Slight Detour: Cold Country Art and . . . . LOVE in the Air

Mud Puddle Magic

I often find it beyond amazing how Mother Nature's wand can create artistic masterpieces by manipulating the climate just enough for these unique works of art to evolve on their own.

They appear quickly and often disintegrate in a flash OR maybe even with the weight of a heavy boot.

The mud puddle art in the driveway yesterday, formed from an overnight freeze, turned out to be one of the most magnificent images I saw throughout the day.

Every so often ol' MN lets us know that she's been gifted with some very artistic controls on the world around us. And, whenever she does, I am totally awestruck and happy that I had my camera around.

Yesterday's morning walk included several wonderful sights enhanced by a heavy frost in the Selle countryside.

Today----it's a whole different story. Unlike Mother Nature with the magic touch, I'd have to work pretty hard to capture an exquisite image with my camera. That's not to say I'm won't give it a try, though.

Such a self-imposed assignment creates a fun challenge, especially in the wet, gloomy atmosphere outside.

Time will tell, and today time will tell me to get moving with a variety of projects before taking off to Spokane where LOVE WILL literally be in the air for an hour before her flight from Seattle touches down at the airport.

Annie has happily agreed to walk with her backpack over to Ramada Inn where Mom will be fully engrossed in college basketball action occurring far across the sea.

Yup, the aircraft carrier Gonzaga-Pitt game at 4 p.m. ought to be a good one, especially in the unique setting near Okinawa.

It's truly a big sports weekend with all the NCAA basketball action beginning. Sometime this weekend----we think tomorrow night---Coach Ward and Coach Love's girls varsity squad will begin a new season vs. Priest River.

We'll probably be attending that if they haven't changed the game to tonight, as rumored.

Seahawks play this weekend, and there should be some good college football action as well as the SHS Bulldog play-off game here tomorrow afternoon.

I see that Coach Love, this week's football picks guest for the Daily Bee sports section, figures Sandpoint will win its last game in front of the historic grandstand by 2.

It was cool to see Willie in the paper this morning; then, I realized both Mr. and Mrs. Love showed up in the Bee today after attending the Ponderay Edward Jones grand opening a couple of weeks ago.

And, the last pitch is to go get a copy of Sandpoint Magazine. They're available for free on the racks around town. Then, if you feel an urgent need, you can read the "rest of the story" about ZAGmania.

For today, I'll tell you in the cutline who those ZAGnuts are in that fun photo snapped by portrait photographer Do Verdier. I'm not sure if the bus drivers on First Avenue were nearly as excited as the ZAGnuts taking up the cross walk.

Crazy but fun day ahead. GO ZAGS! GO ZAGS! Oh yeah, Willie's going to the ZAGS vs. Stanford women's game in the Kennel on Sunday.

Happy Friday.