In early November the Bismarck Public Library hosted an event featuring 30 North Dakota authors. All were gathered in a meeting room at the library where they could hawk their wares. I enjoyed visiting with the folks there including the two pictured below.
These two folks had tables near mine. We called our section of the room the "Mott Alley" because the three of us have ties to Mott. The gentleman on the left is Greg Schaible. His late father, Bob, grew up in Mott and was a member of the basketball team that took state two years in a row in 1960-61, and 1961-62. Bob gathered voluminous statistics about sports in North Dakota and published them in book form. To Greg's right is LaVonn Steiner, nee LaVonn Boehm. She is a speaker, consultant and trainer who presents workshops nationally and internationally. See Excel Leadership, Inc. LaVonn and I grew up next door to one another in beautiful, downtown Mott.
Here I am, posing with Mom and niece Jaylia.
After a hard day at the library, we joined friends Dave and Polly Nelson at a local pub/eatery. Dave and I have sung together in a quartet since 1991.
Later in the month, Firemann and I reprised a trip we took last year to New Town where I had some work to do in Tribal Court. The Four Bears bridge is now part of history.
This is a photo of a photo of the Four Bears bridge. The photo was framed and hanging on the wall of a local cafe in New Town. Some patrons of the place probably thought it a bit strange to see me laboring over my subject and snapping away while they ate their lunches.
This is the new Four Bears bridge. Nearly one mile long, it is twice as wide as its predecessor and cost more than 35 million dollars to construct.
Another view of the new bridge shows a host of monuments in the foreground, each of which describes an individual. Both old and new bridges honor past leaders from the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nations, including Charging Eagle, Red Buffalo Cow, Flying Eagle, Black Eagle, Waterchief, Pour Wolf, Porcupine, Crow Paunch, Bobtail Bull, Son of the Star, Old Dog, Bear Son, Crow Flies High, and others.
This photo, taken hastily while driving past it on the bridge, shows one of the Indian leaders, Pour Wolf.