A Thursday Throwback

It was a hot July day in 2005.  A group of my classmates, in Sandpoint for our 40th-Year reunion accompanied Bill and me on a hike up the Mickinnick Trail which winds its way to the top of Greenhorn Mountain.  

We had a dual purpose, as a birder was among us.

 

So, while huffing and puffing up the steep hillside in hopes of hearing or seeing birds, we found excuses to stop, rest and to take pictures of beautiful views of the landscape below.

Our birder extraordinaire that day was Terry Gray.  He brought along a camera, and, even though the bird count was low, the phenomenal scenery more than made up for it.

In our class reunion planning for our 50th, we’ve all been sifting through old photos to post on our class Facebook page. 

A while back, Terry posted his photos of our hike in 2005.  While looking at them the other day, I was thrilled to see a photo of our old farm on Great Northern Road BEFORE most of industrialization around it occurred.

It’s not so cool to drive by that farm these days because the surrounding area looks very different from that day in July, 2005. Plus, the barn I loved so much is still standing but has lost much of its charm from lack of maintenance.

During the 30 years we owned the place, I always viewed the barn as the most important structure on the place.  It stood as our icon, and, as money allowed, we fixed the roof, replaced most of the broken windows and gave it a couple of paint jobs.

 

I found a few photos this morning taken by Annie on one of her visits home in 2005.  I love Throwback Thursday because it allows us to post photos and temporarily return to times, places and moments that mean so much in our personal history.

 

When I read in the morning paper about the $1.2 million lawsuit being waged by the county against Silver Wing, a fly-in air-park community which located its hangars and prototype housing unit to the south and east of where our kids used to play at the pond and in the wide open fields, all I can think is that we escaped in time.

I never really wanted to “escape” that place because I loved it so much and loved the barn even more, but with time marching on, comes progress.  The progress around our farm did not come as a surprise.  We knew there would come a day when its bucolic nature would succumb to the needs of a community.

Today we still feel very fortunate that the “stars lined up” for us back in 2006, allowing us to “escape” industrialization and move to another farm where simplicity, peace and boundless natural rewards would make every morning worth welcoming.

So, we have no regrets, but I do get kinda sad whenever I drive past our old place.  Thanks to Terry Gray and Throwback Thursday for allowing me a brief visit to a wonderful home in our past. 

And, now it's time to look to the future and a big game tonight:  GO ZAGS!

Happy Thursday.