Brookings Art Festival

South Dakota's Finest

2 day Art Festival...

Brookings, South Dakota...

200 Top National Artists

42 Gourmet & Ethnic Food Booths

11 Antique & Collectible Booths

22 Historic Displays & Old West Booths

This is the one, folks!

The one we would travel 100 miles

to see the latest and greatest,

crafi-est, hottest, trendi-est,

you-name-it-est...

funnest art show 

in our fine state!!

And this year

I got to do it all by myself,

just me and my Canon!!

It was a little soggy when I first arrived,

with a few clouds lingering and some 

drippy drips falling from the sky...

 

some of the vendors were wondering 

the same thing as I was (I'm sure)...

 

are we gonna get rained out today or what??

 

eventually, we all agreed the rain was done 

and it turned into a beautiful, cool day to 

enjoy some art, food, and music in the park!

 

I actually had a boxing match with 

myself to get passed the corndog stand!

 

 

 

Good Grief, Corn Dogs and Cheese Curds??

 

They know the way to this girl's heart!!

 

I ended up at the Stir Fry Stand

(all vegetable and low fat blah,blah,blah)

and, it was delicious!!

What a treat it was to be able to stroll

and cajole through hundreds of booths

on my own, nobody pushing me

or moaning and groaning

(yes, I actually heard some fellows

groaning from the pain of following

their spouse through a jewelry booth)...

 I certainly hope she groans with equal intensity the

next time he wants to watch a football game 

on the family t.v.!

Anyway...

I haven't been to this art fair

in quite a number of years,

and I  enjoyed

every minute!

Here are some of my highlights...

Unique to Antique

Sturgis, South Dakota

Furnishings, Jewelry, Accessories

 Another temptation

was Mastel's 

Blooming Onion!!

they were lined up for it...

The manly men,

you know,  (the ones groaning

about jewelry shopping) were all

lined up for a cool collector's mug

of old fashioned soda pop!

I think just standing

in front of a booth 

called Wild Bill's

made them feel better!

this person statue

was about the coolest

thing in the park!

What do you think...

statue or person??

Here's a closer look...

the blue eyes give it away!

 (I'm still at a loss as to male 

or female slugger?)

 

And as for my favorite booth...

this one takes the honors...

  

I loved the unique artsy jewelry,

the trendy style of blending old

with new...

the authentic displays 

brought together a perfect match

and made me want to get out 

the plastic to take it all home with me!

 

So I splurged on a funky little

bauble for me...

a fun necklace...

A pretty little 

locket for 

a picture

of the grands....

An uppercase 'L' for "Lusty"...

and a crown 

for the queen of picklin'...

(oops, did I say lusty? 

I meant Lisa!)

 Just talkin' to

those gals made

me dip into my sassy side!

Two fun gals

and one Funky Booth

check them out 

here:

 funk'd up junk

The Junk JezeBelles

Such a fun festival!

this South Dakota Girl

needs to do it every year!

How about next year

we make it a date?

See you then! 

Lisa

This is a 

public service announcement...

We interrupt this summer

to remind you

to

stop what you are doing!

and

just breathe...

Feel

 the summer breeze...

See

 the pretty posies...

 Relax and take

it all in.

Just because 

life is too

short 

not 

to.

Have a great weekend!

Lisa

Independence Day 2013

Fun-filled...

action-packed...

(please, can I sleep for 

a week to rest up 

from all of the 

hoopla!!!)

We relied on the 

grands to entertain us

and they did not disappoint!!

We spent time 
with our family...
all of us on the farm...

enjoying some
freedom,
liberty,
and 
baby-back ribs 
for all!!

 

Our fireworks show

was 

down right

AWESOME!!

 

 

One of the best things
about 
country living
is blowing
up big fireworks...

You can't do that 
in New York City!!

  

 But, before the big show
started 
we were treated 
to a special
"Twirler Prelude"




Grandma dug out her old
baton and twirling outfit,
 it fit Miss Domino perfectly...





She was a real crowd pleaser...

Just like me back in 1971
(Not Really)
I was too nervous
to remember
my one and only performance
at the school gym!

  

 Ugh, that was a long time ago!!


Here it is 2013
and our sweetheart
is making me happy
that I'm such  a
sentimental fool
and can't throw anything away!






