Quest for 100

 If we were all honest, probably all bloggers are a little egotistical when it comes to their blogs. Sure, the main reason we blog is to document our adventures for ourselves, our kids and our friends but there is also that unspoken desire to fulfill some part of ones ego knowing that others read and enjoy something we have written. 

The only way to really knows if someone enjoys their blog is through views, the number of comments a particular blog gets or how many people follow your blog. A couple of weeks ago we hit the 800,000 mark with blog views! High by some standards, miniscule by others, but it was a milestone that we were happy to hit. To date, we have written 249 posts with just over 8,000 comments. Our top five viewed blogs are:

1. What is there to do in Quartzsite with just over 3,800 views
2. Why do you Fulltime RV with 3,270 views
3. Boondocking at Snyder Hills BLM with 3,250 views
4. Fishing Tales from the Alcan Highway with 3,150 views
5. How Much Does it Cost to Build a Barndominium with 2,760 views

Again, not a lot of views compared to a lot of blogs but it is a lot for us!

We generally get anywhere from 10-20 comments on each of our posts. We wish it was more as this is the only way we know if someone truly enjoys our posts. I cannot find a stat to tell me which one of our posts received the most comments but if I were to guess, I think it was the one where we said goodbye to our little Ms. Daisy.

So what is our quest for 100? Well, to date we have 98 followers. That means 98 people that clicked the "Follow" button on the right side of our blog. It had been hovering in the mid 90's for the past couple of months and now it is 2 away from that coveted 100 mark! So, come on someone, push the "Follow" button and give us a mini ego boost! (Well, actually, 2 someone's)

Last but not least, there has been a change in the email delivery within blogger. If you signed up to receive our blog by email and have not received on in a couple of weeks, you need to re-sign up on the blog to continue getting them. If you are viewing on a laptop, look for the "Follow by E-mail" on the right panel of the blog, if you are viewing on a phone or tablet you will need to scroll to the bottom and click "View Web Version" and then go to the "Follow by E-mail" section on the right side. Thank you to Debbie at Down the Road for writing that last paragraph so eloquently, I basically stole that from her blog! 

Speaking of milestones, we are continuing to hit them here on the home front. When we left you last week we had 4 posts and 3 beams up on the east side of our covered porch. That is pretty much all we have been working on this week. At the end of this week we have 10 posts, 10 beams and all the rafters up!

After working with Kevin for a couple of days I got the hang of cutting the tenons on top of the posts and was able to get those ready in advance while Kevin was busy on other jobs. Then when he came over he would cut the mortise in the beams and we would lift them up in place and secure them. The 12' beams I am guessing are a couple hundred pounds and by the day you can feel it. 

As soon as we can put the posts up Barb is right behind us sanding them down to the texture we are looking for. She is also looking for the perfect stain color but so far has not found anything she is happy with. 

Barb sanding away on one of the beams!

We are now to the far end and ready to turn the corner and do the south side. The problem here is that the beams are about 18' and we need the skidsteer to lift them in place. The skidsteer is busy on another job so that will have to wait a week or so. 

Each of the ends as well as the corners are going to be hip roofs which also needs Kevin's expertise. Once we get those done I can finish the siding on the ends!

For the 2nd Friday in a row we got to pour a concrete sidewalk! Except this time it was much cooler and a little smaller. This pour was over a Dan and Bonnie's. We had to wheel barrel it but overall it was a pretty easy pour. 

On Sunday Kevin and I drove up to Deadwood for a 3D archery shoot. There were 30 targets of full size animals ranging from raccoons to polar bears. The distances were from 10 yards to 60 yards and you are scored on how close to the bullseye you hit the target. Considering it was our first shoot of the year we were please with our scores in the 250 range. A great way to spend a Sunday morning!

If you look closely you can see a white Dall Sheep to the right of that pine tree. Dall Sheep in South Dakota!?!?

The weather has been a little cooler this past week so we got out for a few walks with the dogs. The sunflowers are in full bloom right now on the prairie which is keeping the bees and other insects busy. 

Zoey has been her normal crazy self and now Dakota has resorted to holding her down with her paw just so she can get some rest!

Dakota is like "What, I am not doing anything", while Zoey is like "You can see she is holding  me down right?"

Next week we need to continue to push the progress as we have some visitors coming to stay with us in the next couple of weeks. One couple we are anxiously awaiting, while the other, we will suffer through and endure!