Do-it-Yourself Upside-Down Planters

Grumpy's Castle; 26 July 2010 --

A while ago, Grumpy said that he would describe his design for a do-it-yourself upside-down planter. This post will be an attempt to do that, using easily obtained recycled materials. The reader may use his own imagination and ingenuity to modify the design to suit the materials he/she has available.

Main items needed:

Here are the primary pieces that are required: A five-gallon bucket & lid, preferably black so the heat of the sun can keep the roots warm; a sturdy plastic 4" planter pot, preferably having a rolled top; a 3/4" thick piece of porous, fairly rigid plastic foam.

Tools required: A compass with which to scribe a circle to guide cutting a round hole in the bottom of the five-gallon bucket; A sharp knife or Xacto knife with which to cut said round hole and also to cut a 1 1/4" hole in the bottom of the 4" planter pot as well as to trim the piece of porous plastic foam to fit snugly in the bottom of the 4" planter pot. A slit should be made to the approximate middle of the foam disk. If Grumpy could figure out how to reliably cut a hole in the bottom of a terracotta pot, that would be his ideal!

I prefer the plastic planter pots which have a rigid rounded rim (e.g. 4" 'Shuttle Pot', #SP433); this rim will support the weight of the tomato plant without being deformed and pulled through the 4" hole in the bottom of the five-gallon bucket.

I also have white five-gallon buckets; I plan to spray paint them with flat-black paint (the type that will adhere well to the polypropylene plastic of which the bucket is made). Other dark colors would work OK, just not quite as good as black however.

I anticipate that cutting the hole in the bottom of the bucket may be the most difficult job; the plastic buckets are fairly thick and it may be slow work to cut through the plastic as well as keeping the hole very closely round. If you have a sabre saw or Dremel tool that can cut on a 4" diameter  circle, that might be easier. At any rate, if you use a knife (as I probably will) or an Exacto knife, be careful not to slip and cut your fingers. Grumpy probably will ignore this precaution!

4" pot, with hole cut in bottom

The 1 1/4" hole in the bottom of the 4" pot need not be as precise; it is important to leave enough bottom material that will support the 3/4" thick porous plastic foam. The minimum size of this hole needs to accommodate your tomato seedling at the time you decide to replant it to the upside-down planter. It is important that this hole have no sharp corners or "nicks" in it; these imperfections will greatly weaken the ability of the remaining material to withstand the weight of the tomato plant as it grows to maturity. Think about how heavy your tomato plant will be by mid July and early August when it is loaded with luscious tomatoes -- the foam must not rupture the pot bottom and slip through the bottom of the 4" pot!!

Depending on the hooks on which you plan to hang your upside-down planters, you may need to remove the handle-piece typical on a five-gallon bucket. Keep in mind, though, that without that add-on handle piece, the small diameter wire bail that is left will be painful to your hands when the planter is full of soil -- and even more so when it is adequately moistened! I  initially put in only enough soil to cover the roots on the seedling I have just inserted; after hanging the planter, I then pour in more soil (and organic vegetable fertilizer, in layers) as needed to fill the planter to within 3-4 inches from the top.

Finally, after your planter is hung and filled with soil, the top should be placed over the opening. This is to prevent loss of moisture due to evaporation. Before placing the top on the bucket, cut a hole about 1 1/2 to 2" in diameter near the center of the top; this is the hole into which you will provide irrigation for your upside-down plants. Grumpy's preferred method is to drill a 1/8" hole in the center of the plastic lid from a 3 liter Ocean Spray juice bottle, then poke (with a large needle) a 1-2 mm pin hole in the side of the 3 liter bottle between the handle and the neck. The distance between the 1/8" hole in the lid and the 1-2mm pin hole in the side provides approximately the right amount of pressure difference, when the bottle is full of water and turned upside down into the hole in the 5-gallon lid, to provide about 1-2 drops of water per second. Ideally, 3 liters of water should last 2 days during the early season; during the hotter days of July and August, 3 liters per day may be advisable. If the 3 liter bottle is allowed to lean at approximately a 45 degree angle, the rate of drops can be adjusted by turning the 3 liter bottle slightly to the left or right (decreasing the vertical distance between the hole in the lid and the hole in the side).

