Belle Field

Belle Field, 12x24

THE SECOND DAY of Carol's dig, I set out with the thought of possibly heading to Buffalo, Wyoming, home of Chief Longmire - and of Craig Johnson, writer of the Longmire series. It's a couple hours away, is beautiful and fun, and there's lots to paint there. 

But I am waylaid first by a delicious breakfast at the Black Hills Diner (more on this enlightened place below) and then by The Black Hills Pioneer, a surprisingly and delightfully rich daily paper. I read the whole thing and decide to stop in at the paper's office in Spearfish, find the editor and let him know what a great job I think he's doing. Not that my opinion would matter, but I remember how rare it was, as the editor, that anyone said anything good. 

As I'm driving there, I see a beautiful, bright field with low weedy sunflowers in the background, and the sun on it, and the bales and trees and grasses capture my eye and heart, and I stop and set up and paint. 

Hours later, I find that the editor is not in - but I tour Spearfish, which looks to be a cool and interesting town, and then decide to drive down into Spearfish Canyon. Its stark, rocky beauty awes me, and I stop at the bottom and paint, before driving back to Belle, to paint a commission for a friend, and then meet Carol and two friends she has met through her dig, and have a good salad before turning in.

  

Fun! A friend ordered a commission of burros, and I am glad to find these burros at Custer State Park, and paint them for him. Fingers crossed that they dry in time for me to send.

***

Devil's Tower

Devil's Tower, 5x7

DEVIL'S TOWER is a giant rock that sticks up from the prairie near Hulett, Wyoming. It is considered sacred by the Northern Plains Indians, indigenous people and most all the characters in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

Climbers love it, too, because of the hundreds of parallel cracks that line the formation. It's the largest example of columnar jointing in the world - meaning that it's made of hundreds and hundreds of rock columns arrayed closely together, or side by each, as we would have said in Rhode Island. 

The rock was protected in 1906, and has been studied for ages. Geologists agree on some of the story of its formation, but not all of it. 

According to the Devil's Tower National Monument website, it is made or phonolite porphyry, a rare igneous rock. Columns like the ones on the Tower form only in igneous rocks, which are born in lava on the surface of the Earth, or magma, below the surface. 

As the magma or lava cools from liquid to solid, it contracts, which stresses it and forces it to crack. Generally, this creates perfect hexagonal columns. Columns on the Tower are less regular, according to the website, and are often pentagonal, or five-sided. 

There are a few theories about how the Tower formed. Generally, scientists believe it was caused first by magma cooling underground, and then by the erosion of all the surrounding earthen material. The explanation is far more complicated, and far more interesting than this, and has to do particularly with the quality and kind of soil and rock in the area. If you'd like to read in depth, please click here. 

My delight, by and large, is painting the stuff at the side of the road, the landscapes that people pass every day, that enrich our lives without our even knowing it. So I had no intention of painting The Big Rock, as I have been calling it. But friends on Facebook implored me to paint it, and so I gave it a shot. To my surprise, I enjoyed making the painting, and I like the painting itself. 

***

The Black Hills Diner

Otto, above, grew up in Louisiana and is a good cook! 

THERE ARE LOTS of great things about South Dakota, but gluten-free dining is not one of them. Nor, frankly, is healthy food. I travel with fruit and some yogurt that I like, and have had a string of salads for lunch and dinner, ranging from good to sub-par, and so I was delighted to find the Black Hills Diner, in Belle Fourche, which not only offered (and understood) gluten-free meals, but also served their own eggs and local meats and vegetables. Yay! 

Kristi, Otto and their children were living in the Bay Area when the covid hit. It took a toll on everyone, and they arrived at the idea of leaving the city and moving... somewhere. Belle Fourche had everything they were looking for - open spaces, a variety of recreational and employment opportunities, and the sort of church they wanted. 

They worked jobs for a while, one of which was selling food at a local fair. Astonished by the amount of money the operation took in, they decided to try a food truck. That thought fell by the wayside, for reasons I don't remember, and they found the building they're in now and decided to open the diner. 

Otto and Kristi had no restaurant experience other than working at Subway when they were young. But they were high school sweethearts who married and have been happy and together since. And so, united and optimistic, they leapt. Otto says they decided to give the Diner a year, and see, as a family, if it's the thing for them. They've been open since spring, and he says it's going well, and so far, they like it. 

Now, they live on a farm outside of Belle. They have chickens and sheep, the kids are involved in 4-H. At the diner, Otto is the cook, Kristi helps cooking and waiting tables, with Hannah, who is not one of their children, but has more or less been adopted into the family, through her work at the diner. 

I have a great, gluten-free breakfast, and pack a gluten-free BLT from the diner with me when I go out to paint, and I relish every mouthful. Carol and I go back on the day we leave Belle and have another great breakfast, and coffee to travel. 

If you're in Belle Fourche, please go to the Black Hills Diner! The food is wonderful, the atmosphere positive and optimistic, and the family's mission is inspiring. 

Here's Kristi, above, and below, from left, Otto, Hannah and Kristi

***

Dog of the Day

IT'S EARL, whose life came to a close this week, at the age of 19. Mostly blind and mostly deaf, he was a much loved dog of my friends Janet and Scott from Omaha. They rescue, adopt and foster  older dogs. Earl had been with them for a long time, and he was treasured. Janet is a wonderful painter, and you can see her work here