No brainer for the woodsmen

We have a feature called "Who Am I?" appearing every other Sunday in the Daily Blat. A community member supplies his or her childhood photo and provides a biography, taking great care to avoid easy identification. I usually score about 50-50 in figuring out who these people are. I knew Kathe Murphy a few weeks ago because of the clue "grew up in New York" and one of three sisters. Besides, I recognized her face; apparently Kathe has aged well since childhood.

It's not so easy with the men. Today's subject provided a shot of himself with a Hereford calf. When he said he was from Oden, I figured I'd know him, but they'd already featured Don Johnson, so I remained stymied. When I came inside from a nice walk in the woods, Bill's first comment was that today's person was a "no brainer." In a sneaky effort to weasel out the answer and maintain my pride as a local who knows everyone, I played skeptical teacher.

"Oh, who is it?" I calmly asked, as if I were testing him and already knew.

"Al Kluver," he announced. "Growing up in Oden. Going off to the war with his buddies. Working at the Pack River mill for 43 years." The only part that did anything for me in wagering a guess was Oden, and that hadn't helped.

I then admitted to Bill that I hadn't been able to figure it out.

"Yeah, that's a no-brainer for a woodsman," I said. Through all these years of being married to Bill, I know there's a fraternity among loggers, mill workers and foresters which runs deep. I saw that yesterday as Bill gave his talk on Humbird Lumber Co. and occasionally summoned comments or validations from a few guys in the audience who surely knew most details of what he had to offer.

"Isn't that right, Jim?" I heard him say early on in the presentation. Jim sat near the back row in his Filson coat and simply nodded. Jim got to nod a few more times during the next hour. So, did Phil. When Bill was explaining stuff about Gifford Pinchot "Father of the Forest Service," he noted that Phil and he were members of the Society of American Foresters.

Later I learned that Jim certainly would know what Bill was talking about. Jim Toomey and his wife Margaret bought the first season's passes ever sold at Schweitzer Mountain Resort, and Jim worked in the forests with Pack River Lumber Co. back in the good ol' days before Schweitzer had ever become a reality. So, Jim and Bill were on the same plane throughout the presentation. I learned also that Bill had never really worked with Phil cuz he came from California forests, but they're still part of the brotherhood.

The room had a few of those brothers in timber who had come to listen and to reflect on their lifetimes spent dealing with some aspect of the trees, whether it was restoring forests, working on thinning projects, manufacturing lumber---they all had a bond, and Bill was reinforcing the bond by acknowledging snippets of their personal history along with that of many others who'd gone before them.

So, yes, Bill knew it was Al Kluver this morning when his homegrown wife had not a clue. That's how it is with the folks of the forest, just as it is with any profession where people spend the years working as professionals and coming in contact with one another. They know the people and appreciate what each contributes to the whole. I've seen that with teaching, time and again.

And, as a member of the teaching profession here in this community, I know of the sad event that will occur at Sandpoint Middle School today as the education profession and its youthful products say good bye to a comrade who gave much to the future through his remarkable and passionate work with hundreds of young people.

I extend my heartfelt condolences to Steve Guthrie's family and to all who have been so grief-stricken by this loss. Bill knew this gifted teacher because of a common love for the forests. Every year he brought his Sagle students to the State Forestry contest in May, Bill told me soon after he learned of Steve's passing earlier this week.

I'm sure there's a no-brainer for the woodsmen as they reflect about Steve during walks through the forests, and more than likely, I'm guessing there may be a tree or two planted in his memory. That's just how it is with folks who love the land.