Seattle Steve

August 26 - Sep 1, 2009

We met Steve at Hector International in Fargo when he got off the plane at 5:15 p.m. Steve had flown from Seattle to Portland to Chicago to Fargo and it took him most of the day. We made a group decision and headed back to Ft. Ransom State Park which is a distance of about 80 miles.

Lois and I had already had a full day in Fargo -- a first time for both of us. We drove around a bit and saw some interesting sites. For example, we went by the campus of Minnesota State University at Moorhead (MN) which in 1928 was the Minnesota State Teachers College at Moorhead. That’s where Grandma Dorothy got her two-year teaching certificate. She taught school for two years and married George Fischer in June of 1930. I had never seen this place before and it was good to make that connection.

The highlight of the day was lunch at Toscano’s on Broadway. We both had the same thing -- a spinach salad and a walleye filet with lots of vegetables in a wine sauce. This was the first time we dined in style since the Red Lobster in Bismark several weeks ago. It was delightful.

We shopped for groceries at SunMart in West Fargo. SunMart and Hornbacher’s are the two regional chains here that seem to be the leaders in supermarkets.

Steve’s visit was most pleasant and was marked by a lot of visiting and reminiscing about the old days as well as a hike a day. Steve walked every hiking path in Ft. Ransom State Park while he was here. There was a trail-building crew from Bismark finishing up an 8-mile path and Steve hiked that one also. The paths are wide and cut into the hills by machine. In the winter they will be for cross-country skiing and snowmobiles. I worry about the same path being used by people on foot and those on mechanized equipment -- a recipe for disaster. Hopefully the park management will figure that one out and set policy accordingly.

We had a cocktail hour every day and the dinner plans seemed to please everyone. Before bed, we usually watched English comedy, “Keeping Up Appearances,” or a movie -- “Analyze This” and “Analyze That”, a Robert DeNiro-Billy Crystal spoof on New York crime families. They were all hilarious.

The week went by very quickly. We enjoyed every minute. It was a wonderful time and we are very happy Steve took the time to come and visit.

“That really was a good visit,” Steve wrote by e-mail. “It's great to see you both doing so well and enjoying yourselves.”

“Thanks for everything you did to make the trip work out so well, Steve continued. “Have a safe trip back and keep in touch.”