On a Wet Day

 

When it's pouring rain and ugly pretty much everywhere, I like to drive the old road to Hope. 

Even if the lake isn't too picturesque on a rainy, gloomy day, that road still offers some color and enough charm to keep me and my camera happy. 

I love the waterfall at the west side beginning of the road.  It's always a little different depending on the season and the water flow but it's always breath-taking, dramatic and easy to photograph. 

Bill went to the woods yesterday afternoon, while I loaded up the dogs and headed off on my trip toward Hope. 

We had spent the morning tending to our individual projects while our friend and my former colleague Terry Iverson worked here in the computer room beginning his repair job of the hole in the ceiling caused by a wind storm in December. 

Terry worked away stabilizing the area and stuffing insulation.  Today he'll begin working with sheet rock to cover it up. 

It will be nice to have that damage from the wind storm fixed, and when weather permits, another contractor will patch the roof. 

Anyway, back to Hope.  

Soon after I pulled on to the road, I saw someone walking a dog.  Seeing me, she turned off the road to the Chinese cemetery where she waited for me to pass by. 

Well, I didn't.  

I could see her and her pup in the trees, so I stopped and wondered if she might be someone I knew. 

That was not the case, but I now know Amber AND Skookum, a beautiful red and white Border Collie. 

What better meeting:  a friendly and fun lady with a Border Collie on a rainy day just off an enchanting rainy-day road. 

It created an immediate cure for the gloom. 

We had a great time getting acquainted.  Happily, that road doesn't get a lot of traffic except for the residents so we could enjoy our visit.

 

Turns out Amber is connected with the family who owned the Red Fir Resort, so even though she moved here a few years back, she has local roots. 

The best part of the whole conversation came when Amber told me she is the mechanic at the Clark Fork Chevron Station.  

We old timers immediately think of Bob Hayes who owned the place for years and was always the friendly face of the business. 

Amber said the folks there are very patient as she hones her mechanic work but she's very proud that she is really good at changing oil. 

What a nice encounter on a rainy day! Meeting Amber and Skookum is why I love to go on these spontaneous jaunts. 

Plus, I even captured a few fun photos along with a few around the Lovestead and  to and from Hope. 

I cannot believe this morning's upbeat feeling of spring.  I hear geese honking as Bridie and I took our second walk in almost normal daylight. 

Plus, birds were singing sweet, happy songs in the trees and in the woods.  

As we walked through the woods, Bridie suddenly took on her Border Collie pose, looking off toward the right. 

I turned that direction and soon saw that two deer had caught her attention.  One was peeking around a tree while the other stood like a statue.  

It was a little dark in the woods, so the deer were very curious about us.  One even took a few careful steps my direction.  

Soon I saw one white tail rise and then the second.  Off they bounded through the woods. 

Later, when I went out to get the paper, my neighbor Gary Finney stopped in his white pickup.  He was on his way to morning coffee in town but took time to see how I was doing. 

Gary indicated that, like me,  he was feeling some endorphins of spring.  

I think we may have turned a corner, and with the fact that our highs will be in the mid 40s through the rest of the week, we may even say good bye to this last batch of snow. 

Amber Gray and Skookum

Terry Iverson, builder extraordinaire. 

It's a big day for the Sandpoint Bulldogs men's basketball team.  

District playoffs continue, and tonight they'll be playing one of the toughest teams in the state of Idaho.  

Lewiston (19-3), which leads the league, is ranked No. 1 in the 5A classification and No. 9 overall in the State.  

If the Bulldogs can pull off a win, they'll automatically go to State.  A loss means more games this week. 

As Willie told me last week, in the two previous matchups with the Lewiston, one 8-minute quarter made the difference, so the goal is to play 32 minutes of good basketball. 

Maybe the third time will be the charm for Sandpoint.  We hope so. 

Here's a recap of Sandpoint's win over Lakeland this past Friday and some discussion about tonight's game, which tips off at 6 p.m.

GOOD LUCK, BULLDOGS!  

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

Sunday Album

 

I counted 12 deer on our drive to Noxon Dam yesterday. 

After all, it was an early spring Sunday drive to Montana.  

Counting deer was always our assignment to keep us occupied when, as kids, we sat in the back seat of the Ford Ranch wagon, with me on the hump in between my two older brothers. 

Mother and Harold occupied the front seat with a box of bacon thins sitting between them. 

Occasionally, along the way down Montana back roads which sometimes seemed like they went to nowhere, Mother would hand us each a single bacon thin.

I also remember that it seemed like it must have been against the law to stop anywhere for us to go to the bathroom.  So, as the trip went on, my bladder would add a new dimension to the suffering of sitting on the hump.

