Year 2010

     For a few years now we have made a "Nice Christmas Page" for mailing...

(And I also made another more truthful one "for the record" I guess you say).

This year we mailed out the standard "have a happy" to 30 some people...

(And I tried making the other one to place in backup for the kids to read later on).

But Pam stopped me before the page was even half done due to the dark nature!

She said it had nothing to do with our family... only Deadwood, and it was all bad.

(I argued we have been here over 25 years now, the only home our kids ever knew).

As a boy I always remembered this town as the best vacation stop we made...

And I watched it change a bit over the years... But when legal gambling started??

(Voted legal in 1988, started up on Nov 1st of '89)... Things changed for everyone!

The top part of my "for the record" page looked like this...

That page ended right there... Pam said we are not wasting printer ink on people that nobody even knows!

I decided it would be better to make a web-mail letter, and mail it out after the "nice" season was over.

I know everyone is suffering everywhere you go... (we have people coming here everyday saying that)!

I know it started years ago for many... (we are now well into our second bad year of hard times here).

It is just that now it seems there are a few more of us who could be badly affected by it these days...

I am not trying to be negative, or preach doom and gloom... I just wanted them to be better prepared for whatever!

We all still have work now, but most of it is directly related to the gambling money... which continues to reach new lows.

(Although James will remain in the Military... Various wars in other areas continue to be another concern).

Rebecca is still dealing cards... and the work on her home continues to progress in the summer months!

Mary now works for Head Start at the Deadwood School, and will fix her home while the boys are gone.

(They still go back east each summer, allowing her ample time to repair that damage from the freeze).

Bryan and Mandy remain working at the Gold Dust Casino, which has recently been sold once again!

(He still works on the slot machines, although they are "ticket-in" and no longer need to be filled up...

Mandy still has the job of  "Casino Host"... although there is very little offered to players anymore).

Tipping ended right after the "free lunch" stopped... but they have adjusted well and are still positive minded for the most part!

There is an occasional holiday that will bring people to town... And a few floats will even give out some candy to the kids!

It was also the first time for pictures at the Sturgis bike rally with Tommy... the youngest of our seven grandchildren.

I went home to help a little with corn planting, but arrived a bit late for anything but pictures...

I think they spent most of their time stuck in the mud anyway...

My plans to strike it rich did not work either... (This was the last shot we took showing that treasure map still in my pocket).

Pam was dreaming about starting up her own diner too!

I found something I was good at as well...

OK, all kidding aside... we did have a busy year. (And it started with everyone getting to fix their roof, including Pam's mom).

That may not be the best picture of Larry... (but it was the only one I got while standing on a roof in the wind).

Our home developed an interesting problem this year as well... Notice at the bottom, that fancy rock work with the gold rocks and all.

(Actually the retired gold miner we bought it from spent 5 yrs of his life building that rock wall... and the rock support wall below it).

I guess gold got heavier when the price went up, that entire area is now beginning to move downhill... and away from the house!

Sorry, kidding again... that is fake gold. (It did not get heavier, we just got too much rain too fast and things are shifting a bit).

I will take another picture of the front when we finish fixing it, hopefully before the frost come out of the ground next spring!

That was actually a picture showing off Mandy's new Honda... (Not quite new, but new to her anyway).

James actually did buy a new one of those Honda things... Lydia says is really cool.

(He got it just before that three thousand mile trip home for Christmas, and had good luck... except for a flat tire in the snow).

The donut is located under the driver seat? (I guess the big 17" tire was in Mary's lap until they could get it repaired)!

Bryan and Tommy liked where they put the spare in the "old days" better.

I even got to change a tire at 3 AM on the big "Black Friday" event Pam enjoys so much each year after Thanksgiving!

They were up at midnight... I went later to haul the big stuff and stand in the longer lines at Menards and Kohl's!

Pam says "The more you spend, the more you save" and she was right... often 75% off of the normal price!

Mary still had the flu, but did her best for the cause... She probably gave it to at least ten thousand people!

Pam and I got it on Dec 1st... (We celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary together in the bathroom)!

It was the strongest flu bug we have ever had... and everyone got it, regardless of the shot or not?

I think Tommy was the first... at Halloween! (We thought it was just all the candy and strange stuff).

Then Ben brought it home from school, it lasted over a week for most... Some even got it a second time!

The Christmas Program was the kicker... that spread it to just about everyone else, not already sick!

In this class of 66, most were over it... And, yes that is Ben. (The kid in the middle, not paying attention)!

I actually caught a bad cold after the rally, and still had it when I took Pam on her trip back in the fall...

We went shopping (mostly at second-hand stores) in five states... also visited some friends and family.

After stopping at her mom's we visited Jean and Larry in southern Colorado for several days...

One of the best shopping days was actually at the "free box" in a hippy commune up on the mountain!

The Mile-high flee market in Denver had more stuff for sale than you could look at all in one day...

Some of it was so cheap it must have been stolen! I bought over a thousand in tools for less than $50...

We also visited an old friend in Utah... He took us to see the sights!

Then it was back to work for Pam... (I was still finishing the re-leveling on three rooms for new carpet)!

Everyone helped move things to each room as it was done... Too bad we did not check the foundation!

I would have done it differently if I have known the front was sliding out... as I leveled the rest of the house!

(But it was important to have a new carpet... free of dog and cat smells, just in time for Christmas at home).

Becca helped the most of all... she was always there for us. (At least until the rock wall went down)!

She hauled us all to the wedding... But drew the line at hauling in new rocks! (She said to get an expert for that).

(It is now the first week in January of 2011... as I finish this page and go back to work under the house).

Go back to the first page of Christmas pictures here... or google something more interesting!

Watch my web site for updates in the future, if we have any?