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When we lived in the High Desert of California, I used to really like the afternoon winds that so many people were often complaining about. I actually miss those winds often here, because many times, especially this time of year when the winds die down in the afternoons it gets very uncomfortable and humid in the still air. Then there are times that get myself and Stacy very nervous about the winds. Back in the desert it was the wind storms that stirred up sand that could sandblast a car down to the bare metal. That actually happened early on when we had moved to the area, no garage yet, no protective fences up yet, just our 3 vehicles parked side by side in our front yard, my Datsun 240Z, our Chevy Suburban and Ford F150 pickup truck. It was our first time with winds like those and we didn't know what to expect. But we had not expected that! The storm happened over night and the next morning I was very upset to find the passenger side of the 240Z obliterated from the sand blas...

So, here in North Idaho we are very lucky to have a wide variety of wildlife, considerably more than I ever saw in Southern California. Bald Eagles, Osprey, Elk, White Tailed Deer, Moose, Wild Turkey, Canadian Geese, Swans, Wood Ducks and on and on with varieties of other small animals and birds. On our property itself we have quite a lot to see, but to me, one of the most beautiful birds that is also one of the hardest to spot and causes the most damage to our trees is the Pileated Woodpecker. Adult birds are said to be around 18 inches (45.72 cm), and the one I've seen twice is a big bird. These are the biggest woodpecker species in North America. Black with some white and a red crest, I've read these birds to have been the inspiration for the cartoon character "Woody Woodpecker" in the 1940s. To me I think of them as the relative of the thought to be extinct "Ivory Billed Woodpecker" from the South East swaps. In the years we've lived here now I...

A short post today as I had written a long post yesterday only to have it lost as we lost our Internet at work for the last 2 hours, and unlike mobile devices like this Nexus 7 where you can save the post on the local device,  on my computer all was lost as the Internet failure was early on in my typing. So, today just a note to say all is well.  It's finally summer here with the last few days and all next week the temps being mid 80s to low 90s. Tonight is our communities 4th of July fireworks but we won't be attending.  Due to our location this far North,  the show won't start until after 10 pm.  A bit late for us and then the traffic after the show just to leave. Did get to hear a lot of fireworks last night though. They're not illegal in this area so quite a few people buy them and love to set them off until around midnight. Probably the same tonight also. Anyway, I will post again next week.  Happy holiday.