Top Gender Neutral Games for Kids!

This year's the Holiday's sensation in the news and online is the announcement that the major toy distributor in Sweden came out with a gender neutral toy catalog in response to parent pressure. The catalog features both girls and boys engaging in all sorts of play, from cooking to dress-up, to playing with dolls and shooting Nerf guns.

In the US, many small locally-owned toy shops have been organizing toys by theme rather than gender for years, but that doesn't change the fact that most children's toys are marketed to one gender or another -- construction sets and Star Wars toys feature boys on the box while toys designed to beautify oneself and teach cooking skills feature girls on the front. Major retailers like Target and Walmart have entire aisles in pink, and often even label aisles according to "girls toys" and "boys toys". But as we all know, many children -especially young children - will play with a variety of toys when they are encouraged and they aren't discouraged from playing with certain toys. When children feel like any toy is an option to them, they will often end up with a variety of boy's, girl's, and gender neutral favorites!

These are my personal top choices for gender neutral games for kids!

Cranium Hullabaloo $23

A combination of Simon Says and Twister, this game prompts kids to jump, dance, and run around, while testing their ability to follow directions and recognize shapes and colors.

Remo Rhythm Club Floor Drum $19

The Remo Rhythm Club Floor Tom is a fun, affordable way to add the Floor Tom to your drum circle, classroom or any musical experience. The Rhythm Club Floor Tom is made to be played easily by a child's hands, no sharp or rough edges!

Melissa & Doug Deluxe Band Set $33

Strike up the band! This colorful set of instruments will have kids making beautiful noise with enthusiasm in no time. Introducing youngsters to a musical foundation is a solid way to promote both teamwork and individual creativity. And since this wooden storage case comes filled with 17 pieces to get the beat going, plenty of musicians can get in on the action. The selection of well-crafted musical implements in this set will expose little ones to a variety of sounds, rhythms, and compositions. Whether for your own tiny composer or a friend’s, this set is bound to hit a high note.

Little Tikes Super Chef Kitchen $79

Everybody likes to cook! This kitchen set is nice because its got boys and girls featured playing with it! A super play kitchen with a play stove, oven, refrigerator, coffee pot and more. Kids will love pretending, sharing and manipulating the working doors and accessories. The kitchen play set includes play plates, forks, spoons, knives, cups and more. This compact, stylish modern kitchen makes a great addition to any play area. Its unique styling allows it to be placed in the corner of a room or against a wall. It comes with all the appliances your little chef requires.

B. Toys Zany Zoo Wooden Activity Cube

This colorful wooden cube from B. Zany has a zoo theme that will delight your child. Loopty-loo routes and zigzag paths with spinners will keep children entertained for hours while they learn shapes and colors.

Being a feminist and LGBT ally as a male-identified person

I'm reporting this great article from Wordpress.
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Part one: The Feminism of the Male-identified Feminist

I love the Everyday Feminism site. It’s an invaluable resource for male-identified feminists (well, for feminists of all genders, really).

I’ve been thinking a lot about feminism lately. I’ve read some really good articles and had some good discussions, and read at least one very very bad article (it uses a radical interpretation of feminism to literally bash anyone who doesn’t fit a particular 2d wave paradigm — it reads like a parody written by a serious anti-feminist, someone to the right of Phyllis Schlafly. I am certain that it has been mined by those people, implicitly if not explicitly).

As a male-identified person who also identifies as a feminist, I’ve gathered a list of specific responsibilities that I have. These are a couple of top points.

1) Don’t mansplain — it’s not my job to tell woman-identified persons how to be feminists, even if I disagree with something they have said. My job is to talk to male-identified persons, and *with* people who are not male-identified. Honest disagreement with some female-identified persons, such as saying how I feel about the horrible article mentioned above, is not mansplaining just because a male-identified person said it. Mansplaining would be running around telling women “you have to quit talking like this!” while claiming that the article is a representation of modern feminism rather than a particularly offensive expression of one person’s lesbian separatism and biphobia. Comments directed at female-identified persons by male-identified persons that start “Feminists should…” are mansplaining.

2) Don’t try to carve out a place in women’s spaces — it is my job to make a space for those who are not male-identified in what remains a Man’s World. So Men’s Studies, which looks at masculinity through a feminist lens, should not take funds or other resources away from Women’s Studies, rather, it should be a model for how to make Women’s Studies into mainstream curricula. It has not made it yet, although it’s starting to make some inroads.

