Great faces, great places, South Dakota!

Last Friday, Anne, Val and I departed from Ashland for Mount Rushmore in Keystone, SD. We were planning to meet up with Jeanette, a former Ashland JV who is now a park ranger there.

On the way, we stopped in Deadwood, SD. The town is pretty much known for their true, western town identity. Deadly poker games and whiskey seemed to be general themes here. They even do a re-enactment of Wild Bill Hikok's poker game, ending in some gunslinging each day (yes, this is the town the HBO series is named after). We continued on to the mountains and an American wonder.

Jeanette was great, she showed us some cool vantage points and we heard her give a talk about the Presidents represented. Unfortunately she had bad ranger luck and ran into a mountain goat during her talk. No...not because it is dangerous, but because it sapped all the attention away from the other tourists, wah wah.



Anyyywho, she offered us a place to stay instead of camping (yes, it is still cold here). This worked out nicely because we had a chance to see the Badlands National Park as well. This place is pretty amazing. The mix of wild mountainous terrain and prairie leaves nothing short of a wonderful view. We hit the park at a great time, the sun was moving low and it was a great time to see the park.



We returned to Rushmore to see the faces under the bright, but beautiful lights and then to crash at Jeanette's. We left early the next morning to meet the rest of the crew with Richard and Ramon at Devil's Tower in Wyoming.

Devil's Tower was pretty awesome (for most of us). We did a leisure hike around the base which had some pretty views. The story of the tower says that a long, long time ago seven children were being chased by a large bear. They were told to say a prayer for themselves and they would be saved. The children did so and at once the ground erupted from underneath them and raised them up high enough out of the bears reach and into the heavens. The children are now represented in the sky as the seven stars in the big dipper, which is part of the constellation Ursa Major, or the bear. The bear's claw marks can still be seen on the tower.

After we had a nice lunch and more fun story-telling, we traveled back to South Dakota to see Bear Butte- the most sacred place in Cheyenne history. It is believed that spirits travel back to this place after they pass on from this life. Many people come out there to fast for four days to pray for their families. It was a special place to share with Richard and Ramon, and we are all very glad they could have come out with us.

On our way out of town, night was sweeping quickly, and just as I had said how I LOVE South Dakota sunsets, we had one presented to us! A wonderful way to start a long drive home.

This week we've been preparing and anticipating for the 125th anniversary of St Labre! Val, Time, John and I are in the telling of the St. Labre story. Each of us have a neat role in the story, which tells the highlights of the schools history.

The weekend plans for cultural events, feats, fireworks, and lots of nice weather (fingers crossed)! We're very excited and lucky to be apart of this event, it should be a blast.

Idaho and Glaciers

For our last retreat of the year, we traveled a good 700 miles and 14 hours to MCcall, Idaho. It didn’t take long for us to realize it was totally worth it (or was it?). After following a winding river through the base of the mountains of Idaho we reached Quaker Hills, an amazing retreat house right on the lake that resides there. The beach front property had canoes and a fire pit for the Big Sky Region JVS to hang out, relax, and share stories with one another. It was an amazing spot with beautiful mountains as a perfect backdrop.

We realized that we hadn’t traveled long enough and took Amanda from Billings with us on another trek from MCall to the west side of Glacier National Park in the NW corner of Montana. Regarded as one of the most beautiful parks in the country, after spending little time there we could all agree with what we’d heard. Unfortunately, the ‘Going to the Sun Road’ was closed due to the snow that resides there all but the 2 core summer months (wild, huh?) It still held some amazing views and plenty of hiking.

After a week being away, we made the final stretch of travel, a mere 10 hour drive back from Glacier Park back to Ashland. Though it was a memorable week, we were all very excited to have our own mattresses to sleep on that night.

Extrication Training

Jesse, Tim and I have been faithful members of the Volunteer Fire Department here at St Labre this year. We were very excited to have automobile extrication training come up one weekend last month. The training started Friday night and was run by Mitch- a specialist in the field from South Carolina. A night of classroom training was fun….but nothing compared to the awesomeness that is working the hydraulic equipment the following day.

Saturday, three cars were waiting there for us to smash up and break apart using all the knowledge we had learned from the night before. Saws that can easily cut through the roofs, Jaws of Life that snap doors off their hinges, and rams that lift the car frames off the ground with relative ease were some of the fun things we got to use.

We were trained to get to patients in many different situations including vans on their sides and compact cars flipped upside down. It was incredibly fun to smash in the windows and rip the doors off the frame with hydraulic spreaders, but it was also a very real eye-opener for us too. The delicacy that you need to approach such situations when a life is in jeopardy. It is something that none of us hope we need to experience first hand.

