Sandpoint, we hardly recognize you...

I am sure those who have lived here for more
than 30 years, feel that way. And surely those
who come home for reunions this summer will
think that.

We have a fairly drab looking town. A lot of
brick, brown, grey's siding and etc. With a sprinkle
of color in the business signs.
But now we have color, boy, do we have color!!!

And there are so many changes.
This is must have caused a stir 28 years ago or more,
when they changed this. Now we take it in stride.

And we go from this...

to this...

We are are still divide on the plus of it.
Most of us, hate it. Too tall, too big... but
slowly we are getting use to it. Another 5
years and we'll take it in stride. And new
comers won't know the difference.
We already have people who don't know what
Harold's IGA or the Hair Hut is. And think the
Panhandle Milling is a strip mall area.

And now the latest splash. Colorful is an
understatement.

I liked the sign...


In 10 years people won't even remember what it was,
and who knows what it will look like by then. As we, who
have lived here over 20 years and the natives know,
restaurants come and go...

And then we have the bypass work being done and our
soil, roads, and etc. are changing.... and there are those
who think our traffic will look like this...



Instead of like this...


This is before and after the hold up on the bridge area,
as they rearrange the bridge approach. About 8 minutes
difference.

There are more changes than I have here. The west
entrance of Sandpoint is different. The north side of
5th Ave is completely changed from the railroad, feed
store, for sale lot and etc. that has been there for ever..
and now a 3 block worth of strip mall.

Is this for the good or the bad? It is all in the eye of
the beholder.