Better than sitting on the couch any day, especially New Year's Day!
Twas really ugly weather as we began 2021.
Rain and a whole lot of fog had settled in.
Not wanting to spend the day mad at the weather and bored in the house, I suggested to Bill that we go for a drive and take along a couple of those Wood's German sausages with his portable stove.
"This time I'll bring mustard," I added.
"Where do you want to go?" he asked.
"Let's drive into Montana," I said. My brother had told me the day before that where he lives near Missoula, they had received just a dusting of snow.
Knowing we wouldn't get that far, I suggested we drive to the little park west of Trout Creek alongside the Clark Fork River.
About 20 minutes later, we were pulling out of the driveway for our first road trip of 2021.
No disappointments either. The further we drove, the less it rained, and instead of an all-encompassing blanket, the fog became more and more intermittent.
By the time we arrived in Trout Creek, the rain had stopped, and fog was just providing temporary cover-ups to the mountains across the river.
The sun and some blue sky even made appearances as we carried our treats to a covered picnic table.
Bill brought two stoves, one for cooking sausages and a mini number that he recently bought for boiling water and fixing hot chocolate, soup or freeze-dried meals.
His choice to go along with the German sausage cooked just right: gumbo. Leave it to a Luzianna man.
He offered me some, but I was content to chomp on cheese and chips while enjoying each and every bite of my sausage.
We moved a lot while enjoying our mini picnic cuz it was a bit colder than Sandpoint.
Later, we took a drive down Blue Slide Road on the north side of the river. Bill knew about another little picnic park, so we checked it out.
We had company at Avista's Vermillion Bay. While walking a short trail above the river, we saw two white tails flashing in the trees not far away.
The deer ran a few feet and then stood watching as we made our way back to the pickup.
I asked Bill to turn down the Vermillion River Road where my friend Chris and I had set out traffic counters and conducted traffic surveys for the Forest Service in the early 1970s.
Nothing looked familiar in the mile or so we spent driving the road. We decided that the approach to where we worked must have changed in nearly 50 years.
I guess when it's safe to be in a "rig" together, Chris and I will have to go back there and figure out where the heck we worked.
It was afternoon caffeine time on our way back to Idaho, so I asked Bill to stop at a convenience store.
Donning my mask, I walked inside, figuring I would be an oddity. Sure enough, I was, but that didn't matter.
People still smiled at the old lady with the mask, and one very nice young man (who has done nearly 20 years in the military).
Richard, who's doing online courses in police science, said he was in a good mood yesterday and insisted that he pay for my coffee.
What a nice feeling on the first day of 2021!
And, a new friend!
We arrived home before dark and agreed that our spontaneous trip and mini picnic (most of them are) had been most successful.
Today is "go get" day here at the Lovestead---go get groceries and grain and shavings for the barn stalls.
Plus, I saw in the local paper that Willie is resuming his basketball season with a girls varsity game against St. Maries this afternoon at Les Rogers Gym.
Willie's game and the subsequent boys varsity game should be streamed on Facebook, starting around 3 p.m. PST.
GO, BULLDOGS!
And, then, at 5 p.m. PST on ESPN2, Gonzaga's No. 1 Bulldogs team launches its West Coast Conference schedule, hosting San Francisco in the Kennel.
GO, ZAGS!!!!
Happy Saturday.
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Thank you, Richard, for the cup of convenience-store coffee. You are truly an all-around nice guy AND my first new friend of 2021. |
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