Golf Game Scrubbed: Wet Grounds

June 15, 2009

McCall Finito

(pictures are coming!)

The hoped for round of golf today was doomed overnight as a 3 a.m. drizzle (rain) steadily increased until about 5 a.m. It would be a sloggy round at best, so I stayed in bed.

As the day began, I headed down the road with Annika for her morning constitutional. Spying a newspaper rack, I plunked down 75 cents that was burning a hole in my pocket and bought a copy of the Idaho Statesman. My intention was to survey some local/state issues. Soon Annika signaled that she was about to leave a large deposit on the lawn.

I reached for the roll of doggie bags affixed to her retractable leash. Horrors! There were no bags left, a fact that should have been rectified by the last dog-walker (read “Road Queen”). I glanced over my shoulder and noticed a nearby RV resident watching us. This was not a pile we could walk away from. I searched my pockets for anything, but decided against using the 3 dollar bills---they were entirely inadequate. Ahaah! The Idaho Statesman.

I tore off a page of the classified ad section and attempted to make a grab. Groping carefully, I discovered that the Statesman was a “one-ply” newspaper. I tore off another couple pages, completed the grab and then wiped my hand on the wet grass. Yukk! Depositing the gathered glop in a garbage can, I reflected on the great start to this (again) rainy day.

Returning to the rig, the RQ and I enjoyed bacon/eggs/red-potatoes and coffee.

We followed this with a drive around Payette Lake, adjacent to McCall. It would have been prettier with a little blue sky. Returning to McCall, we sought out the obligatory magnet for the collection. Next was a departure from our usual dietary restraint---huckleberry ice cream cones for lunch. These things were monsters.

Returning to the rig, we were advised that our home buyer had “verbally accepted our counter-offer, paperwork to follow.” Let’s hope this one sticks!

As I started to replace the repaired tire with the spare that was still on the Honda, I realized that the flat tire was the gift that would keep on giving. Somewhere between Sacramento and here, the locking lug-nut key was lost. What this meant was that in the event of a flat tire (any of the 4), I would be unable to remove the tire. Not good. This meant a trip to the McCall tire shop here the gents there muscled off the locked lug nuts for the bargain price of $21.25. No more locking log nuts for me.

Returning again to the rig, there was a rare sun-break, so Janice and I saddled up the bikes and began a tour of the park. After traveling less than a quarter mile, the sprinkles started. We made a quick decision to head back, arriving at the rig just a few seconds ahead of a downpour. Time for Scrabble.

A final commentary on Ponderosa State Park, our residence for the last 3 days. The new “group camping” park is a first class RV park. 50 amps, full hookups. The rest of the campground is pretty ordinary. The town of McCall deserves another visit. Remember to bring raingear.

Tomorrow heading upstate to Winchester Lake, enroute to Coeur d’Alene, site of (daughter) Julie’s next triathlon adventure, coming up Sunday..