Woke up to temperature of 24 degrees and lit the stove.

As the stove warmed the living room, Lietta says “How do you see us spending this day?”

“Writing,” I said, “cause it’s cold and we don’t want to be out.”

“But there’s sunshine out there. On cold ugly days you can be indoors and write all day. I’d like to take a drive.”

“Where?” I responded, feeling slightly grouchy. “There isn’t someplace we haven’t been nearby.

“KCPX talked about Silver Valley.” she said. “Out there some place like Kellogg.”

I looked it up.

“Silver Valley describes the mining towns along I-90 from around Cataldo to Mullan.”

“I don’t want to do that,” she said.

“Then where?”

“North to include Rathdrum and Spirit Lake.”

The idea was to drive to Priest River and lunch at Mi Pueblo, then east to Sandpoint.

So we gussied up and got in the Highlander. Down the driveway onto Seltice Way and turned north on Huetter Road.

Followed Huetter to Lancaster Road, then west to Meyer Road and into Rathdrum.

She changed her mind and we turned East on State Highway 53 toward U.S. 95 on the way to Sandpoint first. Then we would Mexican food it after driving from Sandpoint east to Priest River.

We wound up on Old 95 and wandered north paralleling U.S. 95 only west of the railroad tracks. But finally had to cross over to current U.S. 95 and on into Sandpoint.

At that point Lietta wants find the cemetery where her Grandpa Sam Wagner is buried. She got an online notice from Ancestry.com that reported finding Samuel Wagner’s grave.

She looked it up on her phone while we drove to Sandpoint. After checking on the map on her phone and a couple of false starts we wound up at the cemetery in clear but sub-freezing weather and with no idea where the headstone (two if Florence is buried there too).

We decided to take a day trip in better weather just in case we need to wander around all the graves like Tuco in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

So we drove the 22 miles to Priest River and had good Mexican food.

Came home right around sunset after being spooked when a deer attempted to jump in our  path but lost her footing and fell. She was okay but got up only after we got by her and another car stopped for her.

So I drove real careful and Lietta watching over me. Rather than music, we listened to NPR “All Things Considered” all the way home.

Lit the stove and settled in for the evening.