My philosopher John

I'm wondering what Margaret will take back to Sacramento in her bag of stories from the Lovestead. Surely she'll tell about the Lodgepole Tree aka God Tree because I'm confident Bill impressed upon her its importance in the lay of the land. She may tell folks about her visit to the museum or she may rave about the wonderful meals she enjoyed at the Thompson cabin and Hope's Dock of the Bay Restaurant.

After dinner last night, Bill's twin sister seemed pretty fascinated with the collage of articles about the Bear, which were tacked to the wall of his restaurant. He's the guy who owns Ice House Pizza up on the hill near the Hope Hotel. He and his crew bake up a storm every day at the funky restaurant, and this weekend he knew how to attract folks with his Labor Day outdoor blues festival. What better feeling than to be seated outdoors on a comfortable late summer evening, listening to blues and staring out at that gorgeous lake with its streak of moonshine rippling across the waves!

Yup, that was pretty impressive last night, and I'm sure Margaret enjoyed it. Annie suggested we drive up there because she's a big fan of the Bear's calzones. Even with her chipmunk cheeks and new incisions where wisdom teeth once lived, she was able to enjoy the mouth-watering tri-tip steak at Barney Ballard's Dock of the Bay restaurant, but I think she wanted Margaret to see where the Bear cooked up his goods.

It was a fun time strolling to the ice house and even visiting with some old friends last night. Margaret has already visited with a lot of our friends, but I'm sure she'll tell her Sacramento friends about the horse shoer, John Fuller, who came to nail shoes on Rambo and Casey yesterday. He hasn't put shoes on the old boys for about three years now because I haven't dared ride them on our country road that gradually turned into one of Sandpoint's main thoroughfares.

Since moving to South Center Valley Road, though, I'm thinking the two geldings will wear down those feet a bit more because our new road is a true country road. And, because of that, I'd like to get back into the habit of saddling up and plodding around the neighborhood. John's the guy who helps me out with that by trimming their hooves and tacking their shoes on. He's always on time and very efficient at his farrier skills.

Yesterday, he was classic John. With shoeing chaps protecting his bare legs (he was wearing denim shorts) and his braided ponytail hanging down his back, John came ready to talk. He's always ready to talk and to share his take on life. I've learned a lot by listening to John over the past couple of decades. He's gained much wisdom while getting acquainted with hundreds of horse hooves in this area. To say that he knows the horses and that he knows about life---those are both understatements about this farrier who grew up in Chicago and helped build Aspen, Colorado's first condos.

John's favorite subject of discourse yesterday dealt with the banking industry and how he outwits them when they're trying to offer you stuff over the phone that you don't want. Sometimes, even while holding a mouthful of horse shoe nails in place, he told story after story of situations where he'd shut down the gimmicks offered by telemarketers and bank officials.

As John told his tales, he usually kept on working with his trimming knife, his hammer and anvil, and his rasp. While he did all this, Casey and Rambo generally stood patiently, occasionally resisting if they thought John might be holding a leg in an uncomfortable position. And, during this action, Margaret stood watching John's every move as he worked with his tools, carving away at hoof walls and smoothing up the edges. I don't know how much of his philosophy on bankers she listened to, but I do know that she took in every stage of his craft as he deftly talked and nailed on those shoes.

I'm sure the folks in Sacramento are going to hear about John, cuz he's definitely one of a kind, and he's got plenty to share any day while keeping the horses' feet in good shape all around this country. Anyway, while Margaret tells her stories of the trip to North Idaho, I'll be taking advantage of John's talents with horseback rides on lovely fall days.

Before that, though, I've gotta get going cuz Kiwi's gonna benefit from the talents and knowledge of a Border Collie teacher this morning up at the McNall Ranch. Should be a fun morning.

Happy Saturday to all.