3) Listen more, talk less: only when you have something substantive to add. There’s a principle on Reddit that if you promote your own articles at all, it should be less than 10% of your total contributions. (Disclaimer: yes, I’m one of those people who isn’t afraid to self-promote on Reddit. It’s a great way to reach a broad audience. But I don’t promote every article, or only my own articles.) This is a good principle for any male-identified person who is a feminist – if you have something to say about feminism, it needs to start with the words “Male-identified people should…” and it needs to be because you have a point to get across to those male-identified people. Dudes, there’s literally nothing you can say to a female-identified person about feminism that she doesn’t already know unless she’s just discovering it, and if that’s the case, it should be other female-identified people that teach her the basics.

4) Use language responsibly. Accuracy is important. It’s not an effort to be euphemistic and “politically correct” or a way to deaden the English language — when I say “male-identified” it is not the result of a search-and-replace, but a reflection of authentic thought. It’s the same way that when you say “LGBT” you should be including everyone in the label rather than using it as a synonym for “gay and lesbian” — something that happens all the time in the media and in academia.

Part two: Allyship

The role of the male-identified feminist is similar to the role of the Ally in the assorted queer movements. The model of how people who don’t identify as queer and support equality and rights should act is a good model for how the male-identified feminist should act.

A friend of mine is very upset right now in part because ze is spending a lot of time with self-styled Allies who don’t respect hir pronouns – or the pronouns of others, to the extent of trans*folk leaving a local Alliance organization due to being minimized and derailed. The location ze is at is planning an “Ally Appreciation Week”, but doesn’t do much for the local transgender population.

Calling yourself an Ally doesn’t make you one. Doing things that the community you are supporting sees as useful does. You don’t get a cookie for completing the bare minimum requirements of being a decent human being – although if cookies are being served you’re more than welcome to have some, and hey, it’s a potluck, you can bring a plate of cookies to give away. Maybe some green bean hot dish?

Allies have a definite role in queer circles, just as male-identified feminists have a role in feminism.

But that role is not and should never be center stage.

As a male-identified feminist, and as a trans*ally, I walk with my siblings, with the people who face a bargeload of oppression every day – oppression that I never, ever have to personally deal with because of my privilege. Oppression that no matter how much I think about and work on I do indeed have the luxury of ignoring if I choose to. I could go through the rest of my life without ever thinking about or doing anything about the struggles of female-identified persons or the non-cisgendered (I could, in fact, never use the words “cisgender” or “{gender}-identified”) and face exactly zero external consequences.

Zero. Bupkis. Nada. Diddly-squat.

Does that mean I shouldn’t worry about this? No, because being able to ignore it doesn’t mean ignoring it is the right thing to do, and as a proponent of virtue ethics, a person of good character is a person who does the right thing as consistently as possible – not because it gives them or shows their good character, but because it is a component of that character. Does this mean I deserve no credit for taking the time and effort to do so?

If I’m doing it for the credit, then no. I shouldn’t get any.

The first part of being an Ally to a particular community is recognizing that they would still exist without you. Allies add a lot of things – access to resources, leveraged privilege, a model of behavior for the people in the dominant culture who are still exercising their privilege of obliviousness.

There’s an idea, though, that I’ve run across more than once – that Ally voices are important because of the unfortunate reality that a man is more likely to be listened to than a woman, a cisgender person will be heard when a trans*gender person won’t, that a straight person’s voice has more credibility than a queer person’s.

This may be reality, but buying into it doesn’t fix it.

You fix it by grabbing the wheel and handing it over. You fix it not by taking the lead and expecting to be lauded for it but by opening the space for the voices of the people you are there to support.

There are going to be some people who are Allies to various communities reading this who may be upset, who may feel like I’m not showing proper gratitude for your efforts.

If you are an Ally, and you are feeling this way (“How dare he be so ungrateful! After everything I’ve done to help him, why is he biting me? What a jerk!”), then you need to look inside and ask yourself why you are upset. Because if you would do what you do if no one ever noticed what you did, if you would continue to do it if you were only given the most boring banal tasks, if you were never allowed even on the fringes of the stage, then congratulations: you’re the kind of Ally who will deservedly end up in the spotlight. You’ll probably decline it because you’re not doing it for your benefit other than the way a better society benefits everyone who lives in it.

