Happy Easter

Greetings to friends, family and former Eurekans far and wide. I hope this finds you well and happy and enjoying some fine April weather. We are doing well here in Grand Forks. Our mild winter and early spring this week has turned a bit nippy, but -- hey -- this is North Dakota. We're thankful it isn't a blizzard.

Our lives have been extremely busy lately, and I apologize for not taking better care of this Web site. In the last three weeks or so, I spent four days in Minneapolis and 11 days in Southern California, so it's been a bit crazy around here.

After all my months of worrying about it, I really enjoyed speaking to the Germans from Russia in Minneapolis. What a warm and fun group they were. Thanks to Duane Stabler for inviting me, to my cousin Ardella Bennett for being her usual wonderful self and to chapter president Shona Dockter and to all the chapter members. I talked to so many people, among them Mr. and Mrs. Harold Strobel, Joan Froh (daughter and granddaughter of newspaper publishers in Eureka and Ashley, N.D.) and fellow EHS grads Margaret Gebhardt and Lynn Bauer, whose married name I cannot remember right now. Thanks to all of you.

My mother and I returned on Tuesday from an 11-day trip to southern California, where my sister and her husband have a home in La Quinta, which is near Palm Springs. I found I could get used to palm trees and 90 degrees very easily. We also drove to the Grand Canyon and enjoyed seeing lots of beautiful Western desert country.

Mother had never flown before and we teased her that she has now had all the bad flight experiences of a veteran traveler! We had turbulence, a four-hour flight delay, surly flight attendants, small children vomiting, a missed connection in Minneapolis and, to top it off, Mom's luggage ended up in Grand Rapids instead of Grand Forks! When we got off the plane in Grand Forks at 11:30 Tuesday night, the jet way was broken so we had to climb down the steps and walk across the tarmac to the terminal. We had no coats and it was 29 degrees. Mom said: "This feels very refreshing." This is why I love to travel with my mother.

Now. If I can make it through the rest of the Easter week church dinners and worship services, the conclusion of Emily's spring musical and catch up on all my work at the office, I'll tell you some funny new Eureka stories.

I'm planning a quick trip to Eureka over Palm Sunday weekend to take Mom home. Perhaps I'll see some of you there. A blessed and happy Easter week to one and all. Love, P.

(You can email Paulette Haupt Tobin at [email protected])