And He Shall Gather the Lambs. . .

When Mother and Dad had their 40th wedding anniversary in 1981, their children and grandchildren gathered at their garage in Farwell to paint a frieze on its wall. Here is a vintage film of this event, shot in 8mm, then transferred to VHS analog, then transferred again and edited in digital technology. Remarkably, there's still enough of the original images to carry the essence of the event, especially when coupled with Mom singing Handel's "He Shall Feed His Flock." Mom was 61 when these pictures were made. About a dozen years later she recorded the music.

Bakken Shale report

This is not Farmer Mathistad of MacKenzie County. It is Farmer Rolfsrud of MacKenzie County. We don't know Farmer Mathistad, but he is probably not baling hay today.

If you happen to know Farmer Mathistad of MacKenzie County, now would be a good time to call on him. His oil well came in on July 4. It now pumps over a thousand barrels of black gold a day. You do the math. If his royalty is at 15 percent, and a barrel is worth $120 or so, well. . . .

The upcoming Rolfsrud 55-Hole Golf Oil expedition to inspect the western reaches of North Dakota and research Mom's vague possibilities has gained intensity.

Here's the press account of the Mathistad strike:

(Sanish and Three Forks are east of the Rolfsrud homestead)
ENID, Okla., July 9
Continental Resources, Inc. (NYSE: CLR - News) today announced initial results from its Mathistad 1-35H well completed in the Three Forks/Sanish formation in the North Dakota Bakken Shale area. The McKenzie County well, in which Continental has a 40% working interest, is the second that the Company has completed in the Three Forks/Sanish formation in North Dakota.

"The Mathistad 1-35H commenced production on July 4, 2008 and has flowed at an average rate of 1,095 barrels of crude oil equivalent per day, with 90 percent of production being crude oil and 10 percent natural gas," said Harold Hamm, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Continental Resources. "This is a second positive data point in our effort to determine whether the Three Forks/Sanish formation is a separate oil-producing reservoir not drained by a horizontal well completion in the Middle Bakken zone above it. If the Three Forks/Sanish proves to be a separate reservoir, it would add significant incremental reserves to the Bakken play."
On May 20, 2008 the Company reported that its first Three Forks/Sanish well, the Bice 1-29H, had flowed at an average rate of 693 barrels of crude oil equivalent per day in its initial week of production. The Mathistad 1-35H was drilled 23 miles north northwest of the Bice well. At the site of the Mathistad 1-35H, the top of the Three Forks/Sanish formation lies approximately 75 feet beneath the base of the Upper Bakken shale. Previous to the Bice and Mathistad wells, Continental typically completed its North Dakota Bakken wells with the well bore drilled approximately eight feet below the base of the Upper Bakken shale, in the Middle Bakken zone.
Continental is the largest leaseholder in the Bakken Shale play, with approximately 500,000 acres in North Dakota and Montana. The majority of its acreage runs north-to-south along the Nesson Anticline in North Dakota.

Here's a photograph taken near Robinson, No. Dak. in 1926, when Erling Rolfsrud was about 14 years old. Gasoline had been discovered in the town well the previous year. The Robinson Development Company formed to investigate oil prospects. A.C. Townley developed an oil drilling operation by 1926 but it ceased within several years without any major oil being discovered.

"The derrick shown is equipped with a 20 inch core drill. The bunk house, where about 200 people can be accommodated with sleeping quarters and the cook house where several hundred can be fed at one time are seen in the center and right of the picture. For many months several hundred people gathered weekly to listen to Townley's story at this camp."
Fargo Forum, March 4, 1926, p. 1.

This North Dakota episode is just another in a long list of disappointments that helps us to understand why Norwegians are the way they are.

Happy Birthday, Al Jerdee

Al Jerdee celebrated his birthday last year at the Rolfsrud Reunion in western North Dakota. Not sure what he did today, but there were doubtless fewer in-laws involved. Above, Al and Stan (b. July 5) posed for last year's co-birthday celebration at the Don and Karen Kirmis "cabin" on the banks of the Missouri River in western North Dakota. Setting up the shot is Al's wife, Becky, who does this sort of thing professionally. Stan will be returning to the area with his brothers, Virg and Steve, in two weeks, as part of the renown "Golf Oil Open." Full and in-depth coverage here, of course.

Hunter tastes a lime. . .

Hunter Underwood of Des Moines, Iowa, reacted to a slice of lime during weekend family festivities. Hunter is the son of Amy and Dave Underwood. Amy is Stan's niece. Check the Jerdee blog, linked below.

$50,000 prize winning cake finished off

Neighbors joined Stan in celebrating his 61st by eating slices of Kathleen's Chocolate Praline layer cake. Mmm. Very moist.

Mystic Fireworks

Our neighbors, the Mystic Lake Casino, blow up a ton of fireworks every Fourth of July. Our neighbor, Carla, bought some fireworks from Cub Foods and blew them up last night in the yard. This two-minute video combines the big-time casino fireworks extravaganza and the fine piano stylings of Stan's nephew. Listen closely for Carla's cameo on the soundtrack.

Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars. . .

Emily Kathleen sports her Fourth of July outfit in a burst of flag-waving that would be the envy of any politician. You can bet that, if she had a lapel, there would be at least two flag pins on it.

Dinner with the neighbors

Last night we had dinner with the neighbors. Here's a clip of the event filmed by Kathleen.

Yippee! BUMPER CARZZZZ!!!

Blake Underwood and his aunt, Kim Jerdee, above, banged around in a bumper car last weekend at Adventureland near Des Moines. They were joined by ace drivers Adam Jerdee, left, and Dave Underwood, below, and other family members. See a blow by blow account of the big kids day on the Jerdee blog, linked below.