They look like us, talk mostly like us, dress like us, drive the same cars we do on the same side of the road, smell like us (I believe, though I have no personal experience), and most importantly for Grand Forks merchants, shop like us, but more and better.
As a point of reference, Grand Forks, ND is approximately 80 miles from the Canadian border. For those of you, like me, who confess to knowing very little about Canada (except it is the origin of all things hockey, the greatest sport EVER), you are driving into the provence of Manitoba when you drive into Canada up route 29 from Grand Forks. Grand Forks is approximately 140 miles from Winnipeg, a bustling metropolis of approximately 600,000 in Manitoba. Have I been to these places? No, but I will so make sure to tune in to future blog entries for the play by play experience.
An important set of factors have come together to make Grand Forks the shopping destination for a growing group of Canadians these weekends. In order to fully understand and appreciate the phenomenon of every third car, at least, in the Target and similar shopping establishment parking lot (aka Wal-Mart and Sam's club where I DO NOT venture for OBVIOUS reasons, oh how I wish for a Costco), having Manitoba license plates, I need to digress into a short story containing some personal, trivial, historical, geographical, and current events related information.
So, I've always liked Canada. I don't know why really. I think it may be started when I discovered hockey, the coolness of hockey, and that hockey comes from Canada. This was made clear to me when, throughout my entire childhood, my sister and I attended Blues hockey games with my Dad. My family had season tickets for over 20 years. Back when they still sold programs, we would buy one when we entered the Arena, before they moved to the Kiel Center (bleh) and we would memorize the players' names, ages, numbers and where they were from. This was my awakening to the origin of hockey. First, almost none of the players were from the U.S. and most of them were from Canada with a few from Sweden or Finland or Russia thrown in for good measure. Brian Sutter was the captain of the blues for a long time and he and his 5 brothers played in the NHL for years, often against one another and they are from Canada. Viking, Alberta to be exact. So I developed a soft spot for Canada for bringing us all these awesome hockey players and the game itself.
In 6th grade, I went on a two week camping trip with our P.E. teacher to Ontario. I remember driving for miles and miles and then taking a tiny plane into some of the most beautiful woods and lakes I've still ever seen. We stayed in cabins at the end and the beginning of the trip for one night and the rest was spent canoeing, portaging, and camping. It was exhausting, and rained a lot, and I wasn't a fan of "showering" by jumping into the river in my swimsuit and then lathering up with Dr. Brown's. I also got violently ill on the drive home and remember falling in and out of consciousness in a tent in a roadside campground. I remember the teacher apologizing for my appearance when he returned me to my parents even more emaciated than I started. In spite of the illness, I had a good time and was impressed with how beautiful and untouched Canada was.
Then, during my youth, my Grandparents drove us up through parts of Canada during some of our summer rides (see earlier posting about my grandmother's 101 birthday in August for more on these trips). So, we drove up from Wisconsin, sometimes through the UP of Michigan into Ontario and Quebec down back into the U.S. at Niagra Falls and Maine. At the wee age of 10 or 12 the things that stuck with me about Canada during these trips, were the amazing lack of people, the huge amount of wilderness, and that they didn't use miles to measure speed but rather kilometers.
So, this is the extent of my Canada knowledge, except for a trip to Montreal after my senior year of college with some friends - I went to college in Boston and it was just a hop, skip and a jump away, and we could make a stop at Ben and Jerry's in Vermont along the way as well as LL Bean in Freeport, ME for some shopping.
Throughout all of these experiences with Canada, one key piece of information was impressed upon me: for Americans, Canada is relatively cheap. For most of my life, the exchange rate was such that you could get two or three Canadian dollars for one US dollar. However, during the Bush Administrations, this all started to change (coincidence? I think not....) and now, the exchange rate is about 1 to 1. So, this means that it is less expensive for Canadians to come to the U.S. and buy, well, everything. And do they. It explains some of the development and conveniences that we have here in Grand Forks. It was surprising to me that a community of only 50,000 - 60,000 would have a Target, Lowe's, Sam's, Wal-Mart, Furniture Row, Best Buy, Old Navy, Bed Bath and Beyond, Pier One, Starbucks (2), etc. I have a much better understanding now that I have spent a few weekends in a row in town and seen actual traffic and all of the parking lots at these places as well as at the fast food restaurants nearby packed. Moreover, I understand why there are so many hotels and motels in town - folks actually make the trip from far enough away to warrant a sleep over, if you can believe it.
