Fargo

My first appointment this morning was with Firestone Complete Auto Care . I was there a few minutes to 7 AM, in the dark and cold, to make sure I was the first person in line. Angel, who I had spoken with several times, greeted me with the information that one of the technicians was working with a broken hand, and we would need to wait for another guy to come it to start the work. Fortunately, he showed up early and they were able to start right away. They fixed the door, replaced the tail light bulb on the passenger side just cuz, turned of the maintenance light that had come on the day after my oil change a couple of weeks ago, and performed an inspection. They ended up rotating the tires and Angel let me know that the right rear shock needed to be watched. That was no surprise as the shocks have been given a work out on this trip, and I could feel that they were starting to go. She advised that it was a comfort issue, not a safety concern, and suggested checking again at my next oil change. By the time I got out of there, it was after 10 AM.

I found a grocery store that was a smaller better alternative to Whole Paycheck, Natural Grocers . I stocked up as the the next couple of weeks will be pretty thin in terms of services and infrastructure.

That done, I wanted to see something of Fargo other than services. Surprisingly, the Plains Art Museum was open on a Monday. It is located in the small downtown area, about 10 minutes from the endless strip mall area where the Fairfield is located. This was a lovely break. They have three floors with varied exhibits. And the two people (whose names I neglected to get) working the front desk were friendly and knowledgeable. My favorite exhibit was the main exhibit on the second floor, Ikickasapa, by Oscar Howe . Howe was born in 1915 on the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, and emerged as a prominent figure in the mid-20th century art scene, challenging conventional notions of Native American art while simultaneously dedicating his life to fostering artistic talent within Indigenous youth. Ikickasapa means” The Wise One or Instruct in the Right Way.” His art would be considered modern rather than traditional, but it embraced Indigenous themes and ideas. It was beautiful and compelling work regardless of genre.

I have to note that the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. is only now showing an exhibition featuring Indigenous artists, after acquiring its first piece only in 2020.

 I headed back to my lodging to take care of laundry and a few other personal tasks. When I looked out my window I saw that a light snow was falling.

Tomorrow I head to Bismarck, the Capitol city of North Dakota.