Lynn and Miles in Washington

Our oldest son, Lynn and, our grandson, Miles went to the beach to get geoduck clams(geoduck is pronounced GOO-EY-DUCK) Above is Miles with one geoduck. They are a large species of clam. Very tasty as clam strips or clam chowder. The geoduck clams dig themselves deep into the sand and stretch their long necks up to the surface to feed. To harvest them, you have to find one by searching for their mouths poking up out of the sand. You then dig down next to them as far and fast as possible. You then dive your arms/body into the hole and try to reach their shell before the hole caves in with salt water and sand.

Miles with the catch of the day.

Lynn and Miles diving inot the hole to try to reach the geoduck shell.

Miles and Lynn showing off the catch of the day.

May Update

May is half way gone and we have been very busy. Here are some of the few thing we have been up to:

I went to an action on Saturday and came home with a whole truck load of insulators. In the bunch there were quite a few of worth. I also got some old ink bottles and glass pop bottles. Lane and my grandson, JR, helped me unload and sort through the load. TREASURE!!!

My granddaughter Sheena and her family came to visit for about 2 weeks. They live in Kansas near Wichita. Our great granddaughter Brooklyn loved to play with the dogs and cats. AND she like to wear my sun glasses. Brooklyn will be a big sister soon. Sheena and Wes are expecting another baby, due Sept. 1st. We don't know if we will have another great granddaughter or our first great grandson. They have had 2 ultrasounds and the baby is being modest!

Speaking of playing the dogs and cats, we have a new addition to the family. "Al" now lives with us. He followed me home one day and we have not been able to find his owner. We thought he was an "Abby", but then someone came to claim "her" and we found out "Abby" is a "HE"!!! SO we now call him "AL". He is well behaved, uses his litter box and like to play.

We have re-done some of the garden beds around the house. We also made a bigger bed in the back yard. I think they turned out very nice. We even added some solar lights to light the walk at night. However, someone stole a few of them. SAD!

We are finally getting central air in the house. The first floor of the house will now have central air conditioning. They started last week. Hopefully within the next few days we will have AC. It is starting to get hot over here in Las Animas. It was over 90 a few days ago.

Our grand daughter Ashley, graduated from OJC with her Associates Degree a few weeks ago. She is also engaged now to Paul and set to be married later this year. As far as we know the rest of the family is healthy and doing well.

Another Day at Bent's Old Fort

PICTURE #1:A FOGGY RAINY MORNING AT BENTS OLD FORT. OUR INTERPRETER, BOB KISTHART, HEADS FOR THE FRONT GATE TO BEGIN IS DAILY DUTIES OF GREETING TOURISTS AND TAKEN THEM ON GUIDED TOURS. NOTICE THE FOG THROUGH THE FRONT GATE. THIS WAS OUR FIRST RAIN OF ANY MEASURE THIS YEAR. THIS IS VERY ARID COUNTRY, BUT WE ARE BEGINNING TO REACH THE RECORD LOWS ON PRECIPITATION. BOB DRESSES IN FULL COSTUME TO THE 1833-1849 PERIOD AS DO ALL OF OUR OTHER INTERPRETERS. THEY MAKE THE FORT FEEL LIKE YOU ARE ENTERING ANOTHER TIME PERIOD AS YOU WALK THROUGH THE FRONT GATE. IT IS A VERY UNIQUE PLACE AND A MUST SEE FOR ANY HISTORY BUFF.

PICTURE #2:THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN THE SAME DAY AS THE PICTURE ABOVE, OF OUR FIRST RAINY, FOGGY DAY IN A GOOD LONG TIME. THIS IS TAKEN FROM THE REAR TOP LEVEL OF BENTS OLD FORT LOOKING TOWARD THE FRONT GATE. THE FLAG THAT FLIES IS A 27 STAR FLAG OF THE 1833-1849 PERIOD. IT WAS TAKEN DOWN BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER SHORTLY AFTER I TOOK THIS PHOTO. IT IS NOT VERY OFTEN THAT THIS HAPPENS OUT HERE, IT FLIES MOST OF THE YEAR, AT HALF MAST ON SPECIAL DAYS, FOLDED AND STORED EACH NIGHT FOR SAFE KEEPING. THIS TIME PERIOD IN HISTORY WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TO OUR COUNTRY IN THE OPENING OF THE WILD WEST AND THE ROAD TO SANTE FE.

PICTURE #3:THIS IS AN EXCELLENT PICTURE OF OUR FUR PRESS IN THE CENTER OF THE COURT YARD. IT STANDS OUT VERY WELL IN THE RAIN THAT IS FALLING AND HAS SOAKED THE WOOD, MAKING IT VERY DARK. THIS PRESS WAS USED TO BALE BEAVER AND BUFFALO HIDES INTO BANDED BALES SO THAT MORE PELTS WOULD FIT IN A FREIGHT WAGON AND MAKE THE TRIP TO ST. LOUIS MORE PROFITABLE. THEY USUALLY COULD BALES AS MANY AS 10-12 BUFFALO HIDES TO A BALE. BEAVER OF COURSE WAS A GOOD DEAL MORE. THE MAIN SOURCE OF PELTS WAS THE BUFFALO AT THIS TIME. A LOT OF THE BEAVER HAD ALREADY BEEN DEPLETED MUCH EARLIER THAT 1833.

PICTURE #4:HERE IS BOB KISTHART AGAIN GETTING THE COTTONWOOD FIRE STARTED FOR THE DAY, AND WILL BE KINDLED ALL DAY LONG SO TOURISTS CAN SMELL THE AROMA OF A COOKING FIRE AS THEY ENTER THE FORT GATE. THEY START THIS FIRE EACH MORNING WITH A FLINT AND STEEL, JUST LIKE THEY DID IN 1833-1849 AT BENTS OLD FORT. THE FLAG FLIES AND THE FIRE BURNS, EVEN ON THE NASTIEST DAYS. EARLY MORNING IS A BEAUTIFUL TIME AT THE FORT ON A NICE CALM DAY TO SET BY THE FIRE AND HAVE A CUP OF COFFEE, OR SMOKE THE PIPE. CONVERSATIONS ARE OF EVERY KIND IMAGINABLE.

