Good-Bye!

It is truly the end of an era. The smelter was officially shut down for the last time yesterday afternoon. We have a friend who works there and he said the mood was mixed. Some guys happy the pollution and smoke is gone, some happy they are retiring and some sad because they are losing some really good friendships. The smelter brought a lot of people and a lot of money to this town. And even though there didn't end up being that many lay-offs, guys were moved around a lot and the partners they've had for 20 years are now gone. That's gotta be hard to take.

But for me, I am happy about it So this afternoon, I took Abby for a ride up on the rocks. It's our first trip this summer. I forgot how hard it is to take a stroller on those rocks! I am really out of shape!! We'll have to take a few more strolls up there. It was so nice to be able to walk up there and not worry about the smoke, the bad taste in my mouth or that heavy feeling in my chest. There was a moment where I felt that same feeling in my chest, so I did what I always do...I tasted my mouth to see if there was any smelter there. Then it dawned on me, there is no smelter smoke and that tightness in my chest is my struggling to get the stroller over a rough patch of rocks.

Look...no smoke!

Some of the big mushrooms that grow around town. Apparently, if you know what you are doing, you can pick them and eat them, if you know what you are doing!