Family, Fun, and Food!

Jon and I just got back from our trip out West.  This was a different vacation - not only did we take our two labs, but my parents also went and took their two labs.  And - we went to South Dakota to visit Stephen, as well as my sister, Deb, and her husband, Brian.  What a trip it was!  My parents left about a week before us so they could attend the grand opening of a museum in the town my dad grew up in - Pickstown, SD.  The following day was a school reunion for him so they also attended that.  Tom Brokaw was the keynote speaker for the museum opening as he also grew up in this same town, with my dad.  They had a great time and my dad enjoyed seeing all of his classmates and old friends.  From there they went to Stephen's house for a couple days and then on to my sister's where we all eventually ended up together.


Jon and I got to Stephen's house on a Friday afternoon.  We spent the afternoon/evening getting the grand tour of his home and town. Annie and Suzy got to meet their "cousin" Blanton (a Rhodesian Ridgeback who just turned a year old).  Annie loved him. I now know why Stephen loves living where he does.  He works for a juvenile detention facility and lives inside Custer State Park.  Steve's backyard is literally thousands of acres and he has buffalo, bighorn sheep, turkeys, mountain lions, you name it - roaming through his "yard".  We didn't see a mountain lion, but we saw plenty of everything else.  For dinner Steve took us into town and we ate at a great little place called Black Hills Burger and Bun.  Quite possibly the best burgers ever!  The servers were all friendly and it was obvious Steve is a regular - they all knew him by name. 
                               


Once at my sister's house there was quite a houseful.  Luckily Deb's house is huge and could hold all of us and all of the dogs.  Steve packed his dog up and also stayed there.  It was one big happy party for a week!  In the mornings we would go kayaking/fishing.   We found a few wineries to visit and did some other sight-seeing.


Deb made a few awesome meals.  The best was pork medallions with a raspberry sauce, twice-baked potatoes, salad, and green beans.  A couple bottles of wine and this meal was as good as anything from a restaurant.  We also ate out a few times.  Steve, Deb & Brian have a favorite Italian restaurant in Rapid City they love.  Botticelli's was fabulous!  The food was great, service super, and it was quite obvious they are regulars - the servers and owner knew them all by name.  After that meal we headed across the street to the Main Street Square and grabbed a table to watch the kids play in the fountains.  As it got dark the lights came on in the fountains and it was beautiful to watch.  Also - once our dinner settled in our stomachs we found our way to the homemade ice cream shop. That was a perfect treat to a perfect evening!


Sunday afternoon Deb had a cook-out and we got to see a few of her friends we had met before.  It was fun to just visit, eat, and of course enjoy Fish House Punch!  No family gathering is complete without it.  We first had Fish House Punch years ago when we helped to put on a large AKC dog show each year.  After the show there would be a cocktail hour, then dinner, for all the judges and club members.  Fish House Punch was the traditional beverage for the cocktail hour. 


The time flew by way too quickly and before we knew it we were heading back toward home.  As we pulled out of Deb's driveway my tears could not stop flowing.  It had been a wonderful week and I loved every minute of spending time with my sister, brother-in-law and especially Steve.  Having my parents there also was a special bonus.  As our truck rolled down I-90 toward home I just wanted to grab that steering wheel and turn around and go back.


We made a few stops along the way home to stretch our legs.  One of those stops was at a cheese place in Wisconsin.  After all, who can pass through Wisconsin and not buy some cheese?  Not us! 


When we finally arrived home, our dogs were happy to see their own yard.  First stop for them was a splash in the creek!