1. To prepare for a road trip to Bonners Ferry with Byrdman, I shot out to the Goose n Tree Fresh Baked Cafe in Pinehurst and enjoyed a breakfast burrito packed with chorizo, hash browns, scrambled eggs, spinach, cheddar cheese, and onions with delicious chili verde sauce poured over it. This was my third or fourth different breakfast at Goose n Tree and everyone of them has been generous and delicious.
2. After a quick haircut at Supercuts, I swung by Byrdman's house and we piled in his Sube and headed north. Just after noon, we dropped into Laughing Dog Brewing in Ponderay. We sat at the bar in Laughing Dog's handsome taproom and I enjoyed a pint and a half of Rocket Dog Rye IPA. It's been a long time since I've had Rye IPA and drinking this one took me back to Rockville, MD and trips to the 7 Locks Brewery where I enjoyed their Surrender Dorothy Rye IPA and to a night at the Old Line Bistro when 7 Locks was the featured brewery and I first tasted Surrender Dorothy and had great conversation with the people from 7 Locks who were just getting their brewery started.
After Laughing Dog, we continued to listen to the Classic Vinyl station on satellite radio and headed up to Bonners Ferry. The surrounding mountains against the blue sky made for spectacular vistas. Byrdman and I took seats at the bar at the Kootenai River Brewing. I ordered a pint of Osprey Pilsner, a light and much sweeter beer than the Rye IPA I'd enjoyed earlier and dove into a burger and fries. The large windows behind the bar provided a view of the Kootenai River and vehicles crossing the bridge over the river headed toward or coming down from British Columbia.
During the trip, Byrdman was telling me about Lou Williams performance off the bench for the Clippers the night before as the sixth man. I brought up the days John Havlicek was the sixth man for the Celtics and we talked at length about how much we enjoyed Havlicek (Hondo) and how Byrdman emulated him when he played basketball. It was an eerie coincidence, then, to arrive home and discover that John Havlicek passed away today. He was 79 and died from a bout of pneumonia.
3. Back in Kellogg, I went to Carol's and picked up Charly and Carol told me about what a good day Charly had enjoyed, especially when Carol spent time in the back yard and Charly stayed out with her. Charly is a brave and determined aging dog. Her hind quarters are giving way, making it difficult for her to walk on bare surfaces in the house. But even with whatever pain or inconvenience she is suffering, she loves to roam outside and she gamely drags herself up the back porch stairs. Yes, Maggie was a warrior in her last days. Charly is a warrior, too. I love her strong will. She's a quieter dog than Maggie was. She was always the beta to Maggie's alpha. Now, however, I'm seeing strength in Charly beyond what I've seen before. It's impressive. It moves me.
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