Sunday Miscellany

 

Caribou Creek.

My sister Laurie has a new set of wheels, and she is beaming. 

The Ford diesel has plenty of power for pulling their new horse trailer with living quarters. 

So, if all goes right the white truck will pull horses and accommodations to a Moses Lake horse show this next week. 

Of course, as is customary, we all inspected the new purchase and were blown away with its features, including steps AND a ladder leading into the pickup bed. 

That's my brother Kevin, who helped Laurie decide on the truck. 

From my friend Pat Gunter with whom I totally agree about what he has to say in this letter to the editor. 

| May 3, 2026 1:00 AM

I am 72 years old and have lived in Bonner County all my life. I have watched a lot of politicians come and go and I know the difference between a public servant and a self-promoter.

I have been a Jim Woodward supporter since he first ran. When I saw the claims in Herndon’s fundraising letter, postmarked from Virginia, I will be honest — it gave me pause. 

That is not the Jim Woodward I know. So I did what most people apparently do not do anymore. I picked up the phone and called Jim.

Jim picked up and we talked through the claims in the letter. He walked me through Herndon’s claims and set the record straight. 

He was calm and direct and did not raise his voice. He just explained the facts and let me draw my own conclusions.

That conversation told me everything I needed to know — not just about the claims, but about the character of the man I have been supporting.

A few days later the “Official Republican Voter Guide” arrived in my mailbox. I read it cover to cover. Then I used it to start a bonfire. It served its highest purpose.

I have seen four Woodward vs. Herndon campaigns now. Herndon’s tactics do not change. 

Jim Woodward does not change — steady, honest, and willing to pick up the phone when a 72-year-old constituent has a question.

That is the kind of senator North Idaho deserves to keep.

Vote May 19.

PAT GUNTER

Sagle

The 2026 Derby has come and gone.  

Although So Happy did not win, it was neat to see history with the first woman trainer to win a Kentucky Derby. 

Now, I'll be pulling for Golden Tempo to win The Preakness. 

I loved seeing the museum history note (below) in today's Daily Bee. Lots of treasured memories associated with our trips to Wenatchee. 

We looked forward to and loved experience.  One year, we hired tour buses and stayed overnight in Salmon Arm, British Columbia, on our way to Wenatchee. 

We chose Salmon Arm because Dean Fredlund, who had taught biology at Sandpoint High School, had moved to Salmon Arm.  

He helped with the coordination, and after staying overnight with families, the students performed for the Salmon Arm student body. 

Today's note featured the year before our son Willie was born, so I can remember confidently that we bedded down on a gym floor in one of the Wenatchee schools.  

I say "bedded down" because I don't remember sleeping.  When you're the adviser keeping track of students on an overnight trip, you don't get much sleep. 

In this case, I think it was more the hard floor than the kids that kept me awake. 

The next year, when it came time for the trip, Willie  was just a month old.  He went along on the bus with 40 Ponderettes who passed him from seat to seat on the bus and doted on him the entire trip.

As I recall, someone even gave him a sucker, which wasn't exactly the best for a month old child, but he survived.  

Bill followed the bus in the car so we had a hotel room while some friends took overnight chaperoning duties. 

By the time we arrived in Wenatchee (about a five-six hour trip), Willie had had enough.  He screamed and screamed, enough so that I had to take him outside while everyone else was having dinner. 

I don't think Willie remembers the experience, but I do.

Nowadays, as a coach, Willie endures similar bus trips with his teams.  He gained his yellow school bus experience very early on, so he's up for the trips.   

from the Bonner County Daily Bee:

BAND, DRILL TEAM TO BE IN PARADE 

About 90 SHS students will travel to Wenatchee, Wash. for the annual Apple Blossom Festival. 

The SHS Ponderettes Drill Team, led by captains Sue Self and Marla Spielman, will wear uniforms promoting the parade’s Bicentennial theme. 

Providing the music for the Ponderettes will be the 60-member German-clad Bulldog band in their green lederhosen, white shirts, suspenders and Tyrolian hats, led by drum major Rick Franck. 

Junior Miss Cheryl Wooden and princesses Karen Holm and Mindi McCormick will grace the Sandpoint Community Float, which has a showboat theme. 

Above: some of the seven "Sisters" in the Selkirk Mountain Range. 

Bill, the dogs and I decided that last night was a perfect occasion to take our annual evening driving up Pack River in the Caribou Creek drainage. 

It was the earliest trip we've taken up that way, so no wild flowers except for some trilium. 

Sadly, no sightings of the usual snowshoe hare running and hopping about on the road.  Same was true with the mosquitoes, so that was a plus. 

When we set off with the dogs on a walk in an area that offers views of the Selkirk Mountains, we met Cody.  

A few sentences later, I was telling Cody that I had taught both his mom and dad, Chenoa and Brian, at Sandpoint High School. 

