Category Archives: Around Bismarck-Mandan

It’s even the perfect color!

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lambo_iphone_2124Anyone who knows me knows that I love that Kawasaki Green.  I’ve been a diehard Kawasaki fan for decades and have owned many green bikes over the years, including two of my bikes now.   I have lots of lime green possessions as well, many of which have little or nothing to do with motorcycles.

That’s one reason why I spotted this car from a LONG distance yesterday.  I’m sure many of you saw it making the rounds, or parked at Hu Hot, or wherever else it was cruising around.  Awesome. Lamborghinis have been among my favorite cars since junior high school (I’m sure most boys agree), but they’re a rarity around here.  Maybe the Bakken boom has something to do with their appearance.  Out of respect for the privacy of the owner, I obscured the license plate – but I will say that it was a North Dakota plate.

I heard an unconfirmed report of an orange one in town too, but I’m not sure if that one is very credible.  In any case, they sure do add to the scenery here in Bismarck-Mandan!

It’s okay, Bismarck; the sand is safe

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safe_sand_28754I just got done running a bunch of errands for my wife and myself, from Menards to south Walmart and points in between.  I’m glad to count myself not among one of the unlucky drivers rammed by an out-of-state “new arrival” winter driving noob, or who kissed a curb because a seemingly innocent looking turning lane was actually a rocket chute to disaster, or who realized that being able to brake or turn safely is a privilege not always available to everyone.  No, I was one of the lucky drivers who was able to drift around town in four wheel drive with my Spidey sense tingling but made it home intact.

I had to run to the south Walmart in my travels, so I thought I’d inspect the Public Works building on South 26th Street to see what kind of preparations were underway.  After all, tomorrow morning brings the start of a busy work week, and seemingly every intersection in town has been glazed to Zamboni-esque perfection.  As you can see above, those responsible for making things safe for local drivers must be tucked snugly away with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads or something.

It was maddening to see absolutely ZERO sand or gravel applied to major intersections. For example, the top of 9th Street – where one turns onto State Street to continue north – had a particular mirror-like sheen that made the right turn extremely treacherous, and doing so without either ramming a curb or drifting into the adjacent lane a feat of skill.  Then to see that apparently nobody’s gearing up to do it later is infuriating.  Crashing is dangerous and expensive.

This reminds me of when I left Bismarck to attend NDSU.  I looked outside in astonishment that the City of Fargo was actually plowing the streets while it was still snowing!  I’d never seen anything like that.  No matter how bad and impassible Bismarck roads seem to get, it becomes apparent that someone must make the decision to keep all snow removal assets in the garage until the snow stops.  After all, we’d hate to have to clear a street twice, wouldn’t we?

Watch out in the morning.  You’ve been warned.

The lights are on, but nobody’s home

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chambers_pan_iphoneClick on the image for a larger version

I was able to visit the capitol around the lunch hour yesterday and, while taking a cruise around the building I love so much, took the opportunity to poke my head into the two legislative chambers.  They’re always open for the public to take a look, with ropes designating the limited area in which we’re allowed to enter.  It was enough for me to do a couple of quick panoramics to assemble into this composite.

It won’t be long before these chambers are full with a flurry of activity.  We’re right in the middle of the biennium, with elections one short year away and a session to follow.

28,000 at Papa’s Pumpkin Patch

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pumpkin_patch_28000This has been an incredibly busy year, both with work and with being husband and Daddy.  I did take one of my cameras with to Papa’s Pumpkin Patch this past weekend to accompany my boys, and I did get a couple of decent zip-line photos, but for the most part it was unremarkable photographically.  I was just following my little dudes around and letting them enjoy the day and the amazing autumn world the PPP folks have assembled once again this year.

I did hit a milestone, on this particular camera I crossed the 28,000 photo mark.  That’s what’s pictured above.  While not a remarkable photo, it did what I wanted for memory’s sake: show my little dudes atop a large pyramid of bales with blue sky and a little bit of green leaves in the background.  That’ll work.

If you haven’t gone to the Patch yet, make sure you do so before it’s too late!  You can check out their schedule and other information at www.papaspumpkinpatch.com – they even post weather updates there so you can find out if they’ve closed due to rain or other factors.  They also have a Facebook Page if you’re into that sort of thing.  Don’t let it be one of those things you plan to do but then never accomplish before the season suddenly passes you by!

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure

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mandan_dumpster_27077Driving through Mandan this weekend I was surprised to find this dumpster along 1st Street.  That’s a pretty cool tribute to Mandan history!  It just goes to show that there’s a never-ending supply of neat stuff to discover around Bismarck-Mandan, no matter how much time one spends poking around with one’s cameras.

Now, as long as the NCAA doesn’t declare it “Hostile and Abusive™” and start telling North Dakota we’re banned from post-season play, I suppose it’ll be able to stay…

Classic: So how do those letters and numbers appear in the capitol windows every July 4th, Christmas, and New Year’s Day?