So, now I'm very familiar with Manitoba license plates, as well as North Dakota and Minnesota. And, for the most part, I am very appreciative of their support of Grand Forks merchants because their expenditures enable them to stay open for my convenience too. Meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out how to use my proximity to Canada to obtain prescription medications at a discount since my so called health insurance here is the WORST I've ever had and I am paying over $200 a month for basic prescriptions to enable me to breath and function. If anyone out there has suggestions or experience with this, I'd welcome your advice and/or information. Hell, eve if you don't know anything about this topic, I'd welcome a comment to this post so that I know you're out there!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The Sugar Beet Harvest
I first got wind of the sugar beet harvest in my spin class at the Y at 6am a couple of weeks ago. Apparently, it got started a day early on September 30, 3009 at midnight, because of predictions of rain in the next few days which negatively impacts harvesting. After hearing about it while panting on my spin bike in the wee hours of the morning, I promptly forgot about it, until the beginning of the following week.
I was driving to Starbucks, my addiction continues, before work last week when I noticed all of this dirt all over the road. I thought that maybe construction had started on the road but they didn't have signs up yet. It was bizarre - I'm talking huge amounts of black dirt in clumps on the main road in Grand Forks. Then, I noticed these trucks driving around with mounds of white tubers in them. I was beginning to make the connection when the following morning coming out of my apartment building on the way to the Y, I saw a huge white beet in the gutter. Finally, it clicked. The dirt, the trucks, - the beet harvest was upon us.
Before moving to North Dakota I had no idea there was such a thing as beet sugar. Driving from Fargo to Grand Forks, I noticed a huge Crystal Sugar plant along the railroad line, but I still didn't connect that the plant would process sugar from beets. In fact, I'd only seen red beets and I am not a fan of beets and so I've made no effort to learn about their properties or varieties. Then driving down to Fargo last Thursday night, I saw the truck lights on either side of Hwy 29 and the Crystal Sugar plant with a huge line of full trucks lined up in front of it and smoke billowing out of it. It was going full blast at 9pm and again at midnight when I drove by again. Clearly this harvest is a big deal and goes around the clock for the length of the harvest.
A little searching on line and I've learned a great deal about how sugar beets (which are white by the way) are harvested and processed to create sugar - table sugar: http://www.crystalsugar.com/products/products6.sprocess.asp. It is actually fascinating to learn about how it is processed and what it is used for. I have no idea where sugar beets rank among the top harvests in North Dakota, but based upon the traffic in Grand Forks, the dirt on the roads and the commotion at the Crystal Sugar plant, this is clearly a big, big deal. In the spirit of buying locally and supporting the local harvest, I just purchased some Crystal Sugar to make some baked goods. I'll let you know how it turns out!
I was driving to Starbucks, my addiction continues, before work last week when I noticed all of this dirt all over the road. I thought that maybe construction had started on the road but they didn't have signs up yet. It was bizarre - I'm talking huge amounts of black dirt in clumps on the main road in Grand Forks. Then, I noticed these trucks driving around with mounds of white tubers in them. I was beginning to make the connection when the following morning coming out of my apartment building on the way to the Y, I saw a huge white beet in the gutter. Finally, it clicked. The dirt, the trucks, - the beet harvest was upon us.
Before moving to North Dakota I had no idea there was such a thing as beet sugar. Driving from Fargo to Grand Forks, I noticed a huge Crystal Sugar plant along the railroad line, but I still didn't connect that the plant would process sugar from beets. In fact, I'd only seen red beets and I am not a fan of beets and so I've made no effort to learn about their properties or varieties. Then driving down to Fargo last Thursday night, I saw the truck lights on either side of Hwy 29 and the Crystal Sugar plant with a huge line of full trucks lined up in front of it and smoke billowing out of it. It was going full blast at 9pm and again at midnight when I drove by again. Clearly this harvest is a big deal and goes around the clock for the length of the harvest.
