Slight Detour: Happiness Is . . . Hickey Farms

Well, it's over until next October.

The Happiness place of our Sandpoint community has closed for another year.

I'm so glad to have had the opportunity to spend some time there yesterday.

Having been out of town for some of the farm's festivities early in the month and during last weekend, I visited Hickey Farms on its final day of pumpkins galore and a whole lotta other fun stuff.

I came home with a bag of kettle corn from Brenda, some phenomenal yum yum key lime cupcakes from Lacey and two huge truly decadent cinnamon rolls from Tracie.

I also came home thinking that it's too bad they can't put a roof over Hickey Farms and its surrounding area and keep the place going all year long.

Happiness abounded as I traveled through displays, concessions and among groups of people who kept arriving at the farm.

Didn't matter their age; young and old and in between were having the time of their lives.

Even Jim Hickey's cows and their turkey friends seemed happy while grazing on hay in the field with golden larch, a few evergreens and snow-capped Schweitzer in the background.

After all, folks like me were walking over to their pasture fence, searching for photo ops.

Actually, the search was pretty easy with all the happy faces, delightful offerings and endless rows, containers and displays showing off the primary reason for coming to Hickey Farms in the first place: pumpkins.

Green pumpkins, mini warty pumpkins, plain ol' pumpkins and pumpkins with a colorful flair.

Yes, the pumpkins bring in the crowds, but once there, another dimension takes over as folks mingle and kids play and, in general, folks just plain enjoy visiting with each other.

The Hickey-Holt family, et. al. can be proud of their dream for the family farm as it continues to unfold and develop each year into one of the prime destination spots in Bonner County.

Kinda ironic that the ski runs of Schweitzer lie up there in the background to remind visitors of yet another destination which developed from a dream so many years ago.

Thanks, Hickeys and Holts and all the supporting cast for providing this phenomenal joyful escape from the woes of the world.

Can't wait 'til next year!

And, by golly, some folks from Inland Northwest Sustainable Development had as much fun as I did capturing their images, 'cept with their video camera.

Enjoy!

Happy Monday.