On the road today, the ribbons of green and blue seemed endless, the flat farmlands spreading out from our band of road, never-ending. Above, clouds seemed like perfect replications of themselves, as if those mirrors which make infinite images were duplicating the clouds eternally. It spooked me somewhat, all that sky; I was thankful to listen to Tim McGraw or for having to concentrate on roadwork.
At lunch in Jamestown, we ate in a place that we figured must be the local hotspot
on weekends, although it was empty. Of course, we had passed into Central Time and were eating late. The waiter looked us over: we’re a strange threesome, with various accents. Karen, for instance, has her soft Texas drawl. After years in Britain, but born in the USA, I have my mid-Atlantic accent while Cristal, born and bred in the UK, has a perfect English accent. Waiters and shopkeepers constantly listen to us and ask where we’re from, where we’re going, even how we know each other.
The varying accents have even led to misunderstandings amongst the three of us. Karen once phoned me while I was walking on a busy New York street and I thought she was someone from Carolina, but here I can now translate what she says. Cristal, on the other hand, has had several misunderstandings. Karen was talking about ‘high hills’ and Cristal was under the impression she was mentioning ‘high heels.’ Karen came into our room and asked for the ‘fly swatter’ and somehow Cristal believed she wanted coconut water. Of course, this has had us in hysterical laughter.
We’re in Detroit Lakes tonight for Karen’s last night. It’s a place I’d never heard of prior to planning this trip. I just hope the laughs make for a good farewell.
the beach at Detroit Lakes
Andrea Downing 
What a whirlwind week this has been. My first step onto Montana soil, North Dakota badlands, and now this land of many lakes. Traveling with this mother daughter pair has been enlightening, entertaining and educational. We’ve belly laughed until our sides hurt, eaten enough ice cream to be considered experts and have adjusted to each other’s travel habits with eye-rolling acceptance and good humor. Thank you Andi and Cristal. Adios and safe travels as you head back north. Y’all be sure to keep it between the ditches. Lots and lots of love. XOXO kcf
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TT, we’ve both loved having you and will miss your company terribly. Cristal has just unpacked your Mogen David, a reminder of the strange things you d(o)or(rink). I know at dinner tonight we’ll miss seeing you picking over a morsel of food while we stuff ourselves heartily–keeping our forks in our left hand, of course. We’ll drink to further adventures with you later in the year. Our love to ya, pal.
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Looks like you’ve traveled through country where my husband’s family lives. We were in the area of Fargo many years ago for a family reunion. But that was before I began to notice the sky, the land, the places that you’ve all seen. Your photos of the sky and clouds are truly calming and mesmerizing…
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Thanks Alice. I seas sorry I couldn’t take photos of the repeating clouds while I was driving–they were against a bright blue sky and looked like popcorn.
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I have a tendency to pull over if I see something I want to photograph 🙂 Love your “popcorn” analogy!
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Not on the Interstate, surely!
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