Neither Snow, Hail Nor Bad Address Can Stop This Mail
In “Huckleberries” past, you learned of “Gringo (Mike) Green” in Central America sending a letter to our CdA office “near Paul Bunyan’s.” Maybe Mike got the idea from a 1979 whitewater raft trip down the Salmon River. In the wilderness above Riggins, Mike’s party stopped to visit legendary Buckskin Bill. The latter-day mountain man had arrived in Salmon River country during the Depression and survived by growing food and making guns, clothing and tools. During the visit, Mike noticed a letter, addressed simply: “Buckskin Bill, Somewhere on the Salmon River, Somewhere North of Boise, Idaho.”
Mail gets through II: Tim Wells, a traveling computer instructor, once won a bet by receiving a letter he’d mailed to himself from a distant city. The only identifying features were his Cataldo ZIP code and the words, “Carrie’s husband.” … Something’s wrong, figures Wallace’s Dave Zabel, when the anniversary card he bought recently for his wife of 51 years cost $3.68 - or $1.18 more than their wedding license. … Remember the two good Samaritans who helped Mullan’s Wally Goodsen reload building materials at a Silverlake Mall intersection (“Huckleberries,” June 12)? Well, my bloodhounds have discovered their identities: CHS grad Matt Butkovich and his buddy, Jason Glynn. Attaboys.
California dreamin’: Sight-‘em near Kennewick en route to a California vacation, a warning sign: “Use extreme caution when flashing.” Doesn’t that go without saying? … Only in California: A blonde driving a red Grand Am near the Oakland Coliseum got my attention with her vanity plate: “AROUSAL.” She was gone ere I rubbed my disbelieving eyes. … Only in California II: An upscale San Joaquin Valley subdivision near my siblings’ homes has a thing for speed bumps. Or as it calls them: “undulations.” … Which reminds me of an old joke: How many Californians does it take to screw in a light bulb? Five - one to screw in the bulb and the rest to enjoy the experience. (Relax. I’m an ex-Golden Stater, too - 18 years removed.)
Fan mail: CdA’s Clarrissa Nunn didn’t like the Huckleberry about Bill Reagan and the Hagadone hotel shake-up. Writes she: “Mr. Bill Reagan is a very important part of Hagadone Hospitality and will continue to be. He deserves more than the one line in your column. You have a responsibility to your readers and those lives you affect by your words.” Duly noted. … FYI: Bonner County commissioners trimmed one pork rind from their airport budget. Airport Manager Rob Maurice no longer will get $500 per month for nine months - for snow removal. (Our winters aren’t that tough.)
Huckleberries: Hmmm. Do you suppose owner Bruce Winters will wait until Independence Day to remove the banner from his Hallmark store? You know, the one that reads: “When you care, give flowers for Graduation Day and Memorial Day.” … Barry and Sara Casebolt, the dynamic duo who penned columns for Brand X (the CdA Press) before receiving pink slips, have resurfaced. They’ve coauthored “Sweetie Pie: More Than a Love Story.” The characters are not as fictitious as those in Barry’s old coffee klatch. … Bonner County sheriff’s deputies didn’t have trouble dispersing the rowdies disturbing Round Lake State Park’s peace recently - you know, the ones singing religious hymns at 2 a.m. … If you thought O.J. Simpson had trouble getting his hands into the gloves, watch what happens when he tries to get his size 12 feet to conform to this Bonner County Daily Bee headline: “Size 10 footprint fits O.J.”
Parting shot: Kermit Kiebert, who once oversaw the entire Idaho transportation system, apparently can’t get his own sewer system right. The Idaho Division of Environmental Quality won’t allow more hookups to his system at Hope, Idaho, until Kermit does more work on it - work that should have been done months ago. Bureaucrats sure can be a pain sometimes. Right, Kermit?
, DataTimes MEMO: Gotta Huck? Call the Huckleberry Hound Hotline, (800) 344-6718, or direct, (208) 765-7125.