TGIF, Timberfest, and Tobias

I guess it's a three T day this Friday morning as I look ahead toward the weekend. Willie has once more gotten in the A group for his Southwest flight this afternoon to Boise. He goes to the computer first thing on Fridays and checks in. He's hoping the secret of that early-morning check-in doesn't get out because he's managed the A group every time since the home-computer option became available.

Of course, I wouldn't care if he got into the C or D group as long as he's on a plane rather than driving. He learned this week that what was originally estimated to be $6,000-plus worth of repairs on his car from the rollover two weeks ago turned into a total. That means he has to wait and see what the insurance company decides to do.

Willie did learn some good news this week, however. His boss gave him a raise and encouraged him to stick around because more responsibility will be coming. He also has an unknown award coming this weekend when the Society of Professional Journalists hand out their annual honors. I guess we'll all wait and see.

Tomorrow marks the 14th annual Timberfest at the Bonner County Fairgrounds. Bill's involved with that through Society of American Foresters. They'll be working with their annual Habitat for Humanity project, which involves selling individual boards to be used for house construction.

I believe, Laura, Sefo and the triplets are coming up from Plummer to watch. After seeing Sefo chop wood last fall, Bill figures he'd be a good candidate to compete in some timber sports. So, maybe tomorrow's show will whet his desire to give some of them a try.

And, Bill knows the man to coach Sefo, should he want to hone his already-phenomenal chopping skills. Bob Bosworth, his son Carson and daughter Megan are legends among the timber sportsfolk. In fact, Carson has competed and won all over the world. Bill figures his old friend, "The Boz," could give Sefo a few pointers and maybe he'd be world class too. We'll see.

If nothing else, Timberfest offers a rich smorgasboard of visiting with long-established logging families who attend for the camaraderie more than anything. That's what I especially enjoy. So, I look forward to attending.

When Timberfest ends, Bill will head to Coeur d'Alene where he's been tapped to emcee a retirement party for a Department of Lands colleague. In the meantime, I'll be attending the wedding of former student and biking extraordinaire Toby Feuling. His bride, Jyl Michele Wheaton-Abraham, is a lovely young lady who's a member of the Kootenai Indian Tribe. Fr. Connolly, who serves the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, will perform the outdoor ceremony.

I taught Toby when he came to Sandpoint High School from Hamilton, Mont., as a sophomore. I liked him from day one and have particularly enjoyed his services at Alpine Designs where he and his crew build and repair bikes. They did a masterful job on my pink Schwinn last fall, even matching the pastel pink perfectly.

So, there we have it, the three T's and lots to look forward to during these next few days.

Happy weekend and TGIF to all.