But if a special week set aside for Ally appreciation is more important to you than a week being set aside for a community you are supporting, if you’re using the wrong pronouns because your comfort in being able to use the wrong ones is more important than the validation of the people asking you to use the right ones, if you are going to quit being a supporter because you’re not receiving sufficient gratitude? You are doing it wrong.

The same thing goes for male-identified feminists. If there is a meeting or a retreat that you are not allowed to attend because you identify as male, too bad. (Now, if you are female-identified and you’re being barred because you’re “not a real womyn”, well, that’s a problem. A big one. That’s also a problem that as a cismale person, I can’t really do much about, because if they won’t listen to you as a female-identified person my support as a male-identified person is actually going to make the problem worse if I try to push my way into the space. That is a place where all I can do is commiserate and offer to help open the spaces I do have access to. And definitely not a time to stroke my beard and say “well, they have a point…” Nope nope nope.)

If there’s a discussion of feminism going on, as a male-identified person, you need to carefully identify your perspective before you speak (or post). Not saying you have to preface every sentence with “As a male-identified person…”, but you should say only those things that would still make sense if you did preface them with those words.

There’s a piece of language usage I’ve advocated before for Allies. It’s this: use and, not but. Listen to the difference:

“I’m straight, but I support my queer friends.”“I’m straight and I support my queer friends.”

Hear the distinction? In the first, it’s something unusual. You’re straight, but you’re not like other straight people because you’re a supporter. It also others teh queer.

Here. Check this one out.

“I’m cis, but I support transgender people.”“I’m cis and I support the rights of my trans* friends.” See how the simple use of “and” trans* turns it into a normative rather than othering trans*folk?

Same thing applies to feminism.

“I’m a man, but I support feminism.”“I’m a male-identified person and I am a feminist.”

Part three: The 500-ton Stone

There is a role for male-identified people in feminism. Many hands makes light work. There’s a 500-ton stone block sitting on the neck of half of humanity. It’s our job to lift it, and if we all chip in, we can do it, even though it seems impossible from here.

But what we cannot do is all direct how the lifting should be accomplished. The person whose neck it is on is the person who should be signaling the lift, calling the shots, their own voices being heard.

If the issue is patriarchy, even though it’s on all of our toes, the people it weighs the heaviest on should be the people we are listening to.

Kyriarchy is the word for everything, for all the oppressions. It’s on all of our necks. We cannot lift that one off – but if we start by lifting the stones that make it up, it will get lighter and lighter until we (or more likely our children’s children) might have a hope of hoisting it. It’s cismonoheteronormative androcentric dominant culture. And, again, the piece that never seems to get addressed is economic oppression. It’s a BIG piece, maybe the biggest, and it just doesn’t get talked about in this context, possibly because it’s so hard to get a handle on. The problem is obvious, but the solution isn’t.

Here’s one thing, though, if we can move the smaller stones, the stones of monosexism and cisnormativity and heterosexism and xenophobia and patriarchy… then maybe we will find that kyriarchy is weakened enough to be movable from beneath.

We should all be Allies to the communities that we don’t belong to. We should stand beside the stone, not on it, grab where the people trapped underneath show us is the best place to grab, and lift together when they say heave. What we shouldn’t be doing is telling them that we know better than they do what needs to be done. Or telling them that they shouldn’t be complaining about the weight on them because the weight on our shoulders is as great, or greater, than ours. Or that they are making their own lives worse by staying under the stone when they could just fit in with those of us standing around it.

OK dudes, we have a stone to move. I’ve talked long enough. Here, listen to what she has to say:

Left the lake and headed out to the Badlands!

I posted twice today!

Be sure to lookout for both my posts and don't miss my post about the Badlands down below (under the post about Angostura)... Blogspot puts the newest blog first, so it's easy to miss pieces of the journey if you don't scroll down. If you follow my blog I think you can get email updates each time I post... but that might be annoying so I'm making sure to let you know!

Here are both of the posts I made today:

Left the lake and headed out to the Badlands!

Next Step: New friends!

I'm also planning to post again tomorrow about our trip to the Mount Rushmore area... so I hope you're ready for some good reading!

Next Step: New friends!

Angostura Reservoir

After our quick morning hike in the badlands on Friday we drove up to Rapid City to meet this guy named Arik who we met on couchsurfing.org (an organization for hooking up travelers with each other... it's a great way to meet cool people and find places to stay). We ended up going camping with him, his daughter, and some of their friends out on the Angostura Reservoir for the weekend. The Reservoir is a big lake created by a dam on the Cheyenne River. It's one of the only large bodies of water in western SD. There were houses on one side of the reservoir and free camping on the other. Even though the only road to the sites was a complicated and twisty gravel road, many campers were already setting up sites for the weekend. Must be a favorite summer spot for the locals.

