Last evening, Rudi’s wife Diane joined us for dinner. We went to The Ranch — Devils Lake’s finest, and it was indeed. Steaks, sure, but pork loin, BangBang shrimp and meatloaf to die for. Diane says “it’s the Chef,” and I am a true believer. Then she made it clearer, “no, this is our only chef. At The Ranch, they never hire cooks, but quality chefs and that makes all the difference.” Indeed!

Diane is well matched with Highlander Rudi, as she is also a person dedicated to service. She has spent her career caring for adults and children with severe disabilities. I have SO much respect for the progress she has helped people make. That and until Rudi recently upgraded his spaceship fleet, she also helped with the farm equipment. Every where we went together, we found someone Diane worked with. These people are WIRED.

Speaking of spaceships, Jeff Bezos would be SO jealous, because I got to ride in one, too! I even got the “Banker’s Seat.” Skip to about 1:00 to see entry.

North Dakotans are fired up about 3 out of the last 4 days having driving rain. While I am happy for them, my family is coughing in the Nevada foothills, California needs rain, too, and I am whipped around on McCovey like a pennant at the ballpark. At Candlestick. For a night game.

A closed glacial basin unconnected to any rivers, Devils Lake is fed only by precipitation and runoff and emptied by evaporation alone. Consequently, the water has both fanned out and virtually disappeared several times over the past 4,000 years. When my Mom was a kid (not that it was 4000 years ago, Mom), the lake was probably in the range of 3,000 acres — it is now 211,000 acres…, over 330 square miles. Or so Google says. Rudi says 140,000 acres, and I trust Highlander. You should, too.

Rudi is an architect and construction management expert.

Highlander also told me today about blizzards here. I am used to that meaning driving snowstorms. HERE it means that you stay inside or risk your life. Here they even have horizontal blizzards…. The sky may be clear, but the wind can blow so hard, everything is a white-out and impassable. Good fun on he way to ice fishing. Given Highlander, sorry, Rudi, was also a medic at the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation, he has seen some crazy blizzard outcomes in and out of town that are a bit too gruesome for this log.

Let’s simply focus on the fact that you or I would need 7 lifetimes to accumulate his hobbies and skills.

Having said that, between the wind summer and winter, perhaps that is why Devils Lake has an outstanding Curling Club. And before I tell you that I met the gentleman who not only does the ice for bonspiels here, there and everywhere, I also met the gentleman that maintains the complex refrigeration system. This guy Rudi told me about even helped find and install a brand new refrigeration system within the Curling Club’s limited budget from a firm in Toronto. Finally this guy Rudi knows even helped design and build the sign ificant improvements at the Curling Club required to take advantage of such a terrific new technology.

I am telling you, Rudi and Diane do it all, including hosting never-before-heard-from relatives wanting to dig up information and insights about their mothers. They research and spelunk the roads to find the answer. And then they get back to work!

(Maybe I should have been more patient with that guy back at the North Dakota sign on his 42nd state that wanted to talk about his mother in the driving rain.)

Nope, still wouldn’t do it. Because I am not Highlander.

Thank you, Diane and Rudi, for your time, interest, humor, stories and all around greatness. You ROCK!

All packed up and headed to Spearfish in the early hours. But I will miss Devils Lake AND their signage.