Celebrating our Vietnam Veterans!!!

It's not always easy to give back to those who give so freely. "What can I give?" you may question...

 Wood Lake, Cody, and Valentine's Legion Auxiliaries got together and planned a 50th anniversary Welcome Home celebration for our Vietnam veterans.

They planned a parade...

Here's people getting ready to enjoy the parade....

Several sponsors were in the parade as well...

http://valentinesniobraralodge.com/

http://www.brewerscanoers.com/

Youth showed up...

 So were our emergency vehicles...

All to honor our Vietnam Veterans!

A homemade meal was made by the Legion Auxiliaries from Cody, Wood Lake and Valentine to show appreciation for their service!!!

Lil Sis was there...to sing...to listen...and offer healing hugs!

At the end of the Welcome Home, donated prizes were given to the veterans. Richard Reese of Reese Propane and Appliance  donated a Traeger Grill in memory of his veteran father; a warm quilt by Mary Lou Kerr, and a Remember flag.

Vietnam Veterans...we do remember! Thank you for allowing us to show we care after all these years have passed. Welcome HOME!!! And thank you for your service!

From everyone especially the ladies of the American Legion Auxiliaries who did....

receive a standing ovation...

Right back at YOU Vietnam Veterans!
That's what we can give back... our appreciation, respect, a thank you and Welcome Home!!

Astronaut Clayton Anderson to visit Valentine for the 20th Nebraska Star Party on August 7

It won't be long and the 20th annual Nebraska Star Party will be underway. To celebrate their 20th year the organizers of the Nebraska Star Party have gotten Nebraska's ONLY astronaut to come and visit with the star party goers as well as a free evening question and answer period at the Valentine High School on Wednesday, August 7, at 7:30 p.m.

Clayton is included in this video - a parody of the Gangnam Style...He is viewed at 2:08 and again dancing at 2:31. It will be that sense of humor that will give you a boost!

After visiting with Clayton Anderson, there is no doubt that the evening program will prove to be humorous, enlightening, and out of this world!!!

Register to attend the week long Nebraska Star Party at:http://www.nebraskastarparty.org/?page_id=13

Dark skies...and brilliant auroras!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!

It's a beautiful morning out here in the Sandhills!!!

While traveling through the Sandhills early this morning I saw some amazing sights....

I was greeted with this marvelous sunrise.

I know the sun rises and sets every day - typically I'm up to capture the sunsets - ONLY.  But we have been blessed with RAIN!!! So the hills are green and full of grasses and wildflowers and definitely worth the drive. 

I was amazed at how the colors reflected upward into the tiny cloudlets floating above greeting the morning. 

I had a LONG road ahead of me but was stopped in my tracks when I saw...

 ...this hawk perched on this fence post preening for the day to come. It ruffled its feathers....
then took off for some mischief.

This hawk was not invited to the small birds' nest and they let it know that it wasn't welcome. The power of the little ones overcame the boldness of the large one. (A good lesson...)

Under the fullness of the Supermoon, the hawk decided to perch on a power pole and mope perhaps? 

 But the bravery of the little bird persisted...taunting the hawk to take flight....

And save the nest from an uninvited guest.

There are many sights like this along the highways and byways of Nebraska. Cherry County sits at the intersection of Highway 20 and Highway 83 and is in the center of the Sandhills.

Consider all that there is to see and do when you take a Sandhills Western Vacation!!! Let the sponsors at: http://sandhillswesternvacations.com help make your vacation one that you'll remember and share with your family every season....because we're inviting you to visit our nest and are hopeful the long roads you travel will be filled with sunshine and good times!

Happy Flag Day!!!

Long may she wave!!

A very sincere thank you to our soldiers, past, present, and future, for keeping our country free and the home of the brave!

You are deeply appreciated :)

NEWS FLASH! Car Show is June 8...News Flash!!!

I must humbly ask all you car enthusiasts for your forgiveness...I just found out the car show is REALLY June 8, not June 1, as posted in a previous post or on the Web site.

A week more to finish vacuuming, polishing, shining and any tweaking that needs to be done is now yours. Yay!!!!

(That's my positive spin on this....)

So, we're looking forward to hearing you rumble into town JUNE 8....

And, we'll be just as happy to see you June 1 if you so desire!

It's a Classic!!! The annual Classic Car Show and Nebraska Life Magazine!

Treasures abound in these Sandhills and you know if you've been here. You really know if you live here. And if you've read about them - well - you know too.

One treasure we all hold dear are our beloved vehicles. Classic, rusty, foreign, or brand spankin' new. They're special. They hold what's special - our families that we also treasure.

So get your vehicle spiffed up and bring the family to the 29th annual Valentine Classic Motor Club's Car Show and Parade that will take place June 1.

Arrive before 6:00 p.m. at Henderson's IGA parking lot, located on Highway 83. Enjoy the sights around you. Feel the power, the muscle, and good vibes. A lead car will have you winding around Valentine, weaving in and out of several senior housing complexes, where the residents will have treasured memories of their youth.

Everyone will wind up back at Scotty's Ranchland and the Frosty for a bit of good-eats, good conversation and make treasured friendships.

Another classic is Nebraska Life Magazine! Their May\June issue - on newsstands now - showcases  treasures nestled among the Sandhills, specifically the Snake River. Publisher and Editor Christopher Amundson has photographed and narrated his trip down the Snake with fellow photographer Jack Nordeen and river guide Ryan Kelley.

Christopher will share with you the sights, sounds, aquatic life, and wilderness that surrounds them as they walk through ankle breaking boulders and the ever possible encounter with a rattle snake - for which the river was named.

The story: Snake River: One Bite at a Time, is narrated so well, that you will feel like you're right there, walking with them; exploring a treasure deep within the canyon walls of the Snake River.

Also in the May\June issue is a little bit of fact, myth, and legend, on how early settlers would care for their treasures. Encompassing the entire state, writer Matthew Spencer sheds some light on where buried treasures may be found in the story: Dig into the Ultimate Treasure Hunt. From wells along the Niobrara River around the German Settlement, to the likes of Buffalo Bill Cody and Doc Middleton, Matthew will have you dreaming of treasures buried deep...or not so deep.

 Treasures, real (like our beloved families and classic or otherwise vehicles) or surreal (like the Snake River) are all here in the Sandhills. Waiting to be discovered.

Won't you discover some of them? Come to the Classic Car Show - in whatever will get you here or pick up the latest edition of Nebraska Life Magazine. They're available on local newsstands, or by subscription at www.NebraskaLife.com.

Looking forward to seeing you this summer so you can soak up some treasured memories for yourselves and have them become classics you can share with your kids and grandkids!!!