Hail yes

Being from Sacramento, we aren't use to getting hail much larger than pea size.  So it was a surprise to hear thunk, thunk, thunk on our roof while we were eating lunch.  We looked out and saw these large balls hitting the ground and rolling along so we had to get a picture.

Thankfully, the hail didn't last for long and never got larger than 3/4 inch size.  The hail passed through and then the rain, thunder, and lightning started in.  We had one thunder clap that was so loud that the lightning strike must have been really close by.  Yikes!  

Later in the afternoon, I heard that Sylvan Lake Road toward Highway 16 really got blasted with hail.  We saw proof of that when we went into town later in the evening.  While some of you have much experience with large hail, this was a first for us. 

Melissa's visit

Melissa was suppose to arrive Friday evening but due to plane mechanical problems that would make her miss the connecting flight to Rapid City, her arrival was postponed until Saturday.  As always, we were very happy to see and hug our beloved daughter.

The days' planned activities were slowed by John feeling pretty crummy.  We were able to get the prerequisite drive around the Custer Wildlife Loop where we saw antelope, deer, bison,.  What would the drive be without feeding the burros . . . or in this case, burro.

John and Melissa were going to go on a Trail Ride Sunday morning while I worked my shift but John was not feeling up to it.  Actually, it was a good thing because it started to rain just as they would have been heading out and it rained for several hours.  

The days were low keyed and  we managed to fit in several hands of Wizard and Shanghai.  Melissa was certainly on a winning streak (all time high at Wizard) until which time her dad started feeling a bit better.

I now know that PIGS CAN FLY.  How could I know such a thing?  Because here is a picture of Melissa with her fishing license!

Out on the boat with her dad:

And with a fish (the only one caught for the day):

Being a fair weather gal, the fishing trip ended once the wind came up along with threatening skies.

Today, on the way to Rapid City to take Melissa to the airport, we stopped at Bear Country USA.  This was on her list of must do's.  It is always lots of fun to watch the antics of the baby bears.

We planned her visit months ago and here it has come and gone.  It sure was nice having her around for a few days.