October 4, 2026- Hana and I were about halfway through our walk, when the raindrops started falling on my head. She was safe under the canopy of the stroller. I had an umbrella, so up it went and we were at a turnaround point, anyway. By the time we got back to the border between Hoblitzelle Park and the middle school, the rain had stopped. Hana complained. I think she was enjoying the plink on her stroller’s canopy.
Yunhee received a cloth globe, as an early birthday gift. Hana was drawn to the bright colours of the different countries and states. The print was a bit too small to keep her interest very long, though. Also, the cloth was a bit too rough. My granddaughter prefers smooth.
HANA’S NOTE- I was so excited this afternoon, that I stayed awake and got myself all tired out and dizzy. I fell down and bumped my pride, more than my body. I need to go to bed.
(So, she did, right at 7 pm.)
EXPANDING CIRCLES: Idaho – The Gem State has greeted me five times. In 1982, Penny and I stopped briefly in Blackfoot and Idaho Falls, mostly to have a picnic lunch and for her to stop at a K-Mart. I made transit passages through Idaho in 1972 and in 1987. In 2015, I came down from Spokane and explored a bit of northwest Idaho, crossing back into Oregon, after a brief visit to Snake River Gorge. My last visit, in 2022, was a bit serendipitous. There are two towns named St. Anthony, in North America. One is in Newfoundland. The other, in Idaho. Whilst in Newfoundland, I made a reservation for a room at an inn, in St.Anthony. I did not notice that it was in St. Anthony, ID. After some back and forth, I was given the opportunity to stay there, “within a year’s time.” I chose to combine that stay with one of my forays up to Nevada. That was in October of that year.
The turf- Southern Idaho is a blend of rugged high desert (Great Basin) and the Snake River Plain, th estate’s breadbasket. Central Idaho is mountainous, as is the northeast. The northwest, including the Panhandle is a mix of forested mountains, deep blue lakes and the eastern sector of the Palouse.- an arid high plain.
First Nations-Idaho is the ancestral home of the Kunaxa(“ku-na-ha), also called Kootenai, Nez Perce, Shoshone-Bannock, Coeur d’Alene (Skitswish), and Shoshone-Paiute peoples. Conflicts with settlers, principally instigated by miners, included the Coeur d’Alene War, the “Snake” Wars (1,762 people killed altogether), the Bear River Massacre (250 Native people were killed). These costly wars ended with First Nations people being placed on reservations, such as Fort Hall, near Blackfoot; Nez Perce, between Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston; and Duck Valley, on the border with Nevada. I knew and worked with a Shsohone-Paiute woman from Duck Valley, while I was at Jeddito School. She was an elegant and principled lady, well-spoken and offered her students a good education. Alas, she died before her time.
Where I most feel at home- St. Anthony, Craters of the Moon, Boise, Moscow, Lewiston
Where I most feel at peace- Craters of the Moon, Snake River Canyon
NEXT: Wyoming
