Saturday Slight

Spirea are in full bloom, along with other wildflowers.  Combine that with tall, lush grass, even taller mountains and gorgeous trees, and you've got a sight to behold.

This picturesque setting can be found along the Bull River Highway in Western Montana.  These are the images the Australians will be taking home with them, along with memories of laughter, fun food experiences, horseback rides and cultural highlights of North America.

Today they'll be adding to all that as they travel to Moscow through the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation and Palouse farmlands to visit the Appaloosa Museum.

Yesterday's trail ride and visit with the folks at Western Pleasure highlighted a busy day of shopping and dining.

They still have plenty to see and experience, but if the past few days are any indication of their appreciation for this area, I'd say their visit has been more than satisfying.

I didn't take pictures on yesterday's ride, even though I had a camera.  Isaac Schoonover, our guide, was nice enough to let me lead the pack with Lily.  And, since Lily was still a little unsure of exactly how to place her feet on downhill narrow trails, I had no time to pull out a camera.

Nonetheless, I can report a wonderful experience, one especially satisfying to me, as Lily's confidence in her abilities going downhill increased substantially throughout the two-hour ride.

Isaac apologized for picking a trail with so many ups and downs, but we both agreed later, it was a good thing.  Lily gained her confidence through all those tricky segments, and I think she'll be fine from now on.

I love this mare more and more as she continues to mellow and always takes good care of me. She stood quietly by the horse trailer after the ride for more than an hour.  The theatrics at the sight of other horses moving about seem to be diminishing, and I'm seeing and enjoying a much more seasoned horse.

The Aussie's enjoyed the ride also as we rode through beautiful forest land never to be developed because of its inclusion in the Forest Legacy program. Part of our trip took us over old railroad grades designed to haul logs from the back woods during the early 1900s.

At one point we made a turn to avoid getting too close to where Janice and Roley Schoonover were rounding up some wandering cows and calves.

We spent time in the grand lodge at Western Pleasure, and several Western bling souvenirs went out the door, bound eventually for Australia.

At Second Avenue Pizza, the Polly, Joyce and Danni sampled the huge calzones which rival the restaurant's pizza as another North Idaho specialty to write home about.

It was, indeed, a good day, and I'm sure the next few days will be filled with just as much fun and cultural immersion for our visitors.

My lawn is in need of some serious mowing, so that's what I'll be doing today.  Gotta go tend the breakfast bacon.

Happy Saturday.