From Vickie Metcalfe (70):

GARY, ART HAGEN POSTED THIS ON CARING BRIDGE YESTERDAY. WE HAVE LOST A WONDERFUL PERSON AND GREAT THIRD GRAD EDUCATOR. VICKIE

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. To Let you know that Mavis lost her battle to cancer at 5:14PM Feb 12 , 2009.

Love you all Arthur, Devonne, Jon, Jarik, Joashua, Keisha and Keiandra

Condolences to the Art Hagen family from Lynn Halvorson Otto (75):

Message from Erling Landsverk (44):

HI GARY!

I HAVE BEEN READING THE DAILY DUNSEITH ALUMNI NEWS AND MEMORIES. I AM AWARE THAT MY AGE PREVENTS ME FROM ASSOCIATING FACES WITH THE FAMILY NAMES I READ. I COULDN’T HELP BUT HAVE MY MEMORY JOLTED WHEN BUTTE, ST. PAUL APPEARED IT SO HAPPENS THAT MY FATHER GUNDER LANDSVERK BUILT THE CAIRN MONUMENT ON TOP OF THE BUTTE, AND OUR FAMILY ATTENDED THE STATE CELEBRATION THERE IN 1933 I BELIEVE. I REMEMBER ACCOMPANYING MY DAD, ALONG WITH MY BROTHERS WHO WERE OLDER, AND HELPED DAD BY MIXING MORTAR, AND CARRYING STONES, I REMEMBER ROLLING A COUPLE OF STONES DOWN THE SOUTH FACE OF THE BUTTE UNTILL MY DAD CAUGHT ME, AND SCOLDED ME FOR DOING THAT. HE REMARKED IN NORWEIGEN” STOP THAT, ITS HARD ENOUGH TO GET THE STONES UP HERE, WITHOUT YOU ROLLING THEM BACK DOWN” I REMEMBER THE STONES WERE HAULED UP ON STONE BOATS WITH HORSES. THE WORK WAS DONE BY MY FATHER, SOME OF HIS FAMILY MEMBERS, AND NEIGHBORS WITHOUT COST EXCEPT FOR THE LIME AND CEMENT THAT WENT INTO THE MORTAR, AND I AM NOT SURE THAT THEY DIDN’T ALL CONTRIBUTE TO THAT AS WELL. . I LAST VISITED IT IN 1992, AND I WAS ADVISED BY MY UNCLE THAT HE HAD TO REPAIR SOME DAMAGE CAUSED BY VANDALS, AND I NOTICED THAT A FENCE HAD BEEN INSTALLED TO PROTECT THE MONUMENT TO EARLY MISSIONARIES, AND I BELIEVE IT WAS FATHER BOTTINEAU. SUSAN MARTEN’S ACCOUNT OF SOME OF HER CHILDHOOD WAS FASCINATING, SINCE WE VISITED KOTSCHEVARS DEER HEART LODGE QUITE FREQUENTLY, AND I STILL REMEMBER SOME SUVENIERS THAT MY PARENTS HAD. THE MINERAL SPRINGS ADVENTURES SURELY RING A BELL FOR OUR FAMILY AND NEIGHBORS AS WELL. ALTHOUGH SUSAN IS YOUNG ENOUGH TO BE A DAUGHTER OUR MEMORIES OF THE TURTLE MOUNTAINS(HILLS)ARE STRIKINGLY SIMILAR. I SURELY REMEMBER LLOYD AWALT, I SHOULD, WE WERE CLASSMATES, UNTILL IN 1943 HE JOINED THE NAVY, AND OUR FAMILY MOVED TO WISCONSIN, AND I LATER ENTERED THE ARMY AND SERVED IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC. FROM WHAT I HAVE READ IN THE E MAILS, LLOYD APPEARS TO BE JUST AS GUNG HO AS EVER.. I COULD GO ON AND MENTION LOTS OF FOLKS, AND ALL THE MEMORIES, BUT I BETTER STOP AND GIVE SOMEONE ELSE AN OPPORTUNITY. THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY GARY. HAVE A GREAT VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE!

ERLING LANDSVERK

Erling, I am so sorry I missed posting this message of yours with yesterday’s blog. I just discovered I missed sending it. Gary

Reply from Ele Dietrich Slyter (69):

Thank you Dick for the pictures…I remember going to Deer Heart Park every summer, just as we went to the Peace Garden every summer for a picnic. It was a magical place to me. Seeing all the animals and bridge, cabin and flower beds tucked into the trees as if they had just sprung up right where they were. Everything sort of fit into the way the trees grew. And you never knew what new sight was going to greet you around the next corner. I wish I could take my kids and grandkids to see it in person instead of trying to tell them about it and show them pictures.

Reply from Gary Metcalfe (57):

Hello Gary and Friends,

About Morris Azure, if I am not mistaken, Morris was part of a unique family. His parents, Fred Azure’s ran a very homey type store up on the Reservation for many years. His sisters were rural school teachers, Ackworth for one. Viola married Hartley Carlson from Bottineau.

For what it is worth….I don’t claim to be an authority on world cruises, but Bruce Williams may be. If you don’t know who Bruce Williams is ask Billy Grimme, he seemed to also be a fan of Bruce. Bruce claims to have been on many world cruises and says if you only do one cruise in a lifetime, it has got to be an Alaskan Cruise.

