Slight Detour

It is what it is.

It's not very thrilling.

We left relatively clear blue skies in Seattle yesterday morning and headed east.

About an hour after our departure, we could see clearly what we would soon be encountering for the rest of the drive, the evening at home and, now, the day ahead.

Smoke continues to dominate the skies, almost erasing clouds and mountains and casting a pall of gloom any direction we look.

Along with the smoke is the dry air and the dust.

The barnyard was so deep with dust yesterday that I set the sprinkler next to the fence so that the horses would get a break from the constant dust and dirty air.

The present conditions have taken their toll with more evacuations in the region and cancellation of events---most prominently here in Sandpoint with the last two Festival concerts cancelled.

Again, it is what it is, and it appears that the moody atmosphere will continue until we get some rain.

Happily, every so often, I do spot a pretty flower or an impressive garden scene, and those close-up scenes deflect from the gloom.

Bill and I are feeling lucky because we drove away from the smoke for a while and enjoyed a fun weekend in Seattle.

So, I'm not complaining---just observing.

That's Bill's biscuits and gravy from yesterday's continental breakfast at the Hampton in Northgate.

I knew Debbie would enjoy the photo because she is a b and g fan.

Today is a good day to concentrate on finding beauty in the gloom. It's there; we just need to look for it in the people we know and the places we go.

Football season is back.

Fans descended on Lumen Field Saturday evening to watch the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks practice for their opening game this weekend.

The Seahawks will host the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday at Lumen Field.

There will be Love's in the stadium for the game.

Willie and Debbie, who are coming back today from Boise, will head over to Seattle for the game.

I wanted to add a neat photo today, taken by Sam on Saturday evening at the Mariners' 50th anniversary program.

As part of announcing and introducing the 50 top players for the Mariners, four members of that group received special attention as they walked out together.

How many remember Ken Griffey, Jr., Edgar Martinez, Ichiro Suzuki and Randy Johnson?

Adding another dimension to the gloom last night was a two-hour power outage here in the neighborhood.

It affected 1,100 users and the total darkness definitely added a spooky element to the situation.

Twas nice to see it come back on, but we have to be prepared for more outages because the system is set up to go down if fire conditions get worse.

We need rain!

Until we have a good downpour, we'll just have to do our best to maintain a positive outlook and enjoy life however we can.

Happy Monday.

--Kevin Brown Photos

Whether it was reconnecting with classmates in Boise, watching after the animals in smoky Sandpoint, sightseeing and hugging cousins in Seattle or becoming champions in Manitoba, Canada, our family members had a big day yesterday.

And, of course for all of us, the impressive lead-off in all these collective activities occurred in Branson, Manitoba, where our sister Laurie rode to three Canadian Arabian Show National Championships and one Reserve on Siri.

Laurie and our brother Kevin own Siri, and she, like most of our horses, came from Ravenwood Arabians in Ronan, Mont. Hats off to breeder Jane Bohn.

As our sister Barbara, who was home minding the farm and the animals, put it, Laurie and Siri amassed these Western dressage winnings in about two hours time.

And, that was after a daunting and discouraging second day on their trip to Manitoba, which included a nail in a tire that had to be replaced, a bout of colic in Siri which led them to a veterinary hospital and some time-consuming paperwork glitches at the US-Canadian border.

Laurie, however, probably heard the word "quitter" resounding in her memories of our mother who made it clear during Laurie's childhood years that being a "quitter" was not a wise practice in the family unit.

And so, Laurie usually opts for the opposite: being a "winner," and win they did in this marathon adventure across two states and two Canadian provinces.

Congratulations to Laurie, Kevin and Siri on a job very well done.

Laurie's from Sandpoint and our family.

WE are FAMILY, and we are all very proud of her!

Meanwhile, Willie and Debbie continued to enjoy Debbie's 30th-year Boise High School class reunion in Southern Idaho.

No photos from yesterday, but the Payette River rafting adventure pics from Friday's activities looked like quite the experience. Debbie said they had a blast.

Here in Seattle, our day was packed full from start to finish, and, unlike Sandpoint which had a terrible smoky day yesterday, it wasn't the bluest skies in Seattle.

Neverthess, it was dang close in comparison to other places around the region as we enjoyed the renovated Market area and took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island and back.

Bill was thrilled to spend some time in the map store. Annie gave up on finding the geocache hidden in the gum wall. Sam and Annie spent the day searching ways to help us carry our goods and for Bill to finally find a charger cord for his phone.

We walked through the gates at T-Mobile with ease, thanks to Annie and Sam's past strategies for entering the baseball stadium with as little stress as possible.

We enjoyed a beer while watching practice and then found our seats to see the special ceremony honoring the Mariners franchise 50-year celebration.

The program included the University of Washington marching band and introduction of the 50 top players in Mariners history.

The ceremony was spectacular, to say the least, even if the Mariners success at the game with the Mariners hosting Tampa Bay didn't go so well.

Early into the game, we learned that my first cousins Sue and Patti Skelton were at the game. So, in addition to meeting Annie's friends Charity and Chris, we enjoyed a quick reunion with Patti and Sue, whom I had not seen since before the Pandemic.

All in all, it was a wonderful day in many ways for our family. Well, maybe not the best for Barbara minding the farm in the smoke, but, at the end of the day, I think she was pretty proud of our little sister.

Bill and I head home soon, while the other travelers arrive home tomorrow, enriched by precious memories wherever we happened to be.

A good day, indeed.

Enjoy the photos.