Upside-Down Tomatoes; A Comparison between Year One and Year Two

Grumpy's Castle; Two Different Years, Two Different Methods --

Grumpy stated, in a recent post, that his tomatoes were significantly better this year than last. In some respects, this is true. However, it depends on what one considers as "better", as the two photos below demonstrate. Note the red-ripe tomato on the 2009 "Early Girl" in the left photo; the much more robust 2010 "Early Girl" in the photo to the right can only  boast several somewhat larger but still green tomatoes!

Early Girl, July 19th 2009   Early Girl, July 23rd 2010

Grumpy believes the difference is due to: better watering in 2010; better soil used in 2010; only one plant per planter in 2010. Further, the cooler weather in 2010 probably accounts for the earlier ripening in 2009. He believes that, by the end of Summer, the 2010 tomatoes will produce much more edible fruit than was the case in 2009. And that is the purpose after all, isn't it?

Upside-Down Tomatoes; Year Two, July Update

Grumpy's Castle; 19 July 2010 --

I cannot say I'm sorry for boasting about my tomatoes -- but if any reader doesn't want to hear about my fantastic success this year with my Upside-Down Tomatoes, then he/she should stop reading right now and find something more entertaining to do/read/watch.

On thing I did this year differently from last year is that I planted only one (not two, as the advertisement suggests is possible) tomatoes per planter. The evidence is overwhelming that one planter provides the nourishment that only one tomato plant requires. This year the plants are more than twice as robust as last year. The quality of the fruit will have to be determined later.

I planted four varieties this year: Early Girl (also last year), Hybrid Beefsteak, Fantastic (Grand Mother's favorite), and Sun Gold (also last year). Actually, the only tomato from which I was able to harvest any tomatoes last year was from the Sun Gold. Besides producing some edible fruit last year, Sun Gold also was a flavorful little cherry-type tomato, so it was a given that we would plant at least one of them again. But look what bounty it is promising this year! Careful counting will reveal at least nine multi-blossomed bunches in this view.

One of the blossomed bunches on the Sun Gold sports at least 26 flowers! Another bunch is hidden from view in these photos, but it has at least ten full-(cherry)-sized green tomatoes, just waiting to turn golden color and ready to eat (yumm!!). I like this "tomato" weather we are having!!

Each of the other tomato plants have at least two or three green tomatoes in various stages of growing larger. The Early Girl has the most (15) and also the most bunches of yellow flowers promising a bountiful harvest later, maybe starting in August; the Hybrid Beefsteak has the fewest (2-3) green tomatoes, but also has many yellow flowers for a good potential later.

Oh, one other thing I am doing this year, as opposed to last: I am maintaining a drip irrigation of about 1-2 liters of water per planter per day (Note the 2-3 liter plastic water bottles in the first photo above). I may describe the details of my design for this device in another BLOG.

For more news about Grumpy's tomatoes and Raspberries, just watch this BLOG!

The Untold Story About the Birth of Son Number Two; A Sequel

Long Ago and Far Away; Today's Memories --

It is kinda funny the way different people -- even different people who have lived together for over sixty years! -- have differing memories about the same subject. The case in point is the recent post in this BLOG about the hair-raising experience of a young and fairly inexperienced father-to-be delivering (ahem!) his young, and also fairly inexperienced, wife to the maternity home just in time.

A certain "Anonymous" commented that, in that BLOG posting, the author had subtracted a full 12 months from the normal human gestation period. That's funny because Grumpy happens to know that Anonymous wasn't even there when the events described took place! Anyway, being relatively clever with the modern replacement for the old Underwood, Grumpy made this important correction before any more eagle-eyed readers took him to task.

