Taxi Photos and TBT's

They're taxi photos. 

Seems like a good label for the all but one of the top five photos in this morning's post. 

Yesterday was a taxi day of sorts.  

Bill had two meetings, one at the WaterLife Discovery Center across the lake, down Lakeshore Drive. 

While dropping him off there for a meeting with Fish and Game and Avista folks, I saw the ducks and the geese enjoying themselves in a pond alongside the facility driveway. 

The ducks stayed around long enough for me to snap two pictures and then took off.  The geese were content to stay and do some primping or just swim around looking for goodies in the water. 

In between taxi runs, I spent some time at home and enjoyed all the chickadee activity in the bushes, the trees and the bird feeder. 

They are hinting by their sounds and their busYness that real springtime may not be TOO far away. 

On the second taxi run, Bill had an evening Trout Unlimited meeting up the stairs in their meeting room at Miller's Country Store. 

Big test for Bill:  get up those stairs.  He left behind the knee roller and gave it a try AND succeeded just fine with one crutch----both up and down.  

So, I think he's feeling not quite so limited and maybe free to take on a few more locations with steps. 

On the way home from dropping him off, a most gorgeous sunset was putting on a show.  I stopped and parked off from Boyer just north of Lincoln School and took a few photos. 

Stunning sunsets are always nice, wherever they happen to be, but this one felt a bit more special because, like the chickadees back at the Lovestead, it suggested spring.

So, I'll just call it a welcome Spring Sunset.  

In the Throwback Thursday department, I'm once again posting this photo of Debbie, Dee Drummond and me, taken in Pawhuska, Okla., in October, 2017. 

While visiting the National Arabian Show in Tulsa, to watch my sister, Debbie and I took some time out for the hour's drive to Pawhuska. 

Both of us had followed Dee, the "Pioneer Woman," famed for her Food Channel Show and her cookbooks and her blog and of late for all her merchandise available at Wal-Mart and her ranch life and . . . . 

That year she had opened converted an old building into the Mercantile and a restaurant.  Debbie and I were thrilled to see both, especially when we arrived in little Pawhuska and saw that a whole bunch of other people were also thrilled. 

Our excitement instantly magnified when someone announced that "she's here; she's upstairs."  

We could not believe our good fortune.  Debbie grabbed some cookbooks while I stood in line. Eventually, we arrived and stood beside the woman herself.  

She was delightful, and a member of her staff happily took our phones and then took our picture.   Later, we again waited in line for about two hours to sample dinner at the Mercantile Restaurant. 

Best steak I've ever eaten, bar none.  Well worth the wait. 

Anyway, while reading her blog this morning, I learned that she had been featured on a CBS "Sunday Morning" segment this week. 

Of course, she posted the link, so I watched.  And, if the link works today, and you haven't seen the CBS version, I hope you enjoy. 

Talk about bringing back some vivid and fun memories.  This segment did just that.  

Finally, since we're getting closer and closer to St. Paddy's Day, I picked out a few photos related to the "Everyone is Irish Day."  

Most are from our family trip a few years ago.  

Bill, Annie, Bill's sister Margaret and me at the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. 

Wes, a former student and family friend, decked out in green for the local Presbyterian Church St. Paddy's Day party. 

"New best friends" for me at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin.  At least two of these college students are Facebook friends, and they have moved on with their lives after college.

They were a fun group. 

A special delivery at an Irish school in Donegal (Buncrana, to be specific).  My mother's side of the family came from this area, so I wanted to take something of Mother's back to Ireland.

Her cards and my books with her artwork, I hope, are still at Scoil Mhuire in Buncrana.

Sara O'Dwyer, then a sophomore at the school, hosted our visit.  She has now moved on with her life.  Last I checked she was attending college in Dublin. 

My friend Cass Foley from Killarney.  Cass, an avid horse trainer/rider/stabler and I have gotten together on all four visits. 

Cousin Patrick

He became "Cousin Patrick" to us after hosting us in ways over a couple of days. 

He found a farm with a stream where Bill and Willie did some fishing, and generally showed us around Killarney.

Cousin Patrick has been to Sandpoint.  His real cousins, Tricia and Peg, live here.

A memorable Irishman, to say the least!

That's all.  Happy Thursday.