Slight Detour: Hello, March

Turning the calendars for the third time this year says days are moving by quickly.

Weren't we just celebrating Christmas and New Year's?

Is it age that makes time seems to fly faster than ever?

I don't know that answer, but I do know that we're already in to March.

February didn't end as well as we had hoped.

We're in a war, and two Bulldog teams had great starts yesterday only to meet defeat in the end.

I'm sure it's the same with Gonzaga, but with our Sandpoint Bulldogs, the final score did not tell the whole story.

Sandpoint's team members played their hearts out against Vallivue. Vallivue did the same.

When the final buzzer went off in a game where a faulty clock hampering the flow of the game, played a role, Vallivue had grabbed the lead.

Debbie and I went to yesterday's game in Grangeville yesterday. It's a town about halfway down the State of Idaho.

We saw the effort and we saw the emotions as the season for a group of talented, passionate players ended on a sad note.

The experience was poignant, to say the least.

There were side stories to this game too.

We bought freeze-dried treats from a young man who was working on his senior project at Grangeville High School, also home of the Bulldogs.

But, then we forgot and left the treats on the bleachers.

We also bought beverages at another concession run by the school choir which presented one of the most pure and beautiful a cappella renditions of the "National Anthem" I've ever heard.

I found a You Tube video link to another of their performances, sung in a different venue, and will share it to demonstrate why we were so impressed.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=306149675578818

I loved the beautiful springlike day because it involved another fun road trip with Debbie. We have always enjoyed a great time on these trips.

Our noses detected at precisely the same moment the "smell" above Lewiston and its paper mills.

It had been several years since I'd experienced that smell, but its sulfurous familiarity gave me no doubt where we were.

We enjoyed the green fields of the Palouse with dustings of white snow.

We also agreed that the coffee at the Winchester convenience store was among the best convenience-store brands we had ever tasted.

That place had a couple of other distinctions: "No Firearms" signs on the doors to the restrooms and no door on one of the stalls in the women's room.

I've never seen a "No Firearms" sign on restroom doors.

I have seen a lot of restroom stall doors that don't latch but can't remember too many doorless stalls.

Brave Debbie opted for that one, and I warned a lady in line that someone was in the stall with no door.

Speaking of restroom stall doors, the folks at Grangeville have done a masterful job of sharing inspiring thoughts to at least the girls at their school.

All the doors were there and they latched AND each had an attractive and nice message.

I also enjoyed yesterday's opportunity to meet a few more of the players' parents---all nice people with great stories. All are thoughtful, supportive, gracious and definitely devoted to their kids.

Debbie and I topped off our day trip by stopping for dinner at Sweet Lou's in Athol.

While munching on barbecued chicken sandwiches, we sat in a booth and watched the first half of the Gonzaga game against Saint Maries.

We were feeling pretty good that first half just like we had during the first half of the SHS Bulldogs game in Grangeville.

We all know this morning that it didn't end well for the ZAGS last night----a great boon for the third time in 31 games this season for armchair quarterbacks to share their coaching expertise.

Being associated with a team and knowing all the variables that go into every single game played, I have learned that there are several not-so-obvious layers involved in any one game.

Spectators see action and the final scores but not the other forces that determine how any situation will turn out.

In their loss and their sadness yesterday, I saw so many positive dimensions to the Sandpoint High Bulldog players which made me proud and happy to be associated with them, their parents and their staff.

Who said that line about how it's not whether you win or lose but it's how you play the game.

These young men provided a smorgasboard of exciting basketball for the fans through most of their games this year, but more importantly, off the court, they are remarkable and fine young men.

That's what counts in the game of life.