A young girl made several loops past my campsite on her bicycle before she gathered up the courage to say “Your dogs are cute.” This is a common opening gambit for kids when my dogs are around. “Thanks,” I said. “Would you like to meet them?” Why, yes, she would. We started a conversation that continued on and off all day, with breaks for cooling off in the lake, as she rode her bike around camp. Each time, she would stop to pet the dogs and to chat, and then was off again.

Late in the day, she stopped by and shyly handed me a folded piece of paper. “This is for you,” she said. I opened it to find this delightful artwork:

“Wow! Thanks!” I replied. “I really like it!” (who wouldn’t?) She scurried off, beaming.

I came across her mom and older sister later that evening, as I was taking the dogs for their evening walk. I told her mom what a sweet daughter she had, and said she was welcome to visit me as long as they were staying. Unfortunately, they were leaving the next day, so the next morning, I returned (with the dogs, of course) to say goodbye and to ask if it would be OK to take a selfie with the girl, so I could tell her story here. Mom was cool with that. Here’s my new friend!

After saying goodbye, I headed out on the trail which runs past the campground and marina, along the lake to the Colville River. I didn’t leave early enough to beat the heat, but at least the trail was mostly shady, and my reward at the end was a cooling dip in the lake. 

Back to camp, and another afternoon of the slow migration in my camp chair following the moving patches of shade. (If you were wondering; yes, I have an air conditioner, but it requires an electrical hookup, which this campground does not have.) I was hoping the maintenance men would have returned to fix the broken water faucet next to my campsite by now; maybe after lunch? It would be nice not to have to make the long trek to the next loop to refill my water tank, which is running low.