Dear Helen Evans,
Here's hoping you made it to Forest City, Iowa, all right. And you are meeting this week with others from all over the country who are Winnebago International Travelers - or WITS.
Sounds like fun to me.
You and your husband, John, are one of three couples from North Dakota at the national rally. The others are Denis and Betty Lebrun from Larimore and Adam and Judy Leier from Bismarck.
Wow! You say there used to be as many as 13 Winnebagos from North Dakota before things got so expensive. Anyway, you really enjoy traveling in your house on wheels and meeting up with people from all over the country.
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Everyone who comes to the gathering in Iowa this week brings something from their state. I think it is great you have macaroni and cheese dinners from the Dakota Growers Pasta company in Carrington. Then you have Cloverdale Smokies made in Bismarck. And samples of SunButter made from sunflower seeds from Red River Commodities in Fargo.
And you have boxes and boxes of North Dakota 2017 Legendary Guides, along with maps and hunting and fishing guides from North Dakota Tourism bureau in Bismarck.
You and John really get around. You've been to every state -except for Vermont, Hawaii and Alaska. And you will be visiting Alaska the end of the month.
You remember my sister, Shirley, the one I used to write to all the time? Well, she and her husband, Frank, made friends all over, too, when they lived in their travel home.
It is fascinating to think of having your own kitchen and bath on the road. And you can be right at home while your house is moving 65 miles an hour down the road.
Well, you will be among more than 1,000 others in RVs in Iowa this week. You deserve the adventure! You put in more than 30 years at Minnkota Power. And John was in the Air Force 20 years and more than 18 years with the Department of Transportation.
Even now he drives for Upper Midwest Sleep when you aren't snowbirding in South Carolina.
It's showtime here in Grand Forks this week. The kids of summer did "The Music Man" at Central. And Rogers & Hammerstein's "Carousel" is coming up Saturday through Tuesday at Red River.
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The SPA shows are among the joys of summer around Grand Forks.
Do you keep track of the interesting license plates you see on the highways? Readers around here help me keep track.
Among those spotted recently are JAMESU, TIGRESS, SENORA and YPYKYA.
There are joys and sorrows as summer moves along. This week, there is sadness among so many who for years have heard the sounds of the clarinet as played by Harley Brown. His services are Thursday at Calvary Lutheran Church.
Well, best wishes on your travels as you represent North Dakota. Tell the travelers that Catfish Days are coming up this weekend in Grand Forks!
Your friend, Marilyn
