CIRCLE THE WAGONS

Click on this to make it bigger.  You can see the "wagons" circling and some "wagons" arriving more coming in.

 

That's me on the left.

Laura's little school

The original Airstream

The walls of the sod house...V and D said it was cold and damp and moldy inside.

Dave couldn't resist playing a tune on this old pump organ. The organ belonged to Mary, Laura's sister.

Vannie having fun!

 

"Remember well, and bear in mind, a constant friend is hard to find."  LIWilder

 

“Laura felt a warmth inside her.  It was very small, but it was strong.  It was steady, like a tiny light in the dark, and it burned very low but no winds could make it flicker because it would not give up.”  Laura Ingalls Wilder (Author of Little House on the Prairie Series) This quote was from The Long Winter.

Just like Laura…I was feeling warm inside.

Just like Laura…I was feeling strong and steady.

Just like Laura…I wasn’t giving up.

This trip has been such a “growing up” for me.  I’ve covered some miles and gone up some hills and met new friends and seen new things.  Wow…just a little ole trailer from Louisiana…seeing the world!

When I arrived at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Homestead in DeSmet, SD, I got the shivers.  I know I’ve seen great things on this trip, but pulling up on the prairie right where Laura ran and played was a highlight.  All the Airstreams had to get in a circle just like the covered wagons did long ago…and I think my ancestors did the same thing.  The wind was whistling by the plain…the grass was waving…the sky was blue and bright… Laura’s little house and barn and school were all in sight…my chill bumps were popping.

Vannie had borrowed a dress from her mother-in-law, Pearl Harris.  Pearl had made the dress back in the late 60’s for a centennial in Farmerville, LA.  Vannie could hardly wait till I was parked before she was puttin’ on that dress.  Oh my goodness, when she stepped out of me and into the prairie breeze, she could have been Laura herself.  Vannie was getting the same feeling I was having.  It was a special moment between the two of us.

“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” Laura Ingalls Wilder