As mentioned previously, I felt the need for a change of scenery on Monday, so drove to Sandpoint. After driving up to Schweitzer Mountain, I wound back down that twisty, curvy road and into Sandpoint, where the weather was much more spring-like than up at the ski resort. The grandpuppy and I took a walk through the native plants arboretum, and past the waste-water treatment plant along the lake.
At first, it just looked like a nice patch of woods on the edge of town.
But then, as I walked along the paths, I saw markers indicating the names of much of the vegetation.
Sometimes the marker was right on the tree!
A rustic bench looked inviting, but Louie wanted to keep exploring.
So much to sniff! So many good smells!
This structure looked quite new. I wonder whether something vine-y will be planted to climb on it?
A short distance from the arboretum, I came across this lovely bed of crocuses! It is criss-crossed with shadows from the still-leafless branches of an adjacent tree.
You can see how low the water is in Lake Pend Oreille just now; these docks look quite useless at the moment.
More evidence of seasonally-low water in the lake, plus snow-capped peaks in the distance.
My Monday drive was extremely refreshing, and I felt in much better humor afterwards. In addition to walking with the dog, I spent some time just sitting in my car reading a book, and I ate an ice cream cone from my favorite fast food place, and blasted uplifting music by The Cathedrals while I drove. I plan to repeat this activity as needed, perhaps choosing a different destination next time.
All photos taken on my Android phone.