Shopping, Flooding and SNOW

We went shopping in Grand Forks, North Dakota on Saturday. The Red River of the North is flooded.  There is only one bridge that is open between East Grand Forks, Minnesota and Grand Forks, North Dakota. This is the Kennedy Bridge.

 

So far the river is staying within the dikes.

This is the first time I have been in town when the flood walls have been up.

East Grand Forks flood wall.

These are my shopping helpers.  Adam is learning to open doors for women and to sit patiently outside a dressing room and hold “Stuff” for his Grandma. Jen is a shopper..she goes up and down the aisles..grabbing stuff..saying “I don’t care if you don’t like this on the hanger..you are trying it on.”  I had given her the mental list I had, a summer dress, a sweater or two and a couple of tops and a pair or two of new shoes.  Mission accomplished..Cabela’s even had a pair of brown crocs for me.

We met up with Noah, Andrew and Far Guy for lunch.  Noah took a Gun Safety Class and they all went to the indoor shooting range at the Police Station for the final tests which were a written test, a oral test and a shooting test. Noah passed with flying colors!  Hard for me to imagine that Noah and his friends are all old enough to hunt now..but they are and they have taken the Firearms class so they should be safe hunters.

We came home late in the afternoon..of course it had snowed at our house too:(

Snow Melt

We have had a major snow melt here, the rain that began on Sunday continues to do battle with the snowbanks. Far Guy and I took some photos of the water in our area yesterday. We live in the Mississippi watershed, so all our water goes east and south. Our friends 90 miles west are preparing for the second five hundred flood in the Red River Valley in 12 years. We lived there through the "Great Flood of 1997." It was no fun at all. They are in for a real tough go this time..with a flood forecast that exceeds the 1997 levels. If you have any extra prayers..wing them toward the Red River Valley. The small amount of water that we have here is insignificant compared to them.

This culvert is open. It had quite a current.

The old, old river that used to exist in this area.

Water was across the road on the highway in seven spots in a three mile stretch.

The pieces of sod that the snowplow throws into the ditches sit on top of the icy snowbanks covered in water.

Our friend Ray, has no driveway and some of his boats have escaped. Ahh..Ray..maybe some of your boats are not lakeworthy.

Almost a few whitecaps.

The water in Osage, Minnesota. I was hanging out the window at this point, another car came barreling through the water and sent an icy wall of water over the top of us. I was drenched...and madder than a wet hen.

Water across our road.

Water in our neck of the woods. Today, most the the culverts have cleared and the frost has gone out, so the water is receding. We are in no danger of flooding here, for that I am thankful:)