Me and Rio

Yup, I saddled up little Rio last Monday and headed west. Luckily for Rio I found the Buffalo Gap Guest Ranch west of Medora, ND that has accommodations for both people AND horses, as you can see by the corrals there behind Rio.

When I checked in to the ranch Monday evening, the man working the bar/front desk asked if I had a horse. I said, "As a matter a fact I do!" and pulled little Rio out of my purse. He didn't seem to appreciate my humor, or maybe he'd had too many city slickers trying to act like rough riders, I'm not sure. Regardless, me and Rio settled into our room at the lodge. We had an incredible view of the North Dakota Badlands off the deck, which I can testify is amazingly beautiful at sunset.

Tuesday I drove over to Wibaux, hoping to do a little deeper research about the history of Wibaux and the cattle ranchers of the 1880s, including the town's founder, Pierre Wibaux. At one time Pierre Wibaux owned more cattle than any other individual in the world! He was a true cattle baron and had friends like Teddy Roosevelt and Marquis de Mores. I roamed the sections roads for awhile, admiring the quiet beauty of eastern Montana's rolling land, spent time in the library, and had lunch at the Shamrock, downtown Wibaux.

On Wednesday I drove to Medora, the quaint little tourist town on the edge of the North Dakota Badlands, where the entrance to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park sits. On the 36-mile loop through the park there are numerous overlooks with incredible views, ones that give you a sense for how it looked a century or two ago. There are wild horses and buffalo herds, antelope, whitetail, muleys...plenty of western inspiration to stir the imagination.

I asked Rio if he wanted to stay there, but he was a little intimidated by the size of the wild horses and opted to come home with me. So now the real work begins!!

Giddy-yup!

Defeat of Jesse James Days - Northfield, MN

If anyone is looking for something fun to do this weekend, take a short drive to the beautiful river town of Northfield for the "Defeat of Jesse James Days" Celebration. The weekend is chock-full of festivities in the historic downtown--everything from re-enactments of the famous shootout to a PRCA Professional Rodeo, a parade, craft show and much more.

I will have a booth with the FINE ARTS & CRAFT FESTIVAL along the picturesque river walk, Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with copies of "Hidden Heritage", Brule' CDs and DVDs, and my photo greeting cards, plus copies of my compilation books: Cup of Comfort for Single Moms, Cup of Comfort for Mothers and Sons, Celebrating Christmas God's Way, Finding and Following God's Will, and Groovy Chicks' Road Trip to Love.

Please stop by and say hello!
Barbara

Hidden Heritage TV Show Premieres on RFD-TV!

Exciting news!!

HIDDEN HERITAGE premiere episode to air on
RFD-TV Monday, August 31, 2009 – 8:30 p.m. CT

The first episode titled “Hidden Heritage—The Pilot” will air Monday, August 31st, at 8:30 pm, CT. New episodes will follow each Monday thereafter with topics that include Mount Rushmore and Park Superintendent Gerard Baker, The Elders, Circle of Celebration—Lower Brule Pow Wow and Tribal Farm, Rez Ride 2009, Arts of the Indigenous, Sacred Sites—Bear Butte, Native Wisdom—Lakota Concepts, The Music of Brulé and Friends.

Each episode will air at Monday, 8:30 pm; Tuesday 10:30 am; and Wednesday, 7:30 am, central time zone. The television show follows Paul’s journey into Native America and is based on the book Hidden Heritage by Barbara Marshak.

Paul LaRoche, a/k/a Brulé, is an award-wining Native American recording artist from Minnesota. Adopted at birth, he didn’t discover his Lakota heritage until he was 38. Paul and his band, AIRO, (American Indian Rock Opera) have sold over a million CDs worldwide and earned seven Native American Music Awards (NAMMYs) since 2002.

Locally the network can be found on:
Charter Cable – channel 138
DIRECTV – channel 345 (basic package & family pack)
DISH Network – channel 231
For further listing information, go to http://www.rfdtv.com/, Rural America’s Most Important Network.

Producer: Paul LaRoche

Director: Shane LaRoche

Writer: Barbara Marshak

Filming "Hidden Heritage" for RFD-TV

Yes, believe it or not filming has begun!





We were fortunate to join Paul LaRoche in South Dakota last month for a weekend of filming for the new television series that will premiere on RFD-TV in September 2009. We filmed part of Episode #5, titled "Rez Ride 2009"...and hope to make the motorcycle ride an annual event.





We started on the popular Iron Mountain Road in the southern portion of the Black Hills that has framed tunnel views of Mount Rushmore in the distance. It's a very popular route for motorcycles especially...numerous hairpin turns, tight curves, pigtail curves, single lane tunnels--you name it, Iron Mountain Road has it all. Even though we were there two weeks prior to the Sturgis Bike Rally, there was plenty of motorcycle traffic through the hills. It was a little tricky filming on such a busy roadway, but our fabulous crew made it work nonetheless.





