A week in Colville

I'm sure you are asking yourself "what's with the photograph of a garbage can"?

Well, to make a long story even longer it started two weeks ago. We had a storm a day or two before "pick-up" but really no big deal. Garbage day comes and we all put our cans out and that first night they are still sitting by the road, full! Okay, I'll leave mine out by the road another day and when there was still no pick-up, I finally called the office in Spokane. "Hello, somehow our road was missed on the pick-up day" sorry I was told..."too much snow" WTF? Hey, we live 30 miles from the Canadian border...is this something that might not of been anticipated? No, I did not say all of that, but I was thinking it in my head and instead asked "well what happens if we get more snow next week...as unlikely (ya right) as that sounds... what do we do"? Her answer was that they would credit our bill which helps me none whatsoever because there is no local place to dump around here without a charge. Heck this same company will charge us extra if the lid is cracked open only a slight amount. I was happy to see the garbage truck today but still can't help thinking that "Sunshine Disposal" really didn't think it through when they bid for our service. (or maybe their name is a clue we should of caught ahead of time)

Well that's enough griping about trash. Last Sunday Donna and I did what every good Washingtonian did...watch the Superbowl.

I first have to admit that I am not a huge football guy but seeing that I had a substantial wager with my young sister in Denver.

We enjoyed a couple of beers and sandwich while watching part of the game at one of only two bars in town open and celebrating the game. I did feel bad for my little sis, because from the very first down of the game I am sure she was physically sick...but I will enjoy my $25 Starbucks card all the same...thanks Teri.:-)

Another cold spell hit us this week and I find it hard to believe in a few months I could be fly fishing for german browns that hang around in the Colville River, in the meantime I might give ice skating a try.

We have seen many eagles in the valley but this "first year immature" bald eagle was just sitting off the road going into town so I had to shoot it. I can tell it is a first year (born in the summer of 2013) because of how much white he is still carrying and the beak has not started to change color to yellow.

Like all birds of prey, he/she only gave me one shot before taking off... even though I was 100 yards away.

Donna and I have seen 5 or 10 of these small buildings, usually 10 to 20 feet from a residence, (some no larger than a big bathroom) and guessed that they might be smokehouses with all the wood stacked around the outside walls. I knew that didn't make sense because the smoke is going up a smokestack, hardly an efficient way of smoking meat. Curiosity got the best of me, I stopped at a fireplace company and asked the guy at the counter. He thought it could be a smokehouse too. Lucky for me the bosses door was open and heard the conversation so he stepped out to the counter clueing both of us. Seems years ago a lot of homes had "boiler buildings" that supplied hot water to the floors of cabins or homes for heat. Not environmentally clean and outlawed for now but if you are grandfathered in, you are good to go.

Just so you don't think I am the only "tree hugger" in the area. I have driven past this farm many times, never having my camera when I needed it, while witnessing the farmer haul bales of alfalfa with a tractor out to his horses all the while the deer are a mere 50 feet away... just waiting. He doesn't think twice about shooing them away but he might take one or two a year for meat...I got no problem with that!  

             :-)

Happy February