Posts: Cat | Ugly Hedgehog

Uncle Buck wrote:

#5 appears to be John Lopez work. Where is it at?

SD. I'll have to find the sign. I take pics of signs so I can remember more. Going out of our Campground. I just looked him up and I have pics of his cowboy on a fish sculpture. If I am not mistaken it was close to that statue. I have seen his work and it's beautiful!

RodeoMan wrote:

What was your grandmother's name and where did she live? I presume you have used Ancestry or some other genealogy site. Another interesting and often useful source is Findagrave. Thanks for sharing and thank you for caring about our shared natural and historical heritage and your famiy heritage.

From everything I have found Shaw is what she was called. She was born in NC.

donrosshill wrote:

Cat, She looks to be of American Indian heritage. Is that the case?
Mine was American Cherokee.
Don

Yes Sir she was and Chickasaw. Going through my roots it was really hard because when the warriors would go off to battle and a brother would be killed his brother would take his wife as his wife , and figuring that out has me stumped and alas I gave up....until I can pick it back up again.

sippyjug104 wrote:

A wonderful women from a wonderful time in history. You are among the fortunate few to have pictures of your past generations. I am void of any myself so I know how nice it would be. Many believe that they have Native American heritage however few have proof of it as you do.

It took me a long long time to trace my roots. I found a sister in 2014. I am still unable to trace my father. I managed to go back 2 generations and from there nothing.

So many opportunities lost. I never knew her. The things she could have taught me. I have heard she was a tough one she had to be her life was a battle everyday. I have that same look when I'm pissed. lol

I am always respectful being native myself. I was not raised with my family and I was forbidden in most of the foster homes of finding my family except for one. The first thing that was said to me was "welcome sister." I felt like I had finally found my place. Something I have searched for my entire life. I took the time to find my family looking and studying the Dawes Rolls and Siler Roll Book and genealogy background. now that I am older I look just like my great grandmother.

khumiston wrote:

I love your photos. I have a friend who is also fascinated with train tracks. He collects RR track spikes, each is labeled where & when he found it; I don't know if he has every state yet. Do you have more RR photos posted somewhere I could access, and send a link to my RR enthusiast friend? Thanks for the photos!

I collected rocks traveling and labeled those so I could share with my family and friends. My boyfriend joked I had collected a ton. We are still finding rocks in little bags with labels in the truck from 2016. Each year we get a big map book and I highlight our routes we take. I have 3 now which I will be decoupaging on a piece of wood to hang in frames.

sb wrote:

You have done the impossible! This makes me want to go to South Dakota! Beautiful photos!

Thank you and great! You should go. I can't express how much seeing America has been such an eye opener for me. Every time I think I have seen the most beautiful sight I go a few more miles and there it is again. There is not end to God's magnificent majestic artistry in every thing. The Badlands are awe inspiring and breathtaking. I constantly find myself singing God Bless America and every word is true in that beautiful song.

tcthome wrote:

Dang, how close were you to that bison? Nice set. Particularly like the sun flower field.

As close as I can get. lol I have a love for bison and very little fear, but always respectful knowing they are animals and are wild. I have a awesome video of one of the big males cooling himself off rolling in the dust having the best time. I remember stopping beside the road getting out and photographing a heard of elk in CO I believe, it was mating season and I could whistle and the males would respond. I was at the front of the truck when I heard my boyfriend say "be still don't move" I turned and this beautifully huge male elk was right beside me. He stopped and looked at me and I just uttered "how beautiful" and he snorted and walked on. It was awesome. My boyfriend about peed his pants. I stood on the edge of the Grand Canyon to photograph the Colorado River. OMG he was freaking out telling me the sides were collapsing. I was perfectly safe, but his fear of heights is worse than my fear of snakes and that's bad. I have yet to see a Moose. Maybe this year in Alaska.

khumiston wrote:

I love your photos. I have a friend who is also fascinated with train tracks. He collects RR track spikes, each is labeled where & when he found it; I don't know if he has every state yet. Do you have more RR photos posted somewhere I could access, and send a link to my RR enthusiast friend? Thanks for the photos!

I wish I had somewhere to post these photos. I will try and gather up what I have and post here.

olddutch wrote:

I like your Captures. Good Advice. #3 Capture I hope was brought up close with a Lens. I understand that they “do not like people in their space”. I would like to be able to talk to the old buildings and get their stories. Thank you

Thank you and yes it was. Every Reservation I go to the first thing I do is find the elders and the Medicine Man. This was on the Blackfoot Reservation. I went to SD to find my friend who had passed early 2017 who was Lakota Sioux, at Standing Rock. I was given permission to search the Cemetery for his grave. I have met such wonderful Natives and The Cherokee welcomed me as sister and I visit every year. I have learned how to collect shells and how to make Wampum from the silversmith on the Cherokee Reservation in NC. I was fortunate enough to be taught how the Navajo find the Turquoise cut it and polish it. I now own a rock tumbler in which I polish all my stones I find. I will have to find a pic of my first attempt. I will put a series together from all my visits.

I too love old buildings, abandoned ones especially. I have this app for here in WV where I can park beside a old building and see who owns it and I contact them to see if I can get permission to photograph the house. Summertime is bad as I have a phobia fear of snakes. Old churches love those too and have hundreds of pics from across the country.