Dakota Sunrise

Okay everyone, here goes my desperate attempt to show to you what I see each day. This land is one of romantic ambiance mixed with colors that I cannot define. I snapped this shot today on my way to the ranch and only wish I had more than 7.1 megapixels to use. It illustrates the beauty of the land and is also sign of the harshness. The pic was shot at about 7:30 am and shows the sun rising on a calm morning over the southeastern buttes ahead of a coming Alberta Clipper. It was approximately 50 degrees this morning and by 11 am the wind was about 40 miles per hour from the northwest. Although it is not getting cold yet, it prepares me for the coming winter. In a sense I anticipate the changing seasons with nervous excitement because snow and winter colors can only exacerbate the natural beauty of this place. Each day I view such splendor I become even more convinced that this was the culmination of all of God's work here and he simply destroyed the mold after making North Dakota. There is no way to get any closer to heaven while still on earth than where I now call home.

Great Plains wildlife

I thought I would put a few more pics of the local wildlife for everyone back home to see. David took the picture of the mule deer and the bison when he assisted me in my move out here. They were taken on the park in the middle of the day. I took the picture of the pronghorn antelope on my way to work one morning. These animals are all quite numerous here. The bison are essentially few roaming on the park and occasionally get off the park. Mule deer are extremely numerous in plains and can be viewed on just about any drive through the country. The same is true for antelope, however they are a little more shy than the mule deer and tend to stay in the middle of large fields.

Home on the Range

Today I will attempt to describe my new job and the facility. I know many of you have ask me about the place I now work. The name of the center is Home on the Range. It is over 50 years old, so maybe I cannot do anything to destroy it! It is a residential center for adolescent males and females. I direct a fantastic clinical staff that includes social workers, counselors, and alcohol and drug counselors. Needless to say, I love my work! But the best part is without a doubt the setting. The ranch is approximately 1500 acres here in western North Dakota. There is additional land in eastern Montana as well as a small track in central North Dakota east of Bismarck. The ranch itself has horses, cattle, a donkey, some geese, a few cats and couple of dogs. We have about 40-50 kids in treatment here at any given time. The average length of stay is nine months. The kids assist in the day to day operations and running of the ranch. The funny thing is that they actually love it here for the most part. Part of the treatment program is called EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Associations). I am particular interested in the impact of EAGALA on behaviorally disordered adolescents. I am also becoming quite fond of the horses. We have about 15 right now. I am trying to spend time with horses daily as well researching equine assisted therapeutic techniques. I am adding some pics of the facility and livestock. The Saint Bernard dog is about eight years old and spends most of his time hanging out in the girls dorm. I have renamed him Cujo although he is probably more Snoopy. Hope to hear from you all regarding your thoughts on the program and possible research ideas. One of my personal goals is to establish some university affiliations and begin a program evaluation. However, that will take some time. If you know anyone interested in working up here please let me know.

On the personal front, nothing new is happening. It is difficult for me not seeing or speaking with my children as it has been several weeks since my last contact. Lauren is now 18 and I can only hope she received the birthday present I sent to her. I hope with all my heart that her birthday was great and that she knows how much I love her and her brother and sister. I now accept the fact that it may be a long time before I can hug them and tell them I love them, but I am much more able to cope with such a realization now that I am in a place I love and feel secure. My biggest fears are the holidays, but I will find a way to survive. Again, I have to remind myself that others before me have traveled more difficult paths and found tranquility and growth in the long run. Someday I hope the children will gain some understanding of how this come to be and realize it was not of my choosing. I also believe that in the long run this will make me a much better father since I now know that I can take nothing for granted in terms of my children and that I must appreciate each moment I have with them. As I left my office tonight, I took a moment and gazed upon a bright shining moon over-looking the prairie. I realized that my troubles are small when compared to the big picture and that many who have come before me have faced much more difficult hurdles in life and prevailed. I know my children will prevail and thrive in life despite this obstacle.