NORTH DAKOTA TRIP

Our trip to Grand Forks in our little "arrest me red" 2011 Toyota rental car went very well.  And Ernie didn't even get stopped!  As usual, I love watching the clouds and fields, and also as usual, I shoot pictures through the windshield as 55 MPH.  The fields of soybeans, oats, corn and sugar beets are ripening, and we saw a lot of farmers out in their huge fields on their gigantic modern but prehistoric looking machinery, doing what they need to do to get in the crops and send them off to market.  By the looks of these crops, the farmers will be doing quite well this year.  I hope so.  Farming is a very chancy occupation, isn't it.

We visited with the kids for a little on Friday when we arrived in Grand Forks, and then we headed out to the AFB to get our room and settle in for the night.  Saturday we picked them up for breakfast, and a little shopping, and then we packed our picnic lunch.  Oh, we had a little help from Subway and the grocery store, but soon we were on our way to Turtle Rive State Park, west of Grand Forks and the AFB. 

Sammy was a little disappointed that there were no crab shells this time, but he had a good time anyhow.

Sunday morning we drove into this interesting looking sky as we traveled east to go to the church that we attended for the eight years we were stationed at the base.  After church we again went out for breakfast, and then it was time to say our goodbyes and head home.  This is our son Lenny, his wife Connie, and their son Sammy as we were saying goodbye to them.  We don't get to see them too often, so I hate the leaving part.  And Sammy seemed to connect with me much more this visit, so it was especially hard to leave.

I did take a little part of Sammy with me though.  On Saturday when we were out at Turtle River State Park, he bought me this little red turtle.  Isn't he cute?  Sammy instructed me to name this turtle Sammy, and from now on to call him just Sam!  Ok, Sam, I will!  I love you and miss you already!  Thank you for the turtle.  I will put it on the truck dash like you asked me to.

We usually stay off of the freeways, preferring instead the two lane highways through the countryside.  I get nervous traveling at the speeds that the traffic prefers on the big roads.  Maybe I'm getting old, but I prefer 55 MPH!  We meandered down through the Minnesota countryside, stopping at Monson Lake State Park where we had hosted this summer to say hello to "Grizzly Adams" as our park boss is known to many.  Then we were treated to this beautiful display of clouds in God's heavens.  It kind of looks like layers, doesn't it?

And speaking of clouds.  It will be interesting to see what kind of clouds develop in the skies today.  We are expecting strong, and maybe severe, thunderstorms today.  I guess we might as well end the summer on the same note that we experienced countless times in the past three months!  Oh well, it won't bother our plans for Labor Day, as we have none!