Mother Nature served up a little extra yesterday.
If I had been thinking faster, I would have scooped up a bunch of that hail into a cup, added some flavoring and had my own version of Lovestead shaved ice.
Grabbing the camera while our house and the earth were being pounded took precedent though.
I must say it was a pretty hail storm, considering the green grass and colors from budding trees and bushes.
In the midst of the pounding downpour, I looked at my cell phone weather predictions and then announced to Bill, "Here's the plan.
"This wet weather ends at 3, so when the hail storm ends, we can get in the pickup, head for Bonners Ferry, visit Snow Creek Falls, stop by the bank, get some cash and pick up groceries at Super 1."
Bill thought that plan sounded good, so he grabbed some lunch, and soon we were on our way. Precipitation became more intermittent as we approached Bonners Ferry.
The mountains west of the valley looked a bit doubtful, but by the time, I had grabbed my cash from the ATM and we had turned off on the Snow Creek Road, the weather was settling.
We walked the short trail to the falls with blue skies above and warmth enough that I was working up some perspiration on the way back.
As usual, the Snow Creek Falls were bursting from the mountain, spraying the air with enough mist that Bill donned his rain coat, and I stuffed my camera inside my vest.
Still, it wasn't bad enough to stop me from snapping a few shots of the dramatic water show.
And, as wise people often remind us, it's the journey and not so much the destination that lures us onward.
Yesterday, along the trail, a few clumps of yellow daisies were blooming, while others were threatening to pop out on that southern hillside where the pathway gently winds down to the falls.
Lupine are just starting to appear in leaf form, while trilliums in wet spots presented a nice contrast with the earth from which they pop out each year at this time.
On our walk back to the pickup, Bill pointed to some wild ginger, bringing back a great memory of a local ginger leaf which has traveled thousands of miles from its origin in Trout Creek (near Lower Pack River) to Spain, Switzerland, many countries in between and finally back to our bookcase shelf here in Sandpoint.
I picked it, along with some others, and gave them to Annie to take along on her first Camino de Santiago walk.
I know there are plenty of anecdotes in between, which include our Swiss Miss and which I will not attempt to tell, but I do know that ginger leaf came back to me for Christmas in its frame.
So, seeing the first wild ginger leaves of 2020, of course, took me back to the nostalgia better times when people were still free to follow their dreams without fear of catching or spreading a deadly disease.
If and when it comes to be, I hope to hand over that framed ginger to Annie and have her take it on another of her adventures to countries of the world. Then, she can bring it back again.
The Snow Creek Falls hike, by the way, offers an easy outing and magnificence of the gushing water at the end of the trail.
BTW: you can also visit the lower falls, which we bypassed yesterday.
By 5:30, we had arrived home with our groceries and some deli chicken from Super 1.
I must admit my amazement while sitting in the pickup observing the comings and goings as Bill did the shopping inside, wearing his mask.
Maybe it's cuz I haven't gone inside grocery stores much lately, but I would guess that 1 in 25 people wore masks into the store.
Sure hope they know something I don't know and that maybe "miraculously" this virus will just disappear.
For some reason, however, I feel a lot safer going overboard on taking precautions.
Happily, we are blessed with enough outdoors opportunities that we don't have to wear masks all the time.
Nevertheless, indoors in public places-----it seems to be wise right now for both potential donors and donees of coronavirus.
The life we save through this inconvenient addition of apparel may be our own or maybe even someone else's.
It's a gorgeous day outside this morning, and I don't have to worry about any social distancing cuz I'll be spending it mowing lawn here at the Lovestead.
Happy Tuesday.
Enjoy the upbeat video which my friend Becky sent last night.
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