OMG.
How many vehicles had I seen in Alaska that looked just like this one?
Cars and trucks and SUV's that are seemingly held together with duct tape, bungee cords and stickers.
I love these crazy looking things.
They are so anti-establishment. So "I don't give a fuck". So free wheeling and easy going and in your face.
They amuse me and make me smile.
After snapping a couple of quick pictures of sticker-car I looked across the road, saw the huge American flag, looked more closely and realized that the small park was actually a war memorial.
I headed towards it..............
The park was located adjacent to the library, and was dedicated not only to war dead, but also to those who died while settling this area.
There was also a monument dedicated to all those from the county who had served in all branches of the military through the decades and centuries.
A sweet, peaceful, respectful and pretty green space in town...................
I snapped pictures quickly and efficiently, knowing that LC and Chris would be calling me before I was ready to leave my wanderings through town.
This piece of granite gave me pause though.
Only two names.
But - sadly - inevitably - tragically - with room for many more.
This country is what it is. Does what it does.
There will be more.
Sooner. Or later.
But there will always be more...............
One more building with one more large and colorful painting on the outside.
I love these things.
Have loved them since Alaska...............
As I finally made my way to what looked to be the main street of this small town, the first thing I saw was the chicken.
A huge caged chicken resting on top of a building............
As I was wandering around a very quiet antique store the obnoxiously loud ring tone of my cell phone broke the silence.
The guys hadn't caught any fish.
LC had caught an amazingly huge craw fish and I could hear Chris still laughing about it in the background as LC told me about it.
He didn't have his camera with him, but had taken pictures of the thing with his cell phone, and I wouldn't believe how BIG it was.
I smiled through the phone, imaging my guy and my boy catching an amazingly huge craw fish.
As my Mountain Boy continued to excitedly babble about it, I could imagine him tossing it onto the shore.
Could imagine Chris cautiously picking it up and then carefully staying just out of reach of the claws that would be frantically picking and clasping at his captor.
It was time for the guys to go get tires changed.
I would stay in town and continue to take pictures.
Call me when you're done and you guys can pick me up.
After hanging up my phone I looked through the antique store for a few more minutes (I owned stuff I saw in the shop and it is amazing what you can find at yard sales) and then wandered back outside, continuing to randomly take pictures of whatever random sights caught my attention..............
A vintage car sitting outside an auto-dealership.
Why this car was sitting here, among the shiny new vehicles with their shiny new prices, I don't know, but I took a picture of it because I knew that LC would want to see it............
Across the street from the shiny old car was this less-shiny (but still equally cool) old car in somebodys yard..........
After wandering for what seemed like a long time downtown, I found myself being pulled to the back end of town.
Meandering through less tourist-based side streets, I was headed for this place.
I have said it before - I see art in so many things - and I saw art in this empty building...............
But this is actually what I was headed for.
I had seen the top of the old grain mill while walking in town, and could see more and more of it as I got closer.
As I finally stood in front of the beautiful, beautiful structure, I was acutely aware of the fact that I was wandering back streets of a town that I didn't know.
I didn't feel unsafe. But I was aware.
I quickly snapped a few pictures before turning back and following one more long back street, that I knew would take me back towards the center of town................
On the same back street, and now only a block or two from down town I came across the Bonners Ferry police and fire departments.
Typical police vehicles, a bus to transport inmates to work details, and this hummer.............
I saw the couple and stopped walking for a moment, momentarily unsure of whether or not I should continue towards them or veer off onto another street.
As I snapped the picture of the fire department sign LC called me, and I gave him my exact address so that he could punch it into our gps and come pick me up.
At that I thought "what the hell..............."
There was the couple and two women who were obviously family members snapping pictures and that was all.
All unexpectedly standing in a back alley of a side street next to the fire department.
The last thing I had expected to see on this back street was the sight that was now standing before me.
The two women looked over at me and then the couple followed suit.
With camera already in hand I quickly explained that I was visiting Bonners Ferry for a couple of days and had a blog, and would they mind if I took a picture.
Newly married, they were happy to oblige.
I only took this one, thanked them profusely, congratulated them, wished them the very best in their new lives together, looked over and there was LC pulling up.................
We found a restaurant to eat dinner and then went back to the hotel to retrieve puppy, who was sitting eagerly at the door.
We walked, she sniffed and marked and barked, and then we all spent a couple of hours sitting by the fire at the motel, listening to and watching five or six sixty year old drunk people, who were celebrating the birthday of one of the partiers and taking turns dancing on a picnic table with a life sized cut-out of Dale Evans.
At the end of a long day I snapped this picture of my sweet boy-man and my sweet girl..................
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