The North Fork news

Still no snow, but the rain finally stopped and we had one day of sunshine. Even so, my yard is still mushy and toadstools have erupted everywhere. I am not as fond of winter and deep snow as I once was, but I am really so sick of rain that snow will be a welcome change.

I do not hunt in rainy weather. Partly because I don’t enjoy the forest as much and partly because you have to get animals to the butcher quick if it is too warm. I would hate to waste meat by having it sour.

My not hunting hasn’t stopped others. One neighbor and his wife have filled their tags. He never hunted or owned a gun until he retired and moved to the North Fork and he and his family have fully embraced the North Fork lifestyle. That is a pleasant change from those who move here and want to bring their California lifestyle with them.

I have also heard of two bull elk being taken and actually saw one of them in a pickup on opening day. It was so warm it was just loaded up and taken almost directly to town. He had planned to spend a week hunting but the road and weather were so nasty he didn’t think he would come back up.

Yes the road is awful and it will continue to get worse until the rain stops. Of course, when we get snow and our “winter pavement” is smoothed out the road will be good until spring breakup with the possible exception of a January thaw.

Even with the road being really bad I could not miss the Caldwell Halloween party. It is always a great party with good food and great friends and neighbors.

Caldwells always outdo themselves with decorations and Jan somehow has a different costume every year.

In fact this year I think more people were in costume than usual and there were more elaborate costumes than normal.

Some, like Johnny O and I, had minimal costumes. He was a cowboy with an arrow through his head and I dressed up as an old man. Personally, I think my costume was the most realistic looking.

Others were unrecognizable. Margaret Heaphy was an almost realistic tree. Could not tell who she was until she took off the costume to eat. Even better, her husband Mark came as an invisible man and was not visible even at the end of the party.

I didn’t even know Joe Novak could sing and I am still not sure but he was the star of a neat skit and his talent as well as the rest of the cast was great.

Of course, like all North Fork events it is always good to visit — we are still so scattered it is sometimes weeks between seeing some neighbors.

Thanksgiving is next although there will be Bible study every Wednesday evening at Sondreson Hall and a schedule of dance lessons to get everyone up to speed for the New Year’s Eve party at Sondreson Hall.

Larry Wilson’s North Fork Views column appears weekly in the Hungry Horse News.