In Seach of Purple Gold

 

Downstairs, I can hear Bridie returning to puppydum.

She's racing around the house.  Our house layout provides racing dogs a track through the living room, down a hallway and back to the living room. 

I don't know what inspired her, but I haven't heard that amount of scampering for a long time. 

Kinda nice for a change.  

Usually, in the mornings, the three dogs just continue their beauty rest until it's time to go outside for the day. 

This morning we're all enjoying a pleasant cool down from a hot weekend. 

When the hot from Saturday turned hotter on Sunday afternoon, Bill suggested we go on a huckleberry search up in Myrtle Creek. 

Sounded good to me. 

Even if we came back empty-handed, we would have escaped some more July heat. 

We did not come back empty-handed.  I think there might be 25 berries in the bucket sitting out in the truck. 

At one stop, we discovered a few berries but all were still small and green, which gives hope that maybe things will get better. 

People have been finding and picking berries somewhere, but certainly not in any of the places we've gone. 

After leaving the green-berry spot, we drove for just a ways and I spotted some berries on bushes above the road. 

I had no idea how I was gonna get up that hillside with a bum knee, but the adrenalin of actually picking some berries helped. 

Once I made my way up to the bushes (thanks to my trekking pole) I picked a berry and called out that I had one. 

Then, two, then three and then some silence as I strolled through the huckleberry brush. 

After finding an average of a berry on one out of about every ten bushes, we concluded that maybe this south slope hillside had already been picked off. 

So, that ended the Myrtle Creek version of berry picking.  

Bill then suggested we come down through the Snow Creek.  There were several cars parked alongside the road as we descended. 

By that time, it was pushing 5 o'clock, so we just moved on and came home.  

Our mission kinda failed, but it was still gloriously beautiful up there in the mountains west of Bonners Ferry. 

And, the fireweed this year is spectacular. 

So, once again, high-mountain, spectacular eye candy made the drive worth the effort. 

Once home, we enjoyed a summer dinner of grilled pork chops, Wood's German sausage, potato salad and fresh tomatoes on the deck. 

Doggies enjoyed handouts too. 

Glad to say good bye to the heat for a couple of days.  Looks like it's coming back with more gusto later in the week. 

So, we'll do our best to enjoy these cooler days. 

Happy Monday.