A Saturday in May

I was quite pleased with my timing yesterday.  After a morning of tending to chores and projects around the place, I climbed in the car and headed to Coeur d'Alene, where Bill had already gone to work with a Trout Unlimited exhibit at Kootenai County's Springfest.

My sister Barbara had left much earlier to arrive at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds to judge a horse show beginning at 8 a.m.

My departure at 10:30 turned out to be close to perfect.  As I drove past Sandpoint on the Byway, I could see crowds were gathering downtown to view the classic cars and take in other activities associated with Lost in the '50s.  

By this time, it looked like the folks in Sandpoint might get a little wet. As I drove further south, the sky became increasingly ominous, and by the time I reached the Granite Hill, raindrops started hitting the windshield.  

A few drops soon turned to torrents, and, for a time, visibility became a bit limited as vehicles moving 70 miles per hour were sending waves of water across the road.  Oddly enough, the rain had not dampened the folks at Silverwood as the rollercoaster near the highway was packed as it zoomed up and down its course.

At this point, I thought about turning around and heading back home, but then I remembered that often our rainstorms stop just as quickly as they start.  So, I moved on toward the Kootenai County Fairgrounds, turning off HWY 95 to Government Way.

Almost the second I turned into the fairgrounds and parked, the rain stopped, and the sun came out. And, that's pretty much the way it stayed for the rest of the day. 

So, for a change, best laid plans actually worked out.  I watched Randy, his dog Nicki and his sheep put on a herding demonstration.  During this demonstration, both Bill and I witnessed one more reason Border Collies are SO smart.

Once Nicki had finished her first herding exercise, she headed straight for a small water tank next to the fence, jumped in, lay down and killed two birds with one stone. While cooling off her body, she lapped up a healthy does of cool water. 

A few minutes later, she was up and running again, helping Randy move those sheep wherever he wanted them to go.  There's a lot of work to herding sheep, and obviously Nicki has learned how to take care of herself while performing that work. 

Bill and I also took some time for lunch, each ordering an Indian taco.  As we sat at a picnic table in what had become intense sun, we talked and enjoyed our tacos UNTIL I went to cut off another bite and realized that they sure had put a lot of ingredients in those tacos, including a bonus for me. 

I stopped short of trying to cut the plastic bread tag which had been hiding deep within my taco. 

Springfest is going again today at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds, and I must say that the country band known as the Hankers puts out some great country songs.  Bill will be going back today to pick up the Trout Unlimited display and probably talk fish for a while.

After saying good bye to Bill yesterday, I drove over to the area where Barbara was judging the show.  It was 1:30, and the horse show had already ended.  She probably beat me home to watch the Preakness.  For some reason, I was not surprised at its outcome, having had the feeling since the Derby that we would not see a Triple Crown winner this year. 

Yesterday's beautiful weather opened the way for much more enjoyment of the great outdoors than we've seen so far this year.  I drove over to my sisters and took an evening walk.  

As always, this time of year, it's hard to find ugly in the Selle Valley.  People were happily working on farming projects or just plain enjoying themselves. Contended cows were grazing in lush pastures, dogs were having a good time, and neighborhood barns were showcased by green fields and beautiful skies. 

Turned out to be a great day once the rainstorm blew through, and we're in to the 70s and 80s this week.  I think good times for NOrth Idaho outdoor lovers are back and, heck, they might even stay for a while. 

Happy Sunday.  Enjoy the photos, and watch out for what might be lurking between the olives and the peppers in your tacos.