Saturday stuff

We had a wild light show for several hours last night. For a while, the lightning strikes and thunder claps were coming so fast I thought we were in the Midwest, and that was the second time the electricity went off. The first time happened before 7. Lights, computer, TV all shut down a fraction of a second before the loud crack.

Just minutes later, sirens from town started screaming and getting closer and closer. I stood out on the porch and watched the first fire engine race into the Quest Aircraft driveway (aka Turbine Drive). I could see two employees' vehicles still parked in the parking lot but no smoke and no flames. I called Bonnie Johnson, whose husband Bruce has been associated with Quest since the get-go. She said Bruce was out of the country and asked me to please call back when I knew what was going on.

Then, a second fire engine came speeding down the road. Bill and I drove over to the main office in time to see the firemen coming back out the door. Apparently, when the power goes out at Quest, which houses all kinds of expensive high-tech equipment, it signals an alarm at the fire station, and the engines roll. All was okay, and it was nice to report that to Bonnie.

Bill had just come home from his afternoon hike to the top of Greenhorn Mountain. We were planning to go to dinner but wondering if any restaurant had power. As we drove to the Schweitzer Cut-off/Highway 95 stoplight, we noticed it wasn't working. Even Wal*Mart had shut down. Its associates stood in uniform, guarding the doors. No electricity in Ponderay, not even at Duke's Cowboy Grill. I'd actually told Bill we could go there if they was serving. No dice.

So, we drove to Hope and had a nice dinner at Dock of the Bay. Barney and Carol seemed pleased that they were getting some Sandpoint overflow due to the power outage. When we got back to town, the power was on but Wal*Mart still remained closed. Definitely a dire situation. However, the Lost in the '50s dance was in full motion at the fairgrounds, so all was not lost.

The front-page pictures in today's Bee showed that "Lost in the '50s" parade goers had gotten a little wet. It's hard to tell what kind of weather we've got in store for today, but we'll give the Bird Refuge and Bonners Ferry a shot for a possible bike ride. Then, we'll come home and watch the Preakness.

If it's raining more today and you're stuck inside, then I do have to announce that Sandpoint Magazine is out, and it offers plenty of reading. This summer edition has a record number of pages----122. It's even coffee table quality. I've written six stories for this issue, and I'm pretty pleased with how they look on the pages.

There's plenty of material about the "gated" or "planned" communities which are quickly taking shape around the area. Pat McManus's new book is showcased. There's also an informative piece by Steve Drinkard about Quest Aircraft Co. and its Kodiak turbo-prop, which is about to get off the ground into full manufacturing mode.

That story hints of an upcoming story I may be telling fairly soon. In the meantime, grab a copy of Keokee's local magazine. They're available around town and at the Chamber of Commerce. The Keokee staff have done themselves proud on this publication.

Happy Saturday.