· Fetching Wild Rose Petals

If you have never experienced the sheer pleasure of picking Wild Rose petals while at the same time mentally composing what on earth you will do with them, please follow the link below the photo and enjoy an adventure with us!

Sweet Wild Rose Petal Syrup

Picking and Processing Wild Rose Petals, June 2012 (The photos have captions)
During Wild Rose petal picking days, and until the Sweet Wild Rose Petal Jelly and Syrup supply dwindles, Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast may serve with breakfast a 'wheel' of biscuits and a delicate butter spread made with the jelly or syrup. Please follow the link below to see guests dressed in the color we associate with picking petals. They stayed in the Chessie Lee's Peas Suite.
First Time Bed and Breakfast Stay (The photos have captions)

Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast
bed and breakfast hospitality inn
hill city - central black hills national forest - south dakota
convenient lodging location near
mount rushmore - 1880 train - custer state park
- wind cave national park - jewel cave national monument
- crazy horse memorial - black elk wilderness
- mountain lakes - harney peak - norbeck scenic byway
- george s. mickelson trail - the centennial trail
- historic downtown hill city - antiques

· Guest Room Updates

A small but nice touch was added to Chessie Lee's Peas (see above), and one to Prairie Homestead. Plus, a new kitchen space was added to Prairie Homestead! Guests have so often referred to PH as their little cabin that it has earned the nickname, Little Prairie Cabin...and now with a kitchen, even more fitting! See the following photos...

· Multi-Tasker Hungry as a Bear

Sam is a devoted multi-tasker,

as shown in the above photo of him

painting his thumb and watching TV at the same time.

In this second photo of Sam, below,

notice how he resembles the character in the third photo.

· Project Roundup

Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast (Black Hills Home Cabins) - Here is an album showing several of Sam's projects, as well as a peek at our Rhubarb's current stage of development. Rhubarb is a beautiful plant, and it doesn't require much patience, like some of Sam's projects do. We can just look out the door and watch it grow from day to day.

(Click the first picture to enlarge...will take you to the album on facebook,

then click 'next' in upper right corner to continue through the album.)

Project Roundup 04.28.10

13 new photos

· Construction Around the House

Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast (Black Hills Home Cabins) - Sam is still applying finish to his newly sided outside wall (Chessie Lee's Peas Suite), process prolonged by snowfalls, excess cold or wind. In the meanwhile, he built an attractive microwave shelf as a topper for the short refrigerator in the Bluma Madle Suite. Plus he installed a gate to the backyard (for his use in maintenance tasks) on the privacy fence which is around the deck of the Prairie Homestead. Pics later. We just toted one of the antique breakfast tables to the deck for surface refinishing.

The RHUBARB which is planted along the boardwalk (leading to the Prairie Homestead) is just beginning to reach for sunshine, through traces of snow, pictured below. Does that not make you want to get out there and dirty your hands?

· April 9 Snowfall Unexpected

APRIL is especially full of surprises, and maybe that is why I love spring best of all seasons, besides just enjoying watching everything spring to life again. As noted and pictured in the previous post, Sam, expecting a stretch of clear skies and warm temperatures, busied himself with outdoor carpentry tasks, including applying finish to boards before applying the boards as siding on the exterior wall. Unexpected snowfall in the afternoon prompted him to transfer the boards quickly to sawhorses positioned beneath the branches of the spruce tree (first picture). He chose not to move the boards to the covered porch, to keep the porch attractive for our guests. Click the link below the three pictures to see the album.

Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast Yesterday (Friday) afternoon, gobs of crystalline snow tumbled from the sky, again. Yippeeee...if only our granddaughter Ava could enjoy it with us. She agonizes over never having seen snow in person, to her remembrance. The pictures were taken at 9:00 a.m. ... 10:00 a.m. would have been too late, as the snow is meltin...

See More

Another April Snowfall at M2P

8 new photos

· Spring Weather Motivation

For several days Sam and I were hunkered down in Hill City,

gazing at pristine spring snowfalls through the windows,

protected by warm walls while the pretty white fluff

drifted lazily outside.

Evenings have been pleasantly cool, ideal for energizing walks.

The unpredictable spring weather has been perfect

for motivating us to the task of cleaning, pricing

and settling down the antiques purchased

on our recent buying trip through warmer states.

And Sam delved into a few indoor carpentry jobs (pic).

Our B&B guests are arriving earlier this year,

and we are happy for the variety of activities their presence creates.

Today, the snow is nearly melted already!

No coat needed.

Sam is in good spirits outside doing a bit of carpentry—

siding a section of exterior wall to match the covered porch,

and to further enhance the cabin-feel of the Chessie Lee's Peas Suite.

When completed, I will post another picture.

This link will take you to a slideshow of the interior of...CLP

(Though not pictured in the slideshow,

CLP now has a comfy loveseat!)

· Talented Tween Guest

Early in July of 2009 a family of four nested in the Chessie Lee's Peas Suite. In conversation it was discovered that the tween daughter is developing her artistic abilities in molding very cute little objects, such as the colorful birds pictured above, one of which paired up well with a toy bird belonging to our granddaughter. Take a look at the feet!

· The Tree House Loft

Above pictured is a pleasant—always cheerful—teenager comfortably occupying The Tree House Loft for four nights during the first week in June. Her parents felt that their daughter would enjoy having her own relaxing place. The Loft, with its half bath, is upper level in the Chessie Lee's Peas Suite, and is an optional space. This contented young lady is an avid reader, and found the shelving unit next to the bed useful. 

Most recent guests in the Loft were a sparkling young girl and her lively little brother, for three nights. They looked through the shelving unit to see between the pine posts behind it, to view the TV on the lower level. On the night prior to their leaving date, the excited boy told us that the pillows up there are like parachutes!  

(This had us rather curious, so after they left we went up to see for ourselves. Sure enough, Sam could imagine parachutes out of those pillows! And Linda noticed that the parachutes hadn't bumped into any flying birds as they went down—No feathers to be found.  :-) 

On the main level, the oldest brother claimed The Nook; while the youngest, 2-year old brother slept on an air mattress behind Mom and Dad's bed. On more than one occasion, the parents said that Chessie Lee's Peas was perfect for their family.

(Photo at top was provided by the girl's mother with permission to post. This family also loved the suite and said they will be back!)

· Mickelson Trail Near Hill City

Just south of Hill City along the Mickelson Trail,

here is one relic of laborious pioneering history...

Visitors may also discover similar sights while

strolling north along the Trail.

Two springtime guests, in the Bluma Madle Suite,

enjoyed a walk on the Mickelson Trail before breakfast.

A short distance from Hill city, going north,

they spotted a few foxes at early-morning play.

They were fortunately quick with the camera...

No, that is not a contortionist fox,

but rather it is two fox pups,

one diving in and the other wiggling out.

Some of the locals who live next to the Trail

are unabashed beggars for affection...

And below is part of a Breyer horse collection

belonging to a recent 11-year old guest, 

who found a vacant shelf useful for corralling the herd.

She and her grandmother stayed in the

Chessie Lee's Peas Suite for 7 nights. Delightful pair!

The grandmother is an experienced, energetic hiker

living in the Colorado Rockies—

and while vacationing here,

she kept herself fit on the Mickelson Trail.