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Sunday, April 15, 2018

Vacationing With Family

Hello Folks! — We are back from our vacation and a fine one it was. It is one that the children will never forget. Romping in the Badlands, driving along roads full of switchbacks, hairpins and pigtails. Going through long tunnels where the kids tried to out shout each other and failing that, insisted on having the horn honk so they could hear it echo through the tunnels. Visiting museums. Sliding down snowbanks barefooted and having snowball fights. Camping out and having picnics in the mountains. Swimming in the hot springs until they were tired. Renewing acquaintances with cousins and getting acquainted with others. Visiting lumbering camps over 9,000 feet elevation in the mountains and a host of other things makes this summer one to be remembered.

This was a vacation where rest was almost at a premium there was so much going on. The night we go home the children went right to bed and slept until late the next morning.

Grandpa and Grandma Barnes celebrated their Golden Anniversary. It was a grand success. The families of each one of the eight children put on the program and entertained with poems, skits and songs.

There is a lot of talent in the Barnes family and they proved it. I was asked to MC the program. The show lasted one and a half hours.

The work was waiting for us when we got home and we are back in the swing of it. The children are already getting up ideas for another day.

On our trip we spent a good half day in Cody, Wyoming. It is one of the most progressive cities I have ever seen.

Any one visiting the town should plan on spending at least a day there. It is named after William F. (Buffalo Bill) Cody and much of its history is tied up with him.

Cody was a showman and I don't believe that he intended for a minute that the town should ever forget him. I don't mean that to be a slam, for he was truly a man of high order. He left a heritage for America that we can all be proud of and to tell of his many accomplishments would fill a number of books.

He established a museum in Cody that is the finest anywhere. A full day could be spent there viewing all the relics and sights to be found in the four large buildings occupying the sight.

Another benefactor of Cody is Mrs. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. She sculptured the "Buffalo Bill" statue at the west edge of town and bequeathed a wonderful museum that is worth anyone's time to visit. It is a huge thing and many hours could be spent there, profitably.

Today's great benefactor of Cody is Glenn Nielsen, founder and president of Husky Oil Co. Through his generous contributions the Whitney museum has received many valuable art and museum pieces.

Also as a result of Mr. Nielsen and the deceased artist Edward Grigware Cody has another important art attraction.