Write On!

              11 farmers out in their field threshing com. There were huge piles of it. Now the sun was shining. We had lunch at Perkins in Sioux Falls, then continued on for a stop at the Terry Redlin Art Gallery in Watertown. We were shown a film and were able to tour around, enjoying the art displays of original paintings. There was a gift shop with artwork for sale as well as freshly brewed coffee. We left there about 4:00 p.m. It was almost 6:00 p.m., when we arrived at the Sleep Inn at Fargo. Della, Cecile, Edna and I walked to the Iron Grill for a very nice supper. There was a cool wind blowing. From Fargo, North Dakota, you can look across and see Moorhead, Minnesota. Friday, November 5, it was nearly 9:00 a.m. by the time we were leaving Fargo. The grass is still green in these parts. Today, deer season had opened, and we saw some hunters pulling jeeps to head out into the bush. We were going through windmill country. Also, there were still thousands of snow geese feeding in the fields. We stopped at Jamestown at 10:30 a.m. and went to McDonalds for our morning break. Back on the bus, we played Bingo for small prizes. I won a music tape. We arrived in Bismark in time for lunch, which we had at the Cracker Barrel. This was one of our favorite eating places. The staff greeted us at the door when we arrived. When we were leaving, they gave each of us a candy stick. On the road again the singing duo, Doug and Pauline, led us

in a sing-a-Iong. There were many good singers on the bus, but we
really enjoyed having the two lead singers perform. The grass was still green, but soon that would be left behind. As we neared Minot, North Dakota, Fred passed out our custom declaration forms, reminding us not to cheat because we could end up in big trouble. We arrived in Minot about 4:30 p.m., so had some time to spare before supper. Edna and I walked over to the Thrift Store. She bought some pants. I found a vest for $1.25. We went back to our room for awhile, then went to Perkins for our supper. I had clam chowder, half a sandwich and a piece of pumpkin pie. A little later, some of the ladies were playing cards and invited us to join them. I went, but Edna wanted to fill out her declaration card and watch TV. In the morning, our suitcases must be out by 7:00 a.m. Saturday, November 6, we left Minot at 7:45 a.m. after a

delicious continentalbreakfast - our last one. No more green grass,
the scenery was very flat and dry, and the weather cool and hazy. Our 9:00 a.m. coffee break was at the duty-free store. We were able to shop for about half an hour, then on to customs at the border. A uniformed lady came aboard and did a thorough check.