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| Orofino, Idaho -- October 22, 2014 |
Elderberry
Fest 2014 is history. Nick and Hallie left about 11:30 a.m. Sunday (Oct. 26) and
Clint an hour later. At first the house seemed all too quiet, but of course,
there was plenty to do – the coffee pot to put away, the kitchen to clean,
Italian prunes to finish drying, even decorations to come down. Mike and I considered leaving for town ourselves, but we decided to stay another day. (It
probably had more to do with the schedule of football games than anything
else.)
The week just flew by in a flurry of activity, yet last Tuesday seems a long
time ago. Funny how that can be.
On
Tuesday (Oct. 21), Mike took Bess and drove to the Boise area where he met a friend for a
bird hunt in Oregon on Wednesday. The hunt was unsuccessful (birds are scarce
this year), but he enjoyed visiting his friend and sharing dinner with son Milo
and Jenny.
Nellie
stayed with me, and I think she really enjoyed the one-on-one – or maybe it was
just the absence of Bess. Wednesday (Oct. 22) I loaded the car with groceries and
supplies and drove us to the farmhouse. I stopped on Gilbert Grade to take pictures of Orofino.
Once at the farmhouse I unloaded the car. Besides
readying the house for company, I finished two aprons for Elderberry Fest – the
practical kind that provide coverage.
Of
course, Nellie and I took several walks. She looked for the elusive coveys of
Hungarian partridges while I carried the camera and looked for photo ops.
Thursday (Oct. 23)
was the gathering day. Mike drove to the farm from Nampa, arriving in time for
lunch. Son Clint came in mid-afternoon, but Nick and Hallie didn’t make it
until 11:00 p.m. (We knew they would be late.) Mike and I retired at 9:30, miserably
sleepy, but I awoke with a bang at 10:30 and sat by the north-facing window to
watch for them. The first sign of their approach was a sweep of light across the north field -- before I could even see their headlights. 
Yes, Nick and Hallie really can come in by themselves and find their way
to bed, but the fun part is watching the dogs greet them. I don’t miss it if I
can help it. Hallie
always brings special treats purchased at Seattle’s Mud Bay pet
store, so first we have to get through the initial “what-did-you-bring-me?” moment. After
finishing her treat (a pig ear), Nellie climbed the stairs three at a time to
find Hallie and tell her how happy she was to see her. She was none too pleased when I
insisted she go back outside to bed. Tomorrow: A batch of elderberry jelly
4 comments:
The third photo with Nellie in the field with the barn and house in the background is so cool! Frame-able.
What is the baseball field at the north end of Orofino?
Of course, that's the area behind the elementary/middle school. When I was growing up, the swimming pool was located there and a dirt track used for p.e. and track events. (In those days, track & field was not the athletic event it is today.)
The pool became obsolete and was eventually demolished and the area developed for baseball, including parking. Orofinoans play baseball in several locations, I think.
It's hard for me to believe that the brand new elementary school built to accommodate us baby boomers is now 60 years old.
Hmm, you're right about the school. But they've changed it so much, especially this last year, that it hardly resembles the school we attended. Ann the playground is covered with portables. Ah well--things change. We sure did have some fun at that pool though!
We did have fun at the pool. I thank your mother for that. It wouldn't have happened for me otherwise.
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