I am not quite as technologically together as I like to pretend
Three months later, winter has set in and maybe I will tell some of my favorite moments of my summer holiday. Now, one of the highlights of going to South Dakota was the gift of a digital camera and one of the reasons to invest in the new computer (whose sound works and has a lovely flat screen, but alas my age of mythology won't play) was the idea that we could play with photographs. I had visions that I would post up a few photo. Maybe a picture of the chocolate fountains. Or the mammoth bones. Or the raccons viewed from the canoes as we wandered down the Niobrara. But well, if we wait for the the photos of the trees on fire, the tale will never be told.

And well, my father is insane. He has been insane more or less since he retired before he wanted to. I can hear you saying, no Kate, your father isn't insane. Listen, I went through that period where he went around with the hand strenghtener device, exercising his hands because he planned to climb up some frozen waterfall in the rockies. Mad as a hatter. Lately his madness has taken the form of defense of George W. I mean the man emailed me and asked me to vote Republican! What child did he think he was talking too? I mention this only because last month he sent me an email blaming some of the problems of New Orleans on people staying behind in their houses. I resisted the urge to remind him of my memories of this summer.

We went out for dinner. By we I mean my 'rents, the H, my aunt and uncle and no blessing. The blessing stayed behind to be looked after by 16 year old cousin. Before we left, my mother asked if it was okay for neice to babysit, mentioning niece's training in first aid, experience, etc. I did think that despite her habit of wearing black, neice could be more trained in looking after the blessing than me. So we go out to eat. Steaks. It was South Dakota. Lovely steaks. That night there was a bit of a thunderstorm. So we eat too much, drink some wine, have coffee. Then head back to the house. The 'rents live about six miles outside Rapid City. On the road we get passed by a fire truck. Then we get passed by another fire truck. Then we can see the smoke. And we talk about the fire being in my 'rents' development. And then my mother starts getting worried. "Tell the firemen to let us through. There are children in the house!!!" We get to the house. The niece is a bit freaked out. We can go out on the back deck and look at the fire in the trees. Actually, upon pulling up in the driveway, I wonder outloud if I should grab the camera, my insane father admits that's what he is doing. And I think, why should I bother, he will get better pictures. So he is out with his tripod when the sheriff comes by and asks us to evacuate. Will my father evacuate as asked? Don't be ridiculous. He is staying to defend his house. Watering down the deck. The H decides to stay too as part of some masculine solidarity. We grab the cat, the family bible, the children and my mother's locked box of papers and head into two. Two hours later, the fire is out and we return. A house did burn down. It was kind of exciting. And well in times of crisis, no one in my family has the least bit of sense.
Now if only I could upload the pictures.