So much for vacation

We couldn’t have picked a worse week to take vacation. Last week was awful. Smoky, smoky, smoky. We had fires all around us so it didn’t matter which way the wind blew. It brought in smoke from every direction. We had planned to go boating, maybe spend some time in Glacier Park, and take a drive down the scenic Swan Valley just east of here. Instead we sat on the deck looking at the smoke. We couldn’t even enjoy the view of the lake or mountains. Just smoke.

There's a lake there somewhere.

Last Thursday we almost went out in the boat in spite of the smoke, but had to admit we wouldn’t enjoy it so we didn’t. But I guess there was one feeble consolation. “At least we didn’t pay a bunch of money and drive or fly across the country for a vacation we can’t enjoy.”

This week the smoke cleared out, but that’s because it’s been raining every day. Dean stopped to get gas today and the customer in front of him was complaining about the weather. It turns out they were having our “at least we didn’t” experience.

They had spent a week here last year and enjoyed it so much they planned to spend two weeks here this year. They rented a lakefront cabin at $2000 a week and invited another couple to join them. They had rented a boat last year but thought it was too expensive so they borrowed a boat and towed it here from their home in Nevada. They were looking forward to two idyllic weeks of boating, exploring Glacier Park and enjoying the lake and mountain views from their deck. Instead they got a week of smoke and a week of rain.

“We went out in the boat one day even though it was smoky because we thought, what the hell, we’re on vacation and we towed the damn thing all the way here. But it wasn’t any fun.” They haven’t been doing anything but sitting on the deck watching the smoke and then watching the rain. And after being cooped up in a cabin for nearly two weeks, they’re getting on each other’s nerves. The good news is the rain is supposed to clear out for at least one day tomorrow. The bad news is tomorrow they have to drive back to Nevada.

Reminded me of this poor bastard.

In which Dean meets a criminal mastermind

Yesterday morning Dean stopped at a convenience store on the way to work. There was a guy sitting by the door to the store trying to sell a boat anchor. “It’s a real good anchor. You can have it for twenty bucks. Probably worth fifty.” Dean declined, went in and paid for his gas. On the way out, the guy had an even better offer. “Tell ya what, you can have it for fifteen bucks. Probably worth sixty.” Dean once again declined. The guy persisted. “You could probably sell it to Don Bell.” That happens to be the name of our county sheriff.

When Dean got to work he mentioned the odd encounter to the news guy, who then made his morning call to the courthouse for the daily cop shop report. One item was interesting – a call the previous evening from a boat owner who reported someone had broken into his boat and stolen a bunch of accessories. So this criminal mastermind probably thought: 1) I’ll sell this anchor and get some money from this guy, and 2) set him up to sell stolen property to the sheriff. Yeah, it’s genius! Instead, he got Dean telling the sheriff the time of the encounter so they can find the video on the store’s surveillance system. But other than that, great plan.