A little searching on line and I've learned a great deal about how sugar beets (which are white by the way) are harvested and processed to create sugar - table sugar: http://www.crystalsugar.com/products/products6.sprocess.asp. It is actually fascinating to learn about how it is processed and what it is used for. I have no idea where sugar beets rank among the top harvests in North Dakota, but based upon the traffic in Grand Forks, the dirt on the roads and the commotion at the Crystal Sugar plant, this is clearly a big, big deal. In the spirit of buying locally and supporting the local harvest, I just purchased some Crystal Sugar to make some baked goods. I'll let you know how it turns out!
Friday, October 9, 2009
First snow of the 2009-2010 school year!
At approximately 3pm today, I looked out the window and saw snow flurries. It is Friday, October 9, 2009 and I saw my first snow as a resident of North Dakota. I really don't know what else to write about that except, wow. No, it didn't stick. Stay tuned for more similar eventful reports!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Death of Gourmet Magazine
It don't know which is more shocking, that November 2009 will be the last edition of Gourmet magazine or that it was owned by Conde Nast.
Gourmet was a staple in my home growing up. I don't recall life without Gourmet magazine. It was in the mailbox (it used to come with a brown paper cover, then a white paper cover, then plastic). It was on the end table next to my dad's chair. It was in the basket or on the table next to the sofa where my mom sat. They were stacked on the floor in the living room, like a pseudo table. They were on the center thing in the kitchen. They were on the bedside table. They were in the black, faux leather bound binders that had "Gourmet" written on them in the bookcase that Gourmet sold to store them in, in the hallway in the basement. My mother has them going back to 1963.
Everything seemed to come from Gourmet. This is great, where did you get the recipe? Gourmet. I was thinking I might try to do something different with dinner tonight. Why not check Gourmet? Did you see the great article in Gourmet on the top restaurants in San Francisco? Have you been to one?
The covers were porno for food: mouthwatering pie; fresh, colorful salads; beautiful thanksgiving turkey; unbelievable poached eggs. Inside, directions (also known as recipes) led you down the golden path to complete meals of unreal happiness. When I was younger, part of the game was to locate the ingredients. Over the last 20 years, as more ingredients became easier to find in the local grocery store in Southern Illinois, focus began purchasing the latest, greatest gadget featured among its pages. This rubber tube that I roll my garlic in so that the skins come off with minimal effort. The Silpat, which I put on my oven pan so that nothing sticks and my cookies come out perfectly the same throughout.
When my sister and I grew up and left the house of Gourmet and made our own homes, one of the first things my parents did was get us each our own subscription. Every year, they renewed it. I'd get that little postcard in the mail with my mom's handwriting on it around Christmastime, letting me know that they'd renewed it. So, I'd had my own subscription for years and they filled several shelves in my hallway bookshelves, however, I need to make a true confession. Before I moved from DC to North Dakota, I decided I couldn't defend moving them across the country. My sister had a subscription, my mom had hers and I can access the recipes on Epicurious.com I reasoned. So, I posted on Facebook that I was giving them away. A former law clerk came by for several and then I did the unforgivable in light of recent developments: I threw a bunch away. If I'd only known.
Several bloggers and columnists from on line magazines have publicly mourned the loss of Gourmet in the last couple of days since the announcement on Monday. The entries I have seen have focused on how Gourmet taught them to cook around the time they got married or right after they got married. I think that's great. I just thought I'd add my own Gourmet story to the blogosphere. Thanks for the memories, and the phenomenal meals.