Cody is a senior at Priest River High School.  He appears to be a very self-directed and mature.  

I told Bill he seemed like 18 going on 25. 

We enjoyed our brief visit and then Cody, who seems to know the Bonner County back country very well, went on his way.

Nice young man.

And, the trillium were impressive too. 

Happy Sunday. 

  

Saturday Slight

 

It's finally Croc season. 

There's a bike race in the outskirts today.

 https://www.panhandlegravel.com/34-minus-cykeltur

The Farmers' Market opens for business at Farmin Park in downtown Sandpoint today. 

https://www.sandpointfarmersmarket.com/

A bunch of Rotarians have come to town.

There's a trivia contest at the museum. 

 museum.https://hagadonenewsnetwork.com/news/2026/apr/30/local-history-to-be-celebrated-at-saturday-trivia-night/

And, then, along with a lot of other activities,  there's The Derby. 

Whatever the choices, there will be more than enough available to avoid boredom on this idyllic and gorgeous day in May.  

Did I forget to mention planting garden and mowing more lawn or picking out more flowers?   

Yesterday I went to Pac West Parts, which is owned by our lawnmower wizard Tony.  The night before he had taken a bad tire from our Toro lawnmower with him with hopes of finding a replacement.  

So, we agreed that I would stop by yesterday to see if he was successful.   He was not, but he had found a tire that would probably work if he put it on our Toro rim. He also ordered a new tire for the mower. 

It took him a while to prepare the loaner tire, so I spent some quality time visiting with his mother Eileen and daughter Stasha (pronounced STAHSHA but so often mispronounced that she says she answers to anything, including "Crasha," which her father sometimes calls her because she's accident-prone. 

While we talked about names and kids and dogs, Tony's mother pointed to a framed photograph on the wall (the one above). 

It's Tony at a slightly younger age, but the photo proves one thing for sure:  that little guy was destined to know and fix lawnmowers during his lifetime.  

Who knows how many thousands of times he's gotten acquainted with the innards of lawnmowers and fixed them up just right to make their owners happy. 

In the 20 or so years that Tony's been repairing our lawnmowers, I'm sure that I don't have enough fingers or toes multiplied many times over illustrate how often I have sung him praises. 

His clients are all SO lucky that little Tony knew his destiny way back when. We've all benefitted from his knowledge and persistence to do the job right.   
 

💚💚💚💚💚💚

Sandpoint's "Three-Name Lounge" is have a Derby benefit today. 

~~Tervan - Tavern - Tam o' Shanter~~

Sounds like fun for a worthy cause. 

So Happy 

Out of So Cunning and by Run Happy

https://apnews.com/article/kentucky-derby-so-happy-80e836f0666ad91a169b2d7f4a7d5d06

I think I'll stick with him for today's Kentucky Derby because we need a lot more happiness in our world. 

He's a long shot, a bargain horse with an old jockey riding him AND there's a touching story to go along with him. 

Let's all hope we'll be SO HAPPY at the finish line. 

Whatever the outcome, the stories about horses, their owners, trainers and jockeys should be wonderful as ever.  

🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎

In the food for thought department:  

Have we arrived at this point with our interactions or lack thereof?

A segment from this today's New York Times morning newsletter

It has become very easy to avoid talking to strangers.

 Noise-canceling headphones, internet shopping, self-checkout lines and, when all else fails, our phones — taken out at a bar, a party, a concert — insulate us against humanity’s intrusion. 

It’s not all terrible: I recently made a doctor’s appointment via consultation with my medical practice’s “virtual assistant” and it was refreshingly frictionless. 

In a city, headphones are indispensable for boundary setting; they send a signal that one is not to be bothered. 

But when not interacting becomes the default, our social muscles atrophy.

Some people tell me that I've never met a stranger, but they have it all wrong:  I've met many many throughout my lifetime in a variety of venues.

For the most part, the experiences turned out to be rich, sometimes life-changing and almost always interesting. 

We just have to be cautious and use our antennae when we decide to engage with a perfect stranger, and when we are careful, the gesture just might make somebody's day along with our own.

Happy Saturday.  Enjoy this beautiful day.

 

Hello, May

 

It's a beautiful May Day with hardly a cloud in the sky and the sun coming up over the Cabinet Mountains. 

Patrick helped me with the new deck shrubs I which I purchased at Home Depot yesterday. 

While accompanying me to the pickup to load the shrubs, he told me that he found Sandpoint while on a road trip from his native Massachusetts. 

He wants to explore more of the area before putting down roots somewhere, but he really likes Montana. 

Johnathan fixed our roof. 

During the three or four hours he was here, I learned that he has horses and has done some back country trail riding with mules. 

He also does some mountain biking. 

Tony, the mechanical wizard, came by after 6 p.m. last night to fix the belt on our Husqvarna lawnmower. 