Arik and his daughter Kiani (13) ended up being really cool. Arik told us about his work as a hydrologist, studying water sources, and it was really interesting. He was just a very easy-going guy. Kiani was a pretty good artist, and she and Remy chatted about art, photography, and writing. They both also really loved Spencer... He's such a great little travelling buddy!

Arik + puppy

Later Friday afternoon, Arik's friend Greg showed up with his daughter Maggie, and her friend Madi (both Kiani's age). Greg was also a pretty cool dude. Arik warned us that everything about Greg is big. He's a big tall guy, he talks in a big voice, and everything he does is big. That was true in a lot of ways, but he was also really mellow too... we got into a conversation about Buddhism and found out he meditates. Later, when Arik and Greg took us climbing near Mount Rushmore, Remy snapped a sweet photo of Greg + pup in an ultra-zen pose. Check it out in my next post.

Greg, Madi, and Arik

Cheyenne, Remy, Maggie, and Kiani

On our second day at Angostura, Greg let us commandeer his canoe for a paddle around the lake. I've been canoeing as a kid, but I've never really actually participated in the paddling and steering and everything, so it was really fun to learn from Remy out on the water! It was a great day for canoeing too, very little wind, not too hot, and not too much sun. I had a really great time! All of this kayaking and canoeing that we've been lucky enough to do really makes me want a small boat of my own!

Once we got the kinks worked out we were a great team. Canoeing wasn't hard at all and before long we had paddled all the way across the lake to the bluffs on the other side! Spencer loved being in the boat, but he didn't like getting knocked in! Spencer jumped in the way of my paddle and got pushed over into the water! Luckily Remy scooped him out as we glided past the poor wet pup, and after a few full body shakes in the canoe, he was back to his old self. After that there were no more mishaps, and by the time we reached the bluffs Spencer didn't even want to get out of the canoe!

Of course after paddling for half an hour, what else is there to do but climb a great big hill and sit down at the top of it! So that's what we did.

Unfortunately, unprepared parents led their baby right into a cactus patch! We discovered the cactus only after Spencer let out a couple of big-time yelps. Luckily the little guy only got one prickle pod stuck in his foot but mommy and daddy both got stuck trying to pull it out.

Spencer was such a tough little guy! He didn't even bark or whimper while we tried to get all the spines out.

After that we were on the lookout... and we avoided our sharp neighbors. Here's another:

After such a long day of friends, fun, canoeing, climbing, and running, little Spencer promptly fell asleep in my arms and had to be carried back down the hill. This guy is certainly living the active (and spoiled) life! Sweet dreams little guy!

Coming up next is our drive through the Needles Highway and Mount Rushmore... as well as our FANTASTIC outdoor climbing experience with Arik near the monument. Stay tuned for some sweet action shots of my super-scarey 50 meter climb!

Left the lake and headed out to the Badlands!

Hey there!

Sorry I got so far behind! I promise to catch you all up on our adventuring and blog more often in the future... I've just been having a lot of trouble getting my computer and internet to work recently. My laptop is getting old and it's not handling travel so well... and my internet access has been limited. But I've been taking tons of pictures so make sure you check out my shutterfly!

Here's a quick rundown of most of our travels since Yankton, South Dakota!

Heading out from Yankton on I-90 we quickly learned about Spencer's favorite spot in the car! For a whole day he wouldn't leave the center console between mommy and daddy! He was ready for adventure.

The afternoon was hot and on our way west we saw a sign for Spencer! We were both wishing earnestly for a lunch break so we took the exit for Spencer and soon found that we would not be stopping anywhere there for lunch. The "town" was really nothing more than a cluster of houses with one gas pump. The sign welcoming us into the neighborhood actually said, "The little town that will not die."

Once we found the gas pump we also found the Spencer Community Coffee Shop. The little building was open but empty and we used their microwave to heat up our lunch. They had some tables, a pool table, and a small supply of snacks, tea, and coffee. Little envelopes for payment accompanied the shop's unlocked money box. Oh, small towns.

