"Coffee klatches - those gatherings of family or friends, unplanned and casual around cups of coffee - are a custom we are losing. But in rural North Dakota, those encounters still can be found in some hometown cafes.
This former Washington resident was reminded Sunday how friendly and wonderful those small, unplanned gatherings can be.
I missed a birding rendezvous on the North Dakota grasslands, so my sister, daughter and I did our own birding. It was one of those “spot the bird, try to remember the important features and then find it in our birding guides” outings.
It was a warm, sunny day, and we spotted several great blue herons, egrets, Canada geese and ducks by the flock, as well as some hawks at Kelly's Slough. Then we drove the checkerboard of roads west of Grand Forks, where we found other birds and many high-flying hawks.
Funny thing: As we drove to the west, we found ourselves slowly zig-zagging through the fields and shelterbelts toward Larimore, N.D.
I think Ruby, my Toyota, just knows the way to Larson's Drive Inn.
It was nearly 5 p.m. by that time, and we were hungry. I always enjoy the friendly atmosphere at the drive-inn, so we stopped for supper."
Get the Story:Dorreen Yellow Bird: Where the coffee's always on (The Grand Forks Herald 9/19)
pwpwd More Dorreen Yellow Bird:
Yellow Bird: A short but sweet wild fruit season (9/17)
Yellow Bird: Crying out for better role models (9/12)
Yellow Bird: Sharing culture brings understanding (9/10)
Yellow Bird: Indians don't get 'free ride' at UND (9/5)
Yellow Bird: North Dakota not the next Tornado Alley (8/29)
Yellow Bird: Time for smoke-free tribal casinos (8/27)
Yellow Bird: Elvis Presley still the king of rock'n'roll (8/20)
Yellow Bird: Inside and outside the Sundance circle (8/15)
Yellow Bird: Abuse of Indians reaches back in history (8/13)
Yellow Bird: Preparing for the ritual of the Sundance (07/25)
Yellow Bird: Re-examining tribal governments (7/23)
Yellow Bird: Chippewa man leaves strong legacy (7/18)
Yellow Bird: Seeing history through modern eyes (7/16)
Yellow Bird: Following the Lewis and Clark trail (7/11)
Yellow Bird: Be careful shopping in the wild (7/9)
Yellow Bird: Indians were foreigners in own land (7/5)
Yellow Bird: Yellowstone River needs protection (7/2)
Yellow Bird: Change comes but we can't forget past (6/25)
Yellow Bird: Festival days and prairie nights (6/20)
Yellow Bird: The case of the $54 million pants (6/18)
Yellow Bird: Monarch butterfly a special creature (6/13)
Yellow Bird: Graduates inspire with their lives (6/6)
Yellow Bird: Meth walks our reservations (6/4)
Yellow Bird: Commercials influence our lives (5/30)
Yellow Bird: Remember heroes on Memorial Day (5/28)
Yellow Bird: Blogger lacks facts about Indian life (5/22)
Yellow Bird: Indian culture changes in subtle ways (5/16)
Yellow Bird: Wolf knew it was ready to cross over (5/14)
Yellow Bird: Woman sees world with understanding (5/9)
Yellow Bird: Indian women and spiritual leadership (5/7)
Yellow Bird: Tighten gun control laws in North Dakota (5/3)
Yellow Bird: Easy ways at becoming more green (4/30)
Yellow Bird: School shootings just don't 'happen' (4/18)
Yellow Bird: The Red River Valley Flood of 1997 (4/9)
Yellow Bird: Women of color share their views (4/5)
Yellow Bird: UND powwow needs your support (4/2)
Yellow Bird: UTTC begs for funding year after year (3/26)
Yellow Bird: Even more about colon cancer screening (3/21)
Yellow Bird: Remembering my aunt/mother, Pearl (3/19)
Yellow Bird: Colon cancer screening essential (3/14)
Yellow Bird: Return land to North Dakota tribe (3/12)
Yellow Bird: Native Media Center at UND prospers (3/7)
Yellow Bird: Woody Keeble a true American hero (3/5)
Yellow Bird: Cell phone addiction affects driving (2/28)
Yellow Bird: UND has many reasons to be proud (2/26)
Yellow Bird: Signs of spring already in the air (2/21)
Yellow Bird: US automakers ignore innovation (2/19)
Yellow Bird: Tribes should snuff out smoking too (2/14)
Yellow Bird: On being Black or Indian 'enough' (2/9)
Yellow Bird: Braving the cold North Dakota winter (2/5)
Yellow Bird: Chokecherry for North Dakota state fruit (1/31)
Yellow Bird: Name-calling and bullying in schools (1/24)
Yellow Bird: Climate change impossible to ignore (1/17)
Yellow Bird: Tribes can help Indian doctors program (1/15)
Yellow Bird: Tribes have much to offer North Dakota (1/11)
Yellow Bird: Catching a ride on the Dakota wind (1/2)
