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| Blue Sky Agate necklace |
No Dean family road trip goes without souvenir shopping. This trip, I vowed not to buy myself any clothing items, and instead focus on things for the house, like artwork, and wines or foods. I came close, but did break down a few times for a shirt that I couldn't resist.
I bought some jewelry in Red Lodge that was made by a very nice man who owned the rock shop. I love my Montana Blue Sky agate pendant and it will always remind me of the big, blue sky in Montana. Near Yellowstone, I picked up a piece of petrified wood with a nice pattern that will look nice on a coffee table in our house. I bought a pottery coffee mug in North Dakota that I really liked, along with some berry syrups to try. At Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Rocky Mountain national parks, I bought some prints that I need to get framed to display in our family room. I also bought a small woven table covering made by Native Americans in Wyoming.
I've lost count of the number of bottles of wine I've picked up - first in Montana and then in Michigan. I can't wait to try them all. One of my favorites is a dry cherry wine from the Flathead Lake area of Montana. They use local Flathead cherries to make the wine, and it's not sweet at all and will be great on a fall day. All of the wine I bought in Montana is from Ten Spoon winery - I didn't get to visit it, but the two wines I tried from them were good, so I'm looking forward to trying the rest. It didn't hurt that they have creative names for the wines and cool labels on the bottles. I also picked up some pure Michigan maple syrup, plus the already mentioned American Spoon maple cream and apple cider grilling sauce.
For the family, I've picked up some Christmas ornaments from our various stops, including ones from North Dakota and Mackinac Island.
Henry got a few t-shirts along the way, and I think his favorite is the one that says Come to the Dork Side - We have pi. Get it, pi? He thinks it's hilarious. We wondered - out loud - if he gets that it implies he's a dork. He doesn't care - he loves it.
His other favorite souvenir, if I had to guess, would be a stuffed prairie dog he has named Jerry. He bought it in North Dakota after spending time at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park watching the prairie dogs. He bought a bison bank in Yellowstone, and it has come in handy for holding all of our loose change on the trip. He also got a white crystal in Montana north of Yellowstone at the same place I bought the petrified wood.
In Jamestown, North Dakota, he bought a white buffalo stress ball - first because he thought the real white buffalo there was pretty cool, and second, because he has informed us that he gets very stressed out all the time thinking he has forgotten something, and the stress ball will help with that. Good to know.
Ruth got a purple sweatshirt from Mackinac Island and a turquoise and white striped beach bag that she really likes. She's already begun using it as a purse. She's also gotten a few t-shirts. She really wanted a neon green stuffed penguin from the Denver Zoo, but she didn't get that. She bought a few pairs of earrings along the way - mostly sterling silver ones, one with turquoise from Wyoming. She has also purchased a great deal of ice cream and candy along the way, most of which will not make it home.
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| Maple syrup |
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| Wooden Eagle Henry bought in Jackson |
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| Petrified Wood |
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