Hodge Podge Tuesday

Today is officially "Hodgepodge at the Lodge" day.  Lots of folks who love animals and who appreciate the good works of Panhandle Animal Shelter get together for a luncheon gala/auction at The Lodge at Sandpoint along Pend Oreille River.

It's hodgepodge cuz it provides a mixture of ways to financially support the animal shelter, and to learn some of the wonderful stories that occur in the day-to-day operations. 

Plus, there's some keen competition for the best table decorations, and, I can assure you that people go all out with the decorations.

Finally, there's food and wine to top it all off and to add to the festive atmosphere. 

Last year I took my camera, so this year, a friend who volunteers for the shelter asked if I was bringing it again.

Of course!

Since it's officially Hodgepodge Day, that's what my assortment of photos this morning will be----hodgepodge and memories of good times and lovely vignettes of nature I've witnessed in a variety of venues over the past few days, including Facebook. 

The Facebook additions come from Switzerland, where Annie happens to be right now. 

On Sunday, my sisters, Debbie and I were standing on the Moyie River Overlook, which happens to be the outdoor telephone booth at Meadow Creek Campground, when we received some text photos from Annie.

She had connected with Swiss Miss at her home near Zurich and had met Mom and Dad Schmid aka Caroline and Fritz.  

Annie and Laura, along with Annie's Groundspeak colleague, hiked in the beautiful Swiss countryside yesterday, even returning to a phenomenal waterfall which gulped up Annie's "Precious" telephoto lens on a previous visit a few years back.

No headlines from Switzerland indicating the lens had been retrieved during their visit yesterday.  In a nutshell, the lens was on the camera on a tripod and suddenly it fell off the camera and into the waterfall, never to be seen again.

Definitely a Kodak moment of the worst kind. 

The hodgepodge also includes a few photos from a fun mini reunion at Schweitzer with my Waltho cousins Saturday.  Those five sisters do have one brother named George.  

Anyway, we had a delightful time and really appreciated Kelli from Chimney Rock who snapped a few photos for us.  Also, thanks to Bernie McGovern who took the bar shot. 

Most of the rest of the photos include scenes of the 8-dog, 6-person camping trip to Meadow Creek over the weekend.  By Sunday, the dog count had dwindled since Barbara and Laurie and I had chores to do at our respective homes.

As Laurie said, it's fun to bring them along, but they ARE a lot of work.  Actually, except for a few minor scuffles, which also occur at home, the dogs behaved very well.  Same thing often happens at daycare too, but folks in charge do like a break.

So, five of the dogs went home with Sunday morning chores.  The grandpuppies belonging to the Young Love's got to stay through the whole weekend.  That doesn't mean, however, that any human among the group can boast of sleeping in, or sleeping much at all, for that matter. 

In my case, I had to remain on one side the entire night.  If I dared to turn the other direction a friendly tongue immediately began licking my face.  I was told that doggies in the Young Love tent never really did take to tent camping.  

It's possible they may not have to in the future. 

Bill and Willie fished a few times each day and caught and released a few. We ate a lot, and the big headline of the camping weekend occurred before I arrived. 

While the guys were fishing, my two sisters and Debbie decided to move the camps to another section of the campground.  I think it had to do with the fact that every time a dog made a sound, teenage girls in the campsite nearby yelled, "SHUT UP!"

So, when I arrived, the gals were putting the final touches on the second campsite of the day. They had moved two travel trailers and a made-up tent!  

It turned out all right, and we never heard "SHUT UP!" again. 

So, yes, a lot going on, and, in the midst of it all, our hearts are still with our "outlaw" family members in Utah. 

Last night a giant candlelight ceremony in Cazzie's honor was held at the the football stadium where his high school team will play this Friday night.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865687678/Candle-light-vigil-to-honor-beloved-Hillcrest-football-coach-who-changed-more-than-teams-success.html

His loss certainly reminds us of how little day-to-day gestures of inspiration extended toward others add up and make all the difference.  Job well done, Cazzie. 

Happy Tuesday.  Enjoy the hodgepodge.