A Huckleberry Sunday

Two Sundays, two prizes, two sundaes.

Last Sunday Lily won the bucket as prize for first place in walk-trot at the horse show.

Yesterday the bucket provided us more rewards: our first picking of huckleberries for 2011.

Last night we enjoyed the fruits of the past two Sundays of good tidings: huckleberry sundaes from those berries in the bucket.

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As Mother's weekend birthday celebration wound down, most participants went back to a quieter life, while some took to the road.

Jim and Dani headed home to Southern Oregon.

At oh-dark-thirty, Barbara and Laurie headed to a dressage show in Spokane. Laurie told me they left Colburn at 5:30 and returned by 1 p.m.

She and her horse took a first and second in their two tests.

Annie and her friend Laurel hung around at the Lovestead until early afternoon; then, they left for a campout at Green Bay on Lake Pend Oreille.

They'll drive back to Seattle this morning.

Once we said our good byes, I asked Bill if we could go for a moderately short drive, with plans to be back by 6 or 6:30.

We loaded up dogs and headed north. He turned off on the Trail Creek Road.

I hadn't been up there for a number of years, so I was enjoying the roadside scenes and spectacular vistas of the Selkirks.

I took several pictures, but they're not on my camera this morning.

A little later on up the road,  we settled into picking some berries for dinner.

My camera was swinging from my shoulder all during picking time, just in case a critter came along to have its picture taken. 

I'm guessing some key button must have been touched, removing all the photos.

That photo above is the only image from yesterday's travels. Still, what I saw is pretty etched in my mind.

We drove alongside some beaver ponds where stunning grass swirls floating on top of the water took my eye.

A little further an ancient moss-covered stump with a big hole in it and a bright green bush skirting it from behind rose from the pond.

We eventually parked at a wide-open spot where there's a nice , clean Forest Service potty john and several metal pens for folks planning to ride their horses on the trails and roads taking off in a couple of directions.

We walked down a trail to the creek and enjoyed a lovely, peaceful waterfall. Crossing the creek was not an option, and we agreed the bare hillside along the trail offered no hints of huckleberries.

So, we picked our way back to the car, having no problem finding the berries.

I'm disappointed this morning that I don't have photos, but that huckleberry sundae last night and the relaxing hike and time spent picking more than make up for the lost images. 

Besides, I have an excuse now to go back, take pictures and pick a few more berries. 

I'm sure Roman Nose will still be there, along with Gun Sight Peak and some of the other beauties in the Selkirks.

And, I bet those beaver ponds will still have their splendor.

As for the huckleberries, I'd better schedule that trip fairly soon.

The dogs, Bill and I always enjoy huckleberry Sundays. Yesterday was a good one.