The first half of June was spent planting 12,000 flowers all over Medora as quickly as I could in order to get the place for the Rough Rider Roundup. I barely made that deadline. With the help of a couple of volunteers, some of the housekeeping staff, and a few other random TRMF employees, I accomplished my mission. Now, I just need to go around and take photos of everything that was done so that everyone can see the flowers. I promised to take photos to show the volunteers the flowers that they planted as they grow, but have not had a good opportunity to do so yet due to lack of time and uncooperative weather.
In early June, I took a road trip to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota with a few of my new International friends. We had an awesome time exploring the monument and the surrounding area. After exploring the monument, we went on a spelunking tour at Rushmore Caves just out of Keystone, South Dakota. Our adventure didn't end after spelunking, we also went to a drive through bear park and a reptile garden before stopping at a Chinese Buffet on our way back to Medora. The trip was great fun and I had a wonderful time with my new friends. I'm greatly looking forward to our next adventure. We plan to go to Devil's Tower and also Yellowstone sometime this summer.
I've been out horseback riding a few times so far since arriving here in Medora, but wish I could go out more. Sadly, I have the same schedule as the stables and get off too late to go out riding. I've made a new friend here who has a couple of horses, but he works three positions and is taking online summer courses. So... we've only gone out riding together one time. I've been attempting to persuade people into letting me borrow their horses to ride them, but people around here are so protective of their horses and won't let anyone ride them. I've come to the conclusion that if I do decide to live here permanently, that I'm going to have to make some arrangements with a local rancher and buy a horse of my own. That will solve my riding issues.
When weather has been allowing, I've been going out hiking up in the Buttes. It is my escape from town life. I don't have to go very far to feel lost in nature. It is a great feeling and I get great exercise while I'm up there. I've noticed that I've lost a couple of inches off of my waistline and that I'm back to my correct body size. Nature is my gym and that is how I prefer to get my exercise. While out hiking, I observe and study the local flora and fauna in an attempt to learn what all lives in this area. I've made many new discoveries and am continuing to search for more. By far, the most adorable discovery that I've made was a small Short-Horned Lizard, or as the locals call them Horny Toads. I had to force myself to put the adorable little critter back as I badly wanted to take it to my room and keep it for a pet. I found a nice large ant hill and released my little friend onto it as that is its favorite food. I hope to find another to observe and enjoy.
This past weekend, I went back to Minnesota for a wedding. Last fall, I was asked to be a wedding photographer for an acquaintance that lives only a mile from where I grew up. After some discussion, I agreed to take on the job. The weather looked horrid and I feared that the outdoor wedding would be rained out. Surprisingly, the clouds parted and the sun came out merely half an hour before the wedding began. It was a fabulous wedding on the shore of a beautiful lake. It couldn't have been more perfect. I took many photos which turned out great and had a lot of fun working with the Bride and the Groom. The photos of the wedding can be viewed at http://photos.matthewericksonphotography.com/oertwich. I have one more wedding coming up in August that I'm looking forward to as well.
Sadly... I spent this weekend inside sick... I wanted to go and do so many things, but was reduced to spending the weekend in the lobby couch watching tv while I recovered. I'm starting to feel better now and am going to try beginning a new week of work and adventures, hopefully refreshed and renewed.
Sorry I didn't post any photos this time, I will prepare some for my next posting.
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