Another reader (none other than Grumpy's long-time companion and LMP baker -- hint! hint!) commented -- privately -- that no mention was made of passing an oncoming car on a narrow bridge on the way to the maternity home. She further alleged that this scary incident, caused by me, resulted in the hastening of her labor pains -- and then she added, "I'm thankful; I was ready to have that baby!!"

Well, about that supposed narrow bridge, as was implied in the original version, the Daddy was pretty much set on getting to the maternity home on time, and if that meant exceeding the speed of birth, then that was what he was going to do; as for "narrow" bridges -- well when flying that low, they just looked wide enough, whether the oncoming driver -- or the pregnant passenger -- thought so or not. Obviously, the bridge was wide enough to accommodate both vehicles for the fraction of a second it took to pass (closing speed may have been in excess of 120 mph; ~50 plus ~70-80).

Now, before I end this sequel, I must admit to a bit of devious thought in conjunction with the previous post on this subject: I wanted to include a black and white photo of this quick addition to our family. But, not finding one in my digital file, I seriously considered putting this one in instead:

I was sure that no one could argue with me that the appearance (especially the  sky-blue eyes and wild blonde hair!) is similar, as you can perceive by looking at this one on the left. 

But, not wanting to deceive anyone (heh! heh!) I thought maybe this one (below) would be a fitting memento of what a great son he turned out to be:

Well, the Grand Mother thought this one was pretty good, too. That's why I am ending this sequel with this memorable photo.

The Untold Story About the Birth of Son Number Two

Western South Dakota; 18 February 19501 (Corrected, thanks to an Anonymous comment!)--

This day started early on a Sunday morning; the Mother awoke the Daddy about 0330 in the Hohum, announcing that she thought "today is the day"! This "coded message" could mean only one thing: our second baby (in the olden days, sex was only a speculation by the Doctor, based on criteria like fetal heart rate, phase of the moon and the orientation of the tea leaves among other things, until after the birth!) -- was due.

Even the Daddy was excited by this news; he had nearly died of unfounded fear when his first son was born just 18 months before. About six o'clock, the Mother put in a long-distance call to her parents, who had previously agreed to stay with the Daddy and toddler while the Mother tended to the business of giving birth to the anticipated girl (see method of predetermining baby's sex above). She had purchased yellow blankets and "onezies", hedging on the possibility that the Doctor's prediction was wrong -- wise woman!!

After making the aforementioned telephone call, the Mother set about making a Sunday dinner fit for the guests who would arrive in about three hours. I can't remember the menu she prepared, but needless to say, it was a feast fit for a king and queen! As she toiled to prepare the meal, the Daddy noticed the increasing frequency and relative severity of the Mother's reactions to the labor pains. Finally, about noon all was ready; the guests had arrived and the table was set.

• "Okay, let' s sit down and eat," said the Mother.
• "Yes," echoed the Daddy. "But not you! We are heading for the maternity home (in Spearfish) -- right now!!"

The Mother was surprisingly agreeable on this day and hopped into our second-hand 1942 flat-head Ford V-8. The Daddy tore out of our driveway and headed down US-85 to Spearfish, 10 miles away. The road was not straight, but the curves were decently tilted such that they could all be taken at 60-70 miles per hour. All cars that were not in a hurry were passed with the throttle wide-open, blue smoke from the crankcase oil being "burned" in the engine spewing out the exhaust in a dense cloud. On the straightaway once down in the Red River valley, the old Ford showed its best speed -- the Daddy was fully-occupied watching the road ahead to avoid entering cars, trucks and tractors, so he did not register the top speed, but a blue haze still hung over the valley a half hour later when he returned to Belle Fourche.

Upon entering the Spearfish city limits, the Ford was only slightly throttled back; when the street to turn up neared, the Daddy simply squealed the tires around the corner and hit the gas again, the exhaust emitting more blue smoke. As he pulled up in front of the Calvert Maternity Home, he helped the now-ready Mother into the home's maternity room, then letting out a huge sigh, noticed the City cop slowly driving away; it seems that he saw/heard the commotion/pollution entering "his town" and was determined to "do something about it", but then he realized that maybe it was "an emergency".