Gourmet was a staple in my home growing up. I don't recall life without Gourmet magazine. It was in the mailbox (it used to come with a brown paper cover, then a white paper cover, then plastic). It was on the end table next to my dad's chair. It was in the basket or on the table next to the sofa where my mom sat. They were stacked on the floor in the living room, like a pseudo table. They were on the center thing in the kitchen. They were on the bedside table. They were in the black, faux leather bound binders that had "Gourmet" written on them in the bookcase that Gourmet sold to store them in, in the hallway in the basement. My mother has them going back to 1963.
Everything seemed to come from Gourmet. This is great, where did you get the recipe? Gourmet. I was thinking I might try to do something different with dinner tonight. Why not check Gourmet? Did you see the great article in Gourmet on the top restaurants in San Francisco? Have you been to one?
The covers were porno for food: mouthwatering pie; fresh, colorful salads; beautiful thanksgiving turkey; unbelievable poached eggs. Inside, directions (also known as recipes) led you down the golden path to complete meals of unreal happiness. When I was younger, part of the game was to locate the ingredients. Over the last 20 years, as more ingredients became easier to find in the local grocery store in Southern Illinois, focus began purchasing the latest, greatest gadget featured among its pages. This rubber tube that I roll my garlic in so that the skins come off with minimal effort. The Silpat, which I put on my oven pan so that nothing sticks and my cookies come out perfectly the same throughout.
When my sister and I grew up and left the house of Gourmet and made our own homes, one of the first things my parents did was get us each our own subscription. Every year, they renewed it. I'd get that little postcard in the mail with my mom's handwriting on it around Christmastime, letting me know that they'd renewed it. So, I'd had my own subscription for years and they filled several shelves in my hallway bookshelves, however, I need to make a true confession. Before I moved from DC to North Dakota, I decided I couldn't defend moving them across the country. My sister had a subscription, my mom had hers and I can access the recipes on Epicurious.com I reasoned. So, I posted on Facebook that I was giving them away. A former law clerk came by for several and then I did the unforgivable in light of recent developments: I threw a bunch away. If I'd only known.
Several bloggers and columnists from on line magazines have publicly mourned the loss of Gourmet in the last couple of days since the announcement on Monday. The entries I have seen have focused on how Gourmet taught them to cook around the time they got married or right after they got married. I think that's great. I just thought I'd add my own Gourmet story to the blogosphere. Thanks for the memories, and the phenomenal meals.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Double Rainbows!
Driving back to my apartment this afternoon, it was raining and yet the sun was shining. I looked up and I thought I saw a faint rainbow in the distance. Then, as I got closer to the Minnesota border, I realized it was a full, bright rainbow. Finally, as I got out of my car, I heard someone say, "It's a double rainbow!" before I turned around, and there it was. The one on the inside was definitely brighter, but there was clearly a second, outside of it, fainter, but the full length of the first. And, not only were there two, I could see them from end to end, complete semi-circles. When I've seen rainbows previously, in the city, I was lucky if I could see part of one. So, this was a first, My first, complete rainbow and my first double rainbow. It was incredible. It was still raining lightly, and people were running out of the organic grocery store to see it. Others were having their picture taken in front of it. Did I mention it looked like it was over the Red River? Now, I have absolutely no proof of this. No evidence. No photos, and no statements from my fellow eye witnesses. So, you will just have to take my word for it. But trust me, it was beautiful and just what I needed at that moment, if you know what I mean. A little reminder that it's not so bad, whatever it is. And, nature is damned impressive, especially when the big sky allows you to see it all.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Frost on my car windshield in SEPTEMBER
I walked out to my car this morning to drive to the Y for my workout. It was chilly, I was hustling to get into the car, but you could not imagine my reaction when I looked up and discovered that my windshield was covered in FROST. Now, I realize that I've moved to the great white north, less than 100 miles from the Canadian border, but this was shocking. I mean it isn't even October.
As I sit here with my hot cocoa in my lovely apartment with the big picture windows, I feel woefully unprepared for what will be happening with the weather over the next few months, and I don't just mean emotionally. I don't have a scraper for my car, for god's sake, let alone "winterized" my car, whatever the hell that means. And I anticipate that I'm going to come to hate these big picture windows when it is -20 for the 20th day in a row in December or January. I see many days in my future when I cannot or will not leave this lovely little apartment. All I can say is that I better buy a really comfy couch, soon.
