More of Grandma Effie's

Paul's Dad modified this wagon for Paul and his sister Debbie probably 40 years ago.  The older kids used it when we lived in North Dakota and now Sarah is enjoying being pulled around by her brothers.

Anna and Joshua are getting the garden ready to plant.

The kids are planting corn.  David is making sure he helps because Grandma said she was going to serve pop to the hardworking gardeners.

One of the boys favorite projects while we were in North Dakota was to trap gophers.  They checked their traps daily and got a total of 29 gophers.  Below Quentin is holding his first victim.  I sent my camera along with him to get some pictures of them setting the traps, unfortunately it disappeared from his coat pocket.  Somewhere out there the gophers are having fun taking pictures of each other.  I had to get a new camera, which wasn't too bad because the cameras keep getting slimmer and trimmer.  My new one fits easily right in my pocket.
The kids are climbing on Grandma's steel building, which Anna refers to as the culvert building.
We enjoyed taking walks out on the runway.  Most of the trees in North Dakota are planted around farmsteads.  When you walk out of the shelter belt the wind really howls.  Paul learned to fly in a Citabrea on this little strip.
After church one Sunday it was so nice out that we had a picnic in the front yard.  Annie and Rags are our two dogs in the picture that we left with Effie when we moved to Alaska.  They've grown old and distinguished over the years as you can see by their white faces.
Paul got out his old saxophone.  We'll have to take it back to Nondalton with us so Paul can play with the kids in their worship band.
When we first arrived in North Dakota the spring flood waters were still receding.  This year there was a lot of flooding and the farmers were way behind schedule in getting their crops in.  Joshua is out on the raft in a little pond that forms every year in Effie's yard.  By the time we left there wasn't very much water left.
The kids got Grandma Effie's golf cart out and used it to trap gophers and race around the farm.
In Alaska we very rarely hear thunder or see lightening.  We had a pretty good storm one night so the girls got out of bed to go out and see the lightening.
Deborah enjoys reading and Grandma Effie has a good selection of books.  Deborah read a fair number of them while we were there.

David and Anna out by the old cow barn.