The Daddy had barely sat down at the kitchen table to have a cup of coffee with the husband of the house, when the nurse came out to announce, "You have a son!!" And what a son he turned to be!! (See photo on right.) One of a kind.

The Daddy jumped back into the still fuming Ford and made his way (now at legal speeds!!) back to Belle Fourche to inform the Grandparents. When he popped in the door, the Grandmother started chastising him with, "You should have stayed with the Mother until she had the baby!"

The Daddy explained that he had stayed, and that the baby, a boy, was already born and that as soon as they had finished their dinner, we could all go over to Spearfish and see Mother and new baby boy.

Back to Tomatoes and Raspberries -- The Garden After Our Vacation

Grumpy's Castle; 16 July 2010 --

Upon our return home, after being in the midwest since 23 June (yeah, I know, we were gone 17 days, not just 15!) Grumpy was happy to see that his trusted Grandson had kept his bargain to mow Grumpy's lawn at least a couple of times, but more importantly, he kept the Upside-Down Tomatoes adequately watered. The results were obvious: each of the four varieties of tomatoes had at least one developing fruit and multiple blossoms, promising a bumper crop in the warm days ahead.

The persons to whom we extended the invitation to reap the crop(s) of Raspberries during our absence, apparently did not take our invitation seriously as there were numerous ripe and dehydrated berries still on the vines. However, that next morning after our return, Grumpy took his berry pail and picked nearly half a gallon of the sweet-tart gems. He also ate a few -- just as a test to make sure they were edible! Ha! ha!

Grand Mother noted the pail-full with some trepidation, as she was tired from washing our accumulation of clothes from our trip plus a sizable amount from the bachelors who remained behind. Nevertheless, she summoned up that reserve that Grumpy can only marvel at, but not explain, and baked a super-delicious Raspberry pie. Due to circumstances almost entirely beyond Grumpy's control, the last bit of the pie disappeared before he could take a photo. The photo on the right is the best he could do; look closely and you may see the evidence in the corners of his mouth.

A day later, Grumpy picked another half pail of berries; now, three days later, yet more berries await. Grumpy will be out there in the morning to pick them before the heat of the day dehydrates them. Another Raspberry pie is surely in the offing!! Hurry; reserve your piece now, before yet another pie bites the dust!

Our 2010 Auto Trip; Part X, Days 14 & 15, and Finally Home!

On the Road and Visiting Ed & Sara; 7, 8 & 9 July 2010 --

We traveled a devious route from Lander WY over an 83oo foot pass in Central Wyoming to avoid going through Yellowstone Park, finally intersecting US-30 near the Utah border. Crossing into Utah, we soon spotted Bear Lake ahead and to our right and we circled it along its west side, finally finding a route up again into some mountains and over into Idaho just south of Pocatello. We caught up with I-15, which we took all the way to Butte MT, finally refilling our very empty tank [the Grand Mother didn't notice the low-fuel light glaring at us for almost 100 miles!]. By this time, we were both getting saddle-weary so we stopped just 4o miles up I-90 for the night in Deer Lodge.

Deer Lodge is the site of the old Montana Territorial prison. As we didn't have reservations here, Grumpy suggested that we could probably find a "free room" at the prison. However, good sense (Mother) prevailed and we chose a good looking motel across the street named Budget Inn and, after a light supper (including the very best homemade tomato soup!), we "holed up" for the night.

The next day, we postponed our breakfast to continue west on I-90 to Ekstrom's Stage Station (our overnight stop enroute east). Our breakfast was fabulous -- two huge pancakes and a raster of bacon (memo to self: next time, split the meal!). We also inquired about a couple of items that we thought we had left in our cabin two weeks before; the cabin was checked but our things were not found.

By lunch time, we arrived in Coeur d'Alene ID and contacted Cousin Ed & Sara for a visit over lunch. The street in front of their home had been torn up for three weeks and as we arrived the construction crew was just finishing fresh asphalt paving, so we could not drive nor walk to the front of their house. Instead Ed led us to the resort on the lake waterfront in downtown Coeur d'Alene. The view was great and the food outstanding; I had fish (Halibut) and chips.