We had only 3 motorcycles...which proved to be just the right amount considering the traffic and other roadside challenges. Dan and Chris Kes, from Bloomington, Minnesota; John and Barbara Marshak, and Paul and Kathy LaRoche. Next up we rode north through Nemo and Vanocker Canyon to Bear Butte, the sacred Lakota mountain on the northeast side of Sturgis. The next day we headed south and west to the Pine Ridge Reservation, the Badlands, and the Wounded Knee Memorial. The timing was perfect...shortly after we arrived at the Wounded Knee Memorial, the 4th Annual Wounded Knee Memorial Bike Ride rolled in with about 65 bikes and a number of people waiting to see them. We stayed for the ceremony as the sun began to set on the prairie...a fitting end to the episode.



In fact, as we wrapped up our final shot, in the distance we a soft chant echoed down the hillside as the ceremony came to a close. It was that perfect moment, captured on film, that happens when you least expect it. We couldn't have timed it any better if we'd planned it. It was almost surreal. I'd like to think it's a sign of good things to come for our new television series.

I'll post details about the series premiere of "Hidden Heritage" on RFD-TV--America's most important rural network-- soon!

Until then,
Barbara

Graduation!

Yeah! We made it through another high school graduation, our last in fact. Number 6 of 6! With ours being a blended family there was a bit of a gap between the older kids and David, our youngest. Like 9 years to be exact. So long I'd almost forgotten how to do a grad party! Nonetheless, we celebrated commencement on Friday, June 5th, 2009 with David and 410 graduates from Lakeville North High School. We had our open house celebration on Sunday, June 7th. Although the weather didn't cooperate at all--extremely cool & dark, looming clouds--we made the best of it.

As with many stages in life, we now look forward to the next phase...college. David has plans to attend North Dakota State University in Fargo to study Architecture. And for John and I, empty-nesters. It'll be the first time in our married life without any kids in the house.

And so it goes...another one of those life changes. For the first time in 26 years my life won't revolve around a school calendar. Rather than look behind and feel sadness, I look ahead with breathless anticipation of what God has in store. Right now I have three writing projects going simultaneously, each one amazing in story, depth and dimension.

So while I may have an empty nest, I do not have an empty desk!

Until next time,

Barbara

Working Weekend

We had our first camping weekend of the summer this Memorial Weekend. It felt great to get outdoors and spend some time around a campfire again. We went to northern Minnesota with three other couples, just like we've done the past three years. Typically the focus of our weekend getaways is to ride Harleys (well, one couple has a Honda motorcycle) during the day and gather around the warmth of a campfire in the evening. (Actually the Honda guy brings the firewood, so we have to let him ride with the Harleys!)

I had a lot of writing to get done over the weekend, so I decided to stay back and write while the others went riding. It worked out really well and I was able to accomplish quite a bit...thanks to my helper, Abbie...our Golden Retriever. I think if she has her way, she'll be going with us every time!

Next on my mind is graduation...our youngest is graduating from Lakeville North High School is less than two weeks!

Barbara

Maui Shower Sponsors NASCAR

I had a fun project to work on last week. A family from our church has a business called Maui Shower, a mobile shower facility in a bright yellow-and-orange semi that they take to large-scale events like NASCAR where thousands of campers are in need of showers. Maui Shower is now in their fifth year of business and they have four semis that travel all across the United States.

The owners, Tim and Sam Watts, (father and son), were pretty excited to have an opportunity to sponsor a couple drivers at Talladega Superspeedway a couple weeks ago. I wrote a press release for them and thought I would share it here:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Minneapolis, Minnesota –
The Maui Shower Company teamed up with Tonya McCallister and McCallister Precision Marketing (MPM) to sponsor drivers at Talladega Superspeedway, April 24-26, 2009. In a show of support to NASCAR and the sport of racing, Maui Shower went 3-for-3, sponsoring drivers in all three events.

Sponsorship started Friday night at the ARCA series when Maui Shower took an ad on the side of Grant Enfinger’s #83 red Chevrolet. Enfinger started in the 8th position—his second start of the season—and finished 3rd, after a wild race with five cautions. Tonya and MPM took it to the next level, bringing Maui Shower a sponsorship opportunity with Joe Nemechek in both the Nationwide and Cup series.
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY - NATIONWIDE SERIES: On Saturday, April 25, 2009, Maui Shower sponsored driver Joe Nemechek. The Maui Shower logo dazzled bright and bold on the front hood of his yellow Chevrolet Impala SS throughout the race. Driving #87, Nemechek started in 19th position and stayed clear of trouble to finish 11th in the Aaron’s 312. Television coverage was provided by ABC Sports, giving Maui Shower great national exposure.

TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY - SPRING CUP SERIES: On Sunday, April 26, 2009, the Maui Shower logo splashed across the front hood of Joe Nemechek’s #87 Toyota Camry. The highly visible spot throughout the four-hour race earned a 25-second mention by FOX Broadcasters. Nemechek started the Aaron’s 499 in the 17th spot and avoided two major crashes to finish with a season’s best at 14th .

Working in conjunction with McCallister Precision Marketing, Maui Showers is committed to the sport of racing. Look for the Maui Shower trailers on the infield at future NASCAR events throughout the 2009 season.

Contact: Tim Watts, CEO President
Sam Watts, Vice President
Maui Shower Company

952-641-6000

http://www.mauishower.com/