PICTURE #5THIS IS THE FIRE GOING IN OUR SMALL TRADE ROOM AT THE FRONT GATE THAT THE INDIANS WERE ALLOWED TO COME TO AND MAKE TRADES THROUGH A SMALL WINDOW THAT OPENED TO AN EXTERIOR WALL. THEY WERE NOT ALLOWED IN BENTS OLD FORT PAST THE FRONT GATE WITHOUT WILLIAM BENT'S INVITATION. EVEN THOUGH HE WAS MARRIED TO A CHEYENNE INDIAN WOMAN, (OWL WOMAN ), IT WAS VERY SELDOM THAT THE INDIANS WERE ALLOWED TO COME IN. HE WAS KNOWN THE THE CHEYENNES AS "LITTLE WHITE MAN" AS HE WAS SHORT IN STATURE.YOU CAN SEE WHO RULES THE FORT NOW THESE DAYS. OUR TWO BLACK CATS THAT WE RESCUED FROM THE SHELTER, TAKE PRETTY GOOD CARE OF THINGS AND JUST LOVE FOLLOWING ALL THE TOURISTS AROUND. ONE'S NAME IS CHARLOTTE AND THE OTHER IS NOT CHARLOTTE(SMOKIE), REALLY. CHARLOTTE IS NAMED AFTER THE BLACK COOK THAT CAME IN 1846 AND SMOKIE IS NAMED AFTER THE BLACK BLACKSMITH. BOTH WERE VERY WELL RESPECTED AND WELL PAID FOR THAT ERA.THE TWO BLACK CATS DO A SUPER JOB OF MOUSING AND THAT IS WHY THEY WERE REALLY BROUGHT IN.

A New Year at Bent's Old Fort

THIS IS BENT'S OLD FORT ON A COLD WINTRY DAY WITH WHAT IS LEFT OF OUR FIRST AND ONLY SNOW OF THE YEAR SO FAR. THIS IS TYPICAL TO OUR WEATHER HERE. WE GET MOST OF OUR SNOW IN THE MONTHS OF MARCH AND APRIL. OUR SNOW FALL IS VERY SCARCE MOST YEARS AND SO FAR THIS HAS BEEN A VERY DRY ONE, JUST WHEN WE REALLY NEED IT MOST. WE WILL BEGIN TO READY THE FORT FOR THE EARLY TOURIST SEASON STARTING VERY SOON. WE ARE ALREADY STARTING TO HAVE LARGE SCHOOL GROUPS IN FOR THE SPRING OUTINGS. WE LIKE TO SEE THE KIDS OUT TO SEE A PIECE OF OUR HISTORY. IF YOU HAVE NOT VISITED US YET, WHY NOT PUT IN ON YOUR VACATION PLANS TO COLORADO THIS YEAR. IT IS REALLY WORTH SEEING.

THIS IS A GOOD PHOTO OF SOME OF THE DRIED FOODS HANGING IN THE KITCHEN. THEY DID NOT HAVE A GREAT SELECTION OUT HERE ON THE PRAIRIES BACK IN 1833. THEY WERE VERY LUCKY TO HAVE WHAT YOU SEE HERE SOME OF THE TIME. THEY TRIED TO GARDEN HERE, BUT WERE NEVER TO SUSTAIN A RELIABLE CROP. IT IS MUCH TO ARID HERE AND ALSO HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE INDIANS GETTING IN TO IT AND TRAMPLING IT OUT. THEY PRETTY MUCH HAD TO RELY ON THE RETURN WAGONS FROM SANTA FE TO BRING UP A LOT OF THE NEEDED SUPPLIES FOR COOKING. OF COURSE THERE WAS ALWAYS PLENTY OF MEATS, COFFEE, FLOUR, TOBACCO AND WHISKEY.

THIS IS JUST A SMALL PORTION OF THE TOOLS AVAILABLE TO THE BLACKSMITH(SMOKEY WAS THE NAME IN 1840'S) HE WAS UP BEFORE DAWN AND STILL WORKING INTO THE NIGHT MANY OF THE DAYS. YOU COULD HERE THE RING OF HIS HAMMER FOR A LONG WAY AROUND. YOU COULD SEE THE GLOW OF THE FORGE AND SMELL THE OF THE HOT STEEL AND GLOWING COALS. HARDLY ANY ONE WAS MORE IMPORTANT TO THE EXISTENCE OF THE FORT THAN "SMOKEY"

THIS WAS THE PRIDE OF THE BENT'S OLD FORT. IF THEY DID NOT HAVE IT OR COULD NOT FIND IT THEN THEY DID THEIR BEST TO MAKE IT....THERE WAS ALWAYS PLENTY OF SCRAP METAL AROUND AS THEY NEVER DISPOSED OF ANY OF IT. IT WAS TO VALUABLE OUT HERE 800 MILES FROM ST. LOUIS. WHEN SOMETHING BROKE THEY JUST HAD TO FIX IT SOMEHOW THAT'S ALL THERE WAS TO IT. RIGHT NEXT TO THE BLACKSMITH SHOP WAS THE CARPENTRY SHOP WHICH WORKED ON WAGON WHEELS ALL DAY LONG. FROM REPAIRING TO MAKING NEW ONES. THE CARPENTER WAS ONE OF THE MOST VALUED EMPLOYEES OF BENT'S OLD FORT.