A few photos of Visitors to the Center, 2008

Chuck Derby

Some visitors, Ginger, and Harry at Sundance time with Chuck. Harry is from Australia.

Nico, from the Netherlands, with Mark Pederson (Chuck's nephew) and Chuck at the Monument, Spring 2008

Janine, from Minneapolis, with Chuck and Gloria September 2008
Nico outside the Center with Chuck and Gloria, September 2008
(These two photos were taken when Chuck was ill and had lost a lot of weight.)

Our Travels in 2008

The start of the year: Chuck came over to England in January 2008, to be a pallbearer at Gloria's mothers funeral. This photo is from the funeral, Chuck is shown with Gloria's 3 sons (Left: Matt and John, Right: Andrew) and Nico who came over from the Netherlands to also be a pallbearer. (The other pallbearer was Jason Armstrong, Jenny's (Gloria's eldest grandchild) fiance at the time) Gloria's daughter Petula led the pallbearers to the gravesite and Jenny supported Gloria along with Gloria's daughter in laws, Rosie, Marie and Rachel.

While he was in England, Gloria showed him her sacred sites, here Chuck is shown outside the West Kennet Long Barrow, a neolithic burial tomb in Wiltshire. There are often crop circles in the field next to here.
Gloria outside the Long Barrow, touching a stone that her ancestors could have touched! Excavations in 1859 and 1955-56 found 46 burials for all ages. The tomb may have been in use for 1000 years!
This is Silbury Hill behind Chuck. It is the largest man made hill in Europe and dates back to prehistoric times, it is estimated to have taken 18 million man-hours to construct. Although it was excavated in Victorian times and 1969 no burials were ever found there, just chalk and soil layers and dead winged ants that show it was started in late July/August!.
This tree has many European style offerings tied onto it, this amazed Chuck. Natives Americans tie cloth squares with tobacco inside to trees but in England at sacred sites pieces of colored material are tied without anything inside them, they are like colored streamers and very eye-catching. Gloria was taught by her mother at a young age to leave material as gifts! This is close to Swallowhead Spring.
This is one of the largest standing stones at Avebury, the world's biggest standing stones circle, the average weight of the stones is 40 ton.
Change of scenery: Back close to Gloria's home is the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial at Runnymede. Gloria took Chuck there to see the small piece of England that belongs to America.
This is the actual memorial it stands on top of a hill surrounded by ancient woodland. An acre was given to America on the death of President Kennedy so that this memorial could stand there for always.

Here Chuck leaves a tobacco offering for the spirit of the President.
The memorial was situated here because of the history of the Magna Carta, the 'Charter of Freedom' that was signed in 1215 just below this hill.

This is also at Runnymede, close by the JFK memorial. Here on these lands the Magna Carta was signed in June, 1215 by King John and his Barons. The document is what the US Constitution is partly based on, it gives freedoms to all. (See part of it under the next photo.)
"Wherefore we will and firmly decree that the English church shall be free, and that the subjects of our realm shall have and hold all the aforesaid liberties, rights and concessions, duly and in peace, freely and quietly, fully and entirely, for themselves and their heirs from us and our heirs, in all matters and in all places, forever, as has been said."
Back on America soil. This is the summer of 2008, at the hanging site of the 38 Dakota in 1862. This is in Mankato and shows Chuck and Nico.
Gloria and Nico at the Mankato, Minnesota hanging site.

September 2008: We took a whistle stop trip out west with Janine Marie and Nico, we visited various sites, historic, and spiritual. Here are a few of the stills from the video Nico took of the trip. He didn't know we were going out west he thought he was being taken to Iowa. Imagine his surprise when we turned west!!!

We visited Al's Oasis on the banks of the Missouri, stayed the night and the next morning drove over to Crow Creek and Lower Brule Reservations, then over to Wall Drug and had food there, next we went to the Bandlands, both Nico and Janine hadn't seen them before and were totally amazed! We headed off to Bear Butte from there where Gloria had a rather unusual experience, she had a vision! From there we drove into the Black Hills to Deadwood and stayed the night there, the next morning we went to Boot Hill to see the graves of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, we were not impressed! We continued driving through the Black Hills until we came to Crazy Horse Mountain, that's where Gloria lost her camera, one minute it was there and the next it wasn't and even though we searched it was gone. It was an old camera that had been with her for years, most of the photos on this site had been taken with it, so why would anyone want to take it? It hasn't returned as I write this. From there we went over to Pine Ridge and Wounded Knee and back to MN. Janine wanted to see the Corn Palace at Mitchel so we took a side trip to there as a surprise for her. Once into Minnesota we took a left turn and finally took Nico to Iowa, we had to wake him up to tell him as it was early morning, pitch black and he missed the sign!!! We all had a good laugh on the way back to Pipestone. It was a wonderful few days outing to places everyone should see. We all had a lot of food for thought.

The photos are in no particular order
Prayer tie offerings on trees at Bear Butte, they looked so beautiful in the sunlight
Badlands watching butterflies on a Rabbit Brush bush
Janine, Gloria and Chuck in the restaurant at Wall Drug
Bear Butte taken from where Gloria experienced her vision. This was taken with her lost camera not the video.
Gloria and Chuck discuss politics at the Badlands (and she is holding her camera)
Hau Koda! Chuck at a gas station close to the Black Hills
We were all mesmerized at the gorgeous views at the Badlands
Pine Ridge Reservation
Pine Ridge Reservation - Enough said!!!
Crazy Horse Mountain, Two great friends mull over what they are seeing!
Janine Marie, Nico and Chuck look at the work going on around them
Chuck at one of the overlook stops at the Badlands
The last photo taken with Gloria's camera that she has, Chuck at Bear Butte
Such sights we have seen! Chuck and Gloria at one of the overlooks at the Badlands
Janine Marie and Gloria looking at the natural wonders around them!
Wounded Knee Memorial A bus group of tourists came in as we were getting ready to leave, we left them looking around the graves
Janine is often emotional, and here at the Badlands it was no different. She is close to tears at the wonder of it all.
Two friends enjoying a joke - they are ALWAYS enjoying a joke!!! Crazy Horse Mountain
A Jackalope, Gloria teased Nico about it, he almost believed her that it was real!!! Wall Drug
Closer to home, Mitchell Corn Palace, at last we got Nico captured on the video!
A small part of the Badlands
Chuck at the Badlands
A softer part of the Badlands, pastille colors you wouldn't think it was the same place!
Wounded Knee Memorial, to Chief Big Foot and his people who were massacred by armed troops close by and are buried in a mass grave here. Wounded Knee is a very desolate and sad place on the Pine Ridge Reservation. After leaving prayers and tobacco offerings we left.


Black Hills Deer!

If anyone finds my camera please return it to me - Thanks!!!!

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