Cousin Ed is on a waiting list to have surgery in Dallas TX to repair a heart valve. Ed described the procedure as one that goes into the chest through a small slit between the ribs, so more rapid recovery is expected as compared to the one in which the sternum is parted and the chest cavity is spread open. Our prayers are with them both as they embark on this next big phase of their lives.

In midafternoon, we bid our goodbyes and continued on to the small town of Davenport WA for our overnight rest. Again, we took our chances, but ultimately chose a nice-looking motel along the "main drag". It was a good choice! Before retiring, Grumpy treated the Grand Mother to her wish of a milk shake. She had spied an ad for "berry shakes; many flavors!"; Grumpy easily found the place [trusty GPS!!], and we both slurped down our Blackberry milk shakes. Later in the night, Grumpy regretted this late evening treat -- stomach upset from rich food!

Next morning, we went to a Bed & Breakfast that we had spotted the day before where we had a good breakfast. Then back on the road (US-2) to Wenatchee and environs to check out the status of peaches and cherries. Alas, the peaches are late because of the late spring, so another trip around the first of August is planned. Our favorite orchard had some freshly-picked cherries, which we indulged in by buying about ten pounds to share with the stay-at-home folks.

In midafternoon on 9 July, we arrived back at home, finding the house still standing and the lawn and tomatoes in fine shape, thanks to the diligent efforts of Ramiro. Thank you Ramiro!! I owe you.

Our 2010 Auto Trip; Part IX, Day 13, a visit with the Gose's

6 July 2010; Lander WY --

Neil and Dyllis became cherished friends when we lived as their neighbors in Belle Fourche, where we lived when our  two oldest sons were born. [It should be noted here, for historical accuracy, that our oldest -- now known as "Old One-Eye" -- was born in a barn in the very Northwest corner of Meade County. That barn, remodeled as a maternity home and since demolished, was the home of Mr and Mrs. Greer; Mrs Greer was a Registered Nurse, who established the maternity home and was the nurse in attendance,  assisting Dr. L. L. Theberge, when our son was born there. Our younger son was born in Calvert's maternity home in Spearfish -- names of the attending Doctor and nurse escapes my memory; the trip from Belle Fourche to Spearfish on the hour of his birth is another story for a later post!]

Both Neil and Dyllis are somewhat older than the Grand Mother and Grumpy; both have had serious health issues in the past few years. However, both were in good spirits and sharp minds when we visited them this July.

Their daughter Dulcinda (between Susan and Ruth in age), with her husband and daughter Natalie, live with Neil & Dyllis to help take care of her Dad and Mother.

We had a good visit and supper with all of them. Then we retired to our motel (Holiday Lodge), with a promise to come see them next summer.

The Gose's older daughter, Adele (whom we remember as a cute, brown-eyed blonde, and after whom we named Susan Adele) died several years ago after contracting cancer.

This photo shows all who were there (excepting the cats and two dogs) ... except Natalie who left before the photo was taken to work at that "flippin' place" (McD's). Front, from left is Neil and Dyllis; standing is John, Dulcinda, Ward & Elynor.

For Ramiro's memory, here is one of the cats.

Ramiro should also remember a grey, striped kitten whose pencil portrait he drew in 2005 while Grandma and Grandpa were visiting! The kitten, now fully grown, and the dog, are both still here!

Next stop, Cousin Ed and Sara in Fernan ID. See you later!

Our 2010 Auto Trip; Part VIII, Day 11 & 12

4th & 5th of July; A cousin Party and Sightseeing in the Black Hills of SD --

Fourth of July was spent in Spearfish, going to church with Cousin Bitsy and enjoying her showing us some sights in and around Spearfish. One of the interesting things we saw was this sculpted stump, representing fish leaping, as up a small waterfall. This photo is a "stitched" set of three or four photos taken from different angles as I walked along the sidewalk near the sculpture. This technique allows the viewer to "see" the fish at the back side of the stump, as well as a full view of the largest fish whose tail is wrapped around the stump. No single photo captures this entirety.

