Letter #2

Dear Nana and Papa,

I'm sorry!  I have been so busy that I haven't had a moment to write to you!  Life here in South Dakota is simply go, go, go!

I don't think I can post the day by day synopsis (Pssst!  In case you didn't know, Mommy helps me out and she is PRETTY tired) so I will have to give you highlights.  Highlights...hmm!

Well, one highlight for sure is last Tuesday.  My mommy, daddy and grandma took me out to Grandma's old ranch.  Grandma grew up there and now my great Uncle Duane and his family live on the ranch and work it.  It is WAAAYYYY out in Montana, and we had a couple hour drive to get there.  Part of it was on a one lane dirt road and Daddy thought we might crash into other cars, but Mommy and Grandma assured him that we would see the dust coming miles ahead. 

The ranch is BIG!  It is sooo big.  I don't even know how big it is, but they have a lot of land.  One of the first things we did was look at Grandma's old house.  It is a tiny, two room log cabin.  Daddy, Grandma and Mommy had to duck their heads to even walk into it, and now Uncle Duane uses it for storage, but it was neat to see where Grandma lived as a little girl.  She lived in that house until she was 7.  Pretty neat, huh?  Uncle Duane and Aunt Melinda don't have grandkids yet, so they were pretty happy to spend some time with me. 

Uncle Duane was a lot of fun, Nana and Papa!  He is a cowboy!  One of the first things he did with me was take me on the four wheeler and we went out to round up the horses in the pasture.  He was FAST-but don't worry Nana, he kept me nice and safe.  I had a big smile on my face when I was riding the four wheeler.  It was so much fun.  Mommy and Daddy are starting to learn that I like to ride on things that go fast!

Once we got the horses in, Uncle Duane took me for a little ride.  It was okay at first, but then I wanted Mommy and Daddy back!  I didn't mind petting them though.  That was fun and both of the horses were really nice.  One of them was named Peach!  Their noses were really soft and they rubbed up against me.  I also got to see sheep and some kitties.  Uncle Duane held one of the baby sheep outside of the pen so I could pet it closer...that was fun! 

One of the special things we did was go for a drive down to the tree that was planted in memory of my great grandpa, Roy.  That was special and it was planted in his favorite spot on the ranch.  After that we went for a drive around the ranch so Daddy could see some of the land.  What a big place!

The rest of the week was just a lot of fun.  Mostly I played with Nana and Papa.  Daddy has been doing a lot of golfing with Papa and they had a challenge.  Papa won, so Daddy took all of us out to dinner.  I had a cheeseburger and french fries.  Yum!  I also have had fun playing in Papa's sandbox.  One day Baby A came over and we played and played outside.  Nana still has my Uncle Neil's old Tonka trucks and I liked filling them with sand and then dumping it out.  Do you think my sandbox will be done soon, Papa?  It sure is a lot of fun!

The other thing I really like here is those baby kittens!  I help Papa feed them and they have really started to like me.  They let me pet them all of the time and standing out on the deck petting the kitties is one of my favorite things to do. 

This weekend was a special weekend!  I spent the whole time with Grandpa and Grandma!  Daddy and Mommy went to see Uncle Neil and Aunt Sammy in Sioux Falls and I stayed with Grandma and Grandpa.  I did so well and I had a lot of fun.  Mommy and Daddy really enjoyed their time and guess what Papa?  Daddy and Mommy went golfing on a 30 par course and Mommy TIED with Daddy!  Pretty neat, huh?  I guess Uncle Neil and Aunt Sam took them to a fun place to eat too, where they could pick out all of their ingredients and then have them cooked on a big grill.  Mommy said it was soooo yummy!  While I was home with Grandma and Grandpa I did a lot.  We went to the park many times and Grandpa was so impressed with how I could run all the way around the park.  I like to run on the sidewalk and made it almost the whole block without stopping!  They also took me in to see Great Grandma and Great Grandpa and I got to ride Great Grandma's motorcart all around the home.  I gave them big, squeezy hugs when I left and they really liked that. 

Grandma and Grandpa took me to church today and then we went to see Aunt Candy after that.  They took me to the fish hatchery!  Boy was that fun!  I don't have any pictures of this weekend yet, because Mommy hasn't had a chance to get them from Grandma but it was fun!  I got to throw food to the fishies and see them swimming all around.  When I got home guess what?  Mommy and Daddy were home!  I ran and gave them REALLY big hugs and lots of kisses, but I did ok without them too.  I didn't even wake up in the nights and I gave Grandma and Grandpa lots of hugs.  They really liked that.  I think they will probably miss me a lot when I am gone. 

Well, I love you and I will see you soon!  Tomorrow I leave to go camping and I can't wait.  Got to get my sleep!

Love,
Rusty