Back on the road we headed west, we drove for hours with dry, flat landscape stretching out around us in all directions. Then suddenly the Badlands just erupted in front of us. We've both been here before as kids but seeing it again was really exciting. We pulled over at the first overlook, climbed around, and then ignored all 1000 subsequent scenic overlooks in order to make it to our campsite by nightfall.

At the Ranger Station we got the recommendation to camp at the primitive sites in the national park. We were told we'd likely see wildlife along the way and near our campsite, but we didn't expect to see buffalo right in the middle of our campsite!

In the morning we woke up with the sun and took a hike up a hill near our campsite. Spencer is quite the little hiker already! We've been lucky to have some pretty great weather so far, I hope it continues!

And just for fun... I snapped this photo to provide a visual comparison of pup vs. buffalo poo radius! Hope you enjoy!

We made a quick stop at Wall Drug just to say we did it... so here's a photo for mom!

Photos!

Hey everyone,

Remy has been taking so many photos, I haven't been able to add them all to the blog. If you'd like to see more photos check out our shutterfly page for a frequently-updated catalog of photos.

www.intothespring.shutterfly.com

Summertime and the living's easy

We started planning this trip over a year ago... it started with that impossible idea that we needed to "find" ourselves. We thought putting our bodies on the road would put us closer to the earth and closer to each other... but the grand idea of a road trip across the US seemed so cliche that neither of us wanted to admit that we really wanted it. So at first we thought it was mostly a joke... not something you do, just something you talk about and then forget.

Then somewhere during our junior year of college, between the mountains of papers, books, and exams we both agreed that we had to make it a reality.

As the vague plans began to solidify, we loosely mapped our route across the Western half of the US, including some of Canada and possibly Mexico. We reminisced over the thought of being on the road together, seeing places we've never seen, and making new friends along the way. The summer of dreams...

Phew... done with the cheesy. Now here's what it really took to plan a trip like this. We decided to cut down on all our crap before moving all our possessions into storage, and we thought a garage sale would be a great way to do it. The garage sale was the most difficult thing we did to get ready for the summer, other than giving over our beautiful kitty-cat Dexter to Remy's mom for the summer. You can see below he had a pretty good time basking in the sun at the sale. Packing, pricing and organizing tons of donated junk during midterm week was not exactly an easy task. The stress of school, combined with a serious lack of sleep did not make for a very cooperative couple. Luckily my mother was there to keep us in line, but it was rough.

Shortly after the garage sale we had to move our 2 kitties and bunny to Moorhead to live with Remy's mom for the summer. They have other cats and dogs, so we figured our furry little buddies would get some great loving there and maybe make some new friends... besides, they wouldn't really take to the road well :P It was still a sad day for both of us.

Remy and I must have some sort of pet addiction though, because the day after the departure of our three little guys, Remy let me get a puppy. And I don't mean a 1 or 2 year old dog, I mean a 5 month old puppy! Who in their right mind would let me get a puppy but my enabling sweetheart (probably because Remy is not actually in his right mind)? His name is Spencer and he's a little 4 lb. Maltese Poodle (Maltipoo). Now I'll try to keep you all updated on his major achievements here, but I've also decided to do a separate blog called "spencer's adventures chronicling his journeys through puppyhood. Check it out!

http://spencerthesuperpup.blogspot.com/

I go back and forth between thinking about how insane it is that we got a puppy only 3 days before setting out on the road, and really believing my astonishment at how well he already seems used to a life of constant motion. Little Spencer is the toughest little scruffy maltese poodle you'll ever meet. If you think 4 pounds isn't a lot of dog, you should see him plow head-first down a flight of stairs or dive into waves over his head. The little guys is fearless! Except of course when mommy and daddy put him in his kennel for bedtime. We've got to work on the kennel training, and we've had quite the task of getting the potty training down... we're not quite there yet with either.

After the pets, all our stuff disappeared. People don't usually describe me as sentimental, but it was a little eerie seeing most of our belongings piled up in our tiny 5x7 ft. storage space. Remy and I were doubtful, but we got everything into the space thanks to some great help from my dad. One more night in the apartment allowed us to clean and get any remaining supplies we still needed for the trip, and Saturday afternoon we finally left town.