Branding at the Ranch

Haleigh, Jesse, and I got to head back to the St Labre Ranch to help the ranch manager Ray and other Labre staff brand the new calves for this year. The three of us were all very excited to get our hands dirty at the ranch and eat some rocky mountain oysters (just kidding)! In a somewhat traumatizing event for amateurs such as ourselves, one by one the calves were lead through a chute to the branding area for their "check-up".

Each got a slick brand, couple of shots, and a nice fly tag and the bulls got a little something extra (ow). Haleigh was a champ in the tub (with battle scars to prove it) wrangling the unwilling calves through the chute. Some of the kids we know got to come too, which was a blast. It was great that everyone got to help with most every part of the procedure.

After branding the 200 younglings, and enjoying the wonderful smells of burned cow, we were wiped. William’s kindness in treating us to DQ blizzards in Hardin was the only thing that kept us up for the ride home.

Prom!

Last night was prom! Four out of seven of us were in town this weekend and we couldn’t have passed up a chance to help out, see all the kids dressed up, and of course, dance. Haleigh, Jesse, and I (Val) were bartenders – serving up lemonade, iced tea, and lots of Italian sodas – and Anne was a waitress. Once the initial rush of Italian soda orders died down, we were all able to leave our posts and enjoy the tunes. The prom was Cinderella themed and the gym looked great, thanks to a lot of hard work by a lot of hard-working teachers. Fortunately, everyone had a fun and safe night!

Easter

Every year, Youth and Family Services hosts an Easter egg hunt. This year it was predominately organized by Haleigh. After days of stuffing plastic eggs and gift bags, it was ready. Though that day we woke up to a light blanket of snow, the JVs all pitched in – BBQing, signing the kids up, and watching the organized chaos that is an indoors Easter egg hunt. Fun day!

For Easter, we once again packed up the van quite tightly, and headed up to Hays, MT to spend some time with all of the Montana JVs. We left on Friday and returned on Easter Sunday and in that time we saw a lot of the Hays community and the Fort Belknap reservation. The Hays girls live within ten minutes of a beautiful canyon and some really great places to hike. We spent some time with the local kids at Hays own Easter egg hunt – playing Red Rover, where it seems I was the only adult actually trying. We attended Easter vigil and some of us even stayed out until 7am at a Sundance preparation ceremony. It was a great time and the four Hays girls were wonderful hosts.

Roscoe, MT – Where Dreams Come True

Last weekend, John, Tim, and I took advantage of an in-service day at the High School and took a drive to Roscoe, MT (pop. 50) to visit the dorm’s own Marilyn Caruso. Along the way we stopped in Billings and outside of Columbus to visit her beloved racehorses. Marilyn lives on a ranch right along the East Rosebud River with beautiful views of the Beartooth Mountains. Her house and land look like they are straight out of “Montana Living” magazine. In the backyard, a tree fell across the river, naturally creating a pool that apparently is home to some of the best trout fishing around. The front yard is home to probably the most unique fleet of vehicles that a civilian can own – the Hagglunds. The Hagglund is a Swiss-made, amphibious, military vehicle that seems to defy the laws of physics and effortlessly dominates nature. Bill, Marilyn’s long-time partner (and now fiancé) took us for a ride – across a river bank, through the river, and up the surprisingly steep hill behind her house. Impressively, the Hagglund takes out saplings with ease, yet leaves less of a footprint than a person. Bill customizes these vehicles and he passionately explained his plans to make them “a little more sporty.” The whole experience blew our minds. I was giggling uncontrollably.
Marilyn and Bill were wonderful to us. They treated us to dinner and we saw the sights of Roscoe. We definitely plan on returning this summer and beyond…

Hand Games

While my girlfriend, Gabby and Haleigh’s boyfriend Lawrence were still here, we all learned how to play Indian Hand Games by Richard Tall Bull. Richard brought the sticks and music needed to play, and Philippe who was also there to participate brought the energy. Once we were done making a game that is relatively simple to play, difficult to learn, the fun started. Of course my team, which consisted of me, Gabby, Val, and Tim, beat the team of Haleigh, Lawrence, Alex, and Philippe. The point of the game is to guess which hand of your opponent has the special elk tooth. Besides that, the rest of the team tries its hardest to distract the other by yelling and waving hands without any touching. We also planned to have frybread. Me, Alex, and Tim tried our best at this Native American treat and only partially succeeded, but each time is a learning experience. I’ve made the game sound extremely simple and I think Richard was being nice and dumbing it down for us JV’s, but there are tournaments held on the reservation for money. Maybe if we practice, we will some day be able to supplement our 80 dollar a month stipend with Hand Game money.

