Right and Wrong Pictures

First, I’ll deal with what’s right in the picture.

Mother and I enjoyed a wonderful trip to Feist Creek Falls Restaurant yesterday.  It’s near Good Grief, about two miles off the highway just south of the Canadian Border.

I love the place because it’s so beautifully laid out with its pond, full of  lunker trout,  and the ever-present supply of goodies to feed them.  Plus, there’s a waterfall coming off the hillside behind the restaurant.

The food is always good, and everyone who works there loves to visit with the guests.  Yesterday our cook was a native of Copeland.  She now lives in Bonners Ferry, but she knew a lot of folks we knew from the good ol' days.

After our lunch, we went out and fed some fish and took some pictures.  I’ve included the one of me because Mother took it, and she was proud.

It was difficult for her to hold on to my new camera cuz it’s kinda big, but she managed.  And, when I told her we had a bona fide picture she was proud. 

It’s nice to be reminded from time to time how the little things can be pretty monumental and very important at some stages of our lives.  Dexterity is difficult for 90-year-olds, so succeeding with snapping a well-composed photo meant a lot to Mother.

There was a day a few years back that Mother’s photos recorded a lot of rural history around this area.  Her house is filled with a collection of photos from the days of building the old rodeo grounds and the many events held there.

We picked up some fresh bread and delightful Gingersnaps at the Bread Basket Bakery, and we took a spin through the Meadow Creek Campground.  Except for a little low lying fog around Bonners Ferry, the weather and the fall colors were spectacular.

Now, for what’s wrong in another picture:  I just read in the local paper a story about the commissioners deciding officially yesterday at their meeting to scrap the poll they had planned to send out with tax notices next month.

Its purpose was to garner public opinion from property owners on what to do about funding the fairgrounds, the 4-H extension program and the county museum.

The story told of how some residents in the county would be disenfranchised  because of the poll’s methodology of failing to reach all who should have a voice in the issue. 

In the same story, the reporter stated that the Daily Bee would be surveying its readers online as to what they think ought to be done to fund the three entities.

What’s wrong with this picture?  

 How will this information be used?

If sending out surveys to property owners in Bonner County would disenfranchise the residents, how will surveying the public through the local newspaper,  in one segment of the county,  improve on the problem?

How many people read or receive this local newspaper? 

Will only subscribers of the Daily Bee be able to participate in this poll?

Will the folks in Priest River have a survey in their paper? 

Will the River Journal survey the citizenry? 

Will the Sandpoint Reader participate? 

Will I decide to survey my “Slight Detour” readers?

Will readers of any of these media be able to stuff ballot boxes, so to speak?

Will all the results of these polls---whenever they’re deemed completed---be thrown into the county commissioners’ data basket so they can make a reasoned and fair decision on how to fund the three countywide instititutions currently threatened with a future fiscal chopping block?

This whole issue just gets curiouser and curiouser, just like what I also read this morning about the "mediation hot potato" which seems to keep rolling across the commissioners’ meeting desk.

One commissioner does not want to pay for mediation out of his pocket.  Two others say they will pay for mediation out of theirs. 

From what I’ve been able to deduce, those are the same two commissioners who don’t agree with the other guy who happens to disagree with future budget cuts to the museum, 4-H and the fairgrounds.   

They’re also the same two who recently removed him from the commission chair.   

And, they’re the same two who suggested the mediation because they just don’t agree on issues with the first commissioner.

We may have a long-awaited Byway about to open here in the area, where traffic patterns should flow smoother than ever.

At the same time, we seem to have dysfunction junction among our power brokers where common sense and confidence in leadership have hit a major roadblock.

What irritates me is that the three local institutions in question---all of which continually demonstrate and illustrate some of the most positive attributes of our community---have to suffer while those in power use them as pawns to play their political games.
Maybe our county leaders need to enroll in a 4-H club next year for a refresher course on effective leadership.