Day of rest

Sunday, June 10, 2007

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – We had a thunderstorm last evening that passed quickly and left us with a lovely rainbow off to the east. A beautiful fresh-washed morning greeted us today.
After a bit of sleuthing I found an Episcopal (Anglican) church to attend this morning, and the route seemed quite easy as well. We drove eastward past a lot of businesses and malls that were empty of cars and made us wonder about Sunday closing. Then we turned north on Belmont Avenue, and what a beautiful, stately avenue it was; tall elm trees arched above the street the whole way like a green canopy, and set back from the curb were beautiful homes with verandahs and American flags fluttering in front of them, and wide green lawns.
After the service we wandered toward the Red River where an arts fest was in full swing, with artisans’ stalls and a bandshell where a fantastic live band was belting out a lively version of "Making Whoopee", accompanying a talented lady who fingered the keyboard as she sang. It was fascinating to see all the different types of artistic expression, from jewelry to stained glass, with baskets woven with deer antler embellishments, paintings and wood carvings. We bought a bright wind sock for our deck back home.
The Red River is the same one that flows north into Manitoba and causes a lot of flooding every spring. Even now it was brown and swollen, with trees at its edge surrounded with water. People we spoke to said there had been a lot of rain lately, and at church they told me that part of the building had been destroyed by flooding in 1997, so I guess they are very conscious of the state of the river.
Back at the trailer, we had a leisurely afternoon, taking care of the last of the laundry and discovering the New York Times Sunday edition. It’s a very meaty paper! It was nice having a free and easy day.