Yesterday's Sunday drive resembled those of yesteryear, only the characters, the hand-outs and the dynamics were different.  

Only two four-legged, black, white and brown occupants with tails took up the back seat with no draconian hump to endure.  

I think Bridie and Foster view their back seat assignments as Heaven cuz they get to go for a ride with Mom and Dad. 

No Bacon Thin handouts, though. 

Instead,  Mom offered some Beneful baked doggie treats.   

In the front, the treat of choice for Mom and Dad came from a baggie of peanut butter mini pretzels.

I could not help but take a page from the past and start the deer count, once we passed the Montana border. 

Our trip yesterday did not last as long as some of those original Sunday drives, so the deer count was low in comparison to the overall enjoyment. 

After all, the sun was shining when we pulled into the picnic ground, complete with restrooms, next to Noxon Dam, and the ground was generally bare and dry. 

Plus, there was a facility for bladder relief. 

We enjoyed our time there, and then I suggested that we take the dogs back to Noxon and walk around town. 

Usually we just drive through this little community, so I never really noticed before that there really isn't a central downtown area.  

So, we spent some time at another little park along the river and walked across the highway to get a good look at the Noxon Methodist Church. 

By that time, the afternoon was winding down, so we headed home, quite pleased with our resurrection of our family tradition of the Sunday Drive.

It was good to take advantage of the sunshine because rain has returned and snow is sliding off from roofs and MUD has returned on this Monday morning. 

Even though the weather is not that great, I am have enjoyed listening to the inaugural David Begnaud podcast, "The Person Who Believed in Me."

David, who hails from Louisiana, chose Oprah as his first guest because the watching her show inspired his amazing career with CBS News as a storyteller.  

This podcast offers an inspiring way to start off on a rainy Monday, and it's a great listen. 

Give it a try. 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-person-who-believed-in-me/id1877266132

Happy Monday. Enjoy the photos. 

Belt Buckles, Time Capsules, Etc.

 

She's the youngest member of the Emerald Empire Arabian youth club, and she is very proud of her beautiful buckle. 

Aurora, along with other youth and adult members, received belt buckles yesterday for their participation in various projects associated with the area Arabian horse club during the calendar year of 2025. 

Aurora was so proud that when her great Aunt Mary arrived at yesterday's first-of-the-year club meeting at MickDuffs, she quietly walked over to show off her buckle. 

I have a feeling that this may not be the last trophy buckle for Aurora or the other recipients. 

I'm not a big meeting goer, but since it's the "Year of the Horse," I thought it was important to attend. 

This year, the club, which promotes the Arabian breed and sponsors youth programs will be offering some clinics and their third annual September Showcase Horse Show at the Bonner County Fairgrounds Sept. 18-20. 

Below:  four family siblings belong to the Emerald Empire Arabian Horse club.  

They include sisters Laurie and Barbara, brother Kevin (from Frenchtown, Mont.), and myself. 

Think 2126!!! 

What would you want those who open a time capsule to know? 

How do you think life will be different at the time?

I listened to an AI expert suggest in an interview the other day that there could be a time when nobody works.  

He suggested that women without college educations may be the first to feel the invasion of AI into the work force, i.e., clerical and office jobs may go first.

Is this far-fetched, or do you see it happening?

I try to imagine a world where most people don't work.  If that happens, what activities will replace work and how will we sustain ourselves? 

Below: a story about a neat and very timely local project, which invites participation. 

https://bonnercountydailybee.com/news/2026/feb/22/trio-team-up-on-time-capsule-project/

Lots of ice around these days.  

I took my Yak Trax off for maybe two days this past week.  

They are back on my boots, probably to stay for a few more weeks of winter.  

Looks like we may get some snow off and on this week, and then maybe we can think spring again.

Speaking of snow and wet stuff, the Bonner County Daily Bee featured an article this morning about a group study which has shown that our area economy loses millions of dollars because of the inconsistency of lake levels. 

https://bonnercountydailybee.com/news/2026/feb/22/inconsistent-lake-levels-shrink-regions-economy-study-says/

Sounds like a political hot potato to consider.  

I'm not sure if it's just me or if my memory is actually correct, but I don't remember, in my childhood or during most of my adult years Sand Creek, where it runs through the community, being a mud flat for several months each year.

Maybe it's just my muddy memory.  

The University of Idaho researchers who did the study strongly suggest lengthening the tourist season by keeping the lake level up for two months longer each year. 

I think that's a excellent idea, both esthetically and economically. 

 

I wonder if we'll have $^$@##$ passwords to remember in 2126.

Happy Sunday.