A Sunday drive

I noticed while typing the title today that it was a year ago that I wrote about a Sunday morning murder mystery. That's when the murder occurred just down Great Northern Road from us, less than half a mile away. Neither of the accused has gone to trial yet, but the memorial to the victim still appears at the scene. I also noticed this morning that the murder victim's aunt won the Emmy for her role in "Law and Order: Crime Victim's Unit." Such an irony!

Except for four unexplained shots ringing out in the night fairly close by our Selle farm while I was putting my horses in the barn Saturday night, we had no murders that I know of in this neighborhood. I still can't figure out why someone was shooting a really loud weapon at 9:45 on a Saturday night. I suspected that maybe one of the fat steers had gotten loose after being hauled to Woods' Meats, but I don't think they'd be shooting at a running steer in the dark.

Anyway, Saturday night eventually turned into Sunday, and for the first time in months, I was responsible to nobody except myself. Bill has been on fires for the past week, having moved from the Ulm Peak blaze on the Idaho-Montana border to Priest Lake, where a battery of fires are burning near the Canadian border. He told me yesterday that they were just figuring out how to get a crew to the 600-acre plus fire. I think they're a bit short-handed. Bill is the logistics coordinator for his fire team, so he's busy from dawn until dusk, but from what I've heard, he eats well.

With no responsibilities, I decided to head off on a Sunday drive to Montana. Kiwi accompanied me; we were hoping for no banishment like we'd experienced at the Fair. Yeah, it still makes me mad. Anyway, the first stop was at Hope to see a group of beloved ex-students who graduated in 1992-1993. They're longtime friends who get together for a week every August and always invite family and friends for a visit.

I was under the impression they'd still be relaxing yesterday, but once I found the house, I discovered they were packing up and leaving. Several were already gone, so I enjoyed a short visit with Niki, Sarah and Courtney while Courtney's friend Eric cleaned the kitchen of the rental house.

Then, Kiwi and I headed on to Montana. We stopped at several Forest Service recreation areas, including one at the north end of Bull Lake. Nobody looked at us like we didn't belong there, so we happily walked along the lake shore and used the facilities. I also picked up some chips and a Snickers at the Halfway Bar and Restaurant along the Bull River highway. The lady brought me the Snickers from her freezer while lamenting about summer heat and the day 145 bikers in their heavy leathers came into the bar and said it sure was hot in there.

We also stopped at Twin Rivers Recreational area below the Moyie Bridge where the Moyie River meets the Kootenai River. I'd always heard about the place and wondered what was down that winding road off HWY 2. Although the grass is dried up and it's pretty dusty in spots, the place offers lots of space and lots of things to do for campers and RV'ers. And, the scene at the south end of the campground where the rivers come together is breath-taking.

Bill and I may end up down there with our RV when and if things ever settle down. Last year, I recall his getting the boat ready for summer. We spent one whole hour out on the lake when he got called away to a fire in Central Idaho. I think he came home two weeks later. We never got out in the boat again. This year, we haven't even thought about the boat, but it would be nice to have one more opportunity to use the new-old RV.

Time and weather will tell. In the meantime, a busy week lies ahead, so I'm glad Kiwi and I enjoyed a brief getaway yesterday after a night with no murders. And, nobody kicked us out of the parks. One tends to get paranoic about both.