Ortley is doing OK

For those of you out there who may be wondering, "is everyone in Ortley OK?", I'm happy to report that as of about 5:30 Tuesday evening, we have electricity, so Ortleyites only had to endure one night without light or heat. And as far as I know, everyone is fine.

It began on Sunday with a light freezing drizzle, just enough to make things very slippery. Then came the high winds, then in the night it began to snow. About 11:00 AM Monday the power went out. I thought it would be perhaps a few hours - we've seen that before. But it went on and on, and on Tuesday morning we still didn't have power. It soon became clear that it was a state of emergency in our state, extending far beyond our immediate area. It was a great relief when, just as we were settling in for another dark, cold night, that the power suddenly came on yesterday evening. Praise the LORD! And thanks, "mange tusen takk" as the Norwegians say, to the hardworking, dedicated power line workers from Otter Tail and many other power companies, including many who have come from other states to help out South Dakota.

As many as 50,000 South Dakotans were without electricity on Monday night. Ortley and Waubay were among the first, blessed 1/5 of that number who have had power restored. 77 communities and rural areas still are without power, and some may not receive it for a few days. South Central and Southeastern South Dakota are facing more snowy, dangerous weather today, and below normal temperatures are expected throughout East River South Dakota for the next few days. They need our prayers, as well as help with portable generators, shelter, etc.

Highway 12 Update

As of Friday evening, November 4, all four lanes of Highway 12 are open at Ortley, so you may now reach Ortley from the Outside World with the comfort, convenience, and safety of four-lane travel!

Ortleyites visit San Antonio

Submitted by Lori Pies

Lori and Herschel Pies returned October 31 froma 5-day trip to San Antonio, Texas, where they attended the graduation ceremonies and parade of Erica Pies as she completed Air Force Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base.

While there Lori, Herschel, & Erica toured the Lackland Air Force Base and took a tour of the Alamo, San Jose Mission, Concepcion Mission, Mission San Antonio, Market Square, the Japanese Sunken Gardens, the famous Riverwalk, and the Botanical Gardens.

Lori enjoyed a horse and buggy ride around the Alamo. Lori, Erica, and Herschel also enjoyed a trolley tour of downtown San Antonio.

Erica Pies wishes to send a big Texas style Hello to all of her friends!

Editor's note: Congratulations, Erica! Our best wishes and prayers are with you as you continue your training in the U.S. Air Force. Lori's account of their trip brings back fond memories of my two years in the San Antonio area during 1994-1996, as the first church where I served as pastor was in Pleasanton, Texas, 40 miles south of San Antonio.

November 1 News and Notes

A reminder to everyone to submit recipes for the CENTENNIAL COOKBOOK project. You may submit them directly to Barb at BJ's Cafe, or mail them to BJ's at P.O. Box 61, Ortley, SD 57256, or email to rbwitte@itctel.com . They are due no later than May 1, 2006, but we encourage everyone to send them in ASAP.

In other news, for a few months now Ortley has been monitoring the progress of the Great Highway 12 Project, in which the highway is being expanded to four lanes all the way from Aberdeen to I-29. This summer and fall have seen construction on the stretch between Rush Lake, east of Waubay, and the Interstate, 8 miles east of Ortley. Ortley's skyline even was altered, as a concrete plant supporting the road construction was built this summer right at the Ortley corner - perhaps when the construction is all done we could convert the area into the "Ortley Industrial Park!" Anyway, by some reports the complete four-lane configuration was scheduled to be completed on November 1, which is today, so later I will bring a report from my observations, of whether the new lanes are in fact open. The completion of this leg of the project will mean that the only stretch left to complete is "Rush Grade", the causeway that stretches over two miles directly across Rush Lake, effectively turning it into two lakes instead of one.