Step Back in Time; TBT

 

                                                                                                             ---Bill Love Photo

No aches. No pains. Ample energy.  Smiles.  Giggles and a lot of yakkedy yak.  

Multi-tasking with one's tongue and ears while responding to numerous conversations can be challenging no matter what.  

Oh a few occasional awkward movements, but when you're climbing to the back end of a convertible, even the most agile of humans might lack grace.

Above are just a few snippets from yesterday's photo shoot with some 70 somethings in SHS spirit gear who pushed aside bodily misery and welcomed some steps into their collective past. 

The setting:  Sandpoint Middle School, which was once Sandpoint High School when members of the SHS Class of 1965 reunion committee gathered for a few photos celebrating a notable class achievement. 

Those evergreen trees along Division Street and the deciduous variety along the drive into the school parking lot were planted in 1965.  

The Class of 1965 raised the funds to plant the trees and to put a big Bulldog on the side of the building over the doors to the school gymnasium. 

The Bulldog eventually was painted over and replaced by a smaller Bulldog cuz younger kids had begun to attend the facility which became a middle school.

The trees, however, are thriving magnificently as 60-somethings. 

                                                                                ---Bill Love Photo

And, so we met around Mike Rosenberger's 1965 Dodge convertible, which he has been restoring for the past few years. 

Restoration in this beautiful classic has included sound, and so the sounds of the 1960s were adding to the youthful spirit throughout the photo shoot. 

I asked Bill to come along and push the button on the camera.  He did so several times in three different locations.  

All the while, iPhone cameras were out doing their work with selfies and candid photos while the group, minus two members (we missed you Mike and Judy) marveled at the car, enjoyed each other and often reverted to some silly 16-year-olds. 

For a few hours, we all forgot about the age-related problems and snatched back a welcome slice of our youth. 

To say the least, a good time was had by all, and we're all looking forward to continuing the fun with upcoming planning meetings and the big reunion in late September. 

We enjoyed a lot of fun moments yesterday and felt great pride in seeing a project that has lasted 60 years and is still looking good for the future. 

😍😎😍😎😍😎😍😎 

Thursday Throwbacks . . . . from my photo library.  Enjoy. 

Butterflies, Bars, Et. Al.

 

Our oregano patch west of the house was buzzing yesterday morning. 

The buds have popped out into blossoms and the neighborhood honey bees are busy hopping from top to top. 

By afternoon, butterflies had joined in on the fun, some pretty ones too. 

Neither bees nor butterflies have much patience about posing for pictures, so I had to be on my toes to catch a few good shots. 

There is SO much going on right now with the garden and all the other herbs, fruits, etc.

It's all keeping me on my toes picking, watering, removing deadheads and just plain admiring the beauty and upcoming bounty. 

And, now, it's time to mow the lawn again.  Before I do, however, Bill and I are headed to town this morning for a picture-taking event.  

It's a fun one, so stay tuned.   

One more discovery after no dust from the road.  I'm sure these currant bushes have been across the road all along, but yesterday was the first time I've seen their fruits.  I wonder how many other discoveries we'll have, thanks to no dust. 

😉😉😉😉

The other day I saw one of the photos below on Facebook and was pretty sure that I recognized the bartender as someone from the neighborhood.  So, I sent a message and asked.  

Sure enough, it was Katie Hansen who grew up with her wonderful family about a mile away from us over on Forest Siding Road. 

A mobile bar sounded pretty fascinating, especially knowing the family associated with it, so I thought it would make a neat blog topic.

Katie was kind enough to send me some information and to answer a few general questions about the concept which she and her husband Jake envisioned and subsequently developed into a fun, classy and successful enterprise.  

Jake and Katie Hansen and their Travelin' Tavern

from Katie Hansen:

This whole journey has definitely been a mix of dreaming big and taking one step at a time. I’ve always admired people who bet on themselves and go after something they believe in, and at some point I just thought… maybe it’s my turn. 

 I can’t claim to be the first person to think of a mobile bar—I’ve seen a handful on social media over the past few years—but the idea really started to take shape after a few weddings last summer. 

I’d get invited as a guest and, without fail, they’d ask, “Hey, would you mind bartending too?” And honestly, I always said yes. Being part of someone’s special day, in that way, just felt really special. 

 After one of those weddings, we were driving home from a camping trip,  when my husband Jake and I started tossing around the idea—what if we actually did this?

 A little mobile bar business of our own. 

We went back and forth—should it be a horse trailer? A cargo trailer? Just a standalone bar? 

We both work full-time and have two busy boys, Erik and Bryant, who live and breathe baseball, hunting, and fishing… so the “how would we find the time?” question definitely came up. But the more we talked, the more it felt doable—as long as we treated it like a team effort. 

 Coming up with the name might’ve been the hardest part. I had pages of ideas that just never felt quite right. 

Then one night, lying in bed, it just hit me—"Travelin’ Tavern." I immediately texted my sister and my friend Ashley so I wouldn’t forget (lol). Once the name stuck, everything started to fall into place. 

 We (mostly my husband) began building the first bar in late October 2024. I wanted it done in time for my sister’s surprise 40th birthday party on Nov. 15th—and we made it happen! 

