Yesterday turned out much nicer than expected, so Bill and I enjoyed a "mixed bag" of Saturday activities.
Yes, I did get some writing done, but, no, I didn't spend the day at the computer.
When the predicted weather event had not developed by noon, we took off for Stampede Lake.
Bill had a mission in mind: to replace the container for a geocache Annie had set out in the Forest Service recreation area near Naples.
It's a place where people ride bikes, horses and 4-wheelers or just hang out and visit.
The area has neat trees, abundant openings and with a sandy base and lots of stumps.
The ground with its cushiony layer of needles is comparatively dry to other areas.
So, with this being the beginning of mud season aka dirty horse and dog days at the Lovestead, we're happy to go elsewhere for outdoor enjoyment.
When we arrived yesterday, we saw a congregation people gathered around trucks, trailers, bikes and a 4-wheeler.
They had a fire going, and as we left the truck and prepared to walk off toward three geocaches Bill was hoping to find, we could see that it was a pretty leisurely gathering with most folks visiting while two or three would go for runs on their bikes.
As we were about to set off, one biker came over to greet us, then asking where we would be walking. His purpose: to assure us the group did not cause us any concern with our different brand of fun.
We were impressed.
So, we took off with Annie's cache being the first on the list to find. Bill had read that the small cache container was wet inside, so he brought a new container and moved the cache contents to the newer model.
While he was tending to that project, Annie texted us a photo from where she was spending a gorgeous day geocaching on Whidbey Island. I've added a couple more.
Another cache, like Annie's, had been hidden in a stump by an older couple whom we had met at a local geocaching event a few years ago.
The final cache, set out by Bill several years ago, was also located at a stump near a yellow survey sign nailed to a tree by Bill's former colleague and friend, Bill Stockman.
Bill checked it out and found a refrigerator magnet from "Louisiana," which he retrieved with plans to pass it on to another cache.
The geocaching adventure turned out to be a perfect outing for our afternoon of better-than-forecast weather.
Upon our return, it was time to put dirty horses in the barn and encourage Liam and Foster to stay out of the mud on their way from the run to the house.
Easier said than done these days. With this year's relatively mild winter, it's possible that the annual maddening mud event may not last as long as usual.
We're not holding our breath, though, knowing we live in North Idaho, where if something's easy, we can almost always count on an equal amount of difficult to go along with it.
During our at-home hours yesterday, we were thrilled to spot the first robins of the year. I had taken the photos below, figuring that later, I'd get some better ones.
When later came, the robins had disappeared. Bill and I figure they send some ahead on a reconnaissance mission to see if they should all make the permanent move for spring, summer and fall.
The place was SO alive with birds yesterday that I felt like we live in a sanctuary. Twas so neat to walk around the yard and hear the chatter coming from crows, geese, and all the varieties that hang out at the feeders.
Very entertaining day, bird-wise, which kinda makes up for the mud.
I hope we see robins again today. In my mind, it's time.
As for yesterday, it ended up being a great day from start to finish.
Happy Sunday.
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