Cold of a nature that I cannot imagine is a way of life here. When you're walking in the parking lot at the super Target past the front of a line of cars, you see these electrical cords with plugs hanging out from under the hoods of many of them. The first time I noticed, I laughed out loud. I'm not laughing anymore. What are those, you ask? Why would people have such things hanging from the front of their cars? Oh, because they have block heaters installed in their cars that they plug in to ensure that their cars will start, and not just once in a while. For months, folks here in Grand Forks, North Dakota plug in their cars. For many days of the year, they walk outside during their lunch hours to their cars to start and run them to ensure they don't stop working. I own a 2000 Jetta that, as far as I know, has never had to start in temps below zero. I think everyday will be a new adventure as I turn the corner to see my car there, hoping that it will start.
Fashion is not a factor in wardrobe selections. Instead the question is, will it keep me warm at +20 mph winds in -10 degree weather. I own several pairs of long underwear. I've invested in some new boots, some new sweaters, and a new jacket with Windstopper - something I'd never known existed before. I know this is not enough and yet I feel paralyzed as I try to imagine what would be. Hell, I'm cold when it is below 70. At least it will be sunny, right?
I also can't deny that I find myself missing the fall in Washington, DC. This is a great season in DC, with the leaves changing on the trees during my walk from Dupont Circle to Metro Center. The temps in the low 70s in the daytime and the 50s in the evenings. The air takes on this different smell, the smell of fall. Newport Place is a one block street in DC between 21st and 22nd Streets NW which has a wonderful selection of trees that are lovingly cared for by their owners. In the spring and fall, I looked forward to walking down that street to see the leaves change or the blooms come out. Check it out if you can.
As I sit here with my hot cocoa in my lovely apartment with the big picture windows, I feel woefully unprepared for what will be happening with the weather over the next few months, and I don't just mean emotionally. I don't have a scraper for my car, for god's sake, let alone "winterized" my car, whatever the hell that means. And I anticipate that I'm going to come to hate these big picture windows when it is -20 for the 20th day in a row in December or January. I see many days in my future when I cannot or will not leave this lovely little apartment. All I can say is that I better buy a really comfy couch, soon.
Cold of a nature that I cannot imagine is a way of life here. When you're walking in the parking lot at the super Target past the front of a line of cars, you see these electrical cords with plugs hanging out from under the hoods of many of them. The first time I noticed, I laughed out loud. I'm not laughing anymore. What are those, you ask? Why would people have such things hanging from the front of their cars? Oh, because they have block heaters installed in their cars that they plug in to ensure that their cars will start, and not just once in a while. For months, folks here in Grand Forks, North Dakota plug in their cars. For many days of the year, they walk outside during their lunch hours to their cars to start and run them to ensure they don't stop working. I own a 2000 Jetta that, as far as I know, has never had to start in temps below zero. I think everyday will be a new adventure as I turn the corner to see my car there, hoping that it will start.
Fashion is not a factor in wardrobe selections. Instead the question is, will it keep me warm at +20 mph winds in -10 degree weather. I own several pairs of long underwear. I've invested in some new boots, some new sweaters, and a new jacket with Windstopper - something I'd never known existed before. I know this is not enough and yet I feel paralyzed as I try to imagine what would be. Hell, I'm cold when it is below 70. At least it will be sunny, right?
