On July 23, I saw several posts on Facebook with photos of flooding around Minnesota including way up north in in the city of Ely which is about 16 miles from the Canadian border.
Later in the day, while watching the local news, they mentioned that yesterday, July 23, was the anniversary of the sudden flooding in Saint Paul, Minnesota. 38 years ago, along with our youngest son, my husband and I were on the way back from a big family brunch picnic at Highland Park in Saint Paul. I don’t remember if my in-laws were still at the pavilion or on their way home. They would have taken a different route. We were northbound on Fairview Avenue near Randolph and suddenly the road was flooded, and the water was way up on our car without warning. We had to stay there and wait until the flood waters drained away.
Then 18-20 years later, I met my daughter half-way between Saint Paul and Duluth to pick up my three youngest grandchildren to stay with me for a couple days. We stopped to get groceries. Taking my grandchildren to the grocery store meant they could each pick a treat AFTER they picked out at least one fresh fruit item to eat the next morning. Then we were on County Road C in Roseville heading west in the rain and the road was suddenly flooded. Déjà vu for me. I was able to maneuver the car into the parking lot of an apartment complex and then spent time trying to keep three young children feeling as safe as possible. Of course, they got to eat the treats they picked out. Residents of the buildings gathered outside to see the water in the street and checked to make sure we were ok. Kindness helped the kids and me, too. A story for them to tell their descendants.
© 2025, Paula Stuart-Warren. All rights reserved.
What an adventure!