After that, we started working on the keg wall. My husband has truly been the mastermind behind all the technical stuff—CO2 lines, jockey boxes, taps, tubing—he’s spent hours researching and making sure it all works smoothly.

                                   Photo credits:  The Valley Studio

Katie Peterson Hansen, the bartender for Travelin' Tavern,  grew up right here in our neighborhood.

Below: the bar set up at a wedding.  

My favorite part of the entire bar is the bar top itself. It’s made from rough cut wood that my Grandpa Duane [Peterson] milled in the 1970s. 

After he passed away, we found the boards tucked away in a shed on his property. He and my grandma were such an important part of my life, and I feel so honored to have a piece of him with me on this journey.

 Just recently, we added a trailer to the mix! We’re still deciding how to outfit it, but eventually we’d love to add a more modern bar setup and maybe even a tiny tavern to the lineup. The possibilities really do feel endless.

We did a wedding in mid-June with about 250 guests. There was definitely a learning curve, but it turned out to be a great experience. 

A good rule of thumb is to plan for about one drink per guest per hour, depending on what’s being served—beer, wine, liquor—there’s just a little math involved. 

 I provide each client with a customized alcohol shopping list based on their guest count and drink choices, and we take care of the rest: cups, ice, garnishes, etc. 

 Our first official wedding was a huge success! At the end of the night, there was even a little left over for the bride and groom to take home, which they loved. 

 I think one of the reasons mobile bars have become so popular is that there are no markups on alcohol like you'd get with a restaurant or caterer, where you’re paying per drink. 

With us, you decide how much to spend on alcohol, and whatever’s left over at the end is yours to keep!

🎵💒🎉🎈🎵💒🎉🎈

To contact Katie, the bartender,  

call:  (208) 946-6928 

or email: travelin.tavern7b@gmail.com 

Or, for more general information, visit 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576541501097#

and feel free to pass along the information. 

Tuesday Observations

 

Las tres amigas Kari, Marianne and Jeralyn

It was a quick decision for the three of us longtime friends to get together, but, by golly, within hours of the Sunday-night lunch proposal, we sat together in a booth at Sweet Lou's for a much-needed catch-up lunch. 

I think it's been at least ten years since we last enjoyed a lunch together. 

Both Kari and Jeralyn were my students back in the early 1980s.  During consecutive years (1982 and 1983), they served as yearbook editors for the Monticola which I advised at the time. 

During those years the teacher-student connection quickly evolved into what has been a lifelong, enduring friendship.  

I've attended their weddings and have watched their kids grow up and have kids of their own. 

Jeralyn has served as an award-winning counselor at Sandpoint High School, while Kari has used her communications, photography, graphics and leadership skills in a variety of professional setting, mostly local. 

We talked and ate and did some catching up but decided before departing Sweet Lou's that we need to get together again this summer.  

Hope it happens.  It was  fun lunch at Sweet Lou's. 

I ran across this article on Facebook this morning.  As we've watched all the trees disappear where the Chalet Motel on HWY 95 once stood in Ponderay, I've wondered about Margarete. 

It's been several years since I've seen her, so to learn that she is 102 and living between Sandpoint and Grangeville was a nice surprise. 

Margarete has told her life story for years, always with the motive to remind people what it was like during the age of Hitler. 

I had her daughter Jamie as a student and have not seen her for years. 

 Margarete and my mother, born the same year in 1921, used to sing together in the St. Joseph's choir.  

Also, one year I invited Margarete to come and speak to some  of my classes about her early life.  The passion and intellect were impressive, to say the least, and the students were mesmerized.

This article was written in 2023 and updated in 2024, so I'm assuming that in 2025 Margarete has not given up. With the sanctioned cruelty we are currently witnessing here in the United States,  her words in the story below are definitely timely. 

https://www.idahocountyfreepress.com/community/promise-to-never-give-up-has-kept-102-year-old-going/article_2afed3c0-acc4-11ed-b697-b3a1b14e1d1e.html

It's a wistfully sad morning at the Lovestead today.  

Mr. and Mrs. Swallow flew the coop with their children sometime late yesterday afternoon. 

The constant begging and wide-open beaks of babies with parents swooping down and dropping off bites ended as quickly as it began. 

I could tell, with my frequent trips to the garden that the babies were at a point where they were mature enough to launch off at any given moment. 

Hopefully since yesterday, they've learned how to find their own food cuz they sure did keep Mom and Dad busy. 

I wish that they could have stayed a little longer, but life goes on, and wherever they've gone, I hope they are still a happy family. 

BTW:  probably one reason the bird family left their house was the imposing and fast-growing sunflower that shot up right in front of their house. 

Within the last two or three days, the sunflower has grown from a plant below the bird house to what you see in the picture AND that was taken last night. 

I have a feeling it will be a garden giant. 

It's beginning to look like a great year for gardens.  My lettuce is so prolific that I'll be taking some to the food bank today.  

And, it won't be long until those little 'maters turn red, get plucked from the bush and popped into mouths for tasty treats.  

We have a flock of turkey mamas and babies, which has chosen our woods for their overnight sleeping quarters.  

So, if I can't watch swallow meal time, I can watch the turkeys go to bed at night in the tree limbs and swoop down to Pasture No. 1 when they get up in the morning. 

Eventually, they make their way to wherever they'll be spending the day and then repeat the same bedtime routine again in the early evening.