Gary Metcalfe

PS Gary told me that the story about the horse races/foot races that the Native American in the story with the ponytail sticking straight out was ON FOOT, NOT A HORSE. Sue

Gary, As with Erling’s message, I missed sending this yesterday. Sorry about that. Gary

Reply from Paula Fassett (71):

My sisters both wrote, so I’d better get my two cents worth in, too! Cheryl Kester mentioned the ‘quaking bog’, which was at Mineral Springs. As kids we used to hike up there every now and again and the bog was always fascinating! In another stage of my life, old Louie Racine (grandfather to Vincent “Vinnie” Racine, for those of you who know him) talked about it and called it “mushkeg” – which I think is a Cree word – or variation of one – for that kind of area. It’s moss, dead plants, etc., that are more or less suspended or floating on water that seeps from – in this case – the spring and is between that mossy crap and hard ground – voila – quaking bog. There’s probably some fiction mixed in with my fact, but that’s my story. Crystal, I’m glad you added in the part where Susan fell off the log and into the creek – we’ve teased her about that for about 40 years now!!!

Paula Fassett

Paula, Like with Gary M’s and Erling’s messages, I missed sending this one of yours too, yesterday. My apologies. Gary

Reply to Lynn Henriksen (64) from Bill Grimme (65):

Lynn,

This is my Valentine to you. Nice article. I enjoyed reading it very much.

Bill Grimme

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Folks, I see Bill sent this message via his Blackberry, so he must still be traveling. He called me a few days ago from San Francisco. The next day his plans were to rent a car and head south to visit/vacation in Carmel, Monterey, Big Sir, etc. Gary

Reply from Trish Larson Clayburgh (73):

Hi Gary,

I was really surprised to see an “entry” from my cousin Linda this morning. I haven’t been keeping up with the Dunseith “blog” lately – I’ve been too busy. But I have saved them all and will catch up later on a rainy day…

I wrote an email to Linda, and when I was done, I realized that my memories of those North Dakota summers might stir up similar memories for others, so I thought I’d send it to you to post it if you want to. Linda’s parents were wonderful North Dakota farm people – with big hearts and big laughter. I always enjoyed our summer vacations there, before we moved in 1969 to finally live in North Dakota, near where my mom had grown up.

Here’s what I remembered today, and thanks Gary again for all that you do.
From Trish Larson Clayburgh to Linda Gardner, my favorite cousin:

Hi Linda,

I was surprised to hear that you now live on the West coast. I had no idea!

I live in Fort Collins, CO, not Phoenix. I moved here about 4.5 years ago. I love it here, and have gotten more into my horses than ever. I’m in training to compete this spring in the sport of eventing – a combination of jumping, cross country trials, and dressage. I’m having the time of my life! My “day job” is working as a trauma nurse in an emergency room. We work three 12 hour shifts a week, so that gives me 4 days off to ride my horses, and I’m just loving it! Colorado offers so many opportunities for horse lovers.

It’s funny – my lifelong obsession with horses all started for me as a child on those trips to North Dakota. I was completely horse crazy (which I’m quite sure is a genetic defect), and I remember learning to ride one summer at your house on that big fat black mare at your farm. I was in bliss….my legs could barely hang on to her big round back, and I fell off a hundred times I’m sure, but never really got hurt for some reason. It was heaven for me – riding in the sunshine through the trails to the fields where your brother and dad would be cutting hay or harvesting in the sunshine. I was quite fascinated with the beauty of the rows of cut hay and how they managed to drive that hilly terrain. I would sit on the horse near the edge of the field for hours, watching the farm work, completely happy.

Later, when we moved to Dunseith, it was your dad that helped me find Shawnee, that scraggly little filly palomino I had through high school. She eventually became a wonderful friend and a beautiful sweet horse. My dad bought the horse for me, but it was Uncle Bill who helped me learn to take care of her – from teaching me how to brush her out to fitting the saddle and bridle, and riding her for the first time. I can still remember his laughter and delight in your big barn. He really loved animals and children, didn’t he?

I loved your parents – they were always so good to me, and visits to your farm were always a pleasure to be anticipated. I remember the “Pet” skunk in your chicken house (who was probably enjoying several eggs a day, don’t you think?), and all those baby chicks in the the barn, under that huge light. I also remember my first experience with picking huge grape sized ticks off your farm dogs, and then squishing them on rocks. Uff Dah! I’m surprised my brother didn’t figure out a way to torture me with those….maybe he was as grossed out as I was.

One of the fondest memories of my youth is the homemade ice cream during the summers at your farm, made with the fresh cream from your cows. I remember all the men – your dad, my dad, Lloyd, taking turns turning the crank. As a kid, I couldn’t imagine how it could taste so freaking good with all that salt in it!!! I had no idea back then that the salt was on the outside, working to increase the chill on the cream. I think people enjoyed confusing me – I was like six years old? There were so many of us, there was never enough ice cream left for me – I got only a taste – but it was heavenly!

And of course your mother’s strawberry patch – wow. She grew the biggest strawberries ever! And the raspberries. Eating them with cream and sugar while playing cards at your kitchen table – crazy 8’s I think it was, and of course Rummy! Lloyd was always so funny. There was lots of laughter….and rides on the tractor to the swimming hole after long days of work and for me, riding all day long on that poor black horse.

Anyhow – it’s good to hear from you. What’s going on in your life now?

Trish

Trish Larson Clayburgh in the Rawah Wilderness, CO

Message/Picture from Crystal Fassett Andersen (70):

Frozen Fingers Festival posted by Neola Kofoid Garbe:

From Mark Schimetz (70):

http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/61-2009/leginfo/bills-res-jour/index.html

www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/61-2009

Above will get you to various links in the ND Legislators assembly. There is Video access to the floor but none to the 23 standing committees at this time, however hearing schedules are available on the web site

INFORMATION IS FROM AARP.

att: Gary Stokes. You may publish this on in your blog if you wish. I am sure many will be interested in the health care legislation alone this session.