Photo by Bill Goehring

Stars soar above the weathered quartzite spire of the Needles Eye in Custer State Park. To achieve an effect of falling stars, Sioux Falls photographer Bill Goehring used a three-hour exposure that began at twilight. A hand-held light directed at the monument created a day-like glow; fading light gave a glimpse of the surrounding pine forest. The Needle's hard granite, high in the Hills at an elevation of 7,166 feet, erodes about an inch every 40,000 years.

Slowly but surely, Sioux Falls' old railroad warehouse district is coming back to life. Sixth & Eighth Streets (just northeast of Phillips Ave. downtown) is filling up with interesting shops, galleries, offices and lofts. You could easily spend a half day or more browsing around there. I wasn't aware of how much it had developed until yesterday when I went to take photos for an upcoming article on the district. Pictured here is a shop called Sticks and Steel where they sell American handcrafted art. Terry Schuver, the owner, designs metal sculptures that are featured in the shop. Later I'll tell you about a great little nearby bakery.

George Tunney and Ann H. Petrie of Glasgow, Scotland, stopped by our magazine office late last week. They are spending about a week in South Dakota. They were admiring the historic buildings in Yankton. We mentioned that unfortunately we've lost some of the most impressive ones, and they lamented that even in Glasgow the same has happened. Overall, they were greatly enjoying their time on the American prairie. Katie Hunhoff (left) showed them our old headquarters (but 1875 isn't that old by Scottish standards).

George and Ann were very well versed in American history and politics, including Old West stories.

A few days ago, we linked to a Salon.com article by Garrison Keillor about an orange-haired California girl who was welcomed by conservatives at a party he attendedd in Mitchell, South Dakota. Keillor's point was that the entire red state/blue state divide is actually quite blurred. Here's a link to what readers thought of his opinion. Seems the divide is alive after all.

That's the dilemma once faced by our friend Mike Rossiter.


(Photo is not an actual depiction of the crime reported below.)

Mike Rossiter, a longtime friend and reader, turned 70 this week so lots of storytelling was taking place the other night at Yankton's new Hugh Glass Bar. Mixed among the stories was a true accounting of the day Mike robbed a bank.

It was the early 1940s, when bank heists were a popular pastime for some folks. Mike tried it when he was about six. His grandpa, Vince, owned the Bank of Hartington and Mike was welcome to come and go around the premises. On the day in question, Mike saw a shiny wristwatch on sale for just $5 at a store near the bank.

While visiting the bank that day, he noticed quite a few green $5 bills lying about so he took just one and went to the store and bought the watch. The crime was done.

That evening, Mike's dad came home and reported that money was missing at the bank and Grandpa, a detail man, was quite disconcerted. Where could the $5 be? Then Mike's dad noticed the shiny wristwatch and quickly tied the two together. First, he insisted that Mike apologize, promise to pay the money back, and then go to Monsignor Lordeman and confess. Grandpa was a kindly man. The toughest part was going into the dark confessional and acknowledging to the stern, black-robed monsignor and to God above, "Bless me father, for I have sinned .... I robbed the bank...."

The next day, Mike got a job at the lumberyard. He dusted the paint cans. He earned one dollar the first day. And, since the job was one that left much time for introspection, he pondered the difference between bank robbing and retailing. Despite that early start, however, he has lived a fruitful and law-abiding life for the following 64 years. In fact, he now sits on the board of directors of that same bank.

How would a orange-haired vegan girl from Los Angeles with a blue rhinestone in her exposed belly-button .... just how would she be received at a little party of quiet conservatives in Mitchell, S.D.? Garrison Keillor of "Prairie Home Companion" fame answered that question in this little essay from Salon.com.

350 miles away in Yankton, we can almost hear the sigh of relief from Black Hills citizens as news spreads this morning that Ellsworth Air Force Base and its 3800 workers will stay. Sen. John Thune calls it a great day for America. Sen. Tim Johnson says America will have a stronger military thanks to the 8-1 decision today by the base closing commission to not lock the door on the old base that sits at the foothills of Black Hills.

Katie and I just spent two days in Spink County, most of it in the 2,500-pop. town of Redfield. It lies about 40 miles south of Aberdeen at the junction of Highways 281 and 212. We'll have a major article on the town in our Nov/Dec issue, but here are a few tidbits you might want to know if you're traveling through in the near future.

Sour Cream Raisin: This isn't my favorite pie, and pie isn't even my favorite food, but the SCR at the old Leo's Restaurant is quite remarkable. Half the people in town suggested we sample it, so we did. You wouldn't be disappointed.

The old railroad depot: Those of you who've driven past this big old red brick C&NW Railroad Depot have probably wondered why somebody doesn't fix it up. Well, they have. It will soon reopen as a railroad museum and visitors center.

The 'state school' is what they still call the big state institution for the developmentally disabled on the northern outskirts of town. It's not as busy as it once was, but 450 people still care for about 200 patients and clients there.

New bridge! The '97 flood washed out a plank bridge that connected main street to the pretty little city park on the other side of Turtle Creek. We'll tell you how the city fixed that problem in our story, but if you're there before you read the story, discover it for yourself. It's pretty classy for a small city.

Who's the mayor? Yes, it's still Duane Sanger. The retired postal carrier has led the city as mayor for 30 years and he's clearly in charge. A local bank recently built a new building, so the city took over the bank at the corner of Main and Hwy 212. They've made quite a nice City Hall.

Need a desk or a denture? Dr. Clay Yeoman, a Dell Rapids native, recently moved to Redfield after practicing in Minneapolis for 20 years. He opened a dentist shop and then he bought a dilapidated building and restored it as the Spink County Mercantile, a shop with antiques, gift items, art and literature. You'll like it.

We also brought home some of Big John's BBQ sauce and Char's chokecherry jelly, both made in Spink County. Sometime we'll test them and give you a report. This job just gets harder all the time.