A four generation picture, left to right, me, my granddaughter, Naomi, my mother, Dorothy, and my daughter, Kathy.

UNauthorized animals will clearly not enter beyond that point because there's a sign telling them not to enter there.

Carolyn and I are back in Maryland, although we haven't gotten home yet. We're hanging out near Baltimore so we can keep my Mom company while she continues her recuperation process from her hip pinning surgery. My brother, who lives near here, is on his honeymoon.

Earlier today, we went to the Maryland Zoo at Baltimore. It used to be the Baltimore Zoo, but I suppose the city must have asked the state for money, and, like with sports stadiums, with money comes naming rights.

Walk-in Balloon

To give everyone an idea about the size of these hot-air balloons, someone brought along an old balloon that's no longer safe to fly. They inflated that balloon with cold air from two fans, and then they let people in the audience walk into the balloon as it lay on its side on the ground. They'd never allow this with a balloon that was still going to fly since the feet of the people walking into the balloon could damage it and make it unsafe. I felt the material of this balloon, and it felt pretty strong, but there were some rips in the material so that's why it's no longer used for flying. You'll note how many people are standing around inside the balloon. I was in there, too, when I took this picture. It seems quite a bit larger when you're inside of it than when you look at one up in the air.

Balloon Race in Sioux Falls, SD

Wagner, South Dakota

40 years ago, Carolyn and I spent the summer in Wagner South Dakota. It was between my junior and senior year in med school. I had a summer externship at an Indian Health Service hospital. The top picture is the house we rented that summer. The next picture is the hospital, the third picture is Main Street. It was pretty empty 40 years ago, too. The fourth picture is the only airplane at the local airport, at least, the only one with wings on it.

Close Up Picture of the Ant Hill

Corn Palace, Mitchell, SD

Badlands South Dakota

More pictures from Bear Country near Rapid City, SD

A bear near Rapid City, SD

Then we went to Fort Whoop-up where they used to sell liquor to the indians (I am not making this up)

We took a little side trip to Vulcan

The bottom picture is a "prescribed" fire. They set these during the spring when the probability of rapid spread is low. This burns off some of the low lying shrubbery to reduce the amount of fuel available during dryer times of the year. Also, some pine trees reproduce best after a fire.