Days of Summer, Ah!

Hard Rock Bread, anyone?

Take the longest day.  Take Father's Day.  Take the first day of summer.  Take some lovely weather along with a group of family and friends looking for fun.  

Blend it all together, and our weekend adventures turned out to be a nearly perfect mix.

Of course, a few glitches in the plans always add to the excitement.  

In no particular order, take Willie's lost wallet, take Debbie's hot pink tenny runners landing in the gas station garbage can and consider NO HURRICANES at the Bonners Ferry ZIPS !!!! 

(Bill would like the local ZIPS to know his supreme disappointment that the newly opened fast-food establishment in Ponderay is NOT offering Hurricanes).  

Now let's take these three problems one by one.  

Wallet.  Willie and Debbie spent the morning looking for his wallet.  Last time he'd seen it was at MickDuffs Friday night.  MickDuffs staff hadn't seen the wallet either. So, the Young Loves just kept looking with no luck.

Enter Mom Love, the seasoned interrogator.  

A series of specific questions aimed at igniting a light bulb in Willie's head elicits no results.  

So, what to do----summon St. Anthony, of course. 

So, what happens?  St. Anthony comes through within seconds of the appeal for his assistance. Mom Love sits on futon, looks to her left and picks up a wallet, slightly hidden from view under a couple of items on the futon.  

Thanks so much, St. Anthony. 'Twould have been tough on Willie as he has to spend the week in Moscow for a journalism conference.  The found wallet will be a nice feature. 

Now, let's talk Debbie's tenny runners.  I did a little photo art up above and softened that hot pink hue.  Bill did a little too much cleaning up in the back of the Suburu last night while gassing up at the Conoco station in Bonners Ferry.  

He inadvertently dumped the plastic bag of shoes  into the garbage can while leaving the sack of garbage in the car.  

We discovered his dyslectic dumping when we arrived at the Young Love's house around 9 p.m. last night.  Debbie was quickly on the phone to the Conoco in hopes they'd dig through their trash and retrieve the shoes.  The story remains fluid as I type. 

I have a feeling Bill's brain was a bit disordered because he'd thought all day about that Hurricane he was gonna get at the Bonners Ferry Zips.  

After all, it was Father's Day, and a Hurricane would top off a great weekend of fishing cricks, touring scenic crick stops, eating Super 1 chicken next to a crick and just plain enjoying the beauty and serenity of three of his favorite cricks---Boulder and Smith and Cow. 

Bill had spent his Father's day (wearing his new geocaching items, compliments of Annie) reminiscing with all of us about his days with the Forest Service at Camp 126 at Smith Creek.  

We were all willing listeners as he talked about his favorite fishing holes and some of the surrounding mountain peaks and drainages with which he became so familiar during the summer of 1974. 

After that day of memory lanes in the mountains, a Hurricane would top off a nostalgic Father's Day just right.  Plus, he had other willing Hurricane hunters riding with him.  

So, when we hit the south hill in Bonners and he directed the Suburu into the Zips parking lot, he could almost taste that Reece's pieces ice cream blend of absolute decadence. 

CLOSED. 

Yup, a couple of employees sitting in a car outside confirmed his worst suspicion.  So, Bill had to settle for a Schwan's root beer float bar back at the Lovestead.

Nonetheless, I think he had a good day, and so did the rest of us.  For the Love bunch, it had been two days in the glorious outdoors walking in water, wearing wet shoes, admiring pretty fish, grazing on munchies in the rigs and an abundance of just plain good visiting. 

For my sisters and our friend Maryann, our trip to Smith Creek yesterday signaled the first of many adventures ahead as this summer of 2015 has begun in a big way. 

Hope you enjoy the assortment from both Boulder Creek east of Naples and from the Smith Creek drainage northwest of Bonners Ferry.   

Have I ever mentioned that we live in an outdoor paradise????

Happy Monday, and do get the word out to the Sandpoint ZIPS that Bill wants is hungry for Hurricanes!