Huckleberries: Fire coverage has tourists steering clear of Bayview

Little Bayview can’t get any respect this summer. First, the Cape Horn fire chased residents from the Lake Pend Oreille community. Then, some quibbled about the adjective used by the Associated Press to describe Bayview: “upscale.” Now? Seasonal residents and tourists are MIA. Curmudgeonly Herb Huseland of the Bay Views blog blamed media coverage for giving the impression that the town is still in fire danger. On Wednesday, Herb posted: “While the permanent residents of Bayview are home, the summer people are not. Float home owners, boat owners and RV people are missing in droves. In talking to one marina owner, it is the over-hyped television media that is misrepresenting the Cape Horn fire status.” Much of Herb’s spleen was vented on area TV newscasters. Whom, I’d say (in venturing a dissenting opinion), performed well by providing the public and various agencies with vital info during the height of the burn. But Herb’s point is well taken. The sky’s clear in Bayview. As one wag said on my Huckleberries blog: “There’s no smoke in the air as long as the door to JDs isn’t propped open.”

Ah’m your huckleberry

In the “You’re Not from Around Here” Department, a southern Illinois couple staying at the Coeur d’Alene Resort was looking for acoustic music in downtown Coeur d’Alene on Wednesday evening. While making an inquiry, they admitted to a passer-by that they weren’t impressed with their first taste of huckleberry at the farmers market. “It tastes like a bitter blueberry,” the female half said … A close encounter with a bear prompted Priest Lake chronicler Pecky Cox to post the following note on Facebook: “Mr. Bear: Thank you so much for not messing up the garage too much, except for parts of Huckleberry Pie smashed on car door. All has been cleaned. I stepped on some leftover pie and now the stain in car carpet is ‘huge.’ Had a laugh, Fred (her husband) didn’t. Bon appetit!” Seems North Idaho bears have a better appreciation of huckleberries than tourists do.

Huckleberries

Poet’s Corner: “Enough to discourage/some smoldering sparks;/too little to send us/out shopping for arks” – The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“The Recent Rains”) … Finally, a category in which Idaho leads the nation: most commercial drone activity per capita. This, according to KBOI. Impressed? Didn’t think so … Quotable Quote: “Since both schools were quoted as saying ‘We want to go in another direction,’ one would have to assume from that, the direction would be a losing streak” – the aforementioned Herb Huseland, of Bayview, re: recent firings of successful North Idaho prep baseball coaches Nick Rook (Coeur d’Alene) and Tom Grunenfelder (Lewiston) … Sign of the Times (on a stop sign in Sandpoint): Below the white “STOP” on the familiar red background, someone had posted this sticker “THE 49ERS.” (Shouldn’t be hard to do this year) … How soothing was the July evening in vibrant downtown Coeur d’Alene on Wednesday? So relaxing that the mood wasn’t ruined by the black pickup, SUV and minivan, parked at the Independence Point lot, sporting Confederate flags. The message of the exercise was unclear … Among the lost-and-found items from Cabela’s at State Line last week? A loaded Ruger LCP .380. Sounds like someone needs a course in gun safety.

Parting shot

During her acceptance speech at the ESPYs for the Arthur Ashe Courage Award last week, transgender Caitlyn Jenner hailed her mother, Esther Avry of Lewiston. Esther was glowing. But Jenner’s old clan, the Kardashians, sat stone-faced elsewhere. P’haps they were worried that Jenner’s “I Am Cait” docu-series (to debut Sunday, July 26) will steal some of the reality TV ratings from “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.”