He also took the damaged front tire from the Toro with him to see if he could find a replacement.  

It was a great day for getting stuff done and fixed yesterday.  Thanks to these individuals who are good at what they do, I can get more stuff done. 

Our roof and ceiling damage from the December wind storm is now fully repair inside and out. 

We hope there are no more wind storms before the dead poplars south of the house are removed in July. 

There's one more repair job to be done on the deck roof.  That may happen today or early next week, according to Tyler who will be doing that job.

The plants that Patrick loaded in the pickup yesterday are now in the ground and hopefully ready to thrive for a long time. 

And, today I'll be on those lawnmower again for my second session of the week.  

Grass and dandelions are having growth spurts with this warmer weather, so I've gotta stay ahead of the game. 

This morning, however, I have to get out of here. 

Bill is participating in an oral history interview for the local library. 

The histories are part of the 250th celebration of the "Declaration of Independence."

I did mine last Friday.  We both agreed that it's best for the spouse to go away during these interviews---as a matter of efficiency. 

So, I'll do my part while he tells his life story. 

Speaking of that 250th year of American Independence, here's an announcement from Sandpoint High grad Luke Mayville whose work is featured in a new book. 

From Luke:   New book alert: In honor of America 250, I contributed an essay to a new book on the political thought of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams:

“Beginning with an introduction by Gordon Wood, this masterful volume includes essays by Luke Mayville, Vincent Phillip Muñoz, Peter Onuf, Richard A. Ryerson, Darren Staloff, Brian Steele, George Thomas, Bradley Thompson, Lee Ward, and Jean Yarbrough. 

The book concludes with a three-act play about the Adams-Jefferson relationship coauthored by Michael Zuckert.”

You can pre-order the book here:

https://www.amazon.com/Jefferson.../dp/0700642706...

~🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮~

Congratulations to you, Luke.  

And, Happy Friday to all. 

This sculpture greeted me in the hallway of the Riverside Building after my hair appointment yesterday. 

Roofer Johnathan Holdeman from North Idaho Flood and Fire. 

This is the first year in 20 that I've seen asparagus spears jetting out of the ground.  

Seems like most natural growth is early this year.

 

Bees, Blossoms; TBT

 

I walked past our huge service berry bush yesterday and heard noise.  Twasn't the robins or the juncos or the finches or any other bird. 

It was a loud chorus of buzzing among the thousands of white blossoms that have burst from buds in the past couple of days. 

I yelled out with glee, "The bees are back." 

They spent the afternoon bouncing from blossom to blossom doing what bees do in the spring. 

In several weeks the tree will be loaded with berries and birds pecking away at the fruit. 

Later, I walked around the young fruit trees in the north lawn.  The bees had not yet arrived there, but one discovery had me almost over the top. 

It's that pink blossom you can see in the photo below. This is our 20th year here at the Lovestead and that plum tree has never blossomed. 

This year is a first, and even if only one plum evolves from that blossom, I'll be thrilled. 

I wondered when Annie gave me the new plum tree last year if the old one would get the idea and start bearing fruit. 

Stay tuned, as we did have some frost last night, and I won't know for a while. 

For now, however, I'm lovin' the bees and the blossoms. 

We are thinking today that at least one roofer may come and do some repairs on our roof. The other said he may be here later in the week, but wasn't sure. 

Still, we've waited a LONG time for that roof action.  Bill and I were noting that a trifecta of professionals would be nice.  

The belt came off the Husqvarna zero turn mower the other day and one tire on the Toro has gone down.  Tony said he'd be coming by today, so if he does and if the both roofers come, two roofers and one lawnmower wizard equals some happy Love's. 

Looks like a beautiful day ahead.  Wishing everyone a happy Thursday.  Enjoy the photos and the TBT's and, of course, the music to go with them. 

Thursday Throwbacks:  images from special moments of yesteryear.  Enjoy. 

A Sad TBT, below

Ray had no idea that I took this and a few other photos of him one day a few years back. 

I think I yelled at him while snapping photos from my car, but he had become hard of hearing, so I just moved on. 

Ray passed away a few days ago. He was a friend and a colleague at Sandpoint High School for several decades. 

Over the years we had lots of interactions, all good. Lo and behold, we even named our daughters (who are the same age) Ann Elizabeth.  The two have remained good friends throughout their lifetime. 

Ray served on the City Council and later as mayor of Sandpoint. 

He and his two brothers Bill and Larry (both longtime local educators) also packed some pistols as part of their leisure-time activities.

I wrote a story for Sandpoint Magazine (below) about them and even followed them out to Spirit Lake one day to take their photo (below). 

That time they knew their picture was being taken. It was a fun gig.  

Sadly, Ray was the youngest and the last of the Miller brothers who have all left us within the past two years. 

They are all gone but memories of what they did as educators, leaders and fun-loving locals will hang around for a long time. 

RIP:  Ray.