We also visited the City Campground which has been around since Grumpy was a little girl. He remembers camping there with his Dad in the early thirty's. It is much different now; lush green grass all over and a modern restroom facility. Cabins that existed in 1933 have been removed to make way for RV parking. The Grand Mother was not impressed, as she lamented the fact that the RV's are parked too close together. I think we both preferred our accommodations at our air-conditioned/heated cabin at Spearfish Creek Inn. Yes, we used both air-conditioning and heat; the weather went from hot to chilly while we were there.

___________________________________________________________

The 5th of July is  Bitsy's (AKA, "Joan") birthday. She claimed to be "85", but Grumpy knows that she lied about her age -- perhaps she just wanted to qualify for Senior Citizen discounts. At any rate, the Birthday Girl treated us all (Lorraine, Kay, Elynor and Grumpy) to a sightseeing tour up Spearfish Canyon, through the old gold-mining town of Lead and back to Spearfish via Deadwood on U.S. 85A.

In Spearfish Canyon, she pointed out where two large boulders had tumbled from the limestone cliffs some two hundred feet above and, clearing their way through trees, ended up leaning against each other partially straddling Spearfish Creek.

Then, a few miles further up the Canyon, she showed us a view of Spearfish Falls from the highway. Grumpy had lived in Western SD for over 25 years; he had traveled numerous times sightseeing up and down Spearfish Canyon. But he had not  seen nor heard of Spearfish Falls. When we stopped briefly at Roughlock Lodge, Grumpy took the opportunity to hike down into the bottom of the Canyon to get this picture. The amount of water coming out of this "hole in the canyon wall" is so large that Grumpy thought it must be the origin of Spearfish Creek itself. But later observation upstream revealed that probably only about half of the flow in the Creek comes from these Falls.

At the upper end of Spearfish Canyon, where it meets with U.S. 85A, is a legendary eatery known as "Cheyenne Crossing". Here, the Birthday Girl (center) was feted with a fine dinner, accompanied by (right to left): Lorraine, Kay, Ward & Elynor.

After a sumptuous lunch, we went over the "hill" to Lead, the former home of the Homestake Gold mine -- largest in the world, until it closed a few years ago when the value of gold in this location (up to about 8,000 feet below the surface!) became unprofitable.

However, before Homestake pulled up stakes, they discovered a surface deposit (including some of the "tailings" from the deep mine) where the former "company town" homes were located on a hill just across the gulch from the deep mine. 

 

Homestake eventually literally dug up the mountain that was there before (Grumpy remembers it well) with the result, this hole that is several hundred feet deep and about 1/2 mile across at the top.

After a slow drive through downtown Deadwood, we journeyed back to Spearfish to meet with cousin Jimmy and his wife Shirley. The final picture shows five cousins, including four from the Eddy clan, with Shirley and Elynor. After a brief visit, which concluded this "Cousin Party", and recounting some memories, the Grand Mother and Grumpy returned to their cabin for a good night's rest. Tomorrow we go to Lander WY to visit old friends whom we first met when we lived in Belle Fourche.

Our 2010 Auto Trip; Part VII, Day 10

In the Black Hills of South Dakota; 3 July 2010, a Birthday Party! --

You haven't been to a backyard barbecue until you have enjoyed one put on by Gary and Cindy. Gary is our youngest Nephew living in Rapid City. His wife Cindy is a vivacious blonde ball of energy who organizes and directs the most fabulous "do's" Grumpy has ever had the privilege of attending! This event, which Grumpy thought to be a substitute for their usual Fourth of July backyard bash, was an especially planned get-together to celebrate Francis' birthday (I think I am forbidden to disclose the exact number, but it was one year more than five decades older than Jack Benny used to claim as his age).

