This was Euro-style weekend.
Our puppy recovered quite quickly from her surgery. On Saturday, we did some things around the house - everyone pitched in to do some cleaning, and my daughter and I had a nice time soaking in the hot tub for a bit. The weather climbed to the 60s.
One of the advantages to living in the Black Hills is that we are never more than about 60 - 90 minutes away from a "retreat" or mini-vaction. Case in point: our nice weekend at the local Savoy Lodge, which was paradise.
Yesterday, we chose to drive down to Hill City. We took a road called Rocheford road that goes through the former ghost town of Rocheford ... I say former because it's making a comeback and now boasts a thriving population of 25. There are some neat, old buildings to look at. Past that town, the road turns to gravel and is just wide enough for two vehicles to pass. We passed two rather large wild turkeys on the side of the road, and thought we spotted another farther down. Then, it spread its wings ... and we realized it was no turkey.
So, we pulled over to the side and waited and watched. The majestic gold eagle flew over head, circled, then landed in the trees not far from us. It sat and watched us, then drifted away - the wing span was wider than our truck. It was a beautiful bird to watch!
We drove on an entered Hill City, which is a beautiful little town. They just may have the record for number of cafés per capita ... there are a ton. We visited the science museum and gawked at the huge fossiles inside, as well as the beautiful minerals, including an amethyst vein (geode) as tall as my daughter. We then meandered to the Alpine Inn and enjoyed a filet mignon with dessert (I indulged in a glass of dark wine). The lights were dim, and it was a like a tudor-stylel European dinner (although you won't find a cut of steak that hearty in most European restaurants).
It was a pleasant evening. My wife and I watched one of our favorite movies, Ronin, afterwards.
This morning, we drove down to church. While our daughter was in Sunday school class, we met a very nice couple named Ken and Julie. We had a great hour visiting and getting to know each other. It was a fabulous service and then we went on to have our traditional breakfast with the grandparents - this time I was craving protein, so instead of the salad bar, I had steak and eggs and replaced the toast and hashed browns with a bagel and cream cheese.
We stayed on to visit some more and then went down town to a nice Italian restaurant. I enjoyed my meal - it was a gorgonzola salad with mandarin oranges and walnuts, and I ordered a grilled chicken breast on the side. This is a nice restaurant which once again felt like Europe - the walls, the decor, the dim lighting (lots of candles), the opera music swelling in the background, and the fine red wine.
Not much left to do today except relax and enjoy the Sabbath for what it is - a day of community, of communion, of rest, of faith, of rejuvenation. I look forward to the week to come. I am excited about a few clients I have been blessed to connect with, and look forward to being their online personal trainer in the weeks and months to come. It is such an honor to be a part of these major transformations that take place and change lives!
Happy Valentine's Day. Give your heart to someone special, and most importantly, love yourself ... you deserve it!
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
Our puppy recovered quite quickly from her surgery. On Saturday, we did some things around the house - everyone pitched in to do some cleaning, and my daughter and I had a nice time soaking in the hot tub for a bit. The weather climbed to the 60s.
One of the advantages to living in the Black Hills is that we are never more than about 60 - 90 minutes away from a "retreat" or mini-vaction. Case in point: our nice weekend at the local Savoy Lodge, which was paradise.
Yesterday, we chose to drive down to Hill City. We took a road called Rocheford road that goes through the former ghost town of Rocheford ... I say former because it's making a comeback and now boasts a thriving population of 25. There are some neat, old buildings to look at. Past that town, the road turns to gravel and is just wide enough for two vehicles to pass. We passed two rather large wild turkeys on the side of the road, and thought we spotted another farther down. Then, it spread its wings ... and we realized it was no turkey.
So, we pulled over to the side and waited and watched. The majestic gold eagle flew over head, circled, then landed in the trees not far from us. It sat and watched us, then drifted away - the wing span was wider than our truck. It was a beautiful bird to watch!
We drove on an entered Hill City, which is a beautiful little town. They just may have the record for number of cafés per capita ... there are a ton. We visited the science museum and gawked at the huge fossiles inside, as well as the beautiful minerals, including an amethyst vein (geode) as tall as my daughter. We then meandered to the Alpine Inn and enjoyed a filet mignon with dessert (I indulged in a glass of dark wine). The lights were dim, and it was a like a tudor-stylel European dinner (although you won't find a cut of steak that hearty in most European restaurants).
It was a pleasant evening. My wife and I watched one of our favorite movies, Ronin, afterwards.
This morning, we drove down to church. While our daughter was in Sunday school class, we met a very nice couple named Ken and Julie. We had a great hour visiting and getting to know each other. It was a fabulous service and then we went on to have our traditional breakfast with the grandparents - this time I was craving protein, so instead of the salad bar, I had steak and eggs and replaced the toast and hashed browns with a bagel and cream cheese.
We stayed on to visit some more and then went down town to a nice Italian restaurant. I enjoyed my meal - it was a gorgonzola salad with mandarin oranges and walnuts, and I ordered a grilled chicken breast on the side. This is a nice restaurant which once again felt like Europe - the walls, the decor, the dim lighting (lots of candles), the opera music swelling in the background, and the fine red wine.
Not much left to do today except relax and enjoy the Sabbath for what it is - a day of community, of communion, of rest, of faith, of rejuvenation. I look forward to the week to come. I am excited about a few clients I have been blessed to connect with, and look forward to being their online personal trainer in the weeks and months to come. It is such an honor to be a part of these major transformations that take place and change lives!
Happy Valentine's Day. Give your heart to someone special, and most importantly, love yourself ... you deserve it!
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
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