White Christmas...err...Thanksgiving?

I'm officially on vacation......albeit a short one. But non-the-less, it's still vacation! I was hoping to have some days off for Thanksgiving but to make a long story short, I couldn't get all the days I was needing. So I decided to use vacation now instead of later!

I drove to my home state of ND to visit my Dad and his wife Beverly. It's been over a year since I've made the trek back there. Pitiful, isn't it? It was actually for my Dad's 70TH birthday (last October) that I had been back to the farm. Time does go by much too quickly....is that a sign of aging?
I had been hearing all the weather reports prior to my trip about all the snow and such, that ND and SD had been getting. Bismarck was reporting 10 foot snow drifts last week on our news in Omaha, NE. Bismarck happens to be on my route going north to my Dad's. I was hoping that any inclement weather would be done before I had to travel through.

The further north I drove, I could see evidence of the white stuff along the roads. After getting as far as Watertown, SD., I could still see the piles from the snowplows along the streets in town. And from what I could tell, Bismarck had definitely received their fair share of the white stuff. But nothing could compare to the amounts of snow I saw a little further north along Highway 83 near Max, ND! It was already dark when I was traveling along Highway 83 but thanks to the full moon blanketing the earth like frosting on a cake, I was able to see the evidence of just how much snow had fallen in the area! The ditches were full and drifts had risen high enough that someone riding snowmobile was out taking advantage of the mild evening and going all over the place! Now, having been raised on the farm, we had a few outdoor toys, some of which were snowmobiles. We loved them back in the day. So witnessing this event brought back many fun memories! I think I even became a little jealous seeing this individual out having so much fun! (sniff sniff)
Annnyywaayyy, I was very glad that I hadn't tried to travel the week prior. My drive north turned out to be an uneventful one and I arrived at Dad's safely. I was greeted at the door by their ever excited dog Bandy. She is officially the "welcome committee" in the Moberg household! So much so that she gets in trouble for over doing the welcome! Quite the greeter!
But I'm here....and glad to be. It's nice to be on the farm for a little peace and quiet of the country. ....umm...that's a sure sign of aging when one loves peace and quiet! Good ol' North Dakota.