and just one site east is an old collie. He doesn't not much like Norman and barks every time he sees Norm. Next door, in the most expensive 5th wheel I have ever seen is an old Weimaraner. It's also the biggest 5th wheel I have ever seen. They pull it with a semi cab.

We have an expansive view out the front windshield, especially when there's no one in the space across from us. And we have a view out the dining room to the east,and the Black Angus pasture. The cattle come by our side of the field almost every evening. Norman likes to watch them. I'm not so sure he knows what exactly they are, but he likes to watch anyway.

There still aren't any trees, but the trees would only block the view of the thunderstorms that roll through with amazing regularity. I think back in Seattle, the weather guys call them "pop-up" thunderstorms. Well, these pop up with a vengeance. I have never seen storms like these. The clouds are so black and I would swear that a tornado is bound in our direction, but no. South Dakota averages less than 1 tornado a year, despite all the black clouds and thunderstorms. The wind has been nearly incessant and most days gusts to about 35, although in one of the storms the winds hit 60 mph. I can see why some of the early plains pioneers went mad from the wind. The locals are complaining about the cold weather, but we think it's great. Warm enough for us ex-Mossbacks. We have tried taking pictures of the thunderstorms, but none have turned out to be blog-worthy. We have another couple of weeks to work on that. Storm pictures aren't our strong suit. Andy next door was astonished when I told him Seattle gets one or two thunderstorms a year and they never, ever look like the ones here. He can't imagine that, living here in the summers and Texas in the winters.

We've made a trip over to the Air Force Base and visited the commissary store. It's larger than Smokey Point, but doesn't have some things that store had. To make up for it, there were items on the shelf we'd never seen before. Did you know they make white Queso Velveeta? We didn't!

We've done some exploring in downtown Rapid City, as it's where we had to go to get car plates and other stuff. It's very pretty and old fashioned. They have much open space, and in the middle of downtown sits Main Street Square. Lots of community things go on in the Square, there is a nifty fountain for the kids, and several of the Presidential statues are located on the corners around there. It's so pretty and they have managed to retain many of the oldest buildings and you see many people with cameras, taking pictures of the sculptures and the architecture. The County Courthouse is an amazing example of turn of the century grandeur. They've managed to fit in both computers and modern technology with the old vaulted ceilings, soaring staircases and ornate plasterwork. The only sour note was that some misguided soul chose to paint the plasterwork on the tops of the columns a horrible dirty mustard color. Ugh.

The boundaries of the ward are enormous here. We're on the western edge of the ward, but everyone has to drive into Rapid City for church. There's no ward building to the east of us, not for a long, long way. (or north or south as far as I can tell) There were 30 sisters in Relief Society today, counting all the visitors. And they have 4 or 5 missionaries, all young men now that the Sisters have been reassigned. We were dutiful and got up to go to our "assigned" ward, even tho it meets at 9 am, not my best time of day. It's a nice ward but I miss our home ward. And no temple, although they want one. It's a major trip to go to the temple. We were so spoiled in Shoreline and didn't even know it. We really like Rapid City, it's too bad they have such awful winters.

We've not had time for exploring the attractions yet, although there is so much to see and do here. We tried and liked a Chinese-Vietnamese restaurant named Saigon and a Tex-Mex place called On The Border. (although OTB has not beat Todo Mexico for good food) We also met Ray's sister and brother-in-law, Betty and Ron, at Denny's for a laid-back dinner one evening when they passed through on their way back to Tucson. We've got to get busy and sight-see before it's too late and we have to move on. Although I must admit, I would not mind coming back here at all.