Twas a great and beautiful day yesterday for finishing some outdoor fall tasks and getting started on others.
I did get a good start on apple picking late in the afternoon.
Two buckets down and several yet to go.
The apples are not very big, but I use them giving horses treats and for making jelly. In addition, they've been used in the past for cider.
It wasn't the most fun apple picking I've ever experienced because I constantly had to dodge deer droppings, which take up most of the space under the tree.
Most of the lower limbs have been picked clean by our daily visitors.
There's an article in this most recent issue of Montana: The Magazine of Western History written by a Sandpoint High grad and longtime family friend.
The piece, complete with illustrations, leads off the issue and takes up about 20 pages of the magazine.
It is set in Sandpoint and several points along the route to Priest Lake.
James Martin, a professor at Montana State University in Bozeman, sent Bill and me a copy of the impressive magazine this week.
His story focuses on a group of Eastern sportsmen who came to the area in 1887 and spent several weeks hunting and fishing, most notably in Priest Lake.
As I told James, I read the piece quickly because it unfolded like a good story rather than a series of dry historical facts. Plus, I'm familiar with much of the geography associated with the story.
As readers, we get to know some background on the characters involved, including guides from the local Native American tribes and others who meticulously spearheaded all the logistics of the operation.
I have looked to see if the story appears online but have not found it. Nonetheless, the magazine has a Facebook site and has begun to feature stories from this issue. So, possibly it will soon be available.
I really enjoyed the article, not only for its contents but also because of its writing style. James knows how to artfully put together facts in a concise fashion and to tell the story with ease.
As his high school English teacher, I'm beaming with pride, and I know that Bill, as his Boy Scoutmaster and fellow fish lover, highly approves too.
As usual, job well done, James.
A fine and poignant homecoming!
Our friend Terry Iverson (fourth from left) and his daughter Amy (third from right) arrived at Spokane Airport last night from Washington, D.C.
Terry was one of many veterans selected to participate in an "honor flight," which is an acknowledgement of their military service.
The group flew from Spokane Tuesday, stayed the night in the nation's capital, toured historical points of interest and returned home last night.
Terry served with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.
I'm betting this homecoming with so many of your longtime friends to greet you may have been more pleasant than what many Vietnam veterans experienced when they came home from War.
Terry's wife Edna (blue coat in middle) told me that the airport was packed for the veterans' return.
Thank you for your service, Terry, and thanks for sharing this meaningful experience.
Yesterday Terry sent me photos of some of the monuments he visited in Washington.
He described the city as very beautiful and clean. As for the experience, "very surreal and moving."
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This is one of two trunks from our huge lodgepole.
The double-trunked tree served as a centerpiece in our far pasture and the site where we inducted dozens of people into our Lodgepole Society.
Sadly, the tree split and crashed to the ground several years ago.
We kinda miss taking people to that pasture and having the ceremony under that big tree.
But the trunks live on, just in a different position.
Thursday Throwbacks: Images from the photo library of past moments, places, scenes and events. Hope you enjoy. And, do scroll through the photos with the music.
