Hi Gary,

 

My sister, Mari and I are driving thru North Dakota on a little detour on our way from Bemidji to Roseau MN for a wedding this Saturday, July 30th. Devils Lake is plum full. We stopped at “The Ranch” in Devil’s Lake for an early supper. Mother always told us they had great food, but it was much to grown up for the kids. She was probably in a hurry to get us to Gramma Higgins’ cottage at Lake Metigoshi. It would have been pretty expensive to feed 5 kids anyway. The meat loaf was great. Loved looking at all the old memorabilia and photos.

 

From Devils Lake we drove up to Dunseith by way of Rugby. The amazing wind turbines on the East side of Highway 3 are fantastic. We stopped and visited with a farmer on the road. He said there are 72 turbines in place. Really forward thinking, it seems to me. We drove through Dunseith and went by the little house Gramma Higgins lived in. Tomorrow we will go by the San and hope to have coffee with Lola V if it works out. We stopped at St Louis Cemetery South of town where our grandparents, Frank & Alida Higgins are buried. What a lovely peaceful spot.

 

Last time my brother, Tom and I were around here my cell phone did not work at all, except in the Bottineau Walmart parking lot! It works here in Devils Lake and the lady at the visitors bureau said it might work this trip as they have all switched to ATT and Verizon cell tower systems. We shall see.

 

From the Turtle Mountains we head East on Saturday to Roseau, and then on Sunday, we go down to St Cloud where our family lived for many years (1962-1975 when my Dad died. Mother stayed on in St Cloud until the late 80’s).

Has any one on the blog had any experience with “disinterring” (Sp?) a loved on and moving them from one cemetery to another? I called the funeral home that cared for dad in St Cloud in 1975, and the man said they would not be AT ALL interested in doing this. He acted like I was crazy to even suggest such a thing.

 

We just think it would be nice if Mom and Dad were together where they met and started their family. Maybe some of your readers have an idea or thoughts on the matter.

 

Gary, Maybe it is something you might think is inappropriate to put in the blog, just use your best judgement! The funeral home guy in St Cloud implied that we were being disrespectful to even consider such a thing.

 

Monday night, Mari flies home to Seattle and I go back to Ann Arbor for one more week to help my oldest daughter with her kids. Summer child care can be complicated for these “two parent working families”. It is lots of fun for me too!

 

Then home August 9th. We are working on some home improvements (the house is 27 years old, so there is lots to do. Jim retired from his practice on June 30th, his 64th birthday). Next adventure will be a trip to Prague and then a Elbe River cruise to Berlin. Many of your San Haven readers may remember my Dad who emigrated to the U.S. From Germany in December, 1938. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941, Dad was an intern on OB at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. At 7 AM, on the morning of the 8th, he and a professor were walking across the street to a cafe for breakfast to discuss the night’s cases. Dad had planned to go to the Army Enlisting office after that. As they walked, 2 FBI agents walked towards them and arrested him. Our country was now at war with Germany, and Dad was an “enemy alien”, not yet eligible for citizenship. He, and other detainees like him were interred (as were the Japanese) in various inland internment camps throughout the country. First he was transported to String fellow, Oklahoma, and then later to Fort Lincoln near Bismarck, in about May, 1942. (At the same time as the train went through Fargo with Dad going to the camp, our Mom was graduating from St John’s Nursing School in Fargo. She went from there to Grand Forks to a nursing job at the air force base (I think). Eventually she went home to Dunseith and got a job at the San. Dad was paroled near the end of the war as they needed doctors badly at the San. He reported to a customs agent from the boarder, I think, on a weekly basis. They later married, had me and 3 other kids. Dad became superintendent at some point, and our family stayed at the San until July of 1958. We moved to Minneapolis where Dad did a retraining residency in Radiology and our 5th sibling, Jane was born.

 

In any event, we think it would be great have their ashes placed either in Lake Shutte!!! Or at the Riverside / Saint Louis Cemeteries.

 

The fields are lush and green. Tons of birds and waterfowl adorn the ponds along the drive, the only hint of the flooding that has affected country further south and west.

 

Since Mom passed away last October, I have not read a Turtle Mountain Star. Lots of change in the area. Maybe I should pick up a copy of the paper before I head East in the morning! I wonder if I can subscribe on line!

 

We are such lucky people to be from this amazing part of our country.

 

Take care,

 

Karen Loeb Mhyre

Hi Gary and all, from SE Washington. My son Zak has joined my herd and we are attending a horse training clinic with Buck Branamman. If you haven’t seen his new movie “Buck”, try to catch it in theatres. Incredible film about his life.

 

Beautiful trip here through Northern CA and Oregon. All four horses are doing well!

Trish Wild

The Equine Nomad