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Monday night some of these windows will be lit up with “4TH” as part of the Independence Day celebration on the front steps of the capitol. Every year the celebration features the music of the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra and finishes with a dramatic fireworks finale. Have you ever found yourself wondering how those numbers or colored Christmas tree shapes appear in the capitol building’s windows every July and December?

That’s where Bill comes in. He works for the Facility Management Division up at the state capitol, and it’s Bill and his crew who oversee the window shade pulling (and opening) to make sure it’s done right.

While Bill can pretty much do this by habit now, he does have an interesting aid: a diagram of the capitol with the relevant squares (the ones to be lit) highlighted. Facility Management and Bill were kind enough to let me tag along for this year’s window shade operation.

Bill has his custodial crew of around thirty people close all the shades on the front of the capitol as well as the east and west sides. The idea is to have the sides completely blacked out for the celebration, with the “4TH” visible only on the front. Once the crew closed all the shades on those three sides, Bill and I roamed the necessary floors and pulled open the shades forming the text.

Some windows are in spacious offices, and some are in pretty tight spots such as narrow supply rooms. Some are in such tough spots that I got to lend my lanky arms to Bill’s aid in order to snag & pull the cord. Because of that, I can lay claim to part of the 4 and (I think) the H!

The whole process took about a half hour, and I don’t think I held up Bill at all. This was an easy one; the letters were small and compact, and only one side is lit. During Christmas there is the complication of colored shades and two sides to do. For New Year’s there are four sides of the building to do. Also, for displays that are left up for more than one night, it’s important to stay on top of things to make sure the right shades are up and down and lights left on.

I originally posted on this a few years ago and wrote an article for the Dakota Beacon as well. Later on the local TV stations picked up on the story, probably around Christmas time when the windows were decorated again. It’s one of those little things that makes Bismarck-Mandan special!

If I had a boat

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I’d take it to the river with my boy! As luck would have it, he had his own boat, which he bought with his own money at a rummage sale today. We were on a mission: get some fresh river water for the tadpoles they brought home last week, see if the new-used boat floats, and (of course) throw rocks into the water and see who can make the biggest splash.

I’ve been so busy for the past several months that I have barely had time to breathe, but this little excursion tonight marks the beginning of something I haven’t taken in a long, LONG time: a vacation. My little guys have already given me an itinerary for the week that is pretty ambitious, but I hope that some of the time will involve cameras. Naturally the fruits of any such photography will show up here.

By the way, the title of this post is an homage to the song by Lyle Lovett, but best performed by Tucker’d Out. They’re my favorite bluegrass/folk band from Fargo, originating from the guys I worked with at KVLY/KXJB TV. Check ’em out here.

Something cool that’ll be back to normal this Independence Day

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Sunset shots like this were a bit problematic during 2012. The reason was the assortment of stuff hanging off the side of the building. The seals around the windows needed repair and the limestone was due for a major cleaning, and crews spent a long time working evenings and weekends to make those things happen. As you can see, their gear does show up even from a distance (at least with the right lens).

Not only did it cause some consternation for photographers, but it also put a little bump in the road for the Independence Day celebration. Normally the Symphony would set up on the capitol steps, but because of the necessary safe boundary area they were forced to be down on the lawn like the rest of us.

Thankfully things are going to be back to normal this year. I’m super excited for Independence Day this year, despite some wrinkles in some long-made plans. It’s going to be a great week to be in Bismarck-Mandan, and I’m hoping I can dust the cobwebs off the cameras and capture some of it to post! After the whirlwind that has been 2013, as evidenced by the trickle of photos posted on this site, I’m long overdue for some camera time. My sweetie agrees.

Nestled in the trees

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It’s painfully obvious now that this maddeningly busy year of 2013 has taken a huge toll on my photographic adventures. I got a long-needed opportunity to roam recently and, although I’ve done plenty of poking around the area with my camera, found some new features.

As usual some windmills caught my eye. Some I marked in the trusty Garmin, and others I chased down. This one was particularly attractive since it was tucked behind some rather nice trees. I grabbed a few quick shots from the section line road and moved along to grab a few others that I’ll share in due time.

Fun in a bottle

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I’ve been on a novelty soda kick lately, as the above photo illustrates. The types I’ve spotted around town range from Christmas-themed to absolutely bizarre, such as the Qadaffi and Leninade sodas, and fun like Avery’s disgusting soda line. Of course we can’t forget good old Jolt Cola – sugar and caffeine, baby! By the way, many of these sodas actually use pure cane sugar instead of the high-fructose corn syrup used by the big soda companies these days.

My favorite so far is Leninade (here’s their website) – it’s the best tasting, and as a bit of a cold war buff I get a kick out of it. I bet Reagan would sip this stuff cold if he was still with us today! There are plenty of humorous bits in the label and the inside of the bottle cap as well.

These sodas are awesome – some for their novelty, some for their taste, and some for both. The best collection I’ve seen to date is at Runnings, although there are a bunch at Mac’s Hardware as well. Mac’s used to have an enormous display of these, but now they’re down to just a single refrigerated case.

If you spot these sorts of sodas around town, please let me know!