Woo hoo! It's Saturday! We're seeing the Minneapolis skyline for the last time in 4 months but we're headed on a great adventure! Nothing can stop us! Nothing... except the wind. We stopped in Mankato to see my mom and dad one last time, and as you can see below also give Spencer and Francis (the Springer Spaniel) a chance to meet...

which was great, but the wind really started to pick up as we left. Forty-five minutes outside of Mankato the 30+ mph winds wrenched off the rack carrying our bikes from the roof of our car. It had already gotten dark so we stopped at a gas station for light, and Remy spent the better part of an hour getting the rack clamped down more securely while I entertained the pup. We also tied the front of the bikes down so there was no way it was going anywhere... but we were still paranoid all the way to Yankton.

The next stop was Worthington. The highway was smooth but we ended up lost in Worthington so it was midnight by the time we got there. We felt so bad to keep my grandparents up so late but they insisted we stop by and get some vegetable stew. So we did, and the stew was marvelous. After a quick birthday gift for me - since I'll be on the road over my birthday - we were back in the car. Thanks Grams!

Back on the road again the pup and I start to get pretty sleepy coming across the South Dakota border. Goodbye Minnesota! Luckily Remy is up to the task of navigating Jon's directions and we make it to Jon and Robin's outside of Yankton at around 4 in the morning. We followed the signs to our bedroom and just crashed. It was a comfortable temperature that night so Spencer slept in the kennel in the car.

Sunday morning (May 23) rises on South Dakota as Remy tends to their poopy puppy. Spencer's previous owners assured us he was well trained for a puppy. I guess "mostly potty trained" only meant during the day :( Once that was over we joined Jon for some homemade granola at the breakfast table. Their house really is beautiful. It's a rustic cabin-turned-home with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a lake created by dams in the Missouri River. It's the kind of place where you find yourself dozing on the deck during the afternoon and no one but the mosquitoes bother you. Relaxation. Breath. Those things come easy here.

After the wind the previous night, Sunday afternoon was clear and calm. There wasn't a ripple on the lake so Jon and Robin suggested we go kayaking. Following a hearty lunch of grilled potatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, and veggie burgers we set out for the lake. Neither Remy nor I had ever been kayaking before, but it wasn't that difficult and we both got the hang of it right away. It was an amazing experience. Talk about being close to nature, we saw a couple of muskrats, a beaver, and a giant fish basking near the surface. It felt like the perfect start to our travels.

Monday was just as low-key and wonderful as the day before. It was slightly windier, but I tell you I'm liking the pattern that's developing here. Perfect weather, good people, good dog, and spectacular scenary... what else could I ask for? We took Spencer on a long walk down by the lake and he played like crazy! That fearless little guy jumped right into the water and splashed in waves over his head. He did it over and over again. He looks so sad and small when he's wet, but he doesn't care, he's all PLAY! PLAY! PLAY!

After swimming we all went to ace hardware to get a piece for the rack that goes over the rear tire of Remy's bicycle, and we ended up getting a little wicker basket for Spencer! You can see more pictures of Spencer's outings on Spencer's blog: "spencer's adventures"

That evening we had a delicious tempeh stir fry. All of this good cooking is going to spoil me, I should be getting used to crappy camping food! Actually I think Remy and I are going to do quite well, we're pretty good at eating healthy. And with all the free time we're bound to come up with lots of new and interesting meals. We're also planning to go raw vegan for a month this summer. We haven't really decided when we're going to begin... probably because it's so hard to think about giving up cheese, but we'll let you know when we start that undertaking.

Today (Tuesday, May 25) Remy and I slept in and had kind of a lazy, cloudy day. In the afternoon the sun came out for a bit and we put Spencer in his new wicker basket on the front of my bike. Robin, Remy, and I took Spencer down to the Lewis and Clark park and took him for a spin on the bike trail. He was such a good boy, and it seemed like he had a pretty good time! He loved the wind in his face, but the bigger bumps scared him a little. We also had a little beach time down at the park, and the three of us dug a big hole! By the end of the afternoon we certainly had one very tired pup.

Back up at the cabin we found Jon beginning to prepare veggie lasagna! Another fantastic meal! And I haven't even mentioned the great conversations we've been having while we've been here... all four of us. I feel like I'm getting to know everyone on a new level. It's wonderful.

Tonight the sun hit the limestone bluffs across the lake, making them shine gold and red through the evening. It's a site to see, and I'm glad I got to see it while I was here. Thinking about all the beautiful views out there ahead of me is really inspiring. It's been a wonderful stay here but I'm already excited to explore some new territory. Thursday we're headed out to the badlands for some camping, and then we might join some friends for some canoeing at the Angostura Reservoir. I'll update you soon!

Night!

-Cheyenne