I also can't deny that I find myself missing the fall in Washington, DC. This is a great season in DC, with the leaves changing on the trees during my walk from Dupont Circle to Metro Center. The temps in the low 70s in the daytime and the 50s in the evenings. The air takes on this different smell, the smell of fall. Newport Place is a one block street in DC between 21st and 22nd Streets NW which has a wonderful selection of trees that are lovingly cared for by their owners. In the spring and fall, I looked forward to walking down that street to see the leaves change or the blooms come out. Check it out if you can.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
The Greenway and The Reston Tri
Today was the 25th annual Reston Triathlon in Reston, Virginia. http://www.restontriathlon.org/
Since 2002, I have completed 14 tris and I love this race. I love it because it was the first olympic tri I did, and the swag is great. I also love it because I've done it for years with my sister and tri friends, Char and Meghan and it was always great to be out on the course with them. Over the years, our energy level and commitment to tris has waxed and waned, and well, been "tried" (I know, I know), and yet, almost every year, I managed to get out there and fight it on the the Reston course. I love it because the community comes out to support the race like none other and the band and food at the end are some of the best. I love it because in 2007, my parents, my sister, and my adorable niece Alex, were there cheering me on at the end. There is nothing like pushing yourself in ways you did not think imaginable. Even though last year was turned into a run-bike-run due to recent storms that made the swim unsafe, and that may have marked the beginning of my injuries, I love the Reston Tri and my thoughts are with those who competed today.
Registration for this race opens in February and closes within minutes. I have had to find internet connections and borrow computers in Racine, Wisconsin, and New Orleans, Louisiana (thanks Valenda!), in order to register and have been fortunate to manage to get in each year. The registration is non-transferrable and non-refundable.
I was registered this year too, but I'm in North Dakota and I've had some injuries this year, so I couldn't do it. Instead, I decided to honor the Reston Tri with a long ride on the Greenway here in Grand Forks. http://www.grandforksgov.com/greenway/index.htm
The Greenway is so cool it has a Wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Grand_Forks_Greenway. Built after the flood of 1997, the Greenway is a wonderful series of trails along the rivers that cross here at Grand Forks. It is beautiful and I can access it just behind my apartment building. I know there aren't many days left during which I will be able to get out and ride before it gets too cold, so getting out for a long one today, an absolutely beautiful Sunday, is essential. As I rode, I thought of the course of the Reston tri, the mile swim, the 22 mile bike ride and the 10k run and how lucky I have been to be able to compete in it all these years with my friends and family. My 12 or so mile ride wasn't anything like what I'd put myself on past second Sundays in September at the Reston Tri, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
Since 2002, I have completed 14 tris and I love this race. I love it because it was the first olympic tri I did, and the swag is great. I also love it because I've done it for years with my sister and tri friends, Char and Meghan and it was always great to be out on the course with them. Over the years, our energy level and commitment to tris has waxed and waned, and well, been "tried" (I know, I know), and yet, almost every year, I managed to get out there and fight it on the the Reston course. I love it because the community comes out to support the race like none other and the band and food at the end are some of the best. I love it because in 2007, my parents, my sister, and my adorable niece Alex, were there cheering me on at the end. There is nothing like pushing yourself in ways you did not think imaginable. Even though last year was turned into a run-bike-run due to recent storms that made the swim unsafe, and that may have marked the beginning of my injuries, I love the Reston Tri and my thoughts are with those who competed today.
Registration for this race opens in February and closes within minutes. I have had to find internet connections and borrow computers in Racine, Wisconsin, and New Orleans, Louisiana (thanks Valenda!), in order to register and have been fortunate to manage to get in each year. The registration is non-transferrable and non-refundable.
I was registered this year too, but I'm in North Dakota and I've had some injuries this year, so I couldn't do it. Instead, I decided to honor the Reston Tri with a long ride on the Greenway here in Grand Forks. http://www.grandforksgov.com/greenway/index.htm
The Greenway is so cool it has a Wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Grand_Forks_Greenway. Built after the flood of 1997, the Greenway is a wonderful series of trails along the rivers that cross here at Grand Forks. It is beautiful and I can access it just behind my apartment building. I know there aren't many days left during which I will be able to get out and ride before it gets too cold, so getting out for a long one today, an absolutely beautiful Sunday, is essential. As I rode, I thought of the course of the Reston tri, the mile swim, the 22 mile bike ride and the 10k run and how lucky I have been to be able to compete in it all these years with my friends and family. My 12 or so mile ride wasn't anything like what I'd put myself on past second Sundays in September at the Reston Tri, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
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