Heading South

As we headed south to visit our family we ran into torrential rains that caused flooding in Chicago and surrounding areas.  Since we had to travel across Illinois this made travel very difficult so we hunkered down in Bloomington to wait out the storm.

The next day proved clear and sunny and, after the very long winter in North Dakota, we were so happy to feel the warm sunshine and to see GREEN instead of white.

 

The wild flowers are blooming.

We could not get enough of the green, it has been a very long winter up north.

 

We spent a few days with our family, visited with friends, and headed back to Wisconsin.

The weather has started changing and the snow is melting so the trip back north was much nicer than the one heading south.

 

We passed this interesting monolith in southern Wisconsin.  I am not sure what causes these but we have passes them in quite a few different areas of the country.

Our new job begins in a week.  We are excited to see what the Lord has in store for us.

The Adventure Continues

Our project in North Dakota is over and we went to work the last day to pack up our computers and supplies. 

 

First ones to arrive each day must open the gate and the trailers.  The gate is cold and the wind is strong, so I wait in the car and keep the heat going.

The weather was not cooperating and we worked as fast as we could to head out of town.

 

 A snow storm was on the way and we were just ahead of it all the way to Hayward, WI.
Our hotel was super nice.  It is a Comfort Suite in a ski resort area.

 

 

The ground was still covered with ice and overnight more frost fell and froze on the trees.

 

By afternoon it had cleared up enough to visit the little shops in town.  The snow moved back in later in the afternoon.  We found a few Christmas gifts as we shopped in the snow, in April!

 

A really quaint little restaurant we visited is called the Norse Nook.  It is a small little place overflowing with atmosphere and we really enjoyed it.

 

Our whole reason for selecting this city is because it is the location of the very first Famous Dave's BBQ Shack.  We love Famous Dave's and visit whenever we get a chance.  This one is about 45 minutes from Superior, WI.

 

As usual the food was great.

 

The next morning we headed north to Superior, again trying to outrun the snow. 

 

We had a final meeting with our bosses to turn over paperwork and we headed south for a visit with our family before we begin our next project.

The Things We Take For Granted

The project that has provided us a job in North Dakota is winding to a close.  Most of the crew has moved on to the next project and they are quickly condensing our offices.

As part of this condensing my hubby and I were moved back into one office.  We started out sharing an office and shortly were each given our own office, now we are back together.  Good thing we get along and work well together.

Last week they packed up everything they wanted for the new offices which includes tables, chairs, desks, kitchen utensils and appliances, office supplies and just about anything else not currently being used.  They even took our coffeepot and now we must go to the other trailer for coffee.  All that was ok because for the most part it did not affect us.

This week, however, the condensing and reducing expenses has begun to affect us in a major way. 

Our trailers are located out on the prairie and we have no city services except electricity.  Our drinking water is brought out in bottles by the local water supplier.  We have 2 coolers for the 5 gallon bottles and cases of bottles. 

The sewage and sink water is stored in tanks in these outbuildings.  One holds grey water-non-potable-to be used for flushing and hand washing only.  The other holds the sewage and water from the sink drain.  When the potable water tank runs low the plumber comes out and refills it and empties the other tank.

We had no idea how good we had it until this week when they came to shut down our water supply and thus, our toilets. 

 

 

They are moving the buildings and tanks to the new job site and we are left with no running water and this is our new toilet.

Keep in mind the weather up here is still in the teens at night and high 20's in the daytime.  This means it is cold in the portajohn all the time.  Then there is the fact of no running water to wash hands. 

All of this has proven to provide a surge of business for the local gas station.  We make a run there in the morning when it is way too cold to use the portajohn and to enjoy the soap and running water.  Ahh, the joy of modern day luxuries!!

Our plan at the moment is to leave this jobsite this afternoon and take a little time off before we begin our new job.  One thing we will not miss is the portajohn!

Sigh...

This is the general feeling of just about everyone up in the north as we prepare for, yet another snow storm.  It really does seem as though winter will never end.

We have progressed from subzero temperatures and the lows are generally in the teens.  The days warm up to the high 20's.  I know that does not sound like it is very warm but when you have been in such bitter cold for so very long and you get bright sunshiny days that are 28-why it is almost pleasant.

The weatherman is predicting another 3-6 inches of snow this weekend.  Not too terribly cold but even dry snow is heavy and causes a mess on the roads and parking lots. Not to mention our driveway, which we finally got clear of all the snow and ice from the winter's havoc. 

Oh, well, guess we will be pulling out the heavy coats and snow shovels again for at least one more day of winter frolic.

Sunday Surprise

It was April 7th (yesterday) and we got ready for church and went outside to find this-

 

A bit surprised to find over an inch of snow, good thing we were early so we had time to brush it all off.

 

This is the first time we have had wet snow in North Dakota.  The weather has warmed up a bit so the snow is much heavier and denser than our normal dry, fluffy snow.

 

By the time church was over, all the snow had melted and everything was a wet mess.  We are expecting more snow tonight and tomorrow.  You just gotta love springtime in North Dakota!

Making Do

We have been working in North Dakota on a project that is coming to completion.  The offices are slowly being emptied of all unnecessary furniture and supplies.  So when we got to work this morning the refrigerator was gone, being shipped to the new offices.

I was trying to find a way to cool our drinks for lunch and started towards the other office trailer when I remembered this right outside our door-

This pile of leftover snow and ice is about 5 feet long, 2 feet wide and 3 feet tall. 

Being a previous homeschool mom, this looked like a science experiment in the making.  I pushed our 2 soda cans into the snow and left them for a couple hours.

At lunch we enjoyed our nice, cool sodas.  What a treat-and no electricity necessary.  As our last few days working at this site come to an end, we must find things to keep us busy!

The Adventure Continues

We started this adventure, living in North Dakota, almost 2 years ago and it is finally winding down.  Phase 2 of our adventure will be taking us to Superior, WI in a few weeks.

We have found a good church in Minot, ND, Harvest Reformed Church, and will be sad to leave all the many friends we have made.  We are so thankful for Harvest and the blessing it has been to both of us, a good church family is very important to a content life.

So it is with bittersweet feelings that we prepare for the next phase of our adventure.  Our first challenge will be to find a church and we are hoping to make the trip next weekend to check out a possibility.  We also will need to find a place to live.  Lots of excitement coming up but I sure dread the idea of moving.

Hoping to get pictures and be back with info on our new home soon.