Slight Detour: Wednesday Babble

This young man and his lovely daughter had to be on Cloud Nine yesterday in Washington, D.C.

This is retired Sandpoint High School government teacher and Vietnam Army Veteran Terry Iverson who, along with his daughter Amy took the honor flight to the Nation's Capital.

They'll return to Spokane and then to Sandpoint this evening after having the opportunity to visit national historical sights and monuments.

Some basketball team members and my sister Barbara.

Nice kids!

Our daughter-in-law Debbie, SHS girls coach Madi and Madi's sister enjoyed a hug and some fun moments at last night's Sandpoint High Basketball Foundation fundraiser at Sweet Lou's in Ponderay.

A percentage of every meal tab will go to the Foundation.

Both the boys and girls players were on hand at Sweet Lou's last night with baskets to fill with raffle tickets.

Turns out somebody I know better than anyone else won the raffle.

I'm taking a cue from my niece Laura who won the raffle at this weekend's Food Bank Fundraiser.

I'll do a "Laura" and give my winnings back.

I just now found out who called to tell me about my win.

It was Coach Madi.

She said the raffle brought in $1,300 so that's pretty neat for the teams.

Madi also told me that, ironically, her dad won the raffle last year.

GO,BULLDOGS!

Let's hope both teams have a banner year.

I went over to Roxane's and spent some time with my horses yesterday.

Horses are different from dogs in that they don't wag their tails or wiggle all over with excitement when they haven't seen their humans for a while.

Instead, they stare, maybe walk up to you and then start sniffing your pockets or your hands in pursuit of possible treats.

I'd like to get inside the mind of a horse some day and learn what they really think about their humans.

Anyway, it's always nice for me to see them whether they reciprocate or not.

It's Bill's big day, and the "Be Prepared" Eagle Scout had everything laid out before dawn this morning.

He had even moved the black pickup to the "pointed-out-the-driveway" position.

Around the time I publish this post and when he climbs in for the last time AND if he hasn't forgotten something (Bill averages about two or three returns to the house after saying "So long.), he will point the pickup toward the north.

He will drive HWY 95 to Bonners Ferry, proceed on north and somewhere along the way will cross the Kootenai Valley to the West Side Road.

After driving that road a while, he'll pass Smith Creek Falls and then turn left on the Smith Creek Road.

Bill lives for this day every fall. It used to be, when we had the "New Old Motorhome," that he would drive it to Smith Creek and stay the night. Often that was right at the end of the Labor Day weekend.

This year, however, a forest fire set that back a bit, but now he has the green light to go back to the site where he stayed in a Forest Service encampment for the summer and learned many of the fishing pools in the Smith Creek drainage.

I'm sure it will be after dark before he reappears, all refreshed and reinvigorated with his day of nostalgia and his fly-fishing pursuits.

So, it's a beautiful day, and here's wishing Bill a safe and fun Smith Creek adventure.