Heading North... to North Dakota - Sep 22, 2007 - Fargo, North Dakota, United States

SEPTEMBER 22, 2007

We left Pipestone and headed for Fargo North Dakota. This was an unexpected trip for us as we were not sure which way we were headed after Sioux Falls and Pipestone. Honestly, I had only really "planned" this far into the trip. I knew we had to get my license and get squared away with our new address in South Dakota before it got cold, but there really was no plan after that. Soooo, I decided to check out a tip we had received from a stranger in the parking lot at Dave's in Wickford. He noticed our SD plates on the truck and said if we were headed that way, we MUST check out the Badlands of North Dakota. I didn't even know there were Badlands in ND, just thought SD only.

HEADING NORTH...

Soooo, we headed north and stopped in Fargo ND for the weekend to go to church. We found a city park on a river which runs through Fargo. It was a little tricky getting the camper in, but I did it... much to my own amazement. It was a nice park and there were people there because it was a weekend. Ever since school started up again, most of the places we have been have been deserted. Haven't run into many fulltiming families on the road yet. Have met some older couples, singles, etc. but no families with kids.

FARGO-MOOREHEAD UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH

We headed up the road to the UU church. We all started in the sanctuary and then the kids were "sung out" to their classes. There were classes for both girls and I actually got to stay for the service! Yippee... finally a Sunday without a Water Communion! The service was led by a lay leader and spoke about being an athiest music director first in a UU church (this one) who is now at a UCC church (up the road) and is also on the town council in this area. The girls and I have noticed the signs like the "Jesus is Lord of Pipestone" but also others like "Abortion Kills" and "It's a Child, Not a Choice" and "Jesus Loves You". There may be signs like that back in RI, but it seemed like there were so many more around here. The lay leader talked about how she has had to deal with such a prevelence of religion in politics and it has made her examine what she values, where she stands on so many issues and levels, and being able to articulate that to those who use the bible to back them up. She said it has been quite an experience and has strengthened her values and her politics.

MAKING NEW FRIENDS

After services, our new puppy, Kody, introduced us to a wonderful family. We met Bill Thomas and his two daughters. Bill, as it turns out, is the Director of Radio for Prairie Public Broadcasting, an NPR Radio station. He was also Aisha's teacher for the morning. One of the perks of working at the radio station is that he is able to record clips of NPR radio broadcasts for the Junior Youth Group Class and brought them in for the kids to listen to and then talk about. The clip was about a skateboarders, but the discussion was about people's perceptions of diffrent individuals. The kids had a great discussion about how people can assume things by the way they dress or the sport they take up. Bill invited us back to his home for lunch and he and his wife delighted us with a home-cooked pasta sauce that was picked and cooked fresh from the back yard garden right before our eyes! It was a feast for all the senses. Many thanks to Bill and his family for their indulgence of us... and Kody.