Since the Grand Mother and I arrived a couple or three hours before the beginning of the festivities, Cindy gladly accepted Grumpy's offer to help set things up. It was fascinating to watch and listen as this young grandmother(!) -- (Yes, she has at least three Grandchildren: Haley, Hannah and Brandon(?), who couldn't be there because they currently live in Texas) -- gave instructions to several people, besides Grumpy, but they were there specifically to help with the last-minute preparations. Grumpy didn't mind at all. In fact he was happy to be told what to do and where to go by this young lady (well, she's a lot younger than Grumpy ... but isn't just about everybody? Well, actually Francis, the honored one this day, was a few years older.)

It as also entertaining to watch as Cindy's "directing" included her husband, Gary who, like Grumpy. seemed perfectly happy to accept her instructions and carried them out as if choreographed. Soon all was ready and the rest of the guests began to arrive.

Including the Honored Mother/Grandmother/Great-grandmother! She looks happy to be surprised with this celebration, honoring her belatedly since such a get-together was not practical during her actual birthday ... last December!!

Here are all of her Great Grandchildren who were present, posing with their Great Grandmother. If Grumpy knew their names, he would introduce you. I do know that the little boy, second from the left in the photo, is Larry's Grandson (daughter Melanie's oldest).

Our 2010 Auto Trip; Part VI, Travel to the Black Hills, Day 10

Black Hills of South Dakota; 1 July 2010 --

After a "continental" breakfast in the H&H restaurant, courtesy of the RodeWay Inn, we headed North on SD-73 to Philip, the old High School stomping grounds of the Grand Mother and Grumpy. We never attended Philip High at the same time; Grumpy attended there his Senior year only, and Mother came there as a Junior the following year.

Highway 73 was receiving a fresh "chip coat" (fresh tar and then a thin layer of gravel chips on the soft tar) and we arrived just in time to drive on the surface that had not yet had the chips applied. So we had to hold our speed to "not more than 40 mph" the entire 15 or so miles to keep from splashing too much of the soft tar onto our car finish. A random look after we arrived in Philip indicated that we had succeeded!

We visited an old school friend of Mother's, enjoying a few cups of coffee and cinnamon rolls together. Then we drove around this 800+ town to see what had changed and what had remained the same.

We saw the old house where Mother lived while she finished High School.

Then we drove past the Catholic Church, situated at the bottom of the 69 steps that both Mother and I ascended to the old High School building on the hill. The road that used to climb that hill meandering away from the steps as it made its way up to ease the steepness, was no longer in use -- but its mark in the soil remained.
 

From that corner below the school, we could see the tips of the pine trees my mother had planted after she had the "earth house" built.

The earth house was built by excavating into the side of a native, flat-topped, grass and weed-covered hillside overlooking the city of Philip.
Into this excavation, which opened out toward the southeast, a reinforced concrete floor and three walls were constructed. Next, about half of the floor area was covered by a reinforced concrete roof; along the outer edge of this roof a vertical retaining wall was built. The remainder of the area over the floor was covered with rather conventional-looking roof -- the roof sloping down toward the front of the building at about the same angle as the natural slope of the hillside that it blended with. After completing the concrete structure, including the retaining wall, some of the excavated earth was filled back into the void above and the entire area re-seeded with Buffalo grass, and my mother planted several seedling Ponderosa pine and Cheyenne river Red Cedar trees. All of the trees on the hillside below and to either side of the house were planted by my Dad.

Some of the Ponderosa that my Dad planted are now over 30 feet tall and have completely obstructed a view of the house from the streets of the city below, as this photo that was taken from the street near the Court House shows. A sharp-eyed observer may detect the chimney peering out from between two Ponderosa pine trees at the upper left of center.

Our 2010 Auto Trip; Part V, Travel to Kadoka, Day 9

Across Iowa and South Dakota; 1 July 2010 --

Starting out quite early this morning, Grumpy had hopes of canceling their reservations at Mitchell SD and being able to go to Chamberlain to spend the night. The past memories of buffalo steak dinners at Al's Oasis just across the Missouri River from Chamberlain danced in his head! These thoughts would be communicated to his First Wife and life-long companion, riding in the passenger seat to his right, to get her ideas and agreement, if possible.

