Coffee Break

As a connoisseur and frequenter of bathrooms, I appreciated the colorful tile floor at the Davis Grocery Store & Mercantile. 

Last night I hosted the ZAG Food Fest.

So, that meant some house cleaning and some food organizing. 

Once that was completed, it was off to the grocery store to pick up a new supply of Purina Beyond canned catfood for Festus and a few other items.

I finished my shopping around 1:30, which freed me up to do whatever I wished for a few hours. 

So, I pointed the car toward Hope on HWY 200. 

Hands down, the drive offers the best of scenic OMG's any season of the year. 

Yesterday was no exception, and to have to drive that route to go get a cup of coffee.  It's a tough job, but some of us have to do it-----and often. 

I decided the Davis Grocery & Mercantile would be my destination where I could pick up a cup of coffee and a treat while capturing some visual treats with my camera both going and coming.

On my way, I turned off the highway at Trestle Creek, drove short distance and then parked at an area near the always-beautiful creek where folks like to go see colorful kokanee spawning in the fall.  

While there, I met a couple and their dog headed down to look at the creek. Wes, a Fish and Game employee, works with sturgeon on the Kootenai River, while Molly works with the pre-Head Start program.  We enjoyed a nice visit and then headed our respective ways. 

In just a few minutes I pulled into the parking lot at Davis Grocery and Mercantile aka the old Hope Market (most recently in its long history) which had its grand opening last month. 

Since my last stop there a few months ago, when the transition from former owner to new was taking place, there's been a lovely transformation and several subtle attempts to tie the old with the new. 

I walked inside with my camera hanging around my neck and thought it best to explain myself, then take some photos and find the bathroom BEFORE purchasing coffee.

A staff member was standing at the bakery, so I introduced myself. 

Twas instant one-on-one friendship with an actual Facebook friend I had never met in person until yesterday.  

With Penelope Maras Olson aka Penny, no more explanations were needed. 

We couldn't exactly remember how we became Facebook friends, but I clearly recalled meeting her hubby Rocky, an avid outdoorsman and podcaster,  on another trip a while back when I was strolling around the Trestle Creek campground and Rocky was going fishing. 

Add meeting Penny to the treats of my "coffee break."

Anyway, the Davises have provided a new wrinkle to the market and----according to their blog on their attractive website where you can meet the family, see the menu and learn a little history----they have some exciting plans for their new enterprise.

From the blog at https://davisgroceryinhope.com/

We see DG&M as a community one-stop. Groceries, coffee, history–a beautiful space to gather and enjoy our community. 

We see our community coming by for some coffee and chatting on the deck in the summer or sitting around the fire in the winter. 

We will have Farmer’s markets so our local farmers can sell their produce and artisan wares. 

We see our customers stopping by after getting the mail at the post office or grabbing a cup of tea after getting an acupuncture treatment next door. 

Yes we are a grocery store, but we see it as so much more than that.

After my visit yesterday, where I purchased coffee and a white chocolate chip cookie, I surmised that the car will be heading to Hope more often. 

After all, Bill and I love stopping at the Ice House Pizza for dinner, and now we can add a lunch or coffee stop. 

On my way back, while sipping coffee and breaking off pieces of that cookie, I stopped a couple of times along the Idaho Club Golf Course Road, which leads to Rapid Lightning Creek Road and another favorite eating stop, the Pack River General Store. 

Twas a winter wonderland-type drive, especially cuz of no traffic and the opportunity to park the car in the road and take short walks for taking photos. 

With January and February and March coming up, I'm trips like yesterday's could be very therapeutic for folks dealing with the winter blues. 

Good food, great scenery leading to some economic boosts in the hinterlands and, of course, wonderful memories. 

You can't top that. 

Happy Saturday.