GRADUATION TIME...ANYGROUP PICS OF OUR KIDS FROM AWAY, SEND THEM TO ME FOR POSTING

CADE AND I...NO. DAKOTA, 2017
VALEDICTORIAN

WALLY AND LYNN'S FAMILY:  SVEN, WALT, CADE, (nine students in his class), JOSIE (graduated from 8th grade the same time), ORIANA, ISIS, LYNN, NINA

THE NUMBERS ON THE MOUNTAINS IN THIS AREA ARE MADE BY THE SENIORS...IT'S THE YEAR THEY GRADUATED....YOU CAN SEE CADE'S "17" MADE BY THE CLASS, WITH STONES. MANY OTHER NUMBERS BEING OVERGROWN W WEEDS.  NEAT, HEY?

ME, CADE AND LEAH

ME, LEAH, WALLY

TONI AND ALANA (TERVO) HOKENSON

DAN AND HEIDI HELMINEN

DALE AND BEV SALMEN, MIKE AND JOCELYN LUNDEEN (she is bev's daughter, all from Cokato, now in Nodak)

ME AND GR/GRAND, CASSIE HELMINEN

LAST MO. PHOTO OF CHURCH SERVICES W MIKKO HALONEN

CALUMET GRADS, AT OUR CHURCH GATHERING AFTER COMMENCEMENT: NAMES NOT IN ORDER:  Jesse, Joyce Helminen's, Will Hyrkas, Anna, Brianne, Grant, Jocelyn, Karissa, all Johnsons, Damon Kangas, Ginny, Paul, Trevor, all Kangas's, Hannah Kariniemi, Rachael Keranen, Maija Kilpela, Daylen, Rory, Reese, all  Anderson's, Russ Bjorn, Emily Erkkila, Wyatt Loukus, McKenna Monticello, Emily/Jesse, both Oja's, Celia Peterson, Brock Poyhonen, Jack Sturos, Andrew Taivalkoski, Kelsey Tikkanen, Lenny Torola (click to enlarge)

ME AND JOYCE (HELMINEN)

LENNY (TOROLA) AND ME

                                LEAH AND I WENT TO NORTH DAKOTA THIS PAST WEEKEND...I DROVE TO DULUTH AND LEAH HOPPED ON...SHE DROVE MOST OF THE WAY IN DAKOTA....THESE PICS SHOW WHAT THE SCENERY WAS....HARDLY ANY TREES, MILES OF FARMLAND, AND IN A WAY HAS IT'S OWN KIND OF BEAUTY.  WE IN MICH. HAVE LOTS OF TREES AND CAN SEE ONLY A MILE OR TWO IN THE DISTANCE BECAUSE OF THE TREES.  HERE YOU COULD SEE MAYBE TEN MILES OR MORE.  THERE WERE SOME HILL HERE AND THERE, AND WITH THE CLOUDS AND CHANGING LIGHT, WAS BEAUTIFUL.

IF YOU SAW A CLOUD OF DUST IN THE DISTANCE, IT WAS A FARMER PLOWING OR FERTILIZING.  WE WONDERED HOW LONG IT TOOK TO DO ONE FIELD, HOW MANY TIMES AROUND IT TOOK, HOW MANY MILES AROUND AND AROUND.....'VAST' WAS THE WORD WE USED A LOT IN COMMENTING.

MANY TIMES, IT WAS A COMBINATION OF FARMING AND OIL RIGS

ONE OF THE HUNDREDS OF "GRASSHOPPERS" WORKING

ONE OF THE HUNDREDS OF MANCAMPS....MANY ARE EMPTY, EVEN THO' THE OIL BUSINESS IS PICKING UP AGAIN.  APARTMENTS IN THE TOWNS HAVE SPRUNG UP, AND SOME CAMPS WERE ORDERED TO CLOSE SO THE WORKERS HAD TO MOVE TO APARTMENTS.  THE TOWN OF WILLISTON IS REALLY A LOT LARGER THAN I THOUGHT AND VERY SPREAD OUT...LOTS OF STORES AND RESTAURANTS, CLEAN AND SAFE.  (walt said  that it was a rough town a few years ago}

AND MANY OF THESE TANKS

AN OIL RIG UP CLOSE....THERE IS AN OFFICE ON THE RIG WHICH IS MANNED 24/7

AND THIS IS THE ROAD....IT GOES ON AND ON AND ON AND ON....
MOSTLY STRAIGHT, SPEED LIMIT 70.....IF ONE TRAVELED ALONE,  I WOULD IMAGINE IT WOULD BE EASY TO FALL ASLEEP?  

HAPPY TO SEE THIS SIGN!!!!!

AND THIS IS WHY WE WENT!!  WALLY AND LYNN'S SON CADE WAS VALEDICTORIAN OF HIS CLASS OF 9....I WAS SO PROUD OF HIM.  THIS IS CADE  GIVING HIS SPEECH.
LOTS MORE PICS NEXT POSTING...AT THE GRADUATION, PARTY, CHURCH....

grandson GLEN AND GR/GRAND DENA HYRKAS

WEDDING IN CALUMET 5/2017
TARA KIILLUNEN AND REED AHO

BEFORE THE WEDDING

PARENTS OF REED:  SARAH (LARSON) AND DAN AHO

NICE VISIT WITH THE HAAPALA SISTERS...YVONNE AND DIANE

I TOLD THEM THAT THIS IS FOR THE ALASKA FAMILIES..
CALEB AND STEPHANIE ROIKO

COKATO PEOPLES..ANDY AND JOANNE BEKKALA

PARENTS OF THE BRIDE, JANINE AND ERIC KIILUNEN

ARIZONA WINTER GIRLS FROM THE FAR NORTH:
TOP: KRISTINA HILL, JESSALYN NIKULA, ALISA STORM, KAREN PIETILA, ANNA ANDERSON, TANYA LASANEN, MARTHA ANDERSON, MARIKA ABBOTT, MEGAN LEHTO
MIDDLE:  ABBEY HALONEN, JENNA TORMANEN, KRISTIE LASANEN, ANGIE JOHNSON
BOTTOM:  STEPHANIE DUNSTAN, BRIANNA DAAVETTILA, AINA PETERSON, KATHRYN HUOTARI, AND LEAH ASIALA
(thanks for the great pic..from marika abbott)(click to enlarge)

MY SWEET GR/GRAND DAUGHTER ALI HYRKAS