It's a Wrap . . . Next!

 

I thought the wall plaque above symbolized the best way to open this Monday morning after-the-big-rendezvous post. 

We all returned safely late yesterday afternoon to our respective destinations, our homes and our beloveds. 

And, from that point on comes the reflection of time well spent talking about old times, good times and current times. 

Chris, Susie and I have been friends for 60-plus years, and it's for sure we'll remain friends to the end. 

One wonders at times why certain people fall into our circle and stay there. 

I think in our case that certain events where we mutually participated planted and nurtured the fertile seeds of a life of always checking in and enjoying each connection as if the last were just yesterday. 

Some folks in our lifetime journeys just bring with them a little extra glue, I guess. 

Anyway, it was a fun and fruitful weekend in many ways.  We did the visiting, and we did the eating. Just as I began to type the last sentence, my phone lit up with a message from Susie about the recipes.

I'm looking forward to trying that lasagna soup, for it had the just right blend of ingredients to form a multi-day comfort dish for the crock pot. 

Speaking of recipes, Bill and Marv added the just-right ingredients for our "girls'" weekend.  Their stories and personal experiences and knowledge added a nice touch to the ongoing "golden girl" talk.   

So now, it's a somewhat rainy Monday morning after this four-day getaway from work and the cares of the world. We pretty much stayed in a vacuum for the weekend, so there's catching up to do. 

The news front doesn't look too appealing, which is nothing new.  One great story, though. Bill read aloud from yesterday's Daily Bee that Willie has been nominated as "Coach of the Year" for the upcoming North Idaho Sports Banquet.  

Some of his players and his entire team have received similar nominations. 

Of course, we LOVE that news. 

Also, the fact that March Madness will dominate what is already looking like a really busy week makes the forward view pretty palatable. 

When the ZAGS play Grand Canyon University late Friday afternoon, we have two other events on our schedule. 

So spring stuff---in spite of all the recent snow---is revving up, and, for me, I need to organize my schedule so that it allows plenty of time to check in on games when the NCAA Tournament starts its 12-hour-long daily schedues on three different channels. 

It's good to be home, and great to have some fun stuff to reflect upon and uplifting to have a variety of activities to happily anticipate throughout the week. 

What's even better is knowing that after today's wetness come several days of dry and relatively warm weather.  

I think the masses around this area are fully ready to embrace the weather change. 

The drive to and from Idaho Falls was lovely both ways.  Especially beautiful, however, were the snow-covered mountains around Monida (Montana-Idaho) Pass. 

For miles, new coatings of snow created scenes so beautiful, clean and perfect that they didn't seem real. 

Definitely jaw-dropping and awe-inspiring. 

On the drive back yesterday, we were also really looking forward to stopping in Dell, Montana, where, on several previous trips, our palates enjoyed heavenly experiences and our bodies added a few more ounces, thanks to giant mouth-watering fresh donuts, maple bars and apple fritters at the CALF-A. 

The CALF-A was an old school house turned restaurant, located out in the middle of nowhere south of Dillon along the freeway. 

Sadly, yesterday, when we pulled into Dell, we saw that the catchy name had disappeared and that the establishment was closed. 

We also learned at the mercantile that the CALF-A had gone through two different owners in the past few years. 

A local told us that prices had skyrocketed with hamburgers priced at $17.50 and that waiting for those hamburgers often takes two hours. 

The assessment may have been an exaggeration, but it was disappointing to us.   Seems to me that if you've got something that continually draws people off the freeway in a remote location, why try to fix it. 

We did, however, have a good time strolling through the mercantile, which was stocked with the usual food items and coffee along with some neat Western gift items. 

We also spent a good amount of time hearing about the meat processing industry from the mercantile's former owner.  

He's part of a three-generation family of butchers who got their start in New Hampshire. He now partners with another couple in their own Dell meat-processing market.

The former CALF-A had opened when we left the mercantile but, by that time, we had to get down the road. 

Bill, Chris and I stopped in Thompson Falls, Mont., yesterday afternoon to stretch our legs. 

As we rolled into Thompson Falls, it occurred to me that 69 years to the day, my mother and soon-to-be stepfather Harold had rolled into the same town in 1954 to get married. 

So, there was in my mind a reflection of a time so long ago when our lives changed and a suggestion that we play the old family road-trip game called "Count the Deer" on the rest of the trip home.

There weren't too many out and about to count. 

Now it's time to count the days until the "Dance" begins and to count on some better weather. 

All good. 

Happy Monday.