Bill spent the day at Smith Creek fishing yesterday and probably doing a little reflecting on the time he spent up there when he first worked for the U.S. Forest Service on the Boundary County ranger district.
He makes that trip and spends the day often a couple of times each year.
It was pretty quiet around here, so I did my usual chores, washed some windows, picked some more blueberries and beans and trimmed old flowers and grass in one of the big flower beds.
It's impossible to keep up with all the extras that grow every year in those beds. No weed pulling; just weed whacking.
I also went for a drive around the neighborhood, taking the Forest Siding loop.
And, that's when the fun began.
I saw a young man with a pretty dog coming my way and wondered if the dog was a Border Collie or Aussie.
"Aussie," Daniel Hughes said to me when I stopped and asked him out the window.
Her name is Freja, and she is two, and her blue eyes are beautiful and inviting as is she.
After petting Freja, I asked Daniel if, by chance, he was the classical pianist.
Sure enough, he was.
I had heard about his presence in the neighborhood a couple of years ago.
Daniel, who's from Portland and who studied at the Manhattan School of Music, gives lessons in the area while on a continued quest to improve his own musical skills.
He's 26, multi-talented, as you'll see from his website.
Daniel told me that he hopes in the next four years to compete in The Cliburn International competition. In the meantime, he teaches, competes and performs.
From Daniel's Linked In: Internationally renowned, ambitious and driven classical pianist and
educator with over two decades' experience performing as soloist and
collaborator and 10 years' experience as teacher. Adaptable and
well-rounded concert, event and landscape photographer with a wide
multi-disciplinary artistic background across performing, visual and
written disciplines.
My chance meeting with Daniel and Freja provided a fun interlude to a brief neighborhood drive. Both dog and her master were very nice.
And, BTW, an understatement: Daniel is pretty good at the keyboard.
But wait.
Not done yet.
A little further down the road, I met Steve and Kerri who were out doing some shovel work around their mailbox.
They moved here permanently a few years ago, and our short visit eventually revealed that they are good friends of my sisters' neighbors.
So, that turned out to be yet another nice "small-world" experience.
Seems Kerri didn't need much more information about where I lived, once she had asked if I was the one out mowing my yard.
Seems she's noticed that obsession of mine while driving by.
I wonder if they provide riding lawnmowers at old-folks' facilities! That would be nice!
While talking to Steve and Kerri, I noted that a deer walking down the road looked as if it was going to join us. It eventually turned around and headed back toward where I first spotted it.
As I drove closer to where the deer was trotting across a field, I was impressed with its nice set of antlers.
It's always amazing to me, even after 17 years out here, how much can be seen and experienced on a simple and brief drive around the neighborhood.
Yesterday's experiences were especially fun.
Lots to do on today's agenda so I'll bring this to a close.
Wishing everyone a happy Wednesday.
Stay cool.
Daniel Hughes and Freja
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Steve and Kerri |
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