She warmed up 
the crowd with 
her cute smile
and charming performance...

and then the fireworks began...


 


The sky lit up
over and over
the "ahhh's" and "oooo's"
followed!

Campfires and smores

every night since

and 

a Country

Barn Dance 

on Saturday Night!

We all got "duded" up
for that...

Grandpa was the 

most popular dude 

at the dance!...

 

How about you,

was your dance card full?

And are you rested up yet??

Give me a week

and I'll be missing

the screams and giggles...

 I hope your holiday

was a Blast!

God Bless the USA,

Lisa

I Could Be a Choc-a-holic

When the neighbors

brought over 

the newest 

member of 

their family...

I melted...

 

Well, what would you do?

 

One look into those sad, dopey, eyes...

my heart was 

beating faster,

my palms started

sweating...

Somebody get me

a Hershey bar...

QUICK!!

Did you think I was 

going to say PUPPY?

Not unless it's

a she

and 

she's 

a 

Golden Retriever!!

now,

pass the Chocolate,please!!

Happy Monday,

Lisa

Just One Wish

If  only one

of my wishes

would 

come true...

I would want it 

to be the one

where 

Summer

lasts forever...

I could stay busy

outdoors

forever...

The Fourth of July 

would come 

every 3 months

 Every day Sully

would wake me at 7

and I could go 

fetch some flowers...

And the tiller would 

stay busy 

replanting crops

for year-round

fresh veggies!

Dream on,

Lisa

Encore!

Do all little kids 

dream of being musicians...

or

 rock stars...

or a conductor of a symphony?

I can still remember

standing on the picnic 

table directing my

imaginary orchestra

with my homemade baton

(a skinny scrap of 1970's paneling

wrapped in masking tape for reinforcement)

I was so upset when mom found it

and threw it out!!

She didn't know what it was,

and I was too embarrassed to tell her

what I was using it for.

Lord knows, they made me watch

the Lawrence Welk show every week

and

 we practically wore out the record player

with Glen Miller....

she should've started me on the 

trombone right then and there!!

 

 I did get my chance to be in an orchestra...

As fifth graders we got to begin

in C band...

We all got to choose from the school's

instruments to rent, unless your parents

could afford to buy you an instrument!

By the time my turn came up there was 

a french horn and a tuba left!

(another disadvantage of your last name

starting with "T")

 After the band instructor 

gave me quite a lengthy pep talk

on the French Horn,

I decided I would give it a try.

To make a long story short...

I stayed in band all through school

and enjoyed every practice, concert, tour,

musical, and sporting event!

The best thing a parent can do is 

support a child that wants to be in music. period! 

Exclamation!!

Band and choir gave me a better

appreciation for music...

to this day I would rather 

listen to music than 

do just about anything!

And that is why

I just about flipped out 

when our daughter-in-law's

parents got me a ticket to the 

symphony on our visit to Kansas City!

(first off, I only brought sloppy clothes

because it was just a quick trip!)

the next thing I knew I was shopping 

for symphony clothes!!

This wasn't just a "symphony"

it was the

Lee's Summit Symphony 10th Anniversary

at the 

Kauffman Center

 And it was our beloved in-law, Karl's,

original composition debut

"Celebrate the Collective"

a masterful piece of work

that filled me with joy and amazement!

I knew he was a very talented oboe player

and now I got to experience the full realm 

of his musical genius 

 The music was breath-taking...

 The acoustics were phenomenal...

 

 I actually changed seats at intermission

and the sound was perfect from any angle!

 I definately recommend 

the symphony if you haven't 

been for awhile

 And a symphony 

at the Kauffman Center

in downtown Kansas City

is the experience of a lifetime!!

 Thank you Karl and Jeanne!!

 

 A night at the symphony

made this Grandma remember

and realize the importance of music...

And the night shall be filled with music,

And the cares that infest the day

Shall fold their tents like the Arabs

And as silently steal away.

                 ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

 

 

P.S. 

My good friend James Webb played 

that left-over Tuba,

and played it better than anyone in the

history of the W.S.H.S marching band...

Good things happen with a 

music-filled heart!

 

OOOmmPPaaPPaa!!

Lisa