We agreed, and a cell phone call to the motel in Mitchell took care of canceling the reservation. Reaching Sioux Falls at about noon, and after a quick lunch at a convenient Perkins restaurant, we drove west -- with a 35-40 mph wind coming out of the south -- and soon realized that we could easily reach Kadoka at a sensible hour of the afternoon. So we forged on, reaching Kadoka at about 4:30 local time, with the thermometer showing 90 degrees outside! The trip odometer, set when we refueled in Des Moines that morning, showed 550 miles; the fuel light had come on, indicating about 100 miles to totally EMPTY, a few miles before we got to Kadoka.

We had called ahead to alert Mother's childhood friend, Betty, that we would be arriving that afternoon, and wanted her to join us for supper that evening. Of course she was delighted to do so and so the three of us met at the H & H Restaurant located along the old highway that went through Kadoka.

We stayed in the RodeWay motel, with our Senior Citizen's discount, the most expensive accommodations we were to endure on this entire trip: $121 per night, including taxes!! And, to make Grumpy even more upset, the room smelled musty and mildewy, with ash trays on the night stand, although it as sold to us as a "Non Smoking" room. Fortunately, there was no trace of cigarette smoke that either Grumpy or Mother could detect -- we would have demanded another room if there had been! The good aspect of the room was that the bathroom was very handicap friendly, something Mother especially appreciated.

Grumpy has never had a high opinion of RodeWay Inn's, rating them just about the same as Motel 6. However, Grumpy has stayed in a Motel 6 back near Atlanta GA that he would rate with Holiday Express or maybe La Quinta. Grumpy's recommendation: don't stay at a RodeWay unless you can't find another motel!

Our 2010 Auto Trip; Part IV, Visit with Hazel, Day 8

Central Iowa; Wednesday, 30 June 2010 --

Our full day of visit with Sister Hazel started with breakfast at her 20-acre farm. Then chores, including feeding several horses, some of which belong to Hazel. Her prize pony (class: Pony of America -- POA) is Minnie.

She is a beautiful,  little horse weighing about 600-700 pounds; like many POA ponies, she is spotted -- NOT pinto --, which is the result of the Appaloosa gene pool from which the POA class was partially derived. My horse, Queen, would have fit in this class as far as her size was concerned, but she was broader in her body and her weight of 800 pounds exceeded that permitted under the POA classification, and her ancestry did not include the Apaloosa.

Later in the day, we drove over to Tom's house where he showed us his flowers, vegetable garden and fruit trees.

Tom's vegetable garden was not large, consisting of a few prolific tomatoes and a couple rows of root vegetables, including onions. He was especially proud of the three or four varieties of blueberry bushes that he had.

This one, pictured, was particularly impressive with its bunches of ripening berries. Of course we all picked one or two from each bush to sample their different taste.

In his backyard, but not nearly as photogenic, Tom had two or three varieties of pears, a peach tree (but no fruit this year) and a crabapple tree. Most of the apples he had encased in a Nylon "bootie" or special biodegradable protector made in Japan; this is how the Fuji apples were originally (and still are!) grown in Japan, to prevent the invasion of pests such as the Coddling Moth (or Apple Maggot). Grumpy was particularly interested in this aspect, since his apples have been the target of the pesky worm each year.

Here pictured (right to left) are Paul, Mother, Hazel & Grumpy, after our farewell meal together at the Apple Inn restaurant next door to our motel. We each had a choice steak, cooked medium rare, with fresh steamed vegetables; Paul had a hamburger and a piece of apple pie; Hazel and Grumpy shared a decadent chocolate "mud pie" with vanilla ice cream; Mother was frugal with a single dip of ice cream.

We would leave early the next morning, hoping to change our next night's stay from Mitchell, where we had reservations, to Chamberlain SD.