Sunday, June 09, 2024

Dog Day Afternoon, Et. Al.

 




It turned out to be a fun Saturday yesterday, filled with fun and assorted activities. 

Twas a toss-up deciding whether catching up with Al Beauchene and Bob Sphar via Facebook or hanging with my sister and the dogs in the pasture topped the charts for the day. 

It was interesting that Al and Bob remembered our dad Harold for different reasons.

In Al's case it was avoiding getting caught by Harold when while fishing at the City reservoir.  Harold worked for the City of Sandpoint as the water filter operator. 

And, Bob remembered Harold for his Appaloosa horses, including the world-famous Foundation sire Toby 1.  


Al Beauchene was the oldest of the four Beauchene kids who lived toward the end of North Boyer when we were growing up. 

He was far enough ahead of me in school that I didn't really know him as well as I knew Roger, Elsie and Gary. 

After he graduated from high school, I think I've seen him only once, several years ago. 

Al, who lives in Hayden Lake, has joined Facebook, and since becoming FB friends, we've exchanged a lot of family trivia. 

This week I also saw that Bob Sphar was on Facebook and after chatting with him a while through Messenger, I happily learned that he is, indeed, THE Bob Sphar who did some horse trading involving an Appaloosa stallion that grew up on our North Boyer Farm. 

We began exchanging comments yesterday and threw out some names. 

Our dad's mother Iva Tibbs was Bob's teacher at the Gold Creek one-room school house.  Also, longtime, beloved 4-H leader, the late Bernice Wood was his sister. 

So, that makes Bob, who lives in Wenatchee, the uncle of Bert Wood who keeps some of his cows next door at the Meserve Preserve during the summer.

I had a hard time believing that this was the Bob Sphar, along with his brother Dale and father Art (owner of the old sale yard on Oak Street), who often received dinner-table conversation at our house.

I actually thought he was much older and long gone, but according to his Facebook account, he's 92.  

Later, I calculated that Bob must has been in his 20s when I was the ragtag little girl who accompanied my folks to Bonner County Horseman's Assoc. meetings or during the days the group built the rodeo grounds on Baldy Road or even when the large and active group went on trail rides around the county. 

I can also remember Bert, as a young boy, coming to some of those events. 

Small world, great time travel with a little "full circle" mixed in.  

It's been fun swapping stories with both of these gentlemen from our respective golden pasts here in the Sandpoint area. 

Later in the afternoon, my sister Barbara sent a text wondering if it was a good time to come over with the pups.  Since Laurie is off at a horse show on the coast, Barbara is in charge of both Callie and Remi. 

When she arrived, the two pups, along with Bridie and Foster and my sister and me headed for a pasture.  We took along the chuck-it ball, and the dogs had a figurative ball of their own chasing through the grass to be the first to retrieve. 

Generally, Bridie remained content to watch but joined in occasionally. 

And, when the owners decided that was enough on a relatively warm day, our buddies were literally "dog tired."  

Lots of panting and a few trips to the water tank ended a great play day. 

I also spent time at Evan's graduation party, took in the Belmont Horse Race, and mowed some lawn and whacked some tall grass, so it was a full day. 

On this breezy, sunny summer morning, we'll just do what we do on summer days---a little of this and a little of that. 

Life is good. 

Happy Sunday. 

 











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