The Girls Retreat at the Prayer Lodge

While the boys were road-tripping to Denver to see the Celtics and Nuggets play, the girls of the house joined forces with the Billings girls and attended a retreat at the Prayer Lodge. The Prayer Lodge (Busby, MT) is a retreat center for women that hosts organized retreats, sweats, and provides asylum for women who simply need time for themselves. It’s located three miles off the road and tucked into a beautiful tract of land. The center is very green; it’s run by solar paneling, water collection systems, and has an awesome greenhouse and outdoor shower facility. The theme of the retreat was storytelling and we used inspiration from Pueblo storytelling dolls to reflect on and explore our own stories and the importance of sharing those stories. We were given a lot of free time to relax, journal, read, and enjoy the sun. We talked about courage and shared our stories of service. We then helped in sweat-prep, and while most of us could not sweat, we sat outside and meditated along with the songs. Sister MaryAnn was a wonderful host and it was definitely a rejuvenation of spirits. Plus, we got to hang out with the Billings girls!

Dorm Bowling Excursions

After weeks of competing with the basketball schedules, we were finally able to treat some of the dorm kids to a night on the town. Those who made Honor Roll and were on the winning academic challenge team were treated to dinner, ice cream, and bowling. So far this year we’ve had two of these nights – allowing us to sample the “big city lights” of both Broadus and Colstrip. This time we had a bigger crowd (yay!) and took the St. Labre mini-bus. John took the helm and did his best Chris Farley bus driver impersonation. I sampled Flavor-burst ice cream for the first time in my life, laughed hysterically at Clinton’s (pop-induced?) goofiness, and witnessed Ava’s “sit on the floor and push” method of bowling. Gabby, John’s girlfriend, accompanied us, and we were able to show her just how silly the dormies (students and staff) can be.

Valentine's Day Dance

Every year the dorm JVs put on a Valentine’s Day Dance for the High School. This year we continued the tradition – with tons of pink and red streamers, helium balloons, and Mr. Kania’s infamous photo booth. John bravely assumed the critical role of DJ – effortlessly fielding countless requests for the latest R&B slow jams and hip-hop dance sensations. He was even occasionally able to slip in a song that perhaps only a JV would appreciate. We tried our hardest to get the crowd out of their seats – made fools of ourselves and engaged in some awkward middle school slow dancing. We were even treated to an impromptu striptease (PG rated) by one of our more talented freshmen. We announced a King and Queen (congratulations Cara and Scotty) and had an overall great time.

Winter Happenings

By: Alex


With the holidays coming quickly after Thanksgiving, so did the cold weather. We decided we should do as proper Ashlanders do and cut down our own Christmas tree . We all came to the realization that Christmas trees one would cut down out in the wild are not quite like the ones you'd by at your local lot, though we loved it all the same. After a little TLC, including popcorn strings, decorated pine cones, and your classic white lights, it looked as good as any of us were used to. Couple that with a creatively done fireplace that Anne made and our house became quite festive.
Tim and John revealed to us a house gift of a years subscription to the a house favorite magazine, which followed with a dramatic reading- everyone was delighted.

Since it was so brutally cold (night temperatures reaching -20 and beyond), the males of the house figured the best thing to do with our time was to lap around the house in our skivvies (an adaptation of last year's event). We indeed decided it was nippy out not by our scantily clad run, but by "crinkle coat" syndrome and beards that develop frost without any water application.

We all spent some quality time with our families back home for Christmas and New Years and returned to Ashland with energized spirits and intentions.

John and I spent a day back at the St. Labre ranch sorting buffalo with Ray, Pat, Dave, Chad, Doug, Jon, Lance, and of course Rose and Buddy. We learned to move buffalo you need power the skidsteer and run them through the chute into the tub to which you send them down into their proper pen. Get that? Yeah...neither did the two of us. Of course, with most things here, we soon learned as we went on.

Two weeks ago, Bruce, our area director came to visit for the better part of a week. We were all excited for his arrival as he brings a great deal of energy back to our house. We spent plenty of time catching up, with a mandatory game of Settlers of Catan. He introduced us to sa-lad(?), which we realized had never had together as a house (its pretty good).

The following weekend we headed into Great Falls for our second retreat with the rest of the Big Sky region. Though we were significantly creeped out by the Ursuline Academy, I think most of us learned to love it (with help from George, the night-watchmen/tour guide/guy who loves it there, and the creepiest game of sardines I'd ever seen.
On the way home we stopped in Judith Gap, Montana for famous shakes and took killer photos of the massive wind farm, which partly provides energy for sites hundred miles away.

As always, we have many things planned for the next couple of weeks including visitors to our humble abode, a Denver trip to see the Celtics play the Nuggets, and Sheridan WY. Stay tuned to see if we make it.