The room I completed after my kitchen was my dining room.  Although I did add a washroom and removed a wall between the kitchen and dining room, there wasn’t much structural change.  I wanted to stay true to the craftsman style architecture while bringing in a french flavor.  I got my inspiration from one of my trips to Paris and designed my dining room after Giverny  (Claude Monet’s home.)  I finished my walls in a pale yellow, and went with a stronger yellow on all my trim.  I then accented the rest of the room in blue as is common in french design. 

 

One of the things that attracted me to purchase this house is the built in’s in this room.  There are plenty of drawers for linens and silver.  The display portion enabled me to display my crystal and china.  I did add lighting in the display case for better exposure to my treasures.

 

I have large windows, so decided to use roller shades.  So that I had more option for natural light, I did an upper shade and a lower one.  I continued to use this application through the house.  I used a blue toile on the shades, then accented the window with a couple of different stripes.

 

My friend suggest that I use a farm table which is common to the french country design, and allows for seating for up to ten people.  She then found, and transported the table for me.  The chairs I used for the head and foot of the table, I had purchased at one of their auction, then recovered them.  At their last auction I was delighted to purchase five additional chairs, along with a bench which completed my furnishings.  I had in the past bought a couple of tea carts which come in handy for serving.

Here in the Black Hills it’s a tradition to check out the leaves in Spearfish Canyon.  This year we were not disappointed.  They were the best ever, since I’ve been here.   I usually go either too early, before they completely turn color, or too late, after they start falling. But this year, we managed to hit the prime week-end.  It was a great day in the convertible with the top down,  Not too hot, or too cool, just perfect.  I’m trying to enjoy the season before it turns cold.   Once that happens, you will get more blogs about the renovation of the house.  I usually get lots done in the winter because it’s not as inviting to go out. 

 

You can feel it in the air. It is fall.  If you couldn’t feel it, you can witness it in the activities.   The first sign was marked with the Custer State Park Buffalo Round Up.  It is held late September or early October.  This year it was Sept. 27th.  It begins about 9:30 AM but if you want to find a place to park, it demands an early arrival.  Officials at South Dakota’s Custer State Park say 14,000 people turned out to watch this year’s buffalo roundup. That’s a dozen people for every bison.  Sixty park personnel herded 1,200 buffalo into corrals during the 46th annual roundup. Twenty years ago, the annual event drew only hundreds of people and not thousands. And even though it’s turned into a major tourist attraction, the main goal is still management of the park’s buffalo herd.  Calves are branded and vaccinated, and adult animals get pregnancy and fertility tests. The park also auctions off some of the animals to keep the size of the herd in check. Hundreds of animals will be put up for sale on Nov. 19.