My schedule is often pretty crazy. This last week in particular had me traveling to Fargo one day and spending an evening at the Peace Garden where CEO Tim Chapman took us inside the conservatory for a late afternoon tour. Years ago, I did a news story with Don Vitko from Minot. Mr. Vitko had a very large collection of succulents and cacti and was looking for someone, or some group to take ownership of the collection.
It was Phil Lowe at Lowe’s Garden center that ended up with Mr. Vitko’s collection, but on a day in 2011 the entire collection had to be moved and moved in a hurry because of the floodwaters that would eventually fill the green houses where the collection was kept.
Now in arguably the finest conservatory in this region the collection is safe. The collection is well documented as to species and origin and absolutely amazing even this early in the spring when color starts to fill the conservatory.
All this is leading to a strong suggestion that you take the time to visit the Peace Garden this summer, and even next winter because the conservatory is open year round.
I will be following up with a story about the Peace Garden through the eyes of Mr. Chapman and Deb McCallum who is Education and Volunteer coordinator.
Here are a couple of tips for your trip(s). Tim says that late July and early August are the most spectacular times in the Peace Garden as their annual flower beds are the most vibrant. Debra said that yes, indeed, the easiest way to return to your country of origin is with a passport. Yes, it can be done without a passport, but your options are limited. Finally, I plan to return to the newest exhibit in the Peace Garden, the North American Gamer Warden Museum. We were there for about an hour, and I certainly could have spent at least another hour…or maybe even two.
The best resource for information on the International Peace Garden is their website, peacegarden.com.
Passing Through The Gates
I had to laugh a bit when I heard one of the Security Forces personnel at the front gate talking to another and saying…this is crazy…how do you write home and tell your parents that one day it’s over 80 degrees and the day after they are talking about snow. The either think it’s crazy or we have bad meteorologists.
Junior Achievement
My group of 16 first graders in Mrs. White’s class at North Plains elementary got a break from Mr. Wilson last week, as they had an early dismissal. We started with teaching them about neighborhoods, and good neighbors. We then talked about their community and we talked about maps, to which one young man took the floor and explained that in their car they threw all of the maps out because they have a GSP…yep a GSP.
But, without hesitation another young first grader corrected him with a stern statement…no, it’s GPX…as you can imagine we were kind of in a free for all…until they all agreed it was GPS.
Part of the lesson was to teach them about a compass, which of course we all have on our smart phones…and never use. But here is the joke of the day. I added in that because I had a sailboat we used a compass to give us directions so we didn’t get lost when we went out in the middle of the lake. The young man in front of me raised his hand and said…maybe you shouldn’t go out on the water…and then you won’t get lost.
Roamin’ Around
The Dakota Territory Air Museum opens on May 16th this year. Perhaps a perfect day would be spending the morning at the Air Museum, and the afternoon at the Discovery Center? Perfect…
Today’s Chuckle
We all want to make our mark in the world. Most of us only make smudges.
