Minot, ND

On an Adventure before Dementia

-seen today on the back of a trailer pulled by an RV

Much of North Dakota is flat, very flat. You can see forever! We saw lots of trains 

and grain elevators. 

I was the navigator today, which is normal. We left Fargo and headed to Grand Forks. And then somehow, crossed the Red River into East Grand Forks, MN. And guess what we found - a neat little quilt shop, Quilter's JEM. The ladies were so kind and they had a nice selection of fabric.

There was a lot of fabric that I wanted but I left with a pattern, 2 pieces of fabric, and a piece of cork fabric which is new to me.

Before I forget, here is the fabric I bought for backing at River City Quilts yesterday.

Back in North Dakota, before we left Grand Forks, we drove by the Town Square. We wanted to see Memorial Park and the Flood Monument for the 1997 Red River Flood. We couldn't find any parking within at least 5 blocks so we drove on. I did get this picture of the flood wall.

As we drove north and west through North Dakota, we saw many fields with trees in them. We had a discussion as to why and then I did the research. The shelter belts help control erosion of top soil. We were right!

Just as I was thinking I might not have much to write about today, we arrived in Rugby, the geographical center of North America. Of course, we stopped!

There were some north, south, east, west signs.

We were in Lubec, ME three years ago.

And the day just got more and more interesting! We arrived at our Airbnb rental in Minot and it is great! Last night's was clean but cramped and a little different. We found out that the area we are staying in was greatly affected by the 2011 Souris River flood. The flood waters were up about 8 feet on the insides and outsides of the houses! Our host showed us photos that are incredible but sad. The neighborhood is still undergoing some recovery although most homes are done. There is also flood protection now.

I wanted to visit a quilt shop that was nearby Good Vibrations Modern Quilt Shop. It is a small shop in the owner's house taking over the original living room and dining room.

When I walked in the door, I couldn't stop smiling. I LOVED the bright colors. Most of the fabrics are Kaffe Fassett but there are a few others.

I looked at everything; I learned something about collage quilting; I was treated to a private showing of the owners collage quilts; and I finally decided on some fabrics to take home. The striped are from the owner's private stash!

Next we visited the Scandinavian Heritage Center that our Airbnb host told us about. We found that the buildings open tomorrow for the season but we were able to wander around the park. The weather was nice - about 60 degrees and sunny.

 There was a windmill

 and statues.

We walked across a small bridge and were informed of the rules!

While looking at this horse, which anyone could walk under,

we kept admiring this church.

We really wanted to get inside.

The carvings were incredible.

Some ladies were cleaning inside and one came out and called to us. She asked if we'd like to come in! YES!!! She actually owns the church - her husband built it!

It was interesting to hear her story firsthand. She was so kind and loves to share the 'little bit of Norway' with others.

A close up of some of the hand carved pieces.

It was a fun day! After dinner tonight, we walked around our neighborhood and enjoyed spending more time outside. Now it is close to 10pm and finally getting dark. Tomorrow we will cross the border and head north into Canada. More adventures to come!