Daydreaming Always Allowed On Boardwalk

There weren’t many people walking on the water Thursday afternoon.

No doubt that’s started to change by now. Because summer’s on the near horizon. And taking a stroll on the boardwalk at the Coeur d’Alene Resort has become a local rite of the season.

Billed as “The world’s longest floating boardwalk,” the 3,300-foot path surrounds a marina and, well, you’ve been there, you know the deal.

It’s the closest thing to water sports you can find without owning a boat or getting wet. You feel the wooden path bob in the lake as you walk along and listen to the little swells lap against its sides.

But Thursday, the ducks cruising for handouts had few marks. There was a smiling guy in a knit cap who seemed to regard 55 degrees as winter-like. (Some Southern Californians don’t need to say a word.) There were a couple of young women exercise-walking. A man with white hair headed in the opposite direction practically broke his neck to turn and watch them.

There was a guy in a Chicago Bears cap who looked like he was fighting the urge to call the office back home. And a woman walking a bouncy Siberian husky accepted the smiles of strangers on the dog’s behalf.

There was an older man with two young women who were taking a series of pictures guaranteed to capture maximum stiffness. (If you make someone hold a smile long enough, it starts to turn into a grimace.)

And a few others.

Even though it was light-jacket weather and the sky was overcast, there was plenty to see. There always is.

A parasailer being pulled by a boat. A float plane throttling up (it sounded like a stereo speaker with a wasted woofer) and taking off. Boat owners in the marina getting their vessels cleaned up for the big weekend. Gulls swooping past. Lady bugs on the railings. Graffiti carved into the wooden tables in the sunning area. “Apryl + Scott 4 Evr.”

The resort’s pretty wooden boat “Eagle” eased past, its engine making a throaty gurgle. The guy at the wheel waved back.

Sometimes, though, you can’t beat just watching the water. Even on a cloudy day, it shimmers and quivers and works a kind of magic on your mind.

The boardwalk has plenty of signs listing for visitors some of the things that are not allowed to do.

One warned: “No skateboarding. No bicycles. No rollerblades.”

“No diving off bridge” cautioned another.

But staring into the water and daydreaming, that’s always OK.

, DataTimes MEMO: Being There is a weekly feature that looks at gatherings in the Inland Northwest.