All I know is what I read in the paper

Our historical society meeting ran long yesterday morning, so I didn't have time to visit the Extreme Makeover site, especially since my own home site needed a little tender loving care. We also went to the wonderful dinner/historical program last night at Di Luna's where Jack Nisbet and Roy Breckenridge teamed up to discuss paintings of the area around Lake Pend Oreille, completed circa mid-1800s.

Jack emphasized that both mapmakers and painters had to have been guided by the tribes of the area to specific locations and with specific descriptions in order to complete their meticulous and very accurate maps and paintings. Adding to his thesis were Roy's digitized 21st Century illustrations of the geology for each illustration, showing remarkably close matches to what the artist or mapmaker depicted way back when. It was fun guessing the location for each painting, and in some cases we were right on.

With that busy day, I had to rely on what I read in today's local paper about what happened at the Extreme site yesterday. I was amazed to learn from the front-page article that Gary and Carol Pietsch were on hand to see the debris pile from the former house and to predict that a new house would rise out of the ashes, so to speak. I also learned that the concrete would be poured and that weather conditions would not stop this crew. Framing would begin and walls would go up. The slab for the garage would be poured.

Wait a minute! Hasn't that already happened? I distinctly remember Mark Peterson on KXLY-Channel 4 the other night trying to open the garage door, only to discover it hadn't been wired yet. I thought I took pictures two days ago of the house and posted them on this site. Did I go to the wrong Extreme Makeover site Wednesday? Or, did I read today's news wrong? Maybe I'll have to go review that article and see if I missed something somewhere.

The word on the street is that the house should be ready tomorrow to welcome its family. So, I'll abide by that and keep up my hopes that when I go up there today, a house will, indeed, be standing. Maybe I'll see Gary and Carol up there because, according to today's paper, they plan to return often.

I think my new friend K.C. will be up there today, shooting things---with her camera---as she tags along with River Journal owner, Trish Gannon. I'm going to accompany my editor from the Appaloosa Journal today. She and her daughters are driving up from Moscow to see the flurry of activity. They're hoping to see Ty too.

He was pictured in today's paper with his familiar megaphone, in an article written about the Kootenai School kids who did a jump-a-thon to raise money for the American Heart Assoc. I also heard from an inside source last night, Edna Iverson, to be exact, that there was a lot of excitement in the air at Kootenai yesterday.

As a new retiree from the Sandpoint High teaching scene, she showed up at Kootenai to volunteer in her granddaughter's class and got to see the Extreme Makeover folks. By the way, for all who know her hubby "Turkey" Terry, we sat side by side last night at the dinner and were nice to each another. I'm glad to hear that the Class of 1975 has given him his due for not showing up as a speaker at their reunion, leaving poor little ol' me to fend for myself.

In other news, we saw Sam Wormington (first manager ever at Schweitzer Mountain Resort) last night at the gathering. He was toting a brand new full-color coffee table book and having a great time showing the full-page photo of him in his World War II Canadian Army uniform, laden with medals. It's a great picture and it's neat to see Sam (he's 84) so justifiably proud of his service for Canada as a member of The Greatest Generation.

There was a Kodak moment---if only I'd had a camera---as Bobbie Brown Huguenin (whose father Jim played a key role in Schweitzer) came over and gave Sam a huge bear hug. The scene definitely portrayed a memory of the good ol' days in 1963 when Schweitzer started out as this "well, gollee gee, we've gotta ski area" phenomenon to all us locals.

I guess there was definitely a little of the new and a little of the old in many ways as I think